Gospel of Luke

Chapter Twenty-one

Day 21 of 24
On occasion, I like to read a chapter of scripture from the last verse backwards to the beginning of that chapter. In this chapter, that plan works very well. When Jesus was in Jerusalem, He spent the nights at His version of our Holiday Inn Express. In verses 37 and 38, we see that during the day, Jesus would be teaching in the temple courts and many people were coming to hear Him speak. Then, at night, He and the disciples would leave the gates of the city, walk eastward, down through the Kidron Valley and up the Mount of Olives. There was an olive grove there called the Garden of Gethsemane. They would spend the nights in this garden debriefing the day’s activities. I’m certain that this place was special to all of them. They could look back westward and see the beautiful city spread out over the hills. Here, they would have time to be quiet and rest and gather strength for the next day.
All of the disciples were familiar with this spot, including Judas Iscariot.
Matthew 24 and Mark 13 record this same account and tell us that the conversation was held on the Mount of Olives. The disciples were finally beginning to put the pieces of the story together. Jesus had been trying to prepare them all along as they had walked together for the past three years. I believe that they could now sense the urgency in the words of Jesus and were listening with intensity.
The final story of the night showed the tenderness of Jesus toward their wonder and lack of understanding. He tells them to remember the events of springtime. Passover was always held in the spring when all of nature was coming alive after the deadness of winter. At that very moment, trees all around them were putting forth buds that would produce leaves then blooms and finally yield fruit. Jesus used that natural, familiar sight to help them connect a few more dots of spiritual truth.
They had been asking Jesus to tell them the who, what, when, where, why and how of His declaration of the destruction of the temple and the city of Jerusalem. They had been amazed at the beauty of the temple and its massive structure while Jesus had been telling them that days would come when one stone would not be left standing upon another. The disciples wanted a “sign” so Jesus gave them one they could comprehend: nature. Then He gave them a few more clues.
With our little finite minds, you and I are able to think on the past, the present and the future. Most of the time, we can deal sanely with this present moment and very little else. Jesus, The Son of God, saw the end of all things from long before the beginning of all things and everything in between with perfect clarity. When He was explaining coming cataclysmic events, He was speaking of the soon to come events as well as long into the future events and even end times events. My head spins just reading His words. I’m certain they sat there in stunned silence as He spoke.
Jesus gave His life on the cross somewhere between 30-33 A.D. He knew that in less than 40 years, in the year 70 A.D., the Romans would conquer Jerusalem and destroy the beautiful temple. He also knew that the disciples were in for a tough time without His physical presence with them. The shadow of the cross was looming larger and larger. He knew that they would live out their lives in the first century as evangelists and eventually (most of them would) die as martyrs. Then, He also knew the end of all things would come. In this “Olivet” discourse, Jesus did His best to prepare them and answer their questions.
I do not plan to attempt to interpret the words of Jesus here. Suffice it to say that many learn-ed, highly respected folks have studied and compared gospels and epistles and prophecy and written tomes of interpretation on these blood red words. My hat’s off to them. ME? I am still sitting on the top of the Mount of Olives with my pea brain staring at the olive trees and fig trees. I confess that I remain as baffled as the disciples about most of this.
Here is what I DO know: I do not need to concern myself with the future. I need to focus on daily walking with Jesus and moment by moment obedience as I share His story with others. When those troubled times come, I shall have done all that I can humanly do to follow His example. In verse 15, Jesus promises to be with us when we are on the firing line. He will give us the words to speak to testify in His name. To know with full assurance that whatever is ahead, Jesus will be Emmanuel, God with us... is enough.
Continuing our journey backwards toward the beginning of chapter 21...we slide over into verses 46 and 47 of chapter 20. They are standing in the beautiful temple, in the area of the treasury where offerings are given. Jesus has once again exposed the hypocrisy of the religious leaders. They are the ones who love to wear long, flowing robes and strut around expecting respectful greetings in the public marketplace and chief seats in the synagogue and head table spots in the banquet halls. They offer long, loud, wordy, meaningless prayers. They are loudly and proudly chunking change into the treasury while they are foreclosing on the homes of needy widows in the community. What a grand bunch.
At that very moment, a poor widow appears in the line of offering givers. Under the armpit of one of the richest givers stands this widow. The contrast is glaring. Her two coins barely make a sound as they fall into the coffers. Jesus notices her and points her out to the disciples. He not only notices her there, Jesus knows that what she just gave was ALL that she had to give and all that she had to live. He recognized and acknowledged her faith and made sure the disciples saw the beauty of the gift of...herself. Those Pharisees gave what amounted to a little bit of their big loot. That widow gave it all. Jesus was about to do just that on Calvary.....