By Your Endurance, You Will Gain Your Souls
(The Olivet Discourse)
As we approach the end of the liturgical year, you may notice that most of the readings have a somewhat ominous feeling.
The tone of Isaiah's Prophecy in the first reading is soothing to the ear; God will create a new earth and new heaven - a Jerusalem where no one will hear a sound of weeping, and there will be no more infant death. God's people will live longer. Older adults who don't make it to a hundred will be considered accursed. No more free labor - no more dominance - one shall build and another inhabit
They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat;
(Isa. 15: 21-22).
These prophecies may only rest in our imaginations, and some may even deem them fantasies. But for the socially oppressed and the marginalized, waiting and hoping for deliverance generation after generation, this is real – it is a promise to embrace and hold fast; it is the 'blessed hope of everlasting life.'
When we come to the gospel, Luke takes the predictions of Jesus to another notch. He highlights three points and crafts them into a combination of facts of history that facilitates the challenges Christians must undergo to advance the gospel.
He begins with the foretelling of the destruction of the Jewish Temple. The Temple was not only the center of the Jewish world but also the center of attraction - adorned with ornaments dedicated to God. Its beauty got everyone's attention, more so the disciples, who saw the Temple like one would have seen the two Towers in NYC back in the day.
' Here's a brief description of the Temple from Josephus, the
great Jewish historian,
"The entire façade was covered with gold inside and outside - in all its grandeur and the surroundings of the inner gate - all gleaming with gold fell beneath his eye …"
All spectators were lost in this beauty and splendor, unfortunately not entirely what it represented (the link between heaven and earth). But Jesus's description of its destruction is inconceivable and makes one ask, why or how? Why and how such a magnificent temple be destroyed and when will that happen? Then 70 years after, it happened. The disciples didn't live to see it, but it happened.
The Romans destroyed Jerusalem and burned the Temple. The gold-crafted images and symbols in the structure of the temple walls melted in the fire, and the melted gold ran down into the cracks between the stones. As people later searched for the gold, they toppled every stone from its place, thus fulfilling the Prophecy. So, you see, Luke did not sugarcoat the warning when he described the Prophecy, which says, 'not a stone will be left unturned.'
To appreciate those events and how they impacted the history of Jerusalem, let's reflect on the catastrophe of September 11, 2018. The Temple was to Jerusalem as the Twin Towers were to the U.S. If New York City was to burn down instead of just the two twin buildings, would we narrate the story of the destruction to include the Twin Towers? I bet we would, so there will be a meaningful factual story in its context of economic and political ambition – the Twin Towers was the center for world traders.
For the Jews, the Temple is where heaven and the earth meet. However, Luke structured his narration to offer readers a sense that the Temple had lost its significance. Even before the destruction of Jerusalem, the message was that the path to salvation was in Christ and not in the Temple.
The Jewish rebellion also held many consequences for Christians: 1. It further distinguished Christians from Jews, especially in the eyes of Romans. Many Christians were eager to distinguish themselves in this context; they did not want to be associated with rebels. Think about the book of Acts, whose subtext is that Christians are not seditious. 2. The destruction of the temple was traumatic for Jews and Christians alike. In the New Testament writings, Christians would idealize a new heaven, a new Jerusalem, and a new temple. 3. The death of Jesus on the cross would, in some ways, be justified as a fundamental part of Judaism by the end of the age of sacrifice, the end of the temple rituals. In Christianity, the essence of sacrifice would live on eternally through the death of Jesus.
The Temple destruction prediction shook the disciples. The signs to watch out for were even more of a concern.
Apocalyptic literature uses unsettling language and imagery to assure the faithful that they should trust God even when the most challenging circumstances are imminent. While describing the terrible signs and events, Jesus assured the disciples of his ever-presence.
Think back, and you'll see that every age has its insurrections, wars, natural catastrophes, persecutions, etc. There will always be false prophets, and there will always be earthquakes. We will misread the signs in verses 21:7-11 if we think Luke uses this set of calamities to predict Jesus' return. Not at all. The lesson here is that we should "not be terrified" in times of catastrophes (21:9); we must not follow anyone proclaiming these are signs of God's judgment (21:8). Instead, we should trust that God remains present even in calamities. Disasters may come, and times of oppression may impact our lives, but we must remain resilient. The Spirit will stay with us; if we don't crumble and deny Jesus, he will allow us to shine – the opportunity to testify – to be torchbearers of the gospel.
Let me emphasize the gospel message: Keep doing the good you are doing. Don’t change on the account of false presumptions. Live on the assurance that Jesus will remain faithful to you as you endeavor to remain faithful to the Gospel message. Jesus knows it is not easy to be his disciples, and the reason he promised to be there with you. Calamities may come. Take comfort in knowing that even the hairs of your head are in God's care; you will not lose anything, and if you remain faithful to your baptismal vows, you will endure, and "you will gain your souls."
Let’s Pray the Collect to remind us about the lessons we heard today:
Lord, you caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them, so we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with the HolySpirit forever and ever. Amen!