Jesus continues teaching in the temple in the last week of his life after cleansing it and he has just taught on the subject of the poor widow who gave her last two copper coins as a freewill offering to the temple.
5 And as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said,
Jesus is teaching large crowds along with his disciples in the temple but Luke does not specify which people initiate the comments that Jesus responds to. Luke just says “some spoke of the temple” whereas the corresponding passages in Matthew 24:1-2 and Mark 13:1-2 isolate the disciples as the speakers. The words are not quoted here in verse 5 but neither are they in Matthew. Mark quotes the disciples saying “Teacher, look at the magnificent stones and buildings!” which is the substance of what Luke writes.
It was true that the temple complex and renovations by Herod were a marvel. The historian Josephus describes the Temple in both of his major works, Antiquities of the Jews and The Jewish war:
“Now the outward face of the Temple in its front wanted nothing that was likely to surprise either men’s minds or their eyes; for it was covered all over with plates of gold of great weight, and, at the first rising of the sun, reflected back a very fiery splendor, and made those who forced themselves to look upon it turn their eyes away, just as they would have done at the sun’s own rays. But this Temple appeared to strangers, when they were at a distance, like a mountain covered with snow; for as to those parts of it that were not gilt, they were exceeding white.” (Jewish War 5.222–223)
“The Temple had doors also at the entrance, and lintels over them, of the same height as the Temple itself. They were adorned with embroidered veils, with their flowers of purple, and pillars interwoven: and over these, but under the crown-work, was spread out a golden vine, with its branches hanging down from a great height, the largeness and fine workmanship of which was a surprising sight to the spectators.” (Jewish War 5.225–226)
“King Herod, having a mind to make this a most illustrious temple… beautified it all over, not only in the inner part, but in the outer courts also. The cloisters he built were on all sides, extended even to the utmost limits of the Temple mount, which was vastly raised and enlarged beyond what it was before.” (Antiquities 15.391–395)
6 “As for these things which you see, the days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
Jesus responds to the musings of his disciples by prophesying. Many think Jesus is talking about the end of the world be is only talking about the city and temple. He says that “days will come” when no bricks will be standing on another one that is not cast to the ground. He specifically identifies the temple “these things which you see”. This leaves no possibility for misinterpretation on the ears of Jesus’ listeners or the readers of scripture. He is declaring a physical destruction of the temple will take place in the future. This is not the first time Jesus has declared this. The details that Jesus uses line up with that of Josephus:
“NOW as soon as the army had no more people to slay or to plunder, because there remained none to be the objects of their fury, (for they would not have spared any, had there remained any other work to be done,) Caesar gave orders that they should now demolish the entire city and temple, but should leave as many of the towers standing as were of the greatest eminency; that is, Phasaelus, and Hippicus, and Mariamne; and so much of the wall as enclosed the city on the west side. This wall was spared, in order to afford a camp for such as were to lie in garrison, as were the towers also spared, in order to demonstrate to posterity what kind of city it was, and how well fortified, which the Roman valor had subdued; but for all the rest of the wall, it was so thoroughly laid even with the ground by those that dug it up to the foundation, that there was left nothing to make those that came thither believe it had ever been inhabited. This was the end which Jerusalem came to by the madness of those that were for innovations; a city otherwise of great magnificence, and of mighty fame among all mankind” (Jewish War)
7 And they asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign when this is about to take place?”
In response to Jesus’ prophecy his disciples ask two questions. When will this happen and what will the sign be when it is about to happen. This might seem like the same question asked in different ways but since Jesus used the term “days” he is mostly like referring to an era of sorts, this was how ancient peoples measured time, they did not have our year system. They then ask about what “signs” will there be marking the event. Although throughout Hebrew history the acknowledgement of signs proceeding or marking events as they happen occurred, during the Second Temple Period a large amount of influential Jewish apocalyptic literature was influencing the common folk including the apostles, heavily focused on omens in the skies. These are the signs they are referring to in the second part of their question.
Michael E. Stone, in Scriptures, Sects, and Visions: A Profile of Jewish Apocalypticism, notes that apocalyptic literature such as 1 Enoch and 2 Baruch highlighted cosmic disturbances and signs as markers of the eschaton:
“Signs were often viewed as a form of divine validation and were anticipated in apocalyptic contexts as harbingers of divine intervention in history.”
John J. Collins, in The Apocalyptic Imagination, discusses the role of “signs” in texts like the Dead Sea Scrolls:
“The Qumran community believed that celestial and terrestrial signs would accompany the end of days, confirming the fulfillment of prophecy. The ‘War Scroll,’ for instance, envisions divine intervention marked by extraordinary phenomena
8 And he said, “Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them.
Jesus is attempting to tell his disciples what will happen without causing them to panic. Instead of asking their questions directly he jumps to the point of the dangers of misjudging what is occurring by warning them to not be led astray, that many will claim to be coming in his name, even that they are him and that the time is nigh but they should not follow them. Some of these Messianic imposters are actually mentioned in the book of Acts. The phrasing like much of the Olivet discourse is pulling from the Prophet Jeremiah was was prophesying the destruction of the first temple by the Babylonians.
“Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!’” (Jeremiah 7:4)
9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified; for this must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”
He continues to try to keep his disciples heads level about the revelations that he is giving to them. When you hear about wars don’t be afraid because these things will occur between now and the end of the old covenant but they are not the actual endings, they are just events that happen before hand and must take place. The end will also not happen all at once, there will be stages that will reach a climax with the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D.
10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom;
Jesus now predicts even further turmoil on a much wider scale, nations will war against each other, kingdoms will clash and these are all to happen before the end of the covenant. The great Jewish-Roman war which is the symbolic cosmic conflict of Jew versus Gentile. Nation rising against nation.
11 there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.
All of what Jesus says here is true. In the lead up to the destruction of the temple there will be cataclysms that will effect the world, Colossae was destroyed in the 50’s A.D because of an earthquake, Pompeii and Herculaneum, Roman cities, were nearly entirely destroyed in 62 A.D by powerful earthquakes that had a magnitude of 5.2-6.1 on the Richter scale, with a maximum intensity of IX or X on the Mercalli scale. This means that the earthquake was extremely violent, causing widespread damage and loss of life.
A great famine struck Jerusalem before the Temple was destroyed, Josephus even recounts in his history on the Jewish War “the famine was so severe that people were eating human flesh, and even the very young children were being devoured by their own parents.” (Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, Book 6, Chapter 3).
Finally Jesus says “there will be terrors and great signs from heaven”. This too is corroborated by Josephus who wrote: “Thus there was a star resembling a sword, which stood over the city, and a comet that continued a whole year. … So these publicly declared that this signal foreshowed the desolation that was coming upon them. Besides these, a few days after that feast, on the one-and-twentieth day of the month Artemisius, a certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared … which I suppose would seem a fable, were it not related by those that saw it … before sun-setting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities.”
Leave a Reply