9.00am and 10.30am Sunday 21 March 2004
Rev Des Botting
Readings: Job 1:1-22; Luke 21:5-24
Throughout history there have been people who have accurately predicted what would happen in the future. For example Henry Ford had the vision of producing a car that would be within the reach of every person and not just the wealthy as was the case then. That vision has largely come to pass as, particularly in the Western world, where there are very few families where there is not at least one vehicle, if not several. Another Person predicted that someone would walk on the moon.
In Bible times there were prophets who predicted the future. God knew that there would be both true and false prophets, and that his people would need to be able to tell the difference. So through Moses he gave them this test. He said, You may be asking yourselves, How can we tell if a prophets message really comes from the Lord? You will know, because if the Lord says something will happen, it will happen. And if it doesnt, you will know that the prophet was falsely claiming to speak for the Lord.[1] In that same passage Moses predicted that God was going to choose one of their people to be a prophet just like him, and that when he came they were to do what he said.[2] Although God sent many prophets throughout the time of the Old Testament, we now know that Moses was referring specifically to Jesus. Hes the One through whom God has spoken in these last days, and it was his prophetic words that we read this morning. (Blank screen)
Here in Luke Jesus was speaking of two future events. One would take place within the lifetime of those present that day. The other would be at the end of time. That these events would definitely take place is emphasised by the word will that appears 27 times in these fifteen verses. The fact that these are the words of Jesus affirms their certainty. The two events were the Fall of Jerusalem, and his second coming. One has come to pass exactly as Jesus said it would, and weve no reason to doubt that the other will happen exactly as he said, too. Its reassuring to know that His word is completely trust-worthy and that when we build our lives on its truth, its like building a house on rock.[3] As Isaiah says, The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.[4]
Luke begins by telling us, Some people were talking about the beautiful stones used to build the temple and about the gifts that had been placed in it.[5] We learn from Marks Gospel that it was one of the disciples that made this comment as Jesus was leaving the temple. Hed said, Teacher, look at these beautiful stones and wonderful buildings![6] From our 21st century perspective, its difficult for us to appreciate or imagine what they were speaking about. What was it about the temple that made people consider it wonderful, and what was it about the stones that made them beautiful? To help you gain a better understanding of the significance of what they were talking about, a little background information will be helpful.
This was the third Jewish temple to be erected. Solomon built the first temple in the tenth century B.C. after the tribes of Israel were united under David to become one kingdom. That temple was destroyed in the Babylonian conquest of 586 B.C. when Israel was taken into exile. For almost seventy years it lay in ruins until the exiles returned and began its reconstruction under Zerubbabel in 520 B.C. This second temple was desecrated and plundered after the Greeks in 325 B.C. and then the Romans in 63 BC replaced the Persians as the masters of Palestine. Herod the Great, who ruled Palestine from 37 B.C. to A.D. 4, built the third and an entirely new, gold-covered temple on an enormous platform of 141,300sq.m. He did this to try and win over those Jews who objected to his becoming king. He also wanted to make a visual statement to Rome about the importance of the Jewish kingdom. This largest and grandest of the Jerusalem temples was also the shortest lived, as well see in a few moments.[7] (Blank screen)
Why these people commented about the stones was partly because many of them were overlaid with gold and also because of their size. (Picture of temple stones) The temple itself rose to a very great height at the point where Jesus and his disciples would have been standing. This is Josephuss description of the temple in his book The Jewish War. Josephus was the world-renowned Jewish historian of that time. The exterior of the sanctuary did not lack anything that could amaze either mind or eye. Overlaid on all sides with massive plates of gold, it reflected the first rays of the sun (with) so fierce a flash that those looking at it were forced to look away as from the very rays of the sun. To strangers as they approached it, it seemed in the distance like a mountain clad with snow; for any part not covered with gold was of the purest white. (From the top rose sharp golden spikes to prevent birds from perching on the roof and soiling it.) Some of the stones in the building were 22.5m. in length, 3m. in height and 3m. deep[8] (and weighed over 100 tonnes[9]). They were massive, almost as big as a house, and it was a tremendous feat of engineering skill to have placed them so accurately on top of one another. (Blank screen)
When Luke refers to the gifts that had been placed in the temple, he would have been referring to such things as the golden vines presented by Herod the Great with bunches of grapes as large as a man, mounted above the entrance to the holy place, and the golden wreath presented by Sosius, another prominent person of that time. Princes, friendly to Israel, gave other gifts both for the temple and provincial synagogues.[10]
Its little wonder that this amazing building inspired awe into its admirers. It was a magnificent sight, and even Titus, the Roman General who laid siege to Jerusalem in 69 A.D. was loathe to damage it.[11] But Jesus response to his disciples statement was, Do you see these stones? The time is coming when not one of them will be left in place. They will all be knocked down.[12] Then Mark tells us that Peter, James, John and Andrew came to Jesus in private as he was sitting on the Mount of Olives across from the temple, and asked two questions, When? And What? When will these things happen? And What will be the sign that they are about to take place?[13] It was these two questions that led to Jesus prophetic statements about the future of Jerusalem and the world. (Blank screen)
Theres so much here for us to ponder. Jesus was prophesying the fall of Jerusalem that took place in 70 A.D. Its both fascinating and sobering to read what Josephus says about this event in his book The Jewish War, because his is an eyewitness account as he was there throughout the siege of Jerusalem. Josephus was a Jewish priest and an outstanding Jewish commander who had earlier been given the responsibility of protecting Galilee from the Romans. With amazing courage and ingenuity, the Jews gallantly defended their land against the might of Rome. Josephus tells of the epic battle of Jotapata in which he led the citys defense against the Romans. Time after time the defenders repelled the might of the Roman army, on one occasion pouring boiling oil upon the Roman soldiers as they were on the point of scaling the ramparts of the city, and then threw the vessels in which the oil had been heated, still scalding hot on top of the Romans. He writes, this broke the Roman formation. Burning and in excruciating pain, the soldiers rolled headlong from the ramparts. For the oil instantly seeped under their armour from head to foot, spreading over the whole surface of their bodies, consuming their flesh as relentlessly as a flame, this liquid being, by its very nature, quickly heated and slow to cool due to its fatty quality.[14]
Later, when only a handful of survivors were left, the Romans sent two of their tribunes to persuade them to surrender. This brought to Josephuss memory several dreams he had had in which God had foretold him of the Jews impending fate and the fortunes of the coming Roman emperors. Josephus could see that their situation was hopeless and would have accepted the Roman pledge for their safety should they surrender, but those with him refused. They would rather die at their own hands than ever surrender to the Romans. And so they agreed to draw lots to decide the order in which they would kill themselves. The hand of the one whose turn came next killed whoever drew the first lot. And so they died one by one until Josephus, whether by fortune or divine providence, was left with one other man, whom he persuaded to remain alive. He was brought before the Roman General Vespasian, (Picture of Vespasian) who later became Caesar, and asked for a private audience. He said to Vespasian, You suppose, Vespasian that in the person of Josephus you have taken a mere prisoner; but I come to you as messenger of a greater destiny. Josephus went on to tell him how God had shown him that Vespasian was destined to become the next Caesar and Emperor, which he did in A.D. 69.[15] (Blank screen)
Josephus was greatly respected by Vespasian and his soldiers for his bravery, and from that point onwards Josephus sided with the Romans, and tried to persuade his own people not to resist them. Time and time again he rode round the walls of Jerusalem calling on his people to spare their country and their temple, but his entreaties fell on deaf ears as he was looked upon as a traitor by his fellow countrymen. In the end 97,000 prisoners were taken captive throughout the war, and 1,100,000 perished during the long siege.[16]
Time doesnt permit to go into the details of what happened at Jerusalem in 69-70 AD, but if you think that the violence in the film The Passion of The Christ is overdone, a brief reading of Josephuss account of the things that took place during that siege will quickly dispel any doubts you might have. They were brutal times. Any kind of grisly, gruesome suffering that could be inflicted on ones enemy was done without second thoughts as to the suffering it might cause the victim.
But the real point of all this is that it was Gods time to execute judgment on Jerusalem. Even Josephus himself said, Deeply as one must mourn the destruction of the most wonderful edifice ever seen or spoken of, whether for its structure, size, and lavish perfection of detail, or the repute of its holy places, yet we may find very real comfort in the thought that fate is inexorable, not only in regard to living beings but also in regard to structures and places.[17]
Its interesting to read the comment of Titus, the Roman General who commanded the forces who attacked and eventually captured the city, when he looked at the stones of which it had been built. Josephus writes, When Titus entered the city, he was amazed by its strength, and especially by the towers. It was practically indestructible. And when he observed their solid and lofty mass all the way up, the tremendous size of each block, and how accurately they fitted, also how great their breadth and how immense their height, he exclaimed, God indeed has been our ally in this war; it was God who brought down the Jews from their strongholds; for what could human hands or engines accomplish against such towers. Later when he destroyed the rest of the city, he left the towers (one of which, by the way, still stands today) as a memorial to his own fortune to whose cooperation he owed his victory over such impregnable defenses.[18]
When Jesus came to Jerusalem just before his death, he wept over the city and said, If you, only you, had known on this day what would bring you peace but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and your children within your walls. They will not leave one stone upon another, because you did not recognise the time of Gods coming to you.[19] The Jews rejected their Messiah and King. At the time of Jesus trial they had stated, We have no king but Caesar![20] When Pilate washed his hands of the matter and said, I am innocent of this mans blood, the Jewish leaders answered, Let his blood be on us and on our children.[21] Not many years later when they had rebelled not only against God, but also against the Emperor, they had to bear the full brunt of the consequences. They had refused to believe that God would ever take their land away from them. This was why there was such a strong reaction against Jesus story told in Luke 20 of the vineyard and the rebellious tenants. When Jesus said the vineyard would be taken away from them and given to other tenants, those who heard him said, This must never happen![22] But it did, exactly as Jesus said it would. Whereas there had never been any break in the offering of the daily temple sacrifices from the time of the restoration of the temple after the exile in 520 B.C. through to 70 A.D., since the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple they have never been resumed.
This makes for sobering reading. But in it all God was at work. He allowed sufficient time for his infant church to become established throughout the Roman world, thanks largely to the efforts of Paul, before he let the Romans destroy Jerusalem and its beautiful temple. There was no further need of a temple like that, for our bodies are his temple now. Paul says, All of you surely know that you are Gods temple and that his Spirit lives in you. Together you are Gods holy temple, and God will destroy anyone who destroys his temple.[23] Nor was their any further need for priests to offer daily sacrifices for the sins of the people. Jesus as the Lamb of God has taken away the sin of the world. He was the perfect sacrifice, offered once for all. No other sacrifice is needed. Now You are a royal priesthood (to) declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.[24]
There will be difficult times ahead as Jesus said there would be, but we dont need to fear. With Gods Spirit within us, and the strength, support and encouragement that comes from being part of his Church, we will have victory. All thats required is for us to trust him, for Jesus said, You will be saved by being faithful to me.[25] We do this by first putting our trust in Him, accepting him as our Saviour and King, and then serving him with all our energy, talents and resources in the work of his kingdom. The one thing above all else God looks for in his children is faithfulness. Will you be faithful to Him to the very end?
[1] Deuteronomy 18:21-22 (All Bible references are from the Contemporary English Version unless otherwise stated.)
[2] Deuteronomy 19:15
[3] Matthew 7:24-25
[4] Isaiah 40:8
[5] Luke 21:5
[6] Mark 13:1
[7] cf Harpers Bible Dictionary, Paul J. Achtemeier (ed.) San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985, pp. 1021ff.
[8] Josephus, The Jewish War, ed. Gaalya Cornfield, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1982, 5.5.6
[9] From Edersheim, Temple,,quoted in M R Vincents Word Study of the New Testament, Wilmington, DEL: AP & A, 1972. p. 118.
[10] Vincent, op. cit. pp. 210-211
[11] Josephus, The Jewish War, op. cit., 4.4.3-7
[12] Luke 21:6
[13] Mark 13:4
[14] Josephus,The Jewish War, op. cit., 3.6.28
[15] Ibid.., 3.8.9
[16] Ibid., 6.9.3
[17] Josephus, The Jewish War, op. cit., 4.4.8
[18] Josephus,The Jewish War, op. cit, 6.9.1
[19] Luke 19:41-44 NIV
[20] John 19:15 NIV
[21] Matthew 27:24-25 NIV
[22] Luke 20:16
[23] 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
[24] 1 Peter 2:9 NIV
[25] Luke