LUKE CHAPTER
21.
VIEW FOOTNOTES
The Widow's Gift. Luke 21, 1-4.
V. 1. And He looked up and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. V. 2. And He saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. V. 3. And He said, Of a truth I say unto you that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all; V. 4. for all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God; but she of her penury hath cast in an the living that she had. Jesus had probably delivered His last discourse in the Court of Women, where there were situated the thirteen trumpet-shaped treasure-chests, or collection boxes, of the Temple. Looking up now, He saw something which not only did not insult His holy eyes, but filled Him with joy. His looking was not a casual, momentary glance, but He scrutinized the people intently for some time, deliberately taking note of their coming and the size of their gifts. The rich people put in large gifts, which was an easy matter for them to do. Gifts of a comparatively large size represented no sacrifice for them. But then the Lord's attention was drawn to a widow, a miserably poor and needy woman. Going up to one of the chests, this woman deposited therein two mites. “Another coin, translated mite, is in Greek lepton, 'the small one,' or the 'bit.' It was two of these that the widow cast into the treasury. ...Two of them equaled a quadrans. The mite was, then, of the value of 1/8 of a cent. It was doubtless the smallest coin in circulation.”98) This act of real love and sacrifice made a deep impression upon Christ. With warm feeling He told His disciples: Truly I say to you that this poor widow cast in more than all the others. The actual amount was, of course, much smaller than the gifts of the rich. But in proportion to the ability of the others her simple gift stood so far ahead of the rest that there was no comparison possible. The others had given of their superfluity: they did not even feel the giving of the amount they cast into the chest. But this widow might have been expected to beg rather than to be giving to the Temple treasury. And yet out of her want, when she was deprived of practically all her living, she had given her last quarter of a cent to the Lord, all that she had to sustain life. True love and real sacrifice are here exemplified, and this is the attitude in which all work for the Lord and all gifts for His “kingdom should be given. Cp. Mark 12, 41-44.
The
Destruction of Jerusalem and the End of the World.
Luke 21, 5-38.
The
beginning of the discourse: V. 5. And as some spake of the Temple,
how it was
adorned with goodly stones and gifts, He said, V. 6. As for these
things which
ye behold, the days will come in the which there shall not be left one
stone
upon another that shall not be thrown down. V. 7. And they asked Him,
saying,
Master, but when shall these things be, and what sign will there be
when these
things shall come to pass? The evening was drawing near, and Jesus
was on
the point of leaving the Temple for Bethany, where He lodged with
friends. But
while they were walking out through the courts, some of His disciples
remarked
in admiration on the Temple itself, on its various buildings,
porticoes, halls,
and chambers, and especially did they mention the beautiful stones, the
huge
marble monoliths, which formed the Corinthian columns, and the gifts
that were
consecrated to the Lord, the many articles of adornment which were so
conspicuous throughout the Temple. Among the votive gifts of the Temple
were
some very costly ones, such as a table from King Ptolemy of Egypt, a
chain from
Herod Agrippa, a golden vine from Herod the Great, which made the
Temple famous
for its wealth as far as Rome. But Jesus told them: As to all these
things which
ye see, the enormous wealth, the gorgeous beauty of the Temple, the
days will
come in which not one stone will remain upon the other that would not
be utterly
cast down in the general destruction. It was an announcement which must
have
filled the disciples with the greatest consternation and surprise. They
may now
have thought the matter over or discussed it among themselves for a
part of the
trip across the valley of the Kidron and up the slope of Mount Olivet.
But when
Jesus had then sat down opposite the city, where He and His disciples
had a full
view of the wonderful edifice, which, by Christ's word, was marked for
destruction, some of the disciples approached Him with a double
question. They
wanted to know the precise time, and also to recognize the special
tokens of the
approaching catastrophe. In their question they connected the
destruction of
Jerusalem and the Temple with the end of the world. And this is
altogether in
accordance with the prophecies which make the judgment upon Jerusalem
the
beginning and the introduction of the judgment of the world. Matt. 16,
27. 28; 1
Thess. 2, 16.
Tokens
of the end: V. 8. And He said, Take heed that ye be not deceived;
for many
shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near;
go ye not
therefore after them. V. 9. But when ye shall hear of wars and
commotions, be
not terrified; for these things must first come to pass; but the end is
not by
and by. V. 10. Then said He unto them, Nation shall rise against
nation, and
kingdom against kingdom; V. 11. and great earthquakes shall be in
divers places,
and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall
there be
from heaven. It is a characteristic of prophecy that there is
rarely an
exact division of time according to human standards, for there is no
time before
the eternal, omniscient God. Whether things will happen a thousand
years hence
or within a few years does not influence the Lord's time. For all
things before
Him are happening and taking place in the great present. And so in this
case the
Lord speaks of the two impending catastrophes, the destruction of
Jerusalem and
the end of the world, in almost the same breath, connecting them in
such a way
that the signs foretelling the one must be taken in a measure to refer
to the
other also. The Lord's first warning is against deception. In the days
before
the calamity which wiped out Jerusalem, false Christs arose, and in the
name of
the true Christ, the Messiah, at that. Deceivers of that kind appeared
often in
the decades after Christ's ascension, and always did they find people
willing to
listen to them and to cast their fortunes with that of the fraudulent
impersonator. Even so the false Christs and false prophets of our days
are
multiplying with great rapidity; in Eddyism, in Russellism, in
Dowieism, and in
scores of minor sects they arise to deceive the people of God. Their
call and
promise invariably is: Here is Christ; here is the full truth; the time
is near.
They have even, repeatedly, fixed the date of Christ's coming to
Judgment. But
the believers should pay no attention to them nor follow after them as
their
disciples, for they are deceivers. As in the days before the
destruction of
Jerusalem there were wars and uprisings throughout the Roman Empire,
but
especially in Palestine, so the terrible World War of these last days
and the
uprisings throughout the world are speaking a strong language to them
that heed.
As in those days people rose against people and kingdom against
kingdom, making
it necessary for the Roman legions to be on the move continually, so,
while the
world stands, neither the most rosy nor the most practical dreams of
diplomats
will succeed in eliminating war. At the very moment when they are
shouting peace
with a voice calculated to drown opposition, they are trying to hide
the
selfishness of their plans which will plunge the world into further
wars. As
there were great earthquakes in many parts of the world in those days,
in Asia
Minor, in Italy, in Syria, so the recent terrible catastrophes in
Italy, in
Alaska, in Java, in Central America have filled the world with
horrified
astonishment. As great famines and pestilences visited various
countries,
especially Palestine, in those days, so the pestilence which recently
swept the
world and even now baffles science in certain of its aspects, and so
the famines
that have been reported from large areas of Europe and Asia, are God's
reminders
of the end. As there were terrifying phenomena and fearful portents
from heaven
in those days, some of which are told by Josephus, so the science of
astronomy
is unable to account for many things out in the universe today and will
be
utterly helpless before the manifestations of the last great day.
Earlier
signs: V. 12. But before all these they shall lay their hands on
you, and
persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogs and into prisons,
being brought
before kings and rulers for My name's sake. V. 13. And it shall turn to
you for
a testimony. V. 14. Settle it therefore in your hearts not to meditate
before
what ye shall answer; V. 15. for I will give you a mouth and wisdom,
which all
your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. V. 16. And ye
shall be
betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and
some of
you shall they cause to be put to death. V. 17. And ye shall be hated
of all men
for My name's sake. V. 18. But there shall not an hair of your head
perish. V.
19. In your patience possess ye your souls. Here are some of the
signs which
concern the disciples of Christ in the interval between His ascension
and the
destruction of Jerusalem in particular, but which find their
application to the
treatment and fate of the believers of all times. The enemies would lay
their
hands upon them and persecute them, as was done to the apostles almost
from the
beginning, James being the first one out of their midst to suffer
martyrdom; and
Stephen had been stoned even before that. They would be delivered to
the
councils of the synagogs for judgment, whose sentence would commit them
to
prison, as in the persecution in which the unconverted Paul was so
active. They
would use the legal machinery to have the confessors of Christ hauled
before
kings and rulers on account of the name of Christ which they confessed,
Paul
himself experiencing this several times, before Felix, before Festus,
before
Agrippa and Bernice, before Nero. The history of the early Church is
full of
stories which fully substantiate every word of the prophecy of the
Lord. And
that the hearts of the enemies of the Gospel today are no different
than at that
time has been shown during recent developments, where attacks were not
directed
against a language, but against the confession of faith. But Christ's
comfort
stands today as it did then. All these things turn out for a testimony
in favor
of the believers and the truth which they profess. Not only do they
receive
credit and honor for their fearless confession of Christ, but their
testimony
has the effect which the proclamation of the Word of God always has: it
influences the hearts and minds of men. To His disciples the Lord
therefore gave
instructions not to premeditate, to work out carefully in advance,
their apology
or defense. The best and highest efforts of mere human wisdom and skill
will
avail nothing unless the Lord Himself opens the mouth of His confessors
and
believers and gives them the proper wisdom from on high. Jesus and His
Spirit,
the Spirit of the Father, they are the invincible allies of all true
believers,
with whose aid they can cheerfully take up the apparently unequal
battle against
the powers of darkness in the persons of the enemies and detractors of
the pure
Gospel. More than once, as the example of John and Peter, of Paul, of
Polycarp,
of Luther, and of others show, the enemies have not been able either to
withstand. or to contradict the testimony of the servants of Christ.
All that
make it their aim to oppose the preaching of the Gospel-truth may be
overcome
and silenced by a simple and unequivocal confession of the truth of the
Gospel
as it is contained in the Word of God. The disciples should therefore
not be
deterred or discouraged even by the fact that there will be dissension
in
families, that the bonds of both relationship and the nearest
friendship will be
torn asunder by questions concerning the Gospel. Parents, brothers and
sisters,
near relatives, friends: they all will forget the duties and
obligations of
their station in their hatred of the Word of Salvation; they will
deliver the
Christians into the hands of their enemies, and in some cases they will
not rest
until they have caused them to be put to death. The believers will, in
fact, be
continually hated of all men on account of their confession of Christ's
name.
This is the cross of the Christians, the prospect which they must face.
There is
neither compromise nor mitigation. And yet, in the midst of these
prophecies
which might well make the stoutest heart quail, the Lord promises His
disciples
that not a hair of their heads should perish without His will, Matt.
10, 30. So
long as the Christians are necessary for the service of the Lord, their
bodies.
are inviolable, the enemies dare not touch them. They may, therefore,
in their
patience possess their souls. By faithful perseverance, by undaunted
continuance
in the confession of Christ's Word and doctrine, they will preserve
their souls.
Even if they should lose the life of their mortal body, they will save
their
true life, that of the soul, by such faithfulness to the end. Their
soul, and
the eternal life of their soul, will then be for them a glorious prize
or
treasure, which they will carry off for eternal enjoyment in heaven.
A
special prophecy concerning Jerusalem: V. 20. And when ye shall see
Jerusalem
compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
V. 21.
Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them
which are
in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the
countries enter
thereinto. V. 22. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things
which are
written may be fulfilled. V. 23. But woe unto them that are with child,
and to
them that give suck, in those days! For there shall be great distress
in the
land and wrath upon this people. V. 24. And they shall fall by the edge
of the
sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations; and Jerusalem
shall be
trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be
fulfilled.
Here is valuable advice for the Christians of Judea at the time of the
great
catastrophe, which they should heed and follow to the letter. The
armies of the
Romans would surround the city, coming upon her from all sides. And.
this should
be the final point of time for the believers to escape out of the city,
since
this would be at least one of the manifestations of the abomination of
desolation. Cp. Matt. 24, 15-21; Mark 13, 14-19. The fact of the
presence of the
armies in the act of surrounding the city would be the last definite
sign of her
desolation and destruction, including the ruin of the Temple. At that
time those
that were in Judea, the believers that lived in this country, should
flee to the
mountains, for flight was the only means of their deliverance. In the
hiding-places of the mountains, in the insignificant villages that were
hidden
away far from the beaten paths, there would be an opportunity for
saving their
lives. For those that were in the city of Jerusalem precipitate flight
would
also be a necessity; for they should not depend upon the strength of
its walls
or defenses. Those people also that lived in the suburban district or
within
easy reach of the capital should not be tempted to take refuge within
the city
to escape the invaders. For such precautions would prove utterly
useless in this
emergency. For the days that the Lord refers to are the days of
vengeance of the
Judge of the world. The many warnings that had been sounded by the
prophets of
old, the repeated admonitions by the preachers of righteousness, had
not been
heeded, and so the vial of the wrath of God would be poured out in full
measure.
The stamp of divine retribution was impressed upon the fate of
Jerusalem and the
Temple, even for heathen eyes. It was a case of the mill's grinding
slowly, but
with such terrible thoroughness that not one guilty one escaped. But
alas for
those that are about to become or have just become mothers! Bitterly
the Lord
laments their fate, for their condition at that time will not provoke
compassion, neither on the part of their friends that might help them
to escape,
nor on that of the enemies, for they would destroy without mercy.
Distress in
great measure would be upon the whole land, since everything suffers
under the
ravages of an invasion; but the wrath of God would strike the people
without
mercy. His patience was exhausted, and the full bitterness of His just
sentence
would be carried out upon a foolish and gainsaying generation. The Lord
tells
exactly how the wrath of God would be manifested. Some of them would
fall by the
edge, literally, by the mouth of the sword, which would pounce upon
them to
devour them. Others would be led into captivity among all nations, for
a
reproach and shame to them until the end of time. According to the
account of
Josephus, over a million Jews were slaughtered during the siege of
Jerusalem and
after its fall, and 97 ,000 were dragged into the provinces as
prisoners, mainly
into Egypt and Italy. It was a judgment of God without parallel in the
history
of the world. And Jerusalem, the glory of Israel, was occupied by
Gentiles at
that time, and has been trodden under foot by strangers to this day.
And this
will remain so until the times of the Gentiles have been fulfilled,
until the
full number of the elect from the great mass of the heathen has been
gained,
until the end of time. The Zionist movement of our days is not taken
seriously
even by the Jews themselves. The Word of God must stand true. Note: The
destruction of Jerusalem by the Gentiles is a type of the attempted
destruction
of the Church of God by the Antichrist. The Antichrist, the Roman
Catholic Pope,
has been revealed. He has rendered desolate the temple of God, the
Church of
Christ, by abrogating true worship, by establishing various kinds of
idolatry,
by filling the Church with many abominations and offenses, and by
shedding the
blood of thousands of confessors of Christ. But he has now been set
forth in his
true colors; the Church has been purged of his errors by the work of
the great
Reformer, Martin Luther.
Signs
which will accompany the coming of Christ: V. 25. And there shall
be signs in
the sun and in the moon and in the stars; and upon the earth distress
of
nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; V. 26. men's
hearts
failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are
coming on
the earth; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. V. 27. And then
shall they
see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Here some
of,. the signs that will usher in the great Day of Judgment are
enumerated. The
laws of nature, which have been fixed by the Creator, will be repealed,
and in
consequence the universe will dissolve in chaos. Unusual, unheard-of
signs will
take place in sun, moon, and stars, not those of the regular eclipses
or similar
phenomena which are governed by fixed laws, but such as will cause
fearful
consternation from the start, and oppressive distress experienced by
the people
of the world, together with a helpless perplexity, caused in part also
by the
noise and billows of the sea. So indescribably dreadful will be the
dissolution
of the bonds that hold the universe together that the hearts of men
will fail
them, will be taken out of their bodies for fear and for expectation of
the
things that are coming and are threatening to engulf the world; for the
very
powers of the heavens that hold the machinery of the vast sky in place
will be
moved and shaken. And then, in the midst of all this turmoil, while the
cataclysmic disturbances are tossing the world and the entire universe
about in
utter helplessness, then they, all men, will see the Son of Man, the
great Judge
of the earth, coming in a cloud, with power and great glory. The
despised and
rejected, the meek and humble Prophet of Galilee will then have
stripped off all
evidences of the former humiliation, and all men will be forced to
recognize Him
as the Lord of all.
The
comfort of the believers: V. 28. And when these things begin to
come to pass,
then look up and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
V. 29.
And He spake to them a parable: Behold the fig-tree and all the trees;
V. 30.
when they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that
summer is now
nigh at hand. V. 31. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to
pass, know
ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. V. 32. Verily I say unto
you, This
generation shall not pass away till all be fulfilled. V. 33. Heaven and
earth
shall pass away; but My words shall not pass away. When there is a
beginning
of all these things, when these tokens begin to be fulfilled. The
events upon
which the children of the world will gaze with helpless terror should
be for the
believers a voice awakening in their hearts the most joyful hope and
expectation. The heads which have so often been bowed under all manner
of misery
and persecution should now be lifted up in happy anticipation of the
final,
glorious deliverance. This admonition Jesus tries to impress by means
of a
parable. No matter what tree may be chosen for an example, for
instance, the
fig-tree, the same truth holds good of all of them. When they put forth
their
leaves, all ordinary people that are acquainted with trees at all
immediately
know, without further demonstration, that summer must be near. In the
same way
the believers, seeing these signs which are to precede the coming of
Christ to
judgment fulfilled, conclude and know at once that the kingdom of God
is near,
that the final revelation of the Church of Christ in the glories of
heaven will
take place, that the believers in Him will enter, from the trials and
tribulations of the Church Militant into the everlasting bliss of the
Church
Triumphant. “Therefore let us also learn this art and new language and
become
accustomed to it, that we may be able to picture these signs before us
in such a
comforting way, and look upon them and judge them according to the
Word. For if
we follow our reason and wisdom, we can do nothing but become terrified
and flee
before them. For our reason does not like to see things appear dark and
unpleasant, that it lightens and thunders, that it roars and is noisy,
as though
everything would be turned topsy-turvy. But a Christian should pay no
attention
to that, but take hold of the Word, with which He wants to open our
eyes and
explain how He means it, as though we were approaching the beautiful
summer-time, and as though there were nothing but beautiful roses and
lilies
that bloom to delight the eye, and that nothing but joy and delight
will come
after this abominably evil way and misfortune in which we now are.” 99)
And He
gives them a further sign, namely, that this generation, the race of
the Jews,
will not pass away, will not lose its identity as a separate race, but
retain
its characteristics among the nations and in their very midst, in spite
of all
persecutions, until the end of time, until the great Day of Judgment.
And so far
as the whole discourse is concerned, with its threats and warnings, as
well as
with its comforting promises, it is true what, the Lord claims for His
Word as a
whole: Heaven and earth will pass away rather than that a single word
of the
Lord remain unfulfilled or fall to the ground. In the midst of the
return of
primeval chaos, in the midst of the destruction of worlds and the very
universe
itself, the Word of the Lord will stand in eternity as a rock of trust
and
confidence for all believers.
A
final warning: V. 34. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time
your
hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and cares of this
life,
and so that day come upon you unawares. V. 35. For as a snare shall it
come on
all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. V. 36. Watch ye
therefore
and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these
things that
shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. V. 37. And in
the
daytime He was teaching in the Temple; and at night He went out, and
abode in
the mount that is called the Mount of Olives. V. 38. And all the people
came
early in the morning to Him in the Temple for to hear Him. It is
not an easy
matter to remain steadfast in the Word and faith under the conditions
as
pictured here by Christ; in fact, no person could hope to stand firm
and brave
all dangers to the end. But by following the Lord's admonition here
given, the
impossible becomes possible, and we shall be able to stand against all
our
enemies and against all the temptations of the latter days. We should
take heed,
watch ourselves very carefully, not permit our flesh and its lusts to
gain the
ascendancy. We should not weigh down our hearts with the burden of
gluttony and
drunkenness, for this causes headache and stupidity, and makes the
Christian
unfit for the battle with the powers of darkness. His heart and mind
must be
clear as a bell at all times, in order that he may recognize the
dangers
described in Scriptures and fight them with the weapons suggested by
the Lord.
But just as dangerous for true Christian watchfulness are the cares of
this
life, the anxiety and concern for the future which always threatens to
fill our
hearts and to drive out all trust in the Lord and His gracious
providence. Where
care becomes supreme, there faith cannot exist, but is invariably
suffocated.
With such a lack of proper preparation, the coming of the last day will
prove a
calamity and will catch even those that professed Christianity
unawares. For
just as a snare falls down over the head of the unsuspecting animal
that is not
ever on the alert for signs of danger, so will the day of the Lord come
upon all
those that dwell upon the face of the earth. And therefore the Lord
once more,
in conclusion, urges watchfulness, tireless vigilance at all times,
with
unceasing prayer to the Lord, in order that the Christians may be
enabled to
escape from all the terrible punishments that await the unbelievers and
scoffers, and to stand before the Son of Man on that last great day
with
cheerful trust. This is not a matter of individual worthiness, but of
being
declared worthy through the blood and merits of Jesus Christ the
Savior. “For
the godless and unbelievers He will come as a Judge and punish them as
His own
enemies and those of His Christians. But for the believers and
Christians He
will come as their Savior. This we should firmly believe and joyfully
look
forward to His advent, and see to it that we, when He comes, as St.
Peter says,
be found in faith and holy life and in peace, without spot, and
blameless before
Him.” 100) Luke adds a final note as to the way in which Jesus spent
His last
days. All day long He was teaching in the Temple, but night after night
He went
out and lodged in Bethany, which was on the southeastern slope of Mount
Olivet.
There was no need of His sleeping in the open air, as some commentators
think,
for He had His friends in Bethany, but a short distance from the city.
However,
in the morning He was always in the city betimes; not too soon,
however, for the
people, for they surged to Him early in the morning, earnestly desiring
to hear
the Word of Grace from His lips. Note: Many a Christian of our days
might learn
a lesson from these people that
got up unusually early and thronged to the Temple to hear the Lord,
whereas many
in our days act as though they were conferring a favor upon the Lord by
appearing at His house some half hour after service has begun.