I was working for some time on what I would say in the final sermon in the series on Luke 21. A change of circumstances in our church family meant it no longer seemed to me that this was the right sermon for the occasion. As the title indicates – this is a draft. A little rough at the edges, no doubt. But nevertheless, what I was planning to say develops further implications of Luke 21 for life today that people may be interested to chase up at a future date. So draft though it is, never delivered though it was,... here it is for what it’s worth.
Introduction
Let me tell you where we’re going this morning. We’ve got some big topics to think about together, but they all concern how we, as a church, should relate to the world out there that is not part of the church.
I want to touch on three areas, without pretending to be anything like exhaustive, as these are big areas! But they are areas that our passage touches on, so they are areas that we need to touch on.
We’re going to spend some time thinking about how we, as a church, should relate to the land of Israel, or Palestine, and to the city of Jerusalem. We’re going to spend some time thinking about how we, as a church, should relate to individuals we know who are not yet followers of Christ. And we’re going to spend some time thinking about how we, as a church, should relate to the many other commitments we all have besides church. As I say – big areas! And then we’re going to draw all these things together by thinking about how Luke 21 affects the way that we pray.
Yes, we’re still in Luke chapter 21! This is sermon number three on this chapter, number 4 if you count Remembrance Day. It will also be our last for the time being. As I say, we’re not going to say everything there is to say on those three topics I just mentioned. We’re just going to reflect on how Luke 21 affects these areas of our relationship with “the world out there”.
Recap
If you’ve been here for the past few weeks as we’ve looked at this chapter, you’ll know that we are taking the approach that Jesus is promising the destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Romans in A.D. 70. That is what the entire chapter is about.
Lots of us will have read this chapter in years gone by and instinctively thought that it concerns the final return of Jesus to judge the world – what we often call the second coming. That is because the air we breathe is the Christian heritage we have grown up in, that assumes that language of the sun and moon stopping shining must refer to the end of the world. What I tried to show a few weeks back is that if we come to this chapter breathing the air of the Old Testament instead, we will still have an instinct as to what this passage is about, but it will be a very different instinct. What instinct you have when you come to a passage likes this depends on the air you’ve been breathing. And Jesus’ breath is heavy with the smell of the Old Testament, as opposed to the air of 21st century assumptions.
Which is why we’ve been talking about this passage in terms of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, as opposed to the return of Jesus to raise and judge the whole world. Both those events are events when Jesus comes to judge. The fall of Jerusalem and the end of the temple is Jesus’ judgement, in the here and now, on the city that rejected him, the temple system that ironically had no space for him, and the people who did not want to know him.
Jesus will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, but he is a living, reigning and ascended Lord now. His rule is real and effective. We don’t have to wait for his final return before he becomes the reigning Lord of this world, the Lord of the nations and the Lord of his church. He doesn’t just reign; he rules. And he isn’t just Lord of individual people; he is Lord of cities, Lord of nations, Lord of institutions. We thought about that last time.
And the event where we can see that Jesus occupies this position, that he is the one functionally running this world, is his judgment of Jerusalem at the hands of the Romans. There are two reasons why that one event is so pivotal. First, Jesus was rejected by Jerusalem, so if he is now the reigning Lord of this world we need to see this exercised in the very place where we might doubt that he rules: Jerusalem. And secondly, many countries, institutions and empires come and go and we do not know what is going on behind the scenes, in the mind of God. But this event has been interpreted to us by Jesus; he tells us to understand it as demonstrating his rule.
Picture a school that is struggling in many respects. The local authority dismisses half of the staff after class 10D murder the head teacher during a lesson. They parachute in a brave new headmistress to sort things out. One year in, the school is a new school, and things are on the up, so they call The Sentinel in to report on the progress. The headmistress could show them lots of bits of school life to demonstrate that she has turned things around. The sports field, the quality of the food, any of it. But she takes the reporters in to see a lesson in class 10D, now called 11D. She has to go there doesn’t she? If she’s not in charge of 10D, she’s not in charge of the school.
So, in Luke 21 Jesus is telling us that he now rules this world as the Son of Man. He doesn’t reign in a token capacity; he is an active ruler who moves in judgement here and now; it’s not all saved up for later. And he tells us where to look to see that this is the case: We are to look at the temple and the city of Jerusalem in the year 70 a.d.
The Land of Israel
So what are the implications of all this for the way we relate today to the land, part of which is known as Israel and part of which is known as Palestine? What are the implications of all this for the way we relate today to the city of Jerusalem?
We need to be careful here, because I’m aware that feelings run high on this topic. Although if we think feelings run high amongst British Christians, that is nothing compared to the depth of feeling there is if you live in that part of the world! As I said at the beginning, we are not going to say everything there is to say about the land of Israel – that is a massive topic – we’ll see what we can conclude from Luke 21.
Jesus has been clear that the fall of Jerusalem is his judgement on the city, and his judgement on the institution of the temple. This city and this building were the centrepiece of Israel’s worship, and they should have recognised Jesus when he came. Instead these institutions and the people in charge became the focus for the murder of God’s son.
Jesus brings those institutions to a close. Is that the end of God’s dealings with humanity? Not at all. The parable of the tenants in the vineyard makes clear where the future lies. God is going to hand the vineyard over to new tenants.
Jesus himself was treated like a piece of stone at a quarry that the builders thought had no use. But he will be the cornerstone, the centrepiece, of the new temple that God will build. God is no longer found in a temple in Jerusalem; he is found in a new temple, the metaphorical building that consists of every man woman and child who is rightly related to Jesus. We don’t go to Jerusalem to meet God any more, we go to Jesus, and he is in heaven.
Which means that times have moved on. The age when God’s purposes and blessings were located in one national group, in one city, in one building is over. The new world has begun, when God’s purposes and blessings are located with the Son of Man, seated at the right hand of his Father.
Let’s be very clear what we’re not saying. We’re not saying that God had one plan concerning the Jewish people, and that he has given up on that and started a brand new plan. We’re not saying that the church, or Jesus, has replaced the Jews as the people of God. It may be obvious, but it needs to be said, that Jesus is a Jew. The 12 apostles were Jews. This new people of God, this new age, is a very Jewish reality.
No, the language we need is not that of replacement but of fulfilment. That is how Jesus described what he came to do. That is how the rest of the New Testament describes what Jesus accomplished. The most notable book in the New Testament on this point is Hebrews. The sacrificial system, the temple, the tabernacle were all very real and important, but Jesus has taken them and filled them up. They were like shadows compared to Jesus who was the one casting his shadow. It’s like a sapling that has grown into a large tree – another metaphor from Jesus himself. It’s like moving from infancy to maturity. Now that Jesus has come, all that those institutions pointed to has come. And so those institutions have had their day.
Which means that we don’t need to try and rebuild the city of Jerusalem. We don’t have to try and rebuild the physical temple. We don’t have to try and restart the sacrificial system. That is to go backwards to sapling stage, to toddler stage, to shadow stage, to empty stage.
You probably know that as snakes grow their skins don’t grow. They grow out of their clothes. So as the snake grows, it eventually grows a new, bigger skin, and sheds the old one. It doesn’t fit the old skin any more. If you see an old snakeskin on the ground it will have the right shape and markings for a snake. But the snake has moved on. It’s grown up. And to try to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem today, would be like taking that snakeskin and stuffing it. Putting in some artificial eyes. Using oil paints to put the markings back on. And applying makeup for the finishing touches. But all you’d get if you did that would be something that looks just like the snake did a week ago, but is not the snake. The snake’s moved on. We can create something that looks very like God’s purposes for his people did two thousand years ago, but it would not be God’s purposes for his people. Those have moved on.
None of which answers the question as to how to settle the land disputes that revolve around the land of Israel and Palestine. Those are really complex issues. The history of the past hundred years is fair from straight forward, and involves personal pain and bereavement for those on all sides. There is no quick, trite way to solve this, and Luke 21 certainly doesn’t solve it for us.
The one thing we can say is that we won’t solve it by playing a religious trump card. We can’t trump all the political, familial and historical complexities and debates by throwing down the Ace of Hearts and saying that the Christian thing to do is to support a modern, autonomous state of Israel with such and such for its borders. Things have moved on. The Christian thing to do is to seek justice, mercy and compassion – and that may involve a modern state of Israel. But if it involves that it does so because we’re seeking the most loving, kind, and fair thing to do, not because of some supposed inalienable right of the Jewish people.
Given how painful, difficult and politically complex the issues of justice are in that part of the world, it’d be good if we prayed for those who are seeking a peaceful and fair solution. They need all the help they can get, and because justice and compassion is right at God’s heart, the Palestinian and Israeli issues are right at God’s heart too.
Unbelievers
So much for the land of Israel. What implications does Luke 21 have for those we know who are not yet Christians? What implications does Luke 21 have for those of us here who are not yet Christians?
You’ve possibly heard it said that it’s all well and good not being a Christian – all well and good until you die or Jesus returns. Then it doesn’t look so clever, because a merry, carefree life now turns into an eternity in hell. I’m sure you’ve heard that said – indeed, I’m sure I’ve said it myself. And it’s true. If an unbeliever thinks that they have it good, they need to take the long view.
But this passage gives us another perspective on things. Yes, there is a sense in which judgement day will be the ultimate moment when the first become last and the last first. But Luke 21 tells us that Jesus is an effective, ruling king now. So the unbeliever is not just living out of touch with what will become reality when Jesus returns. They are also living out of touch with what is reality now. They are living in defiance of the presently reigning monarch. They are living in defiance at the presently reigning monarch who is more than willing to move in judgement now on those who do not want him to be king, as well as on the last day.
Which gives a certain edge to what we say to people when we present the gospel to them. This gives a certain edge to More To Life next March. We present people with the gospel, summed up with the phrase Jesus Christ is Lord. And unless people will acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, bow the knee to him, and seek his gracious forgiveness, then they are in deep trouble – not just in the future, but now.
And so if you are here this morning as someone who is not yet a Christian, please hear what Luke 21 is saying. Luke 21 presents us with a glorious Jesus who is in charge of this world, and in charge of your life, here and now. It matters that you are rightly related to him. And all of us know people who are not yet Christians; and we need to see the fact that they are not yet Christians in this light.
Other Commitments
OK, so we’ve thought how we relate to the land of Israel, and we’ve thought about how we relate to those we know who are not yet Christians. The third area I mentioned at the start was how we relate to the various other commitments we all have besides church.
This is when we look at verse 34, which is where Jesus turns to how all of this is of relevance to the disciples.
Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.
Jesus tells his disciples to be careful. To watch out. To watch out lest their hearts get weighed down with the pleasures or the anxieties of life, and they don’t see that day coming. If they’re tied up with their mortgages, their parties, their hobbies in Jerusalem, they might be so engrossed that they miss the warning signs and fail to get out of the city when the Roman army approaches. That would be a disaster – a painful disaster.
You see, when the Roman army moves on Jerusalem it is in judgment on the city for its failure to recognise and to bow before Jesus. If some of Jesus’ followers are still in the city when that happens, this is not for them. Jesus has not sent the army against Jerusalem to judge them. These are Jesus’ followers. These folk have acknowledged Jesus’ lordship. Jesus’ judgement is not meant for them. But caught up, engrossed, preoccupied with the city, they get caught up in it all nevertheless. Jesus may not be acting in judgement on them, but it would still be a painful event for them.
This is not guilt by association. This is suffering because of association with the guilty.
So let’s think back over some of the ways we’ve thought about, last time and today, in which Jesus might move in judgement in the here and now.
What if Jesus should move in judgement on the Anglican Communion for its rejection of his authority? Well, we are an Anglican church, so the more we are tied up with it, the more we derive our identity from it, the more it would hurt if that happened.
What if Jesus should move against our country, against Great Britain, for turning our backs on what he thinks as we plan our national affairs. If he turns our country into a pigsty, he wouldn’t be doing it to have a go at us particularly, but it would still hurt.
How about our friends? I hope we all have lots of friends who are not yet Christians, otherwise we have no-one to share the love of Jesus with. But as we are friends with people for many years, it’s easy to get used to the fact that they aren’t Christians. But living in the world ruled by Jesus in rebellion against Jesus is not a comfortable place to be. And as and when those we know and love start to feel that discomfort it will be painful for us as well.
How about our work? The Bible is clear throughout that we should all work hard to earn an honest wage. That way we are able to provide for ourselves and our families without depending on others. That way we can have some surplus to allow us to be generous. But how wrapped up are we in our work? How much does it take over? How much do we start to derive our identity, our feeling of who we are from it?
I have one friend who is an accountant. But she is always very careful when she introduces herself to people not to say “I am an accountant” but to say “I work as an accountant”! There’s a big difference between viewing our work as what we do and viewing it as who we are.
Work places vary, but insofar as the workplace can be Christ-denying, and insofar as Christ may judge a company for being Christ-denying, we need to realise that Christ would be moving against something that is very close to us.
So if we are followers of Jesus, we need to be careful. If Jesus moves against people, or against institutions because those people or institutions have turned their backs on him, he’s not doing it to get at us. But we need to be careful lest our hearts be weighed down by the affairs of the city. Because the more the pleasures and worries of this world absorb us, the more we derive our identity from those things Christ will judge, the more painful it will be when he does judge.
Prayer
It’s time to wrap things up. As promised, I want to do so by reflecting on how this chapter informs the way that we pray.
You see, if Jesus is lord of this country. If Jesus can make this country great or cast it to the dogs, then we need to pray to him for our country. Depending on your political persuasion, we either need to hold onto the present government if this country is to prosper, or we need to change the government. But no general election has such an effect as whether Jesus decides he wants us to prosper or not. So we must pray for our country. We can be more precise. The reason why he would throw us to the dogs is because we are a Christ-denying country. So we should pray specifically that we would be a country that loves Jesus Christ at every level of our national life.
We thought last time about Jesus being Lord of our church. We don’t take for granted our continued growth as a church – we grow because Jesus wants us to. We shrink to nothing if he wants us to. So rather than take for granted the things we do as a church, we must pray and ask the Lord of our church to bless what we do. Not to pray is presumption, and presumption was the very thing we ruled out last time. Again we can be more precise. We should pray that we will be as a church that delights in the authority of Jesus over us in all of our affairs.
This time we have thought about the Middle East. Skilful politicians on all sides are working for peace. Let’s pray to Jesus, the Lord of that region, to bless that region with peace and harmony. And again, let’s ask Jesus to bring about in the Middle East widespread acknowledgement that he rules, that he is the Son of the Father, that he is Lord. The one agenda very few politicians will advance in that part of the world is the agenda of seeing Jesus’ rule over the region become more widely recognised. But that recognition is the very thing that region needs to find true peace.
And we all have many friends, some of whom know Jesus and some of whom do not. The kindest thing we can do for them is to pray that they will delight in the fact that Jesus is their Lord, their master.
And we all have many commitments besides church. And again, we need to pray that these spheres of life in which we are involved become Christ-submitting pockets of society.
So I’m not wanting to wrap things up by telling us all to pray more. That’s not what Luke 21 is saying. But I think Luke 21 does have a profound effect on the way that we pray. Realising that Jesus is an effective ruler over every area of every society does make us pray more, but it also shapes the way that we pray. We start to pray with more humility, more urgency and more comprehensively. We start to pray for Jesus’ lordship to be acknowledged and submitted to. In short we pray that God’s kingdom would come on earth, as it is in heaven.