The End? (Luke 21:5-19)

Just a few years before Jesus’ birth, the temple in Jerusalem was dedicated.  After a ten-year building project, it was ready for use, although work would continue on the temple for many decades to come.

This temple was actually a rebuilding of an earlier temple which had been destroyed; and that earlier temple was itself a rebuilding of the first temple, the one built by Solomon.  However, this third temple was the grandest, most monumental of them all.

Its construction took place under the command of Herod.  Herod was (technically) a Jew, having been born in a Jewish family, although he and most of his family weren’t what we would call practicing Jews.  Herod was in fact more interested in the cultures of the Greeks and the Romans than he was in the religion of his ancestors.  For that and for various other reasons, Herod was unpopular among the Jews.  They hated him.

“Herod” was actually a family name; there were Herods before him, and Herods after him.  It was a family that had strong connections to the government in Rome, which is another reason the Jews hated this particular Herod. 

Herod became governor of Galilee at the age of 25.  Soon after that – because of his connections to Rome and his willingness to use his military to his advantage – he was able to unseat the ruler of Judea, thus enlarging his territory to include the influential city of Jerusalem.  He soon became known as the king of the Jews.

Herod was a smart ruler.  He was not afraid to repress any opposition, and at the same time, he sought ways to appease the people,… especially the Jews.  He distributed bread to the poor, so that all would know of his generosity.  In his quest to establish stability and order under his reign, he also became known as the prince of peace.

In addition to ingratiating himself to the Jews, Herod also sought ways to enhance his status in the eyes of Rome.  He did this through the construction of magnificent and grandiose building projects.  He built fortresses, seaports, even entire cities; paid for, of course, by magnificent and grandiose taxes.  And the most significant of all Herod’s building projects was the temple in Jerusalem.

The temple was covered with gold, and was built on an enormous platform with spacious courts.  It incorporated current Greco-Roman architecture.  It was surrounded by a Roman-style double colonnade and entered through monumental gates.

It wasn’t faith that built this temple; it was politics.  Herod hoped the temple would win over dissident Jews while at the same time impressing upon Rome the importance of his Jewish kingdom.

To some extent, it worked.  A number of Jews accommodated themselves to Rome, most notably, the Herodians and the Sadducees.  Other groups resisted; some, like the zealots, continued to advocate violent resistance.  But very few could deny the grandeur of the temple built by Herod, the king of the Jews.

Into this scene comes Jesus of Nazareth.  Many Jews began calling him their king; others referred to him as the prince of peace.  He himself spoke of a new kingdom, and in one particularly powerful demonstration of this new kingdom, he took it upon himself to distribute bread, along with some fish, to thousands of people who had gathered in the wilderness to hear him.  Take that, Herod!

For Jesus, going to Herod’s temple was as much about politics as it was about faith.  There, in the temple that Herod built, Jesus proclaimed the imminent arrival of a new kingdom, what he called the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven.

One day, while he was speaking in the temple, he heard some people who were expressing their admiration for the temple’s beauty.

I don’t know what their intentions were.  Given the political atmosphere, it could be that they were trying to provoke Jesus.  They certainly wouldn’t be the first to do so.

It could be that they were trying to provoke Jesus because here he was, in Herod’s temple, even though he himself was proclaimed by many as a king and spoke often about God’s kingdom.  “But look at these stones, Jesus; look at all the gifts dedicated here to God.  How does your kingdom compare to all this?”

Or, it could be that they were people who were anxious, confused, frightened.  They didn’t like Herod.  They didn’t like Rome.  So they weren’t sure what to think about the temple.  There’s no doubt, it was very nice.  It was dedicated to God, and they took comfort in that.  In the temple, they saw strength, beauty, and security in a world of turmoil and uncertainty…. “What do you make of that, Jesus?”

Jesus said, “Everything you see – these massive stones, this wondrous beauty, all of it – will be destroyed.  Not one stone will be left upon another.  It will all be leveled.”

This third gospel was written by the man we know as Luke around the year 80 or 85.  As it turned out, Herod’s magnificent temple was destroyed in the year 70 by armies from Rome, some ten or fifteen years before.  As he wrote his gospel, Luke knew that the temple was no more.  Luke knew that many Jews and Christians had been devastated by this.  Luke knew that some even believed that the destruction of the temple meant the end:  the end of Judaism, the end of the faith, the end of God.

To what extent did this knowledge influence the way Luke told the story of Jesus, which took place some 40 years before the temple’s destruction?  It’s hard to say.  Many of the events that Luke has Jesus say will happen had in fact already happened by the time Luke wrote these words down.  In Luke’s own day, following the destruction of the temple, many people were asking, “Is this the end?”

So Luke makes sure to include in his story Jesus’ words that “many will come in my name and say, ‘the end is at hand;’ but don’t listen to them!”

The destruction of the temple is not the end of God’s kingdom.  The destruction of the temple isn’t even the end of the world. 

Yes, there will be wars.  There will be disasters.  There will be acts of terror but don’t be terrified.  Place your faith in God and in God’s kingdom.  Don’t place your faith in earthly kingdoms or nations.  Don’t place your faith in buildings made of stone.  Don’t place your faith in a life of stability and prosperity.  All these things will come to an end, but God’s kingdom will endure.

And when those difficult times come (remember, for Luke, those times had already come); when those times come, you will have the opportunity to testify.  Don’t worry about preparing for those opportunities in advance (remember, for Luke, the time for advance preparation had passed); don’t worry, because God will be with you.

Do you know that, one day, this beautiful sanctuary will be no more?  These magnificent, beautiful stained glass windows will be no more.

It all may last for centuries; and may it be so!  But one day, this sanctuary will be no more.  One day these windows will be destroyed.

Oh, we don’t like to think about that, do we?  Well, neither did the people in that glorious temple like to think of its demise.  Never mind that it had been built and destroyed and built and destroyed and built again.  It seemed so strong and sturdy to them. 

But destroyed, it was; and even ten and twenty years after its destruction, the people were still having a hard time getting over it.

Well, we’re not here because of a building.  We’re not here to worship wood, metal or glass. 

We’re here because of the kingdom of God.  We’re here to worship God.

And though even heaven and earth will pass away (as Jesus says later in the chapter), God and God’s kingdom will last forever.

There will be difficult times; don’t let your heart be weighed down by them.  Be alert, and pray that you may have the strength to endure.  Pray that you may always live in God’s kingdom.

…Because God’s kingdom is not like the kingdoms and nations of this world.  God’s kingdom is the one true thing.

And in God’s kingdom, those who are oppressed by the kingdoms of this world are set free.  Those who are troubled find rest.  Those who live in a state of unease will find peace. 

In God’s kingdom, no one will have to prove they have might or power, because all will be recognized as children of God, brothers and sisters, one family.

In God’s kingdom, justice will prevail.  No more will some dwell in the midst of luxury while just a few miles or even blocks away children go to bed with nothing to eat, crying out because of the hunger pains.

In God’s kingdom, there will be a unity of spirit because the Spirit of God will find a home in each and every individual.

In God’s kingdom, there will be bread for all, and not just the kind of bread that tastes good on the tongue and passes down the esophagus and into the windpipe, but the kind of bread that nourishes and satisfies and lasts; the kind of bread that gives meaning to one’s life.

In God’s kingdom, people like Herod, those who are unafraid to use military might, will be replaced with people who are unafraid to use the power of love and generosity and service as the tools to bring about transformation.

It is God’s kingdom that will last.  It is God’s kingdom on which we set our sights.  It is God’s kingdom in which we place our faith.  It is God’s kingdom which we seek above all other wants and desires.

Seek first God’s kingdom, and everything else will fall into place.