Jesus has just been describing the events that are to come when Jerusalem is “surrounded by armies” ( Luke 21:20 ) and that those in Judea should flee to the mountains because the days of vengeance that have been written about must be fulfilled and even be trodden down by gentiles. He is obviously referring to the siege of Jerusalem in 70AD where the Romans will surround the Holy City, slay those inside and believers of Jesus will escape to Pella in the foothills of the Transjordan Mountains. It is following these sayings that Jesus gives us a parable.
29 And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees;
Jesus is talking to his disciples, he gives them a parable which unlike his earlier previous parables, this one is very clear and Jesus explains it afterwards. He tells them to look at the “fig tree” and then follows it with “all the trees” he is most likely generalising so his listeners to not get stuck on a specific tree because he is going to explain a universal principle that applies to all of them. It could also has the connotation of specificity to generality which illustrates how universal the statement he is about to give is.
30 as soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near.
Here he brings to focus the natural life cycle of trees, something which all of his audience would have a basic understanding of. He explains how the life cycle of tree corresponds to the seasons, when you see the leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Nothing exists in a vacuum, especially not living things, they exist in relation to something else. A trees lifecycle and the seasons are interconnected, with the tree reacting to the season.
31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
“So also” now Jesus applies this simple parable to the situation at hand. All the warnings of devastation that he has given in the previous verses about what is to become of Jerusalem will be a sign that the Kingdom of God is near. The “Kingdom of God” can be a confusing phrase for Jesus to use as earlier in the Gospel he has already said that the Kingdom is here, among them. So here must be a reference to the active judgement or event that justifies the Kingdom of God. It is similar to how the Old testament refers to God as always being there but at specific times language is used to articulate God’s decisive action in a particular event which could be misinterpreted as God not being there beforehand but obviously he was. Something observable will serve as a sign of the Kingdom of God.
32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away till all has taken place.
“Truly, I say to you” Jesus begins important statements with this phrase. It follows with Jesus stating that “this generation”, in reference to the followers of his that he is talking to, will not pass away till all of what he has previously said in his predictions of Jerusalem have taken place. This solidifies that Jesus is not talking about the yet to happen second coming event but something much sooner. Interestingly enough as we have already highlighted, all the details of his previous statements link with the siege of Jerusalem in 70AD. The siege will take place about 37-40 years after Jesus’ predicts it. 40 Years to the Jews was considered a generation because of the 40 years in the wilderness. It is a reversal of promise in the Exodus that this generation must pass away before they enter the promised land, spanning 40 years. Here the generation will survive the 40 years to witness the passing of the old promised land in order to make way for true promised land, the Kingdom of God. Jesus is making it clear that within this generations lifetime the events he predicted will happen.
33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
In the final verse of todays readings Jesus references Isaiah 51:6 “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die like gnats; but my salvation will be for ever, and my deliverance will never be ended.” Jesus is proclaiming that his own words have an equality with God’s or more accurately, he is implicitly saying “I am God” because my words hold equal authority. He is comparing the temporary nature of the sky and the earth with his words which are divinely grounded. Some commentators all note that this could be a reference to the celestial and nature imagery found in the Temple, which once destroyed, will pass away but Jesus’ words, the New and Eternal Covenant will remain, as it does to this day.
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