Sermon - Pentecost 23 - Luke 21:5-28

As we approach the end of the church year, the readings draw our attention to the last things, the end times, the second coming of Christ and the judgment day. 

Jesus’ teachings recorded in our reading from Luke 21 today might raise all sorts of questions in our minds, even as they seemed to do for the disciples.  He paints some awesome and frightful pictures for us, which weave together the events of the temple being destroyed in 70 AD, the persecution of the church, natural and manmade disasters that are found all throughout history, and then the final destruction and judgment of this fallen, corrupt world at his second coming. 

But none of this is meant to simply scare us, his people.  It’s not like he’s threatening us with all this doom and gloom.  Rather, he tells his disciples what is going to happen so that they will be prepared: so they will not be afraid, that they will not be led astray, so that they might repent, and that they can maintain their hope in his promise of final deliverance. 

So, too, for us.  As we consider these end times teachings, let us find hope and joy as we trust in the promises of Jesus, even when it seems like the whole world is falling apart. 

And speaking of your world falling apart, don’t forget that Jesus was teaching them all of this during Holy Week.  He knew what waited in store for him in just a few days.  The temple of his body would be destroyed by a torturous death on a Roman cross, though he would rebuild it in just three days.  It is this tearing down and building up again, this death and resurrection, that is the way of Christ and of his people also. 

The temple!  What ornate stones, what beautiful architecture!  And such an imposing edifice, it must have truly impressed the disciples every time they saw it.  Such a monument was built to last.  It would almost certainly outlast any of them.  But Jesus directs them away from putting their trust in a building, even a grand one.  Every stone here was coming down.  And, of course, at least some of the disciples would live to see it less than 40 years later, as Roman general Titus and his forces laid siege to Jerusalem, and toppled its temple.  Jesus weeps over the knowledge that all this would come to pass, he mourns for the women and small children and what they’ll have to endure.   

But even this was just a glimpse, a foreshadowing of the destruction that will come, and especially at the last day, when this corrupt creation is destroyed, burned up in fire, and the skies rolled up like a scroll.  Heaven and earth will pass away, to make way for the new heaven and earth.  70 AD, as bad as it was, just showed a sample of the destruction that is in store for this world when Christ comes again in glory.   

And it’s been happening ever since.  Man-made conflicts and disasters, as nations rise against nation in times of war.  World wars.  Ukraine.  Israel.  Rwanda.  These things must happen, it’s just the way it is in this fallen world.  But it’s not the end yet. 

And then we also see natural disasters come and go, earthquakes, famines, and pestilences, Jesus mentions.  We could add hurricanes, floods, pandemics and all other manner of calamity.  It’s just the way things are in this world of chaos, subjected to futility.  But the end is not yet.  

Persecution will befall many of God’s people, as certainly the apostles faced such opposition, and many do today.  “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake,” he says, and that hatred of the unbelievers persists, in small and large part, here and abroad.  But the end is not yet. 

With all this bad news surrounding us, with all the chaos and trouble of life, what hope do we have?  Death seems to surround us at every turn, suffering in good measure, persecution rearing its ugly head.  But Jesus also says things like: 

“not a hair of your head will be perish” and “by your endurance you will gain your lives” and “straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is  drawing near.” 

No, in the face of all this trouble, we are warned not to fall for false messiahs and false promises of his return.  Don’t go after any of them.  Go after the promises he gives.  Trust in the true Messiah, the Sun of Righteousness who rises with healing in his wings.  Look to his cross, and live, even though you die.  Live and believe in him and never die. 

There’s a scene I love from a movie, one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and it’s become a meme or pop culture metaphor.  In this scene, there’s a great battle going on between a British galleon “Endeavor” and a couple of pirate ships.  The cannons are firing, explosions are unleashed, and the wood of the Endeavor flies through the air in millions of splinters.  And through this chaotic storm of destruction, Beckett, the captain of the ship walks, descends the stairs, as the scene unfolds in slow motion, and he seems far off, distant, unaffected by the chaos around him.  Until, of course, the final explosion engulfs him along with his ship. 

That’s sort of how we live as Christians in this world of chaos.  Sin and death flying constantly around us, a churning and chaotic maelstrom of evil and suffering and senselessness.  Wars and disasters and persecution, false teaching and confusion everywhere.  This world is an absolute mess. If we pondered it, if we focused on it, we could quickly fall to despair.  We might even yearn for the final explosion that quiets the chaos and ends our misery. 

But unlike the captain who goes down with the ship, we can have calm in the storm because our focus isn’t on all of that, but on Christ, the one who died for us.  Our hope is not in this fallen and failing world, but in his promises of life and salvation, and a far brighter day to come.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.   

Christ will return, thanks be to God.  He will come in the clouds with glory, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet call of God.  All eyes will see him.  The dead will be raised for judgment, and his people will be glorified and made incorruptible.  We will enter into our rest.  Until then we wait in faith and hope for all his promises to come true, knowing that he is faithful, and he will do it. 

Jerusalem was destroyed.  That was just the beginning.  Nations rise against nations.  This creation itself groans.  And the world hates us like it hates Christ.  These things must happen.  

But fear not.  Do not despair.  Even if they take our life, goods fame child and wife.  The kingdom ours remaineth.  Our hope is not in this world, but in the life of the world to come.  Our tears will be turned to joy, and our shame to glory, on that great and glorious day of his coming.  Christ is ours, and we are his.