The tension that has
been growing between Jesus and the Jewish authorities in the previous couple of
chapters, is now coming to a climactic head in Luke 21-22. When Jesus'
first action in coming to the Temple is to 'cleanse it' from its spiritual
impurity (19:45), the authorities are outraged at Jesus' condemnation. Indeed,
throughout chapter 20, the godlessness
of the people's religion has been exposed.
Rather than being the heart of God-centred worship and repentance, the
Temple is the centre of spiritual corruption. The Temple didn’t just need
cleansed; as a Biblical symbol of the place where God meets humanity and where
sin is dealt with and forgiven, the Temple needed replaced. And if the Temple goes, so must Judaism. In a passage laden with difficulties, Chapter
21 describes what the disciples could expect to happen…
Sometime in the
future (around AD 70), Jesus says that when the armies of Rome are seen
surrounding Jerusalem and the beautiful Temple is destroyed (21:5-6,20-24),
everyone will then know for sure that the old Jewish system has come to an end.
But when they "see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great glory"
(v27) that will be the end of the world.
That is the only
"sign" that Judgement and the fullness of God's Kingdom has arrived
(v29-30). All the other notable
"signs" described in the chapter point not to the End, but to the
times in which we live. For, again and
again throughout the history of the church - between Christ's first and second
coming - and in different parts of the world there will be upheavals (v8-11)
and the church will experience persecution (v12-19). The disciples are told not to speculate or
try to calculate when Christ will return, but to bear testimony by lip (v13)
and life (v34-36) that He is on His way.
A final thought on
the Temple: we said above that the Temple needed 'replaced'. When would that happen? Well, long before its
physical destruction in 70 AD, the Jerusalem Temple had already been rendered
spiritually obsolete: for Jesus Himself
was the true Temple, the real Temple of God - by whom sinful man could now meet
with the Holy God, and by the destruction of His own body (the ultimate Temple
sacrifice) our sins are atoned for, fully, finally, and forever (see John
2:19-21).
Luke 22 is holy
ground. As one Satanic plot is hatched
to do away with Jesus (v1-6), so another plan, conceived in the mind and heart
of the triune God before the world was made (see 1 Peter 1:18-20; Revelation
13:8), concerning a Passover Lamb, the real Lamb of God (v7) to release His
people from Satan's bondage - the real Passover - also begins to unfold
(v7-38). Throughout, Satan seems to have
the upper hand: he wants not just Judas
but all the disciples (22:31) and certainly manages to distract them from the
matter in hand by stoking the fires of self-centred indulgence ((v24); Jesus
feels the intense pressure of the spiritual conflict and needs angelic help
(v43-44); by the chapter's close Satan appears to have won another victory over
his divine enemy (v60-62), while judgement is passed against the true Judge
(v69,71). Humanly speaking, there is no
way back. But as we shall see, Jesus is
still in control (v37)…
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