Jesus foresaw the disastrous Jewish wars. “Look,” he has lamented earlier, “your house is left to you desolate.” Here again Jesus addresses the coming desolation of Judea and Jerusalem. He even predicted that this would take place within that generation (21:32). Sure enough, within forty years (which was the period of time referred to by a generation), Jerusalem and the great temple lay in rubble. Jesus had pleaded with his people to follow his way of peace. But they opted to establish a political kingdom by military might. The Jews rose up against the Romans in 66AD which led to the siege and destruction of Jerusalem. What really undermined the Jews, according to the Jewish historian Josephus, was their infighting. More Jews were killed by other Jews than by the Romans when the siege was broken. Josephus was particularly horrified by the way the Zealots desecrated the temple precinct by turning it into a military fortress. He was convinced that the Roman conquest was divine judgement. Likewise, Jesus presents these events here in a way that seems to foreshadow the final judgment of the earth. The rejection of Jesus would have dire consequences for that generation. And it is disastrous for any generation. We should bemoan the fact that Christian influence is now at a low ebb in our society. But we should not then try to impose the Kingdom by force. Our weapons are not those of the world. The Kingdom of God comes through persistent prayer, faithful witness, uncompromising faith and sacrificial love. Let’s pray that this desolate house might be filled with God’s Spirit again!
Pray that God would fill and transform you, his church and this land by the power of his Holy Spirit.
Read Luke 21:5-38
