Day 37 Lent 2023
My household stands on the doorway of change. We have a new puppy coming. The rescue shelter has to finish their procedures and last vet visit before he can come home with us, but we’ve been making preparations. My cell phone number is the contact, so I’m getting all the inquiries from everyone asking for a “puppy update” as if I wouldn’t broadcast it to everyone the moment I get the call.
We await our Lord and Savior’s second coming with that same anticipation. It’s almost like Advent, but that is passed with Christmas. This Advent is something more dire. We have an historical account of the crucifixion. We have an amazing movie covering this time by Mel Gibson with Jim Caviezel as Christ called The Passion. I’ve seen it. It is as close to being present at those events as possible. I don’t need to see it a second time, but I encourage anyone who hasn’t seen it to watch that movie.
1And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury.
2And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins.
Luke 21:1–2 (NASB95)
Here we have the end of a long day for Jesus. He is leaving the temple for the last time, and people give their tithes and offerings. This was done in a large metal container. It made a lot of noise the more coins you threw into it. The Scribes, Pharisees, and Lawyers loved that part because it drew lots of attention to them. Jesus is about to get a parting shot at them as He leaves.
3And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them;
4for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on.”
Luke 21:3–4 (NASB95)
Once again, Jesus makes it about intent and what is inside. The widow gave all she had left over because she was moved to do so. Everyone else gave because they had extra. Do we give because we are moved to do so or because we have extra? Even more important, why do we not give if we aren’t giving, and is that right or wrong? I struggle with these questions. I’m not going to declare what you should or should not be doing. You make that right between you and God.
5And while some were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and votive gifts, He said,
6“As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down.”
Luke 21:5–6 (NASB95)
They pointed to Earthly things, worldly possessions that looked great. What would they point to today? Gadgets, big screen televisions, opulent worship halls with stages, sets, and lights? Is it better to be in an aging sanctuary more than sixty years old or a brand new high-tech “worship experience,” I wonder? Jesus’ point is that all this is stuff where moth and rust can destroy, but the widow deposited her offering in Heaven.
19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
21for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19–21 (NASB95)
24“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
Matthew 6:24 (NASB95)
Their next question was no different then as it is now. When? When will Jesus return? When will disaster strike? When do these things come about?
7They questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, when therefore will these things happen? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?”
Luke 21:7 (NASB95)
Jesus’ answer is long, which in my opinion, doesn’t help us. He starts it off with a warning of people claiming to be “coming in my name,” which I used to think meant one thing, but as of today, it could be something different. Let’s look at that.
8And He said, “See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not go after them.
Luke 21:8 (NASB95)
It isn’t my intention to go verse by verse; that’s just how this is turning out. I used to think the warning not to be misled meant when someone came claiming to be Jesus as the second coming. It could be something different. It could be people who claim to be coming “in His name” to proclaim His gospel. They would be coming to preach the Good News but in their own way or eschewing the message. The “I am He” line still has me thinking it is someone claiming to be the second coming of Jesus Christ, though.
9“When you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately.”
Luke 21:9 (NASB95)
There are a lot of people on the internet talking about war right now. Russia is in the second year of their invasion of Ukraine. China is saber-rattling about reunification with Taiwan. Iran is dipping its toe into supplying Russia while it is on the cusp of developing a nuclear weapon for use against Israel. Israel is surrounded by enemies who want them dead (more on that later, I think,) North Korea is launching more and more missiles, Japan is rearming, and the nations of Europe who aren’t in NATO are all trying to get in as Russia says it is moving nuclear weapons to Belarus.
Has it ever been worse? I wonder if World War I or World War II looked “worse” to the people of those times. Did the world look “worse” when Rome persecuted Christians and was conquering the world? Did the Jews think the Holocaust was the end? For the US, did the Korean or Vietnam conflicts look like heralding the end? I’ll wager to one or more people they all looked like the “end times.” They weren’t. Are they now? I don’t know, but we also already know His return will be like a “thief in the night,” and we won’t see it coming.
4“An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away.
Matthew 16:4 (NASB95)
We aren’t to look for that signal that it's time. We are to be about the business of Jesus Christ, the spreading of the Gospel, and the serving of others. This is our task. When the end comes is irrelevant to that task, and even if it does come, we are still to be about the business of serving others. That one will be tough for me if it comes in my day, but I don’t think it will.
10Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom,
11and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.
12“But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake.
Luke 21:10–12 (NASB95)
I could be completely wrong, but here in the United States, no one is delivering us to prison. Yes, the progressive left in this country and worldwide, for that matter, are emboldened to limit and quiet Christians. Bake the cake, bigot. Make the website, bigot. Take the pictures, bigot. Don’t pray here, bigot. But, the pendulum is swinging, and it may have peaked. It also may be just getting started. I don’t know.
13“It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony.
Luke 21:13 (NASB95)
As horrible as it sounds, being drugs before the law becomes an opportunity to witness and spread the Gospel. Who we are as believers become evident at that moment. It may be all the legacy we leave behind, which may never be known, but someone will have witnessed it.
14“So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves;
15for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute.
Luke 21:14–15 (NASB95)
I use this one frequently. Let the Holy Spirit guide your words. This is a level of trust I sometimes fail at, too, but I like it a lot.
16“But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death,
Luke 21:16 (NASB95)
In just a bit, this one is going to seem contradictory. Remember, the Kingdom of God is not about life on Earth. It is a spiritual kingdom held inside the believer.
17and you will be hated by all because of My name.
18“Yet not a hair of your head will perish.
Luke 21:17–18 (NASB95)
I’m certain this passage, coupled with the last confused many listeners in Jesus’ day. I’m also certain it still confuses people. I’m just as certain the Christians in the Roman Coliseum also wondered about this. We have an eternal side, a spiritual side, that goes on in the Kingdom of Heaven. That is where we shall not perish.
19“By your endurance you will gain your lives.
Luke 21:19 (NASB95)
This will be hard; I’ll wager. If this comes in my day, I’m not looking forward to it.
20“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near.
Luke 21:20 (NASB95)
Israel is surrounded by countries that want to see them dead. But there aren’t actual armies marching on Jerusalem. Full-on troops headed for the capital is what I think Jesus meant here.
21“Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city;
22because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled.
23“Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people;
24and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Luke 21:21–24 (NASB95)
This hints at a nuclear holocaust to me, but I have a creative mind working with gaming and science fiction writing. It could be anything. The point is that it is not good. There will be a lot of death, hardship, and disaster accompanying these events, all centered around war.
25“There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,
26men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Luke 21:25–26 (NASB95)
I want to make two points here. First, verse twenty-five sounds much like the Global Warming crowd’s clarion call of doom and destruction thanks to climate change. Second, fear is not a spirit of God. We should never make any decisions based on fear. Fear can be information gathered or influencing things, but it should not be why we decide. Our choices should be based on our information, evidence gathered, and counsel sought from wiser individuals. Choices made out of fear drive us toward the adversary and not God.
6For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
7For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
2 Timothy 1:6–7 (NASB95)
If you want loads and loads of scripture relating to why we should not have fear if we are Christians, go to this link HERE. I’ve given you one above. There are many, many more there.
Incidentally, Open Bible’s Topical Bible link is a fantastic online resource for searching scripture by concept. I use it daily. They use the English Standard Version of the Bible and are under Creative Commons 4.0, which I also use (you can find that license HERE.)
27“Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28“But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Luke 21:27–28 (NASB95) Daniel 7:13
Jesus recounts a prophecy from Daniel, but I don’t get it. We will all know, without a shadow of a doubt Jesus has returned. I doubt a lot. I like Thomas because he doubted, but Jesus took him in any way and did not rebuke his doubt. He simply showed Himself to Thomas and embraced him. I hope that is the end in my case as well. Jesus gives us a parable concerning the end times that may or may not help.
29Then He told them a parable: “Behold the fig tree and all the trees;
30as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near.
31“So you also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near.
Luke 21:29–31 (NASB95)
I have fig trees. As I type this, buds and green leaves appear on these trees. They are waking up from the long winter nap. It is a cycle of nature that I cannot change. I could cut the tree down, but as long as the fig tree grows, I can’t stop the leaves from coming, the fruit from appearing, and the bounty from being available for harvest. It is the natural flow of life. In that respect, Jesus hinted that the coming end is also just as unstoppable and just as natural.
The second part I do not understand. The Kingdom of God was established with Christ’s first appearance. It is a spiritual kingdom of the heart. We are already in it based on Christ’s previous explanations. However, Jesus speaks as though it hasn’t come yet. I wonder if He means an actual, factual earthly version of it. The reality is I don’t know. This is one I don’t fully understand yet.
32“Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place.
Luke 21:32 (NASB95)
This is another one I don’t understand yet. It caused problems in the early church too. It still does to a much lesser extent. Some thought that meant the resurrection had already passed. Others thought it was imminent, as in any day now. Two thousand years on the other side of the crucifixion, we still don’t know.
33“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
Luke 21:33 (NASB95)
Truth. Jesus Christ is truth. He speaks truth. Nothing changes a fact from being true. If something changes it, then it isn’t true, to begin with. Everything in the Bible is truth. It doesn’t change. It doesn’t pass away, and it doesn’t lose authority for being true just because human understanding changes. God is truth, love, and righteousness. Man is not. Where there is a conflict, Man changes. God does not. Anyone peddling the idea that we need to change our understanding of what Jesus or any scripture taught long ago because “they lived in a different time” is peddling a lie. Avoid them. I said that harshly because it needs to stand out. I believe it one hundred percent.
34“Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap;
35for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.
36“But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Luke 21:34–36 (NASB95)
We aren’t supposed to look for signs, but we are supposed to be watchful and prepared. That’s not a contradiction. We aren’t supposed to “watch for a sign” to have time to get our house in order before Jesus returns. We are supposed to watch for signs to be ready to deal with the things that come to preserve the faithful believers. Joseph didn’t watch for signs because he wanted to enjoy the pleasures of the world as long as he could and straighten up right before the end. Joseph watched to prepare for the hardships, and his wisdom saved not just his entire family but all of Israel when the seven-year famine struck. That is the kind of watchfulness we are commanded to have.
37Now during the day He was teaching in the temple, but at evening He would go out and spend the night on the mount that is called Olivet.
38And all the people would get up early in the morning to come to Him in the temple to listen to Him.
Luke 21:37–38 (NASB95)
No matter how hard they tried, the Scribes and Pharisees could not keep the crowds from finding Jesus. This chapter represents the last time Jesus would be in the Temple. From here, everything moves toward the cross and the tomb. We descend into darkness here, but a glorious light is at the end. Whatever your situation, wherever you are in life, be of good cheer, for soon, the heavy stone blocking the tomb rolls back, and the angels proclaim His glory. That is figurative and real. Look for it. It is coming. God bless and Godspeed.