Prior to this Jesus has sent out the 72 disciples out on mission and they have just returned. They are all in good spirits as even the demons are subject to them in Jesus’ name. Jesus has said in response to them the curious line “I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven” and pronounced that he has given them authority over the enemy and tread upon scorpions and serpents, that all spirits are subject to them and they should rejoice for their names are now written in Heaven. Todays readings follows this passage.

21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will.

Luke the Evangelist tells us that Jesus’ following words come at the “same hour” as the disciples rejoicing so what he is about to say is in reference to their victory over the evil spirits. Jesus “rejoiced in the Holy Spirit”. The word for “rejoiced” is a rare one, only appearing one other time in Luke’s Gospel. It is the Greek word agalliaō, its only other appearance is in Mary’s Magnificat where she says “and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior”. In Jesus’ case he is rejoicing in the third person of the trinity, the Holy Spirit. All three persons of the trinity are highlighted very clearly in these passages.

Jesus then thanks his “Father, Lord of Heaven and earth”. It is important to note that this language that Jesus uses, is not “normal” for Second Temple Judaism, or any type of Judaism really. The personal relationship that Jesus speaks of when he refers to God is exclusive to the Christian context. He is thanking his Father for “hiding these things from the wise” and revealing them to “babes”. What is it that Jesus is referring to? Considering the previous passages it appears to be that of exorcism and healing that the disciples sent out on mission had accomplished.

Second Temple Judaism was no stranger to exorcisms although many only associate it with Christianity. In the Dead Sea Scrolls of the Essene Community at Qumran there were The Songs of the Sage (4Q510–511) they describe hymns to drive away evil spirits. These texts associate exorcism with praising God, emphasizing the power of spoken or sung words sanctified by divine authority (Dimant, 1984). Josephus the Jewish Historian recounts a first-century Jewish exorcist named Eleazar who performed an exorcism before Emperor Vespasian. Eleazar used a ring with a root prescribed by King Solomon, reciting incantations and invoking the name of Solomon to draw out the demon (Antiquities 8.45-49).

All of these methods seem rather hard to learn and acquire, requiring decades of study and of course the financial resources for ancient sacred objects. The disciples in their simplicity of obedience to Jesus’ authority are able to do even more than the learned and wise of their time with none of the material or intellectual resources that people like the Pharisees, Priests and Scribes had.

Jesus then says at the end of the verse that it was the Fathers will that this be the case. This is the common theme throughout the prophets of God’s reversal of expectations. That his strength is actually found in weakness.

22 All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Jesus then takes this small scale acknowledgement of the divine to a grander theological scale, speaking to a crowd. He says all things have been delivered to him by his Father. This is inheritance language and is parallel with many verses in John’s Gospel.

He tells his audience that no one knows who the Son is fully except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is fully except the Son and that the Son has the authority to choose who receives these revelations. This speaks to the communion of the Holy Trinity. The intimate relationship of Persons in the Godhead. The Son gets to choose who gets to be included in that intimacy. This is very deep theology. The Son is the method through which people get to partake in the Communion of the Trinity itself.

23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see what you see!

Jesus now turns from the crowds to tell his disciples something privately. He says their eyes are blessed because of what they are seeing and experiencing. Makarioi is the Greek word used for “blessed”. This term conveys more than just happiness; it denotes divine favor or a state of being in God’s grace. It’s used frequently in beatitudes (e.g., Matthew 5:3-11) to indicate spiritual privilege and fulfillment. Jesus emphasizes the disciples’ unique privilege of witnessing the fulfillment of the Messianic promises. Their “seeing” is not just visual but participatory, involving understanding and experiencing the inbreaking of God’s kingdom.

24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

After tell the disciples they are blessed, Jesus explains why. He says many prophets and kings desired to see what they are seeing fulfilled among them but but did not see, many wanted to hear for they are hearing in Jesus’ day but did not hear. The prophets and kings, standing within the various Old Covenant promises (e.g., Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic covenants), longed for the Messianic age. These covenants were promissory, always pointing forward to their fulfillment in Jesus’ life, ministry, and sacrifice.

Moses and Elijah, representing the Law and the Prophets, each had profound yet incomplete encounters with God. In Exodus 33:22, Moses is placed in the cleft of the rock as God’s glory passes by. He could not see God’s face but only His “back”—a partial revelation. And again in 1 Kings 19:11-13, Elijah experiences God’s presence not in wind, earthquake, or fire, but in a “gentle whisper” while hiding in a cave. Like Moses, Elijah’s experience of God is limited, pointing to the need for a more complete manifestation.

Jesus’ statement contrasts the limited glimpses and hearings of God’s plan experienced by Moses, Elijah, and other prophets with the full revelation given to the disciples. In Christ, the disciples are witnessing the fulfillment of what the Old Covenant hinted at through shadows and types.

The Word has been promised to the prophets and kings and now it has been made flesh and tabernacled among them, uniting heaven and earth and the sons of Adam once again the opportunity to have their names written in Heaven as Sons of God.

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.

Jesus is moving from Galilee to Judea. This section of Luke is very long, building up to his final week in Jerusalem.

11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee.

Galilee is in the north, an agricultural region with mainly gentiles but some Jews. Jesus would spend much of his time here. Judea is in the most southern part of Israel and Samaria is in the middle. Instead of just passing through Samaria he follows the traditional pilgrimage route going around the edge of Samaria, this route took longer but it’s emblematic of the historical conflict between Jews and Samaritans . After the Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC, many Israelites were exiled, and foreign populations were settled in their place, leading to intermarriage and the formation of a mixed population. These are who the Samaritans are. They even developed their own worship practices, centering on Mount Gerizim rather than Jerusalem, and accepted only the Pentateuch as canonical scripture, rejecting other Jewish traditions. They aren’t just considered not Jews but also inherently anti-jewish by their existence.

“The hostility between Jews and Samaritans stemmed from longstanding differences in ethnicity, worship practices, and religious texts, causing them to regard each other as unclean” (The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 8, p. 276).

12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance

13 and lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”

Jesus enters a village on the border of Samaria and is greeted by ten lepers. Lepers were people with a contagious skin disease so they were required by religious law to only live amongst eachother and to be separated from non-infected people. They want to greet Jesus and they call him Master, epistatēs in greek, which means overseer or teacher so they seem to recognise who he is and at least to some degree they recognise his authority but they must stay at a distance because of the Law.

“The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.” (Leviticus 13:45–46)

They ask Jesus to “have mercy” on them which means they believe he can help their affliction (something people thought incurable without divine help) implying that the authority they believe him to have is more than just that of mortal man.

14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed.

In other places Jesus will touch lepers to heal them (Matthew 8:1-4) but in this case perhaps because of the large crowds with him he demonstrates his divine capacity to simply will things into existence as he doesn’t even say they are healed just that they must present themselves to the priests according to custom to show that they are clean and along the way they are miraculously cured. This demonstrates the many methods that Jesus can heal.

“and the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall make an examination; then, if the leprous disease is healed in the leper,” (Leviticus 14:3, RSV)

15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice;

All the lepers are healed but only one of them will turn back and thank Jesus for it. He praises God for this healing that Jesus has done, the leper is therefore recognising the son being sent by the father implicitly.

16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.

In the old testament context to fall at someone’s feet is a sign of reverence towards royalty.

“When the woman of Tekoa came to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and did obeisance, and said, ‘Help, O king.’” (2 Samuel 14:4, RSV)

Luke takes note of the fact that the only one to return to Jesus in order to thank him was a Samaritan, this implies that the other nine lepers were Jews. Interesting implication here beyond the obvious is that leprous Jews were welcomed to a degree among Samaritan villages albeit still isolated from the common population, in their exile from their own people. This speaks to the puritanical nature of Jews to the detriment of their own kind and what is perceived as laxity of the Law on the part of the Samaritans is closer to the compassion of Jesus himself. This is encapsulated by who actually returns to thank Jesus, it’s the Samaritan, not the Jews.

17 Then said Jesus, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?

18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Jesus acknowledges the other nine not returning to thank him by asking the question “was no one found to return and give praise to God except for this foreigner?”. In response to their healing the Jews who are zealous for purity are absent of mind on to whom this purity is directed, that being God. They are more about returning to the world than they are to thank him who made it or more literally “give glory to God”. This can’t be overlooked, they have experienced a miraculous cure by a prophet but they are so taken up into being a part of the material world that they completely blank on the supernatural event that just occured. The Samaritan on the other hand, who worships what he does not know, does give glory to God in response to this healing.

A peculiar word for foreigner is used here and this is the only time the word is used in the entire new testament. The word is allogenēs.

(allos, “another,” genos, “a race”)

Moulton and Milligan illustrate the use of the word by the inscription on the Temple barrier, “No foreigner (allogenēs) may enter within the balustrade (soreg) around the sanctuary and the enclosure. Whoever is caught, on himself shall he put the blame for the death which will ensue” according to Mommsen this inscription was cut by the Romans.

“The stone bears an inscription forbidding any foreigner to enter within the balustrade and enclosure surrounding the sanctuary, under penalty of death.(Moulton, J. H., & Milligan, G. (1930). The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament: Illustrated from the Papyri and Other Non-literary Sources (p. 9)).

For context, this inscription has been discovered on several stone fragments and is consistent with accounts from the historian Josephus (Jewish War 5.5.2; Antiquities 15.11.5). The warning reflects the seriousness of maintaining the sanctity of the inner Temple areas and emphasizes the boundary between Jews and Gentiles in worship practices.

Considering the temple is the place of giving glory to God in the sacrificial liturgy in it’s fullness Jesus could be highlighting that a man who is not even allowed passed the temple barrier is giving greater glory to God than those literally allowed to partake in the liturgical rites.

Jesus then says the man’s faith has made him well. The other men were also physically healed but something invisible has been made well in the Samaritan, the phrase literally means he has been “saved”. The same Greek verb, σῴζω (sōzō), meaning “to save” or “to heal,” is used in the healing of Bartimaeus (Mark 10:52; Luke 18:42)

There are quite a few old testament correlations in this passage with that of 2 Kings 5:1-14 where the prophet Elisha heals the leprous gentile Naaman. Naaman asks to take two mule-loads of earth from Israel back to Syria so he can worship the God of Israel on it. This request reflects an ancient belief that worship was tied to specific lands or locations (2 Kings 5:17). The Samaritan receives entrance to the kingdom after his healing, Naaman brings the literal dirt of the kingdom to his own lands to worship the true God.

Jesus has just finished describing the destruction of the Temple in his prophecy of the days to come. The final verse of the previous reading is “there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.” So everything previous to these readings is establishing what will occur before and in the climax of 70A.D when the Romans destroy the City of the Jerusalem and the Second Temple and will culminate in signs from heaven.

12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. 

Beginning in verse 12, Jesus says “but before all this” referring to his prophecy focused on the City and the Temple, this makes it clear that before 70 A.D the following events will occur. Turning his attention to his disciples he describes a “they” who will lay hands on them, oppressing them. These same people with bring them to the synagogues and put them in prison. They will also be brought before foreign and secular authorities like monarchs and governors because of Jesus’ name. Up until this point Jesus’ prophecies have extended beyond the time the scriptures were written but now the prophecies he gives detailing the lives of the Apostles before 70A.D are all included in the New Testament itself.

Acts 4:3 “And they arrested them and put them in custody until the morrow, for it was already evening.”

Acts 5:18 “hey arrested the apostles and put them in the common prison.”

Acts 5:40 “So they took his advice, and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.”

Acts 22:19  “And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in thee.”

Acts 24:1-5  “And after five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertullus. They laid before the governor their case against Paul; and when he was called, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying: “Since through you we enjoy much peace, and since by your provision, most excellent Felix, reforms are introduced on behalf of this nation, in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude. But, to detain you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly. For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, an agitator among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes”

13 This will be a time for you to bear testimony. 

Jesus now says that these exact moments in the trials they are going to face are the moments when they will be able to bear witness to the Gospel in the most fruitful way. This is true based on what is mentioned in the Book of Acts

Acts 4:8-12 “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a cripple, by what means this man has been healed, 10 be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man is standing before you well.”

Acts 7:1-2  “And the high priest said, “Is this so?” 2 And Stephen said: “Brethren and fathers, hear me.”

Acts 24:10-21 “And when the governor had motioned to him to speak, Paul replied: “Realizing that for many years you have been judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense.  As you may ascertain, it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship at Jerusalem;  and they did not find me disputing with any one or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues, or in the city.  Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me.  But this I admit to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the law or written in the prophets,  having a hope in God which these themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust.  So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward God and toward men. Now after some years I came to bring to my nation alms and offerings.  As I was doing this, they found me purified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But some Jews from Asia—  they ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, if they have anything against me. Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the council,  except this one thing which I cried out while standing among them, ‘With respect to the resurrection of the dead I am on trial before you this day.’ ”“

14 Settle it therefore in your minds, not to meditate beforehand how to answer; 

15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 

Here Jesus commands his disciples to not plan out what they are going to say or to meditate on it before they give an answer. The holy spirit will give them a voice and wisdom which nobody that opposes them will be able to refute. Once again this is all true by what occurs to the apostles in the previous examples given, in each case the spirit grants them the ability to say what is needed. This should be understood as a command only to the disciples, this is not a promise that in all cases this will happen, Jesus is specifically telling his disciples what they must do when they suffer their trials before 70 A.D.

16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends, and some of you they will put to death; 

17 you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. 

Jesus now goes on to tell the disciples that through whom they will be reproached. It will be by close family members like parents, siblings and cousins. Even their social circles will be responsible for delivering them to the authorities who will persecute them. Jesus also says that “some of you they will put to death” this is true and some disciples will even suffer martyrdom within the writings scripture like Saint James. All of this suffering even at the hands of those closest to the disciples will be because of Jesus’ name. They will be hated.

18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 

The previous verse helps establish this verse as hyperbole, not a hair on their head will perish but he just said some will die, most commentators typically say this is proof of Jesus being hyperbolic and this is likely but there is a chance that Jesus could be referring to their glorified bodies in the resurrection which of course will not suffer any damage whatsoever and that will be their reward for going through all these trials and sufferings so although their bodies will be harmed in this life, they are only temporary tents, when their nature is changed and glorified it would be like they never suffered at all.

19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.

It is this final verse of the reading that makes it most clear to me that Jesus is referring to the resurrection and is being literal, not hyperbolic about his statement on not a hair of their head perishing. If we accept the glorified body and life in heaven as to being a fullness of our lives then it is a gain of life. So by the endurance of the apostles they will gain their (full) lives. Otherwise it would not make much sense to be hyperbolic then purely contradictory.

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.”