Watch and Pray

Introduction

We are impressed with the large and ornate. There are times we believe bigger is better. We drive into neighborhoods with large houses and we are impressed by what we see. We look at cars and we are impressed with what features a car may have. We buy a computer and we boast about how fast it is and how much memory storage it has. Even church buildings can be designed in such a way as to have those who arrive stand in rapt fascination at what they see. Solomon’s temple was not large by our standards, but it was very ornate. Herod when he rebuilt Solomon’s temple doubled the size. While he could not match Solomon’s wealth, Herod could go well beyond the size of the original structure. Herod’s temple took decades to build. By the time of Jesus, it was not completed, but it was nonetheless an impressive structure.

If you have ever seen a skyscraper such as the Empire State Building, then you may have stood there looking at that building with your hands on your hips and your mouth slightly ajar and uttered those famous words “wow!!” Visitors to Jerusalem would have been impressed with what they saw. They would have come to the temple area and a similar reaction would have taken place as when we look at impressive buildings. It is hard for us to imagine that such magnificent structures could ever be destroyed. But we have seen images of grand hotels or buildings being destroyed in just a few seconds as experts detonate carefully placed explosives. Once beautiful, ornate buildings are nothing but rubble in just a few seconds. Large strong buildings bring us a sense of security. There is the belief that such a building cannot be destroyed.

Imagine then the surprise of the disciples when leaving the temple area, Jesus makes a statement about the destruction of the temple. A building which was extremely large and well built. A building which was the central focus of Jewish faith. A building which was more than just a building. A holy building; a building which it was believed housed God himself. A building which was so magnificent, large, ornate, and meaningful that only one person could enter a part of the structure in which God himself met with Israel. To be told that such a prized building would be destroyed would have been unsettling and blasphemous. To predict such a catastrophe would not have endeared Jesus to anyone. For the Jews, this building was their connection with God and the last time such a thing happened meant that God was displeased with them. But since Babylonian captivity the Jews had tried desperately to adhere to God’s word and to do his will. The prediction of the temple’s destruction would have produced anger and separation. What was Jesus trying to say to his hearers? We’ll examine that this morning.

Questions and Answers

Jesus prophesies that the temple will be destroyed. The disciples want to know when such a thing is going to take place and what will be the signs will precede the destruction. These questions demonstrate that the disciples believed Jesus to be a prophet, for only a prophet could have told them time and signs. This passage parallels Matthew 24 and Mark 13 in which the words are essentially the same although Matthew’s account is much longer. Because of these parallels, most want to take these three passages and make them say the same thing. This is dangerous. This text in Luke is part of a greater section designed for a different purpose than Matthew.

Matthew’s gospel emphasizes being ready for Christ’s return. In fact, chapter 24 is followed with three parables designed to emphasize just that point. Mark and Luke seem to be similar in their approach. Luke’s point in the greater section is to make the reader aware of Jesus’s last week in Jerusalem. Notice in 19:41 as Jesus enters Jerusalem, he weeps over Jerusalem’s rejection of God’s plan. Then Jesus clears the temple trying to restore God’s plan. Then in chapter 20, Luke gives three incidences in which the religious leaders try to entrap Jesus so that they can at least embarrass him and at best arrest him.

It is obvious the leaders are not interested in God’s plans for his temple or for his people. Therefore, Luke 21 is placed as a statement of judgment against Jerusalem. Because of Jerusalem’s failure to stay near to God’s plans, then God is going to destroy the object which people prize—the temple. And with that destruction God will finally declare judgment against the religious leaders.

Here’s the scene. The disciples are leaving the temple area and they are impressed with the building. Their conversation turns to how beautiful the building is. Like us they were impressed by the large and ornate. Luke records in 21:1-4, the widow’s gift which in comparison to most seemed small and insignificant. Jesus praises the widow as having given a greater gift than others. In that short story, Luke tells us that God isn’t impressed with the large and ornate. God is impressed with the heart of his servants who want to honor him. Then as they are walking out of the temple, the disciples turn their attention to the large and ornate. They missed the point. Jesus then speaks about the temple’s destruction as God’s punishment (v. 22).

There is some discussion about the occurrence of these things among biblical scholars. Most believe verses 25-32 apply to Jesus’s second coming. However, verse 32 is very clear “this generation” will not pass away. Jesus is speaking of the immediate. Jerusalem is destroyed in 70 A.D. The language in this text is highly figurative. Similar language is used in the OT prophets and should be seen in that light. So what are we to do with this text? There are three lessons we should get.

Lessons

First, we mustn’t lose our focus. We go to the doctor and he says “you need to follow this plan in order to stay healthy” and then we go out have a banana split. We know that a car is for the purpose of transportation, but then we buy one with lots of bells and whistles which add plenty to the price but nothing to the specific purpose of the car. The disciples see a group of religious leaders with their high priced clothes and their entourage and they are impressed. Then they ignore a widow who gives a small amount of money into the treasury. Jesus calls their attention to her saying that God is most pleased with her. And then the disciples start talking about how big and beautiful the temple is.

Let’s make this practical. God tells us that this world is not our home; that we are aliens and strangers; and then we try to accumulate more of what this world has to offer. We are impressed with the large and ornate. We need more ministers, but we don’t want it to be our boys because preachers don’t make a lot of money. We need more servants, but let it be others who have more time than we do. We mustn’t lose our focus. We mustn’t allow the large and ornate of this world to distract us from keeping our eyes on Jesus. As Luke records in 21:34 we must be careful not to allow the anxieties of life to weigh us down. We must always be on watch and pray so that we are not trapped by this world.

Second, Luke 21 teaches us that nothing escapes God’s plan. Forty years before Jerusalem is destroyed, Jesus announces that the city is going to be destroyed. Such an event was carefully planned and crafted. Our God is able to know the future before it ever happens. Do you realize that God already knows what is going to happen to you by this time tomorrow? A year from now. Even forty years from now? God isn’t watching to see what happens, he is carefully planning for his will and intent to be carried out in and through our lives. This is a part of God’s nature that we take by faith. We cannot do this. We can plan, but we cannot ensure that our plans are carried out. Our God can and does. Our best planning cannot be guaranteed. But God not only plans but guarantees his plans to be carried out.

Third, rejecting Jesus has consequences. God was going to bring punishment on Jerusalem for their refusal to hear God’s Son. The religious leaders walked around with their heads held high. They were considered highly moral people, but they did not seek God’s will but their own pleasure. Instead of demonstrating the presence of God in their lives, they demonstrated their own wisdom. We can’t reject Jesus and expect God to overlook our sin. We can’t say we love God and live like the devil. Whatever impressive thing this world has to offer will not stand when Jesus returns. Do you listen to Jesus? Are you now ready to give your life to him?

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