Luke 21:5-19
5 When some were speaking
about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated
to God, he said,6 "As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one
stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down." 7 They
asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that
this is about to take place?" 8 And he said, "Beware
that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, "I am
he!' and, "The time is near!' Do not go after them. 9 "When
you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must
take place first, but the end will not follow immediately." 10 Then
he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom; 11there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and
plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. 12 "But
before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand
you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and
governors because of my name. 13 This will give you an
opportunity to testify. 14 So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; 15 for I
will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to
withstand or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and
friends; and they will put some of you to death. 17 You
will be hated by all because of my name. 18But not a hair of your head
will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your souls.
They asked him, "Teacher, when
will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?"
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For the people of Jerusalem to hear that
the Temple will be demolished and “thrown down”, the words would be quite
shocking. The Temple was the centre of their world. Even their language
reflected that; one always “went up to the Temple” and “came down” their homes,
as if the Temple were the highest point on earth. It was the place where God’s
presence was guaranteed on earth, God’s footstool. The Holy of Holies was
called that because it was the place where God was most present. How could this
all be “thrown down” or laid waste by some enemy? God would never permit such a
thing, would God?
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History shows that God would and did
permit such a thing. The Temple of Herod was destroyed by the Romans in the
year 70, following a rebellion against the Empire. It was a shocking event that
eventually resulted in the dispersion of the Jewish people throughout the
world. The shocked and distressed people may have thought this was “The Day of
The Lord.”
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The Day of the Lord… a hard idea to
accept. The book of the prophet Malachi, one of the lesser prophets, from whose
writings we read today tells of this “Day of the Lord.” Other prophets, both
major and minor, speak of this day as well. Malachi said See, the day is coming, burning like an
oven… It sounds terrifying and the prophecy awaits fulfillment.
Many disasters had struck the people of Israel, but the coming Day of the Lord
was to be worse, a universal disaster, but one that would finally vindicate the
faithful of Israel.
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The Day of the Lord always had two
sides to it. The literal wrath of God stood beside the raising up and the
healing of the faithful.
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Luke’s Gospel is believed by most to
have been composed soon after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, that
catastrophe which hurts even to this day. In the passage we heard today, Jesus
speaks of the Temple being “thrown down” and of the further disasters that will
follow. Wars, insurrections, earthquakes, famines, plagues, and persecution of
the followers of Jesus are all yet to come.
-
It sounds very frightening and
unsettling. Yet this was NOT written to terrify but to give assurance and hope
to the people of the early church. In spite of the images of destruction and
terror the passage give, it is still a passage that is full of hope!
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I know that sounds strange. When
Jesus himself talks of being betrayed by family and friends and when he states
that You
will be hated by all because of my name, it doesn’t sound like any
comfort I’ve ever heard of.
-
What we need to do is to hear the
words of the Gospel and ALL of the words of the Gospel. Yes, there will be wars
and rebellions, earthquakes and famines. In truth, there have always been wars
and rebellions and earthquakes and famines. There will be betrayal and trials
before authorities, both civil and religious.
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And now for the rest of what Jesus
said, what we need to hear, what we often forget. This will give you an
opportunity to testify… for I will give you words and a
wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict…
But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you
will gain your souls.
-
The phrase - not a hair of your head will
perish – seem odd to us, especially since Jesus does not deny that they
will put some of you to death. This is troubling
but it is not necessarily a contradiction.
-
We are told earlier in Luke’s Gospel
(12: 6-7) Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is
forgotten in God’s sight. But even the hairs of your head are all counted.
Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. Despite
all the troubles, trials, and tribulations, nothing about you - not one detail!
– will be forgotten by God. God remains present in the world and in each of our
lives even when things are bad enough to give us the feeling that the world is
closing in on us and Hell is just around the corner.
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There’s not a person here who has not
come through some sort of Hell, not a one! Sickness, suffering, loss of loved
ones, exile, living as a refugee, divorce, a broken heart, addiction – the list
goes on. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your
endurance you will gain your souls.
-
The Church year is coming to an end.
Next Sunday is the festival of the Reign of Christ or Christ the King if you
prefer. The Sunday after that is the beginning of Advent. The Sunday readings
for the end of the Church year have the end of things as their theme. It is not
done to frighten us. The Lord knows there’s enough to frighten us all around us
every day. In an upside-down way, they are there to comfort and encourage us. What
this world is for us is not all there is. The Lord of all remains in charge.
The Word became flesh and dwells among us and within us still. Even as the
Church year ends and we look forward to what the season of Advent heralds, we
are assured that the grace of God and the power of God to save remains with us…
and endures.
But not a hair of your head will
perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.
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