Luke 21:5-36 - Empty Shadows

If you have your Bibles with you, you will want to turn to Luke 21. We will be looking at verses 5 to the end of the chapter.

Imagine sitting atop a tower overlooking the most breathtaking mountain range you have ever seen, snowcapped mountains, lush valleys, vast forests, and crystal-clear lakes, yet instead of taking it all in with your own eyes, you pull up a picture of it on your small screen and squint to see it in the bright sunlight.

That sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Yet this is exactly what we often do. We settle for shadows instead of the substance.

In our text today, this is what the disciples are doing. As they gaze upon the temple, they marvel at its massive stones and decorative beauty, the gold-plated doors and offerings given by the wealthy. Yet they are staring at a temple that is only a type and shadow while the true Temple, Jesus Himself, stands right beside them. They fail to see Him as more glorious and beautiful than any earthly thing.

But aren’t we the same? Don’t we admire the false temples of worldly beauty, careers, financial security, physical comforts, earthly institutions, and visible success, placing our hope in them while missing the beauty and glory of the Creator who made us for Himself?

And what is the result of doing this? When things fall apart, and they will, we are overcome with fear, anxiety, distraction, and spiritual exhaustion.

But what if instead of living in fear, distraction, or spiritual dullness, we could live awake, prayerful, alert, and dependent upon the Spirit?

The opportunity before us today in this passage is to trust that Christ will sustain us through suffering, persecution, and even death as we faithfully bear witness to His kingdom.

So let’s listen with expectation to Luke 21:5-36.

Luke 21:5–36 ESV

And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” And they asked him, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness. Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives. “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

The first thing we see in verses 6, 20-27, and 32-33 is that…

God's judgment will come upon false temples

Apparently, as Jesus and the disciples were leaving the temple, one of them made a comment about how amazing the temple and surrounding buildings were. Like in our opening illustration, though they had the substance right in front of them, Jesus himself, they were admiring the shadow while the substance stood beside them. Jesus uses this opportunity to teach them that the temple and Jerusalem that they were admiring had become corrupted and as such would be judged.

We see this first in verse 6 that the corrupted temple in Jerusalem will be destroyed (v. 6). Though the temple had long represented God’s dwelling place among His people, Jesus has been teaching and preaching that the earthly temple is passing away in light of His coming as the true Temple. Having rejected God’s Messiah, the chief cornerstone, and become corrupted under false worship and leadership, the temple stands under divine judgment and will be destroyed, where not one stone will be left upon another. The temple was utterly destroyed in 70 AD…Jesus’ words stand true.

Next we see in verses 20-27 that Jerusalem and the old temple system stand under judgment for rejecting the true Temple (vv. 20–27). Here Jesus foretells the destruction of Jerusalem as covenant judgment upon the generation that rejected Him, persecuted His followers, and opposed God’s kingdom. The "desolation" that will come echoes Daniel 9, 11, and 12 in connection with covenant violation, temple corruption, and rebellion against God. The earthly city and temple system whose leaders rejected the true presence of God in Christ and killed Him would be brought to desolation. Yet, after rising from the dead, the enthroned Son of Man from Dan. 7:13-14, would ascend to heaven and come before the Ancient of Days to receive authority, dominion, and a forever kingdom. With this authority, Jesus would be vindicated as judgment came upon the temple and Jerusalem, dismantling the old covenant order and bringing redemption for his people throughout the world.

Lastly, in verses 32-33,  we see that the generation that rejected the true Temple would face divine judgment (vv. 32–33). Jesus tells the disciples that the people within this very generation would witness the fulfillment of this great destruction and calamity upon Jerusalem. The certainty of this judgment rests upon the authority and absolute certainty of Christ’s own words, which will never pass away. Those who cling to false temples, or shadows, and reject the true Temple stand under judgment.

Verses 37-38 speak of Jesus departing from the temple during the day and then going to the Mount of Olives where he is staying. This imagery is bringing an echo of Zechariah 14:1–5, where Jerusalem faces judgment as Yahweh stands upon the Mount of Olives in power and kingship. Jesus is the enthroned Son of Man who will bring judgment upon Jerusalem, dismantling the old and corrupted covenant system that pointed to Him who would fulfill it all within the week through His death, resurrection, and ascension.

But even though the real and true temple stands right in front of us…

We delight in false temples

It’s easy to point at the disciples and throw stones at them for delighting in shadows and not substance, but in reality, how often have we done the same? Admiring God’s temporal blessings and this world’s beauty instead of delighting in His very presence in and with us.

We see this in verse 5, where the disciples are delighting in external beauty rather than true beauty. As the disciples looked at the temple and saw its incredibly massive stones (some approximately 37x12x18 feet) and marvelously decorative additions donated by the wealthy, they delighted in it. The reality is that it was something to behold, but the problem was they were looking at a temple which was only a type and shadow of the true Temple standing beside them, Jesus Himself. Like them, we fail to see Christ as more marvelous and beautiful than any earthly thing. We admire worldly beauty while missing the beauty and glory of the Creator who made us for Himself and lives in us. We marvel and spend our times delighting in things that will soon be destroyed.

This happens because we can forget to heed Jesus’ warning in verses 7-9 and be easily led astray. Jesus is warning the disciples that after He ascends to heaven, during the spread of the gospel in Jerusalem and Judea, many false prophets, revolutionary leaders, and people claiming to be the Savior would arise. Figures such as Theudas, Judas the Galilean, and the Egyptian prophet would gather followers by promising deliverance, miraculous signs, and the immediate arrival of God’s kingdom. Many followed them because they longed for political liberation, earthly victory, and visible power. We too can be easily seduced into placing our hope in false gospels that promise earthly prosperity, worldly success, salvation through our own works or dedication to God, or political triumph rather than trusting in Christ and His kingdom.

And we can also, like verse 34 warns, be weighed down with immorality and drunkenness. Because of our natural propensity, Jesus warns His disciples to remain watchful, sober, alert, and prayerfully dependent upon God so that their hearts are not weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the anxieties of life. He warns of this because our flesh continually seeks to pull us away from living as children of God and instead tempt us to live as children of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Apart from prayerful communion with God, we begin delighting in false temples. We delight in things that promise the comfort, glory, relief from suffering and persecution, and transcendence of God’s presence apart from God Himself. And so, we easily drift into seeking satisfaction through food, drink, entertainment, sexual immorality, material comfort, worldly success, and substances that numb the emptiness those things can never truly satisfy.

Because these things become a trap and will bring us into the very judgment that Jesus speaks of throughout this passage, we have every reason to fear. But our own lack of watchfulness, prayer, and delight in false temples is not the final word…

Jesus, the true Temple, was destroyed and raised to make us God’s temple

Jesus, who was standing right in front of the disciples was not, like the Jerusalem temple, the picture or shadow of God’s way of redemption through sacrifice and God’s presence with humanity, but was the true Temple, both God’s presence with us and God’s sacrifice for us. Jesus was the dwelling place of God with humanity who was destroyed and the Lamb of God who was slaughtered for our clinging to false temples, and the Son of Man who was vindicated in his resurrection as the chief cornerstone of God’s spiritual house upon whom we are built into God’s temple.

When we look closely at verses 25-27, we see that Jesus, the true Temple, on the cross, bore the mighty judgment of God. As Jesus hung on the cross, bearing the wrath of God, the sun was darkened and the earth quaked as the floodwaters of God’s judgment rushed over Him. He, the Son of Man and Son of God, bore the infinite wrath of God in our place. The terror and foreboding of God’s coming judgment fell upon Him for us. The power of sin, death, and hell was broken, and though the rulers of the world sought to destroy Him, He, the eternal Son of God, was upheld by His infinite divine nature as He bore the full justice of God in His true humanity for our rebellion and false worship.

And then, as 28 speaks of redemption coming when Jerusalem and temple are destroyed, we must remember that this only happened because on the cross, Jesus brought our redemption near. As Jesus described to Moses and Elijah His Exodus in Jerusalem, on the cross He, the spotless Lamb of God, shed His blood to cover us from the angel of death. All those who are united to Christ in His life, death, and resurrection are brought out of sin, slavery, and death into righteousness, sonship, and life through His redemption accomplished at the cross. Jesus brought our redemption near by taking upon Himself the judgment we deserved for rejecting God and clinging to false temples. And now, united with Him, we receive what He deserved: life and peace with God.

And as we think about verse 36, we see that Christ enables us to stand before the Son of Man because we are united to Him. The Son of God stood under the judgment we deserved so that we who could never stand before the Son of Man might now stand in the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, clothed in His righteousness and welcomed into the presence of God. In fact, we are not simply welcomed into the presence of God; because of Christ’s resurrection and the pouring out of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit now dwells within us. The Holy Spirit makes us dwelling places for God, individually, praying temples of the Lord, and together, with Christ as our Cornerstone, a holy temple in the Lord, a dwelling place for God by the Spirit, and a house of prayer for the nations.

The resurrection and ascension of Christ, and the destruction of the old system show us that the old temple system was fulfilled in Christ and passed away since it pointed to Him, and now that He has made the once-for-all sacrifice, died, and been raised from the dead, we have been given the Spirit, enabling God to make His home in us, making us living temples. And so, because the true Temple, Jesus, now lives in us by the Spirit…

We live as praying temples ready for Jesus' return

When the Spirit lifts our eyes from staring at pictures of the true temple, and instead fixes them upon Christ as the true Temple, the dwelling place of God with humanity, we understand that our union with Him draws us into a life that is always lived in Him. And so, as we look to Him, we become like Him, praying temples of the living God. Because of this, we no longer watch and pray because we fear condemnation or judgment falling upon us, but because through Christ we now live in continual communion with God.

As we think about verses 13-19, we see that now, by the Spirit we are enabled to bear witness to Jesus' name. Because Jesus has sent us His Spirit who dwells within us, when we are given opportunities to testify to Jesus, He enables us to speak with wisdom, faithfulness, and confidence. And because our witness comes from the mighty Son of Man Himself, we can trust that His words will stand forever even when the world opposes us. Therefore, in Christ, we are always ready to bear witness to Jesus and His coming kingdom.

And then, as we see in verses 34-36, because Christ has given us His Spirit, we are enabled to live as praying temples. Because Jesus, the true praying Temple, now lives within us by His Spirit, His own life of prayerful dependence, watchfulness, holiness, and communion with the Father is being formed within us. The Holy Spirit enables us to live watchfully and prayerfully at all times, relying upon God and remaining spiritually awake as we await the return of the Son of Man in hope and confidence.

But what about tomorrow morning?

When we find ourselves trying to resist temptation toward lust when we are alone, greed at work, drunkenness when we are depressed, escapism when overwhelmed, or self-indulgence when we have opportunity, the Spirit reminds us that we do not live watchfully and prayerfully because we are afraid of condemnation or judgment for doing these things, but because Jesus, the true Temple, was destroyed and raised so that God Himself would dwell within us by the Spirit. The Son of Man has already borne our judgment and brought us near to God, and therefore we can trust that His power is now at work within us both to will and to do what pleases Him. So now it isn’t that we must avoid these things, but we get to by Jesus’ power.

Or when we find ourselves seeking false temples such as worldly beauty, comfort, political ascendancy, or success, rather than placing our ultimate hope in those things, we are reminded that Jesus is the true Temple and that everything we truly desire is found in Him. And because He now dwells within us by the Spirit, the Holy Spirit keeps us spiritually awake, helping us recognize these things as competing temples which will never truly satisfy us, and thus, as we see Christ as the most beautiful of all, we will be enabled to live faithfully as temples of the Holy Spirit.

And so, as those who have become temples of the Holy Spirit, our eyes are no longer set on things of the earth but on the things above, where Christ is. Because of Christ’s resurrection life in us, as we stand atop the tower, we press the power button on our phone, putting it in our pocket. Then we look up and behold the beautiful scenery all around us: the love of the Father who sent the Son, the love of the Son who gave Himself for us, and the love of the Holy Spirit who enables God to dwell in us. This enables us to behold the beauty of our God even when things are falling apart, and we find ourselves overcome with fear, anxiety, distraction, and spiritual exhaustion.

Have you seen his beauty? If you haven’t, Christ has been revealed to you today in all his beauty. Gaze upon Him, trust Him, come to Him and be found in Him, safe from the judgment of the Son of Man. Come and find your rest in him.

And when you do, you will be enabled to join God’s people, temples of God, as we delight in the beauty of our God and are enabled to live prayerfully, alertly, and dependently upon the Spirit as faithful witnesses to His kingdom in Christ to the glory of the Father.