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Advent Challenge Day 21


Luke 21



In this chapter, Jesus examines the temple and the motivations of the people who come to it.  While the disciples are impressed by grandeur and excess, Jesus sees past the façade to the inner motivations and meanings.



While the rich people threw their large offerings into the money chutes, causing a great noise to bring attention to themselves, Jesus values the widow’s pittance as a greater offering.  While the rich folk have given a greater amount, they are giving what they can afford – whereas the widow is donating what she can, not necessarily being able to afford it.  While we are impressed by large offerings, even in today’s church, Jesus is more interested in sacrificial giving of our money, our time and our talents.



Jesus proceeds to criticise the splendour of the temple, announcing to the disciples that the day was coming when the beautiful building would be torn down, brick by brick.  When the disciples ask Jesus about the details of the destruction, Jesus discusses the end of the temple, the persecution of his followers and the eventual destruction of Jerusalem itself.  This would have shocked any Jewish listener, as they considered the city as sacred to God, and the temple itself was considered to be untouchable by any force in the world!  To declare their destruction would have felt like Jesus predicting the end of the world for the Jewish race!



Jesus then gives his followers a glimmer of good news when he tells them that at the end of time he would return again!  They would see the “Son of Man coming in a cloud”, and the world would know that it was the Messiah return to redeem the world.  How would they know when this would happen?  Jesus tells them of the fig tree, whose leaves start to grow in the summer season – and this announces that summer has arrived.  So too, says Jesus, we must watch for the signs and be prepared for the second coming!



While we are conducting our Advent Challenge, we are also approaching the end of the renovation works to the church building in Aghavea.  While we will be rightly proud of the achievement, and hopefully delighted in the results, we need to be aware that this is only a building.  The Jewish people identified their faith with the Temple in Jerusalem, with believers making a pilgrimage to it for major festivals – and the fact that it was so large, so ornate, and so busy made them think that it was a sign that God was pleased with them.  For Jesus to predict its destruction would have felt like a judgement upon the people (which would have been correct).  We need to remain conscious of the fact that we are not tied to a building, either in Jerusalem or in Aghavea – but we are part of a worldwide church of believers, tied together by our faith, united in love, and looking to the future for Jesus’ return!

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