Luke 21
The Widow’s Gift And The Olivet Discourse
Luke noted, at the end of this section, that Jesus spent His final days teaching in the synagogue in Jerusalem. In the evenings, He would leave the city and retreat to the Mount of Olives, a mountain ridge just east of the old city. Most of the teachings in this chapter were recorded by Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Taken together, we get the fullest picture of Jesus preparing His followers for the coming destruction of Jerusalem and for His eventual return.
The Widow’s Gift (Mark 12:41-44)
A Poor Widow
Vs. 1-2 - He looked up and saw the rich dropping their offerings into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow dropping in two tiny coins.
This account connects well with the end of chapter 20 when Jesus condemned the hypocrisy and pride of the religious leaders. Widows were voiceless and vulnerable in the ancient world, but Jesus highlighted this woman’s small but sacrificial gift to teach a lesson on true devotion to God.
Surplus And Poverty
Vs. 3-4 - “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For all these people have put in gifts out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”
The widow’s sacrificial gift is a remarkable contrast to the pretentious wisdom of the scribes, who exploit widows. - Thomas Schreiner
Jesus…was more concerned with how people gave than the amount they gave. He considered that the widow gave more than anyone else, because he measured the gift not by its commercial value but by the degree of sacrifice of the giver. A heart of true devotion, not money, was the valuable thing in his kingdom. - Don Fleming
The Destruction of The Temple (Matthew 24:1-2; Mark 13:1-2)
Vs. 5-6 - As some were talking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, “These things that you see—the days will come when not one stone will be left on another that will not be thrown down.”
The temple that elicited the admiration of the disciples was beautiful indeed. Herod the Great began to refurbish it in 20/19 BC, and the work was not completed until 63 AD or later. - Thomas Schreiner
Some 40 years after Jesus said this there was a widespread Jewish revolution against the Romans in Palestine, and the rebels enjoyed many early successes. But ultimately, Rome crushed the Jews of that day. Jerusalem was leveled, including the temple – just as Jesus said. The destruction was so complete that today there is true difficulty learning exactly where the temple was. The literal fulfillment of this prophecy establishes the tone for the rest of the prophecies in the chapter. - David Guzik
Predicting that the massive, ornate temple, the centerpiece of the entire city, would be leveled must have seemed slightly ludicrous to those who heard it. But around forty years after this conversation, a Jewish uprising/revolution against Roman occupation provoked the army to destroy it.
The Discourse (Matthew 24:3-14; Mark 13:3-13)
Mount of Olives
Matthew and Mark recorded that the following discourse was delivered to Jesus’ followers from a mountain ridge on the eastern side of Jerusalem called the Mount of Olives. For that reason, the following teachings on the destruction of Jerusalem and the end times is frequently called The Olivet Discourse. Three of the Gospel writers recorded it.
Mark 13:3 - While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives across from the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things happen?
Scholars are not in agreement on their interpretations of this discourse, whether Jesus was predicting the events that took place just 40 years later, events that have not yet occurred, or both.
Scholars have produced various resolutions to this difficulty.
First, some claim that Jesus was wrong.
Second, others…say that the entire discourse is about future events that have not yet happened.
Third, others reinterpret Jesus’ sayings…saying that everything Jesus says in the discourse was fulfilled in the year 70.
Finally, still others claim that Jesus is speaking about two different historical events: the destruction of the temple and his future return. - Andreas Köstenberger
The Asked Him
Vs. 7 - “Teacher,” they asked him, “so when will these things happen? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?”
It appears that the disciples asked two different questions here, one about the destruction of the temple and one about the “end of the age” (Matthew 24:3). Understandably, they probably felt that, if Jerusalem were to fall in this way, it would surely bring about the end of all things. But in this discourse, many scholars note that we have Jesus’ answers to two very different questions, and it is not always clear where one answer ends and the other begins.
The parallel passages in Matthew 24 and Mark 13 focus primarily on the end of the age, while Luke is concerned mostly about the near-term destruction of the temple. The events leading to the destruction of the temple in AD 70 foreshadow the later time that leads up to Jesus' return. - A. Boyd Luter
Before All These Things
Vs. 12 - But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you. They will hand you over to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name.
The end would not come till the gospel had spread throughout the world, and this goal would be reached only after much opposition. God’s servants would be persecuted by enemies and betrayed by friends; many would be killed. Only by love and unfailing faith in God would the survivors be able to endure their trials. - Don Fleming
The Destruction of Jerusalem (Matthew 24:15-28; Mark 13:14-21)
Vs. 20 - When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that its desolation has come near.
In the next section, Jesus specifically answers the question about the destruction of Jerusalem. One will know that Jerusalem’s time of destruction has arrived when foreign armies surround it. The encirclement is a signal, not of the need for heroism, but the need to flee. God’s avenging wrath will be poured out on the city, bringing distress to the entire populace. - Thomas Schreiner
The fall of the city (Jerusalem) marked the effective conclusion of a four-year campaign against the Jewish insurgency in Judaea. The Romans destroyed much of the city, including the Second Temple. The majority of information on the siege comes from the copious notes of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus. - Kate Lohnes
Vs. 24 - They will be killed by the sword and be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Most of the signs that Jesus described here took place in the years between Jesus’ ascension and the destruction of the temple. That generation witnessed great persecution and upheaval that culminated in the fall of Jerusalem.
The times of the Gentiles refers…to Gentile authority over Jerusalem. - Thomas Schreiner
Jesus did not specify the duration of “the times of the Gentiles,” but when it concluded, “then” the Son of Man would come.
The Coming of The Son of Man (Matthew 24:29-31; Mark 13:24-27)
Vs. 27-28 - Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to take place, stand up and lift your heads, because your redemption is near.
At this point in the discourse, Jesus seemed to pivot, describing a very different event than the destruction of Jerusalem. Many scholars see a description of Jesus’ second advent here, a coming day, known only to God the Father, when Jesus would return to earth “with power and great glory.”
Matthew 24:36, 44 - About that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. This is why you are also to be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
The Parable of The Fig Tree (Matthew 24:32-33; Mark 13:28-29)
Vs. 29 - Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.
Just as the first leaves on a fig tree indicate that summer is coming, so when the disciples see the false messiahs, the persecution and the approach of the Roman armies, they will know that the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish nation is upon them. People of Jesus’ day would see the fulfilment of these things in their own lifetime. - Don Fleming
This Generation (Matthew 24:34-35; Mark 13:30-31)
Vs. 32-33 - Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
This verse can be very difficult to interpret, so there are several camps of thought:
All these events in chapter 24 describe the following forty years when the temple was destroyed. This is difficult because, if meant literally, Jesus has yet to return in clouds for His people.
“Generation” in verse 34 refers to those who would be alive during the final period of distress before the end of the age rather than Jesus’ immediate audience.
The generation alive with Jesus did live to see the first of these prophecies (“these things”) fulfilled. They would see the temple destroyed and so be assured the rest of the prophecies would also happen.
Although the people of Jesus’ day would not see the final events of the world’s history, many of them would certainly see a foreshadowing of those events; for they would live to witness the horror of the Romans’ destruction of Jerusalem. - Don Fleming
Be on Your Guard (Matthew 24:36-51; Mark 13:32-37)
Vs. 34-35 - Be on your guard, so that your minds are not dulled from carousing, drunkenness, and worries of life, or that day will come on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come on all who live on the face of the whole earth.
Matthew included much more detail in this section, even recounting three unique illustrations (Matthew 25) Jesus used to teach His followers how to look for His coming, love one another, and to leverage their resources while they waited for His return. He urged them to be prayerful and watchful for the day they would “stand before the Son of Man.”
The emphasis in Luke’s version of this important discourse concerning the future, the Olivet Discourse, is a warning and an encouragement to persevere. Jesus gave this teaching so His disciples would be ready for the coming of the kingdom. Luke had already reported much teaching about the future (Luke 12:35-48; Luke 17:20-37). However some lessons bore repetition, such as the place of signs in signaling the end and the importance of faithful perseverance. There is also new revelation. Particularly the relationship of the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem to Jesus’ return was not clear before. Jesus now clarified that these events would not occur together, but some time would elapse between them. - Thomas Constable
