Luke 21 Maintaining the Temple

 

Luke 21 – Maintaining The Temple

 

Many of the religious leaders were corrupt, but the temple was still the place where God put His name and where sincere people could worship Him. Jesus did not criticize the people for supporting the temple ministry (Matt. 23:1-3), but He did notice what they gave. The proportion, not the portion is important. Those who give “the widow’s mite” give their all, not their least. How a person gives indicates how much of their heart belongs to God. The widow gave far more than the rich.

 

Jesus sees with very different eyes; He recognized not only the temporary nature of human accomplishments but also God’s estimation of those accomplishments.

 

Even in Jesus’ day, many would-be messiahs appeared, attracting groups of followers, and then disappeared with the coming of persecution or the passing of time. By including this sign, Jesus was saying that as the time of God’s judgment approached, even more of these false christs would arise, and many people would be deceived (Eph. 5:6; 2 Thess. 2:3; I John 4:1).

 

While Christians will escape the tribulation itself, they will not escape the hardships that lead up to it, just as they are not exempt from the pain of living in a fallen world. God turns hardship and difficulty to good use in His kingdom. By relying on the Holy Spirit, these faithful believers will be able to speak like Jesus did when He confounded His accusers (Acts 6:10). While evil may prosper for a while, that time is short, but an eternity of glory with God lasts forever (Matt. 10:21).

 

As a boy of twelve, Jesus discussed the Word in the temple; and He spent the last week before His death teaching the Word in His Father’s house. He was hated by the religious leaders, and the temple was a den of thieves; but needy people were there, and Jesus taught them. He was quick to seize the opportunity, and the people were glad to hear Him.

 

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J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah