§51 Teachings on the Temple (Luke 21:1–38)

In the previous chapter we saw Jesus teaching in the temple precincts. There Jesus was asked hostile questions with the view to trap him into saying something for which he could be arrested. In the present chapter we shall see Jesus still teaching in the temple (from v. 1 to v. 38), only this time the teaching is about the temple itself. Most of the teaching concerns the coming destruction of the temple and the appearance of the Son of Man. The chapter may be divided as follows: (1) the Widow’s Offering (vv. 1–4); (2) the Prediction of the Temple’s Destruction (vv. 5–7); (3) Troubles and Persecutions (vv. 8–19); (4) the Destruction of Jerusalem (vv. 20–24); (5) the Coming of the Son of Man (vv. 25–28); (6) the Parable of the Fig Tree (vv. 29–33); and (7) the Admonition to Watch (vv. 34–38). With the exception of the last part, which is found only in Luke, the evangelist has derived his materials from Mark 12:41–13:31.

21:1–4 / The episode of the poor widow who gave to the temple treasury only two very small copper coins (see note below) stands in contrast to the nature of the religious piety and practice of the teachers of the law described above in 20:46–47, who “devour widows’ houses.” While these very religious-appearing persons swindle the poor and defenseless, this particular widow drops into the treasury what little she has to live on. Although tiny in comparison to the much larger gifts of the rich, her gift, declares Jesus, is more than all the others. For while it was no inconvenience for the wealthy to give greater amounts, it was with significant personal hardship that the poor widow made her contribution.

In view of Jesus’ condemnation of Pharisaic oral tradition that was more concerned with ritual than with human needs (see Mark 7:9–13), one may wonder if Jesus was praising the widow’s action (as is often assumed; see Marshall, pp. 750–52), or if he saw in the episode an illustration of what he had said earlier in 20:46–47. In other words, because of the teaching of the religious authorities of her day, the poor widow gives up her last penny and so is victimized for the sake of an oppressive religious system. Her wealth, or what little wealth there was, was “devoured” (see v. 47). Jesus’ statement in 21:4, therefore, is not one of praise, but one of lament (so Fitzmyer, p. 1321; Tiede, pp. 354–55). It may be because of this great economic injustice that Luke is satisfied to have this episode immediately precede Jesus’ prediction of the temple’s destruction.

21:5–7 / The Lucan eschatological discourse differs from its Marcan source in one major way: The “end” (see v. 9) refers not to the return of the Son of Man, but to the destruction of the temple. This can be seen most clearly when one compares the question of the disciples in Mark 13:4 with the Lucan version of the question in 21:7. In Mark the disciples want to know two things: When the temple will be destroyed, and when the end will come. (In Matt. 24:3 it is even more explicit: when will the temple be destroyed, and what is the sign of Jesus’ return and the end of the age?) In Luke, however, the question concerns only the destruction of the temple: when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place? Although the questions are put in the plural, there is only one event that is in mind, and that event is the destruction of the temple. A second observation that further demonstrates that Luke has only the end of the temple in view is that, unlike Mark 13:1–3, where Jesus speaks his discourse on the Mount of Olives over-looking the temple, according to Luke 21:37–38, Jesus remains in the temple, thus underscoring that his teaching concerns the temple.

Whereas in Mark 13:1 Jesus’ prediction is prompted by the disciples’ exclamation concerning the beauty of the “stones and buildings,” in Luke 21:5 we are told only that the disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. This conversation prompts Jesus to predict that every stone will be thrown down. With this prediction the eschatological discourse begins, but one should remember that the “end” that is predicted has to do with the destruction of the temple. The coming of the Son of Man is carefully separated from this destruction (whereas in Mark 13, as well as in Matthew 24, one is given the impression that the destruction inaugurates the “end” which culminates in the return of the Son of Man). Jesus’ startling prediction elicits further questions from his disciples. They want to know when the destruction will take place and what signs will portend this destruction. This exchange—the prediction and the questions—sets up the subsequent eschatological discourse.

21:8–19 / The signs that precede the destruction of the temple are characterized by deceptive claims to be the Messiah (“I am he”) and to know the time (“The time is near”). The disciples are to ignore them. In Luke’s church these statements may very well have been applied to the messianic claimants who arose just prior to the war with Rome (e.g., Menachem) or to various frauds and false prophets who during the war with Rome promised miraculous deliverance and claimed that God’s kingdom was about to appear. Jesus further instructs his followers not to be frightened when they hear of wars and revolutions (which Luke’s church would surely have related to the Jewish war with Rome in A.D. 66–70). These things must happen first, “but the end will not follow at once” (Fitzmyer’s literal translation, p. 1336). The end is not the end of the age or the time when the Son of Man returns (as is understood by Marshall, p. 764), but it is the end of the temple. What Jesus is saying here in Luke’s version of this discourse is that there will be many dangers and difficulties for his followers before this final catastrophic event occurs. These dangers will include earthquakes (see Acts 16:26), famines (see Acts 11:28), and fearful events and great signs from heaven (as in the case when Antiochus IV invaded Jerusalem in 169 B.C.; see 2 Macc. 5:2–3 and Fitzmyer, p. 1337).

But before all this (i.e., the events attending the temple’s destruction), Jesus warns his followers, their opponents will lay hands on them and persecute them. Much of what Jesus describes appears in the Book of Acts (see 4:16–18; 8:1–3; 12:1–5). The Apostle Paul would later be brought before kings and governors before whom he would bear witness to the truth of the gospel (see Acts 22:30–23:9 where Paul speaks to the Sanhedrin; 24:10–23 where Paul is before Governor Felix; 25:1–12 where Paul speaks to Governor Festus; 26:1–32 where Paul speaks to King Agrippa and Bernice; 27:1 where Paul is handed over to the “Imperial Regiment,” having appealed to Caesar). Jesus promises to give his followers such words and wisdom that none of their adversaries will be able to resist or contradict them (see Acts 4:13, hostile Sanhedrin members are amazed at the learning of Peter and John; Acts 7:2–53, Stephen gives eloquent testimony to his accusers) yet he warns them that some of them will be put to death (see Acts 7:54–60, Stephen is stoned; 12:1–2, James the brother of John is executed). Finally, Jesus encourages his followers to stand firm and so save themselves. (Luke has omitted the last part of Mark 13:13, which is noted in italics: “but he who stands firm to the end will be saved,” because the Lucan evangelist has not been talking about the end of the age.)

21:20–24 / The discourse now advances to Jesus’ description of Jerusalem’s fate. During the interval between Jesus’ departure and the “end” of the temple and Jerusalem, the disciples may expect troubles and persecutions. When they see Jerusalem surrounded by armies (lit. “camps”), then they will know that its desolation is near. This will be the sign indicating when the temple will be destroyed (21:7). Now the disciples will know that the “end” has indeed come (21:9). The “camps” that will surround Jerusalem are the camps of Titus, commander of the Roman legions sent to subdue the Jewish rebellion. This catastrophic war ends with the overthrow of the city and the temple’s complete destruction in A.D. 70. Therefore, when these things begin to happen, Jesus’ followers are to flee from Judea and not enter the city. (There is some evidence that some Christians actually did flee the city when the Roman army approached; see Fitzmyer, p. 1345.) The reason that the danger is so great and that every step should be taken to avoid it is because this period of time is designated prophetically as the time of punishment (alluding to Hos. 9:7) in fulfillment of all that has been written. Because Jerusalem did not recognize the day of God’s visitation (see 19:44 and commentary), the days of punishment (lit. “vengeance”) are coming. Although Jesus came to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord (4:18–21), because of his people’s obduracy he sadly announces impending judgment (see also 2:34). When Jerusalem is surrounded and besieged it will be a dreadful time, especially so for pregnant women and nursing mothers. (Josephus [War 6.204–205] tells us of one mother who cooked and ate her infant because of the famine brought on by the siege; Fitzmyer, p. 1343.) Some will fall by the sword (see Sir. 28:18) and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations (see Deut. 28:64), and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles (see Zech. 12:1–3). These scriptural allusions are examples of all that the scriptures say concerning Jerusalem’s fate.

21:25–28 / Jesus now leaves behind his prophecy concerning the end of the city of Jerusalem and foretells what is coming upon the whole earth. By omitting Mark’s “in those days” (13:24) Luke distinguishes between the coming of the Son of Man and the days of Jerusalem’s destruction. The coming of the Son of Man will be preceded by various cosmic signs (see Isa. 34:4; they are elaborated upon at great length in Revelation 6–20). These signs will cause great fear among unbelievers (and rightly so from what is described in Revelation), but for Jesus’ followers these signs should be an occasion for joy, for they indicate that Jesus’ return as Son of Man (see Dan. 7:13) and his followers’ redemption are drawing near. (That Jesus identifies himself as the Son of Man seems clear enough from Luke 12:8–9 and esp. 22:22, 48; see note below.)

21:29–33 / This part of Jesus’ eschatological discourse is made up of the Parable of the Fig Tree and has appended to it two brief, more or less related sayings (vv. 32–33). The lesson of the fig tree and all the trees is clear enough. When they sprout leaves one knows that summer is near. Likewise, when the events described in vv. 25–28 occur one should realize that the kingdom of God is near (through the agency of the Son of Man).

Verse 32 presents a problem for interpreters. To what does all these things refer? And, what is meant by the comment, this generation will certainly not pass away? If “this generation” refers to Jesus’ contemporaries then “all these things” must refer to the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem (21:6–24). If this is the case, then why has Luke placed v. 32 here, after passages concerning the coming of the Son of Man (21:25–28) and the coming of the kingdom of God (21:29–31)? But if “this generation” refers to those who observe the signs described in vv. 25–31, then “all these things” may refer to the coming of the Son of Man and the appearance of the kingdom of God. Fitzmyer (p. 1352) suggests that v. 32 was an independent saying about something that “this generation” would live to see. Since Luke places this saying into the present context by adding a word of certainty to the lesson of the fig tree, he probably does understand it as referring to those events that will take place immediately before the appearance of the kingdom (v. 31). Therefore, the evangelist is saying that when the signs of the fig tree are observed, the eschatological drama will most certainly come to completion before its generation passes away.

Verse 33 is also an independent saying (cf. Matt. 5:18; Luke 16:17), probably modeled after similar sayings found in the OT (see Isa. 40:8; 55:10–11; Ps. 119:89). The saying reassures the people of God not to lose faith, even though the return of Jesus has been delayed.

21:34–38 / This part consists of a final warning to be careful (vv. 34–36) and a summarizing statement of Jesus teaching at the temple (vv. 37–38). In vv. 34–35 Jesus warns his followers not to become too involved with the routine of life so as to become distracted and unprepared for that day (see note below) that will come suddenly like a trap … upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth (see Isa. 24:17; cf. Rev. 3:10). (Here Matthew [24:37–51] adds related materials from the sayings source, which Luke had inserted into his account earlier in 12:39–40, 42–46; 13:28a; 17:26–27, 34–35; 19:12–13.) Jesus admonishes his followers to be always on the watch and to pray that they may be able to stand before the Son of Man.

Luke reminds his readers in vv. 37–38 that Jesus is still teaching at the temple, although each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives (perhaps in Bethany; see John 12:1, 9; Luke 19:29). Even though his lodgings were outside the city, Jesus would spend his days teaching in the temple. Thus, the discourse ends where it began (21:5)—“at the temple.”

Additional Notes §51

21:1 / temple treasury: The phrase could also be translated “money box.” See Neh. 12:44; 1 Macc. 14:49. According to m. Shekalim 6.15 “there are thirteen shofar-chests in the temple” which were used for the collection of contributions and dues.

21:2 / small copper coins: The lepton was worth only a fraction of a denarius, itself worth a day’s wage. What the widow cast into the temple treasury was scarcely enough to buy a meager meal.

21:5–7 / There is some tension in the eschatological discourse since, in Mark 13:3–13, Jesus does not actually answer the disciples’ question. Both Matthew and Luke attempt to rectify this problem. G. B. Caird (The Gospel of St. Luke, Pelican Gospel Commentary [Baltimore: Penguin, 1963], p. 230) has described the Synoptic version as follows: “Jesus’ prediction of the destruction of the temple calls forth from the disciples a question which, in all three Synoptic Gospels, leads to a long prophetic discourse. Mark’s discourse, however, is no answer to the question; it relates to the end of the present age and the signs that will foreshadow it, and one of those signs is, not the destruction, but the desecration of the temple. Matthew has removed the inconsistency by making the question fit the answer, Luke by making the answer fit the question” (cited by Fitzmyer, p. 1324). As seen in the commentary above, Luke relates the discourse primarily to the disciples’ question regarding the prediction of the temple’s destruction (whereas in Mark the destruction of the temple is the “beginning of the birth pains” that will culminate in the end of the age).

21:5 / The temple was magnificent, built with white stones, and overlaid with gold. According to Josephus (War 5.222) the reflection of the sun upon the temple was more than the eyes could bear. Fitzmyer (p. 1330) notes that the temple was completed in A.D. 63, a mere seven years before it would be destroyed. Because it was still under construction when Jesus was in Jerusalem, it is possible that the reference to the beautiful stones was to the stones that were not yet lifted into place.

21:6 / Jesus’ saying, not one stone will be left on another, may have been prompted by his observation of the stones lying about and not yet mounted upon one another. Like the stones yet lying about, all of the stones will be thrown down upon the ground.

21:7 / Teacher: See note on 7:40 above.

21:17 / All men will hate you because of me: Leaney (pp. 260–61) wonders if this saying “might refer to the calumny fastened by Nero upon Christians, which gave great impetus to hatred of them throughout the empire.”

21:20–24 / This prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem brings to a conclusion Jesus’ previous related statements about coming troubles and disaster uttered during his ministry (12:35–48; 13:34–35; 17:20–37; 19:41–44). While being led away to crucifixion, of course, he will utter yet one last woe upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem (23:28–31). Although this section (21:20–24) is significantly different from Mark 13:14–19 (as well as from the entire discourse), I must agree with Fitzmyer (p. 1326) that it is best to understand the Lucan version as an edited version of Mark 13, into which Luke has inserted a few distinctive sayings from material unique to him. What was in Mark an apocalyptic oracle describing the desecration of the temple has become in Luke a prophecy of Jerusalem’s destruction (see Tiede, pp. 362–63). In the case of Luke 21:20–24 it is possible that its distinctive wording derives from an early oracle that has been colored by the language of the LXX, concerned with Jerusalem’s first destruction (see note on 19:41–44 above). (Others, such as 2 Bar., 4 Ezra, and Josephus, described the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 with the words of the biblical accounts concerned with Jerusalem’s first destruction.) Luke may have omitted Mark 13:18 (“pray that this will not take place in winter”) because the evangelist is writing after Jerusalem was destroyed and knew that it had been destroyed in the summer (the siege was from April to August) and not in the winter.

The closest parallels with the LXX include the following:

desolation (21:20): Dan. 12:11 (cf. also 9:27; 11:31).

those in the city (21:21): Lit. “those in the center of her.” See Ezek. 9:4.

the time of punishment (21:22): Lit. “the days of vengeance.” See Hos. 9:7 (cf. also Deut. 32:35; Jer. 46:10; 50:31 [LXX, 26:10; 27:31]; Ezek. 9:1). Remember that the similar line in Isa. 61:2 had been omitted in Jesus’ Nazareth sermon (see Luke 4:18–19). The implication may be that the divine vengeance that many Israelites had hoped would fall upon the Gentiles will tragically fall upon Jerusalem.

distress … and wrath (21:23): See Zeph. 1:15 (cf. also 2 Kings 3:27).

fall by the sword (21:24): See Sir. 28:18.

to all the nations (21:24): See Deut. 28:64 (cf. also Josephus, War 6.420–427).

Jerusalem … trampled by the Gentiles (21:24): See Zech. 12:3 (cf. also Isa. 63:18; Dan. 8:13; Rev. 11:2).

21:24 / until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled: J. T. Sanders (p. 218) does not believe that this phrase implies the restoration of Jerusalem. He believes that this Lucan oracle (21:20–24) is one more passage that betrays the evangelist’s anti-Semitic perspective. Sanders is, however, once again incorrect. By itself the phrase probably hints at Jerusalem’s restoration in that it clearly implies a limit to Gentile domination (see Dan. 2:44; 8:13–14; 12:5–13; 1QS 4.18–19: “God … has appointed a time for … wrongdoing, but at the time of visitation he will destroy it forever”; from a positive perspective—Rom. 11:25–27: “Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved …”). Robert L. Brawley (Luke–Acts and the Jews: Conflict, Apology, and Conciliation, SBLMS 33 [Atlanta: Scholars, 1987], p. 125) finds “uncanny verbal resemblances” between Luke 21:24 and Ezek. 39:23 and Zech. 12:3, passages that go on to foretell national restoration (see Ezek. 39:24–29; Zech. 12:4–9). Tiede (p. 365) rightly finds the phrase implying that “God is not done with Israel.” The wider Lucan context also points to an expectation of Israel’s restoration. When certain cosmological signs take place (21:25–27) Jesus enjoins his audience to “stand up and lift up [their] heads, because [their] redemption is drawing near” (21:28; cf. 1:38; 24:21). After the Parable of the Fig Tree (21:29–30) Jesus concludes: “when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near” (21:31). In view of the question that the disciples put to Jesus in Acts 1:6 (“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”), the saying certainly does leave open the possibility of Israel’s restoration. Moreover, Luke has all of this material (i.e., Luke 21) uttered in public; he has not limited it to the disciples alone, as it is found in Mark 13. The plural “you,” therefore, addresses all Jews who heard Jesus, not just Jesus’ disciples. (Throughout chaps. 20–21 Jesus is addressing the people in and about the temple.) The point of all of this is that when Jesus says, “your redemption is drawing near” and the “kingdom of God is near,” he is speaking to the Jewish people. Such prophecies and promises belie an anti-Semitic interpretation of the Lucan oracle.

21:25–26 / These signs reflect apocalyptic imagery from several passages: Deut. 28:28; Ps. 65:7 [LXX, 64:8]; Isa. 13:10; 17:12; 24:18–20; 34:4; Joel 2:10; 2 Esdras 5:4; 1 Enoch 80:4–7; T. Levi 4:1; T. Moses 10:5; 2 Pet. 3:12; Rev. 6:12–14; 2 Bar. 70:2.

21:27 / the Son of Man: See note on 5:24 above. Coming in a cloud with power and great glory is an unmistakable allusion to Dan. 7:13. This apocalyptic image symbolizes the handing over of the kingdom to God’s anointed one. Daniel 7:13–14 was interpreted in a messianic sense widely in Jewish circles (1 Enoch 69:29; Numbers Rabbah 13.14; Midrash Psalms 21:5; b. Sanhedrin 96b–97a).

21:28 / lift up your heads: See Isa. 8:21.

21:32 / this generation: This expression is often used in reference to the generation that will experience the “Day of the Lord” (see following note).

21:33 / Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away: This saying implies that Jesus’ very words are equivalent in authority and permanence to the Word of God. Lachs (p. 88) cites the following rabbinic parallel: “Everything has its end, the heavens and earth have their end; only one thing is excepted which has no end, and that is the Law” (Genesis Rabbah 10.1; see also Philo, Life of Moses 2.3).

21:34 / that day: The “day” came to be a technical term in the NT; it is usually an abbreviation for “the day of the Lord,” an idea ultimately derived from the OT (see Amos 5:18–20; Joel 1:15; 2:30–32; Zeph. 1:14–18). Compare 1 Thess. 5:2; Rom. 2:5; 1 Cor. 1:8; Phil. 1:6, 10; Rev. 6:17; 16:14.

21:37 / Mount of Olives: See note on 22:39 below. According to Mark 11:11 Jesus lodged in Bethany, a town near Jerusalem.