Luke 21:5-36 for the most part contains the discourse of Jesus about the destruction of Jerusalem and about "the end", to teloV to telos. Some sayings of Jesus in the previous chapters prepare for the present discourse. And despite the apparent "frightening" tone of the speech, a closer look shows that Jesus is simply stating "the end" as a matter of course but continues to reassure his disciples of His presence. Below is a schematic diagram of these verses. This will serve to illustrate the place of verses 5-19 within this complex of sayings.
Notice the concentric arrangement of the sayings about the coming of false Messiahs and the coming of the Son of Man on the one hand, and the mention of wars and catastrophes on earth and signs in heaven (vv. 9-11) and signs in the heavens and confusion on earth (vv. 25-26) on the other. This arrangement serves to highlight a central event: the persecution of disciples and the destruction of Jerusalem and the ensuing desolation that is longer than the first Jewish exile in the 6th century BC. It should be remembered that after the Romans destroyed the temple around 70 AD, the subsequent restoration of the Jewish religion required that unorthodoxy be purged. Thus the banishment of Christians from the synagogues.
Before Jesus, Jeremiah the prophet prophesied about the destruction of the Temple that Solomon built. During this prophet's time, the Temple had become some kind of idol for the Jews, a security that they held onto and the bastion of a way of thinking that made them forget the covenant with Yahweh (see Jeremiah's Temple Discourse in Jer. 71). Jeremiah propesied the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the Jews because of their infidelity. Faithfulness is about keeping God's covenant. So that Yahweh can write his covenant in the heart of Israel, He must first make them empty their hearts of other false hopes, other false securities.
We have already discussed parts of Luke 21:20-36. There we pointed out that in the midst of chaos and turmoil and the fear that will grip all men, the Son of Man already foretold by Daniel will come. For Christians this will be the moment when they should stand up and raise their heads, since it is the moment of their salvation. All in all, this eschatological discourse should not cause panic among the faithful, for the events that will transpire will simply be the fulfillment of the promises they have been waiting for. A closer look at vv. 5-19 will reveal that the difficult moments of the days preceding the coming of the Son of Man will not be bereft of His consoling presence.
As in Matthew and Mark, the discourse on the last days is triggered by those who comment on the adornment of the Temple. Herod the Great had enlarged and beautified the Temple. It was chiefly his work that people admired whenever they came to visit it. The beautiful stones and the massive structure must have given a sense of permanence and stability. The words of Jesus about the days when the stones of the Temple will lie about unattached to each other provokes the question "when" and "by what sign". Jesus will not answer this question until verse 20 when he speaks of Jerusalem being surrounded by war instruments. Instead, he talks about those who will claim Messiahship and the wars and portents that will precede the coming of the Son of Man.
We already showed that the mention of the coming of false Messiahs and the wars, famines and disasters in vv. 9-11 constitute a frame with vv. 25-26.28. The temporal clause "Before this..." in v. 12 puts in precedence the persecution of the disciples (vv. 12-19). A theme similar to the mention here of false Messiahs is found in Luke 17:22-23
The days will come
when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man,
but you will not see it.
There will be those who will say to you,
"Look, there he is; look, here he is."
Do not go off, do not run in pursuit.
The language in v. 8 is specific: "Do not be misled ... Do not go behind them" The negative imperatives are couched in the language of discipleship. "To walk behind someone" is to be guided by him. The disciple is one who walks behind the Lord, in the same way as Israel walked behind Yahweh in the desert. In v. 9, upon the mention of wars and disasters, another negative imperative is given: "Do not panic". The upheavals on earth and the corresponding terrible signs in the heavens "need to happen first". The confusion that false messiahs bring is matched by the external turmoil of wars and heavenly omens. And all these, like the stones that make up the Temple, signal the disintegration of human securities. "The end will not come at once", adds Jesus; it will be long-drawn.
"Do not be misled ... Do not go behind them (false claimants) ... Do not panic" These are the Christian's imperatives for the last days. Amidst confusion and chaos Jesus' disciples should know whom to follow and whom to trust. This becomes more obvious in vv. 12-19 where Jesus speaks of the persecution of his disciples.
Luke 21:12-19 is paralleled in Matthew 24:9-21 and Mark 13:9-13. What is interesting in Luke's version is the way he rewrites his sources and adds to them. In v. 13, what Matthew (24:18) and Mark (13:9) puts in a clause -- the bearing of testimony before kings and governors -- Luke highlights in a declarative sentence "This (the bringing before kings and governors) will be your opportunity to bear witness". It must be remembered that as early as Luke 12 (specifically vv. 2-9.22-34) Jesus has been giving hints that his disciples will have to "proclaim from housetops" what they have heard in whispers (12:2) , that they were in danger of being threatened by death (12:4) and of denying Jesus himself (the "Son of Man", 12:
. Thus, in the face of want (having no food and nothing to wear or to change clothes with --a situation that one finds himself in when imprisoned, 12:22-30), and in the face of death (cf. Luke 12:4), the disciple should learn to trust in God. Jesus himself assures his disciples that He will be with them when they are interrogated.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself will give you the wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. (21:15).
Mark and Matthew both mention here the Holy Spirit as the one who will instruct the disciple what to say. Here, Lucan theology comes out in its unique color: Jesus will be present to his disciples as Spirit. Or to put it in another way, the Spirit will be Jesus' mode of presence as glorified Lord among His disciples. Finally, in v. 18 Jesus gives an assurance that is not found in the parallels: "But not a hair of your head will be harmed". This is a saying that is paralleled in Matthew 10:30
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. Even all the hairs of your are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows (Matthew 10:29-31)
Luke transposes the line to the context of v. 18, dissociating it from "the Father" (as in Matthew) and closely associates it with the one who will be accompanying the disciples in their moment of difficulty, Jesus Himself. When even the disciples' family ceases to become a source of security (cf. vv. 16-17), Jesus will be there to look over him.
In sum, the destruction of the Temple that Herod built will be the beginning of a process that will involve the tearing down of human securities. The signs of this "destruction" will be seen on earth and in heaven and some will offer themselves as a source of security. But Jesus tells his disciples that they should know whom to trust and hold onto. In their most difficult times -- moments when even their families will reject them -- He Himself will be there as companion and guide.
1The Jeremiah-Jesus connection is warranted by the previous incident in Luke 19:45ff where Jesus quotes Jeremiah 7:11
