Proper 28
Preaching
Preaching Luke's Gospel
A Narrative Approach
With this week's text we come to material that is focused on the future. It is material that draws very heavily on the apocalyptic material in Mark 13. Images from Old Testament apocalyptic ma-terial also abound in this material. A good cross-reference Bible will give these notations.
Joseph Fitzmyer has a helpful outline for the material in Luke 21:
The discourse proper falls into two main parts:
a) vv. 8-24: What will precede the end of Jerusalem?
It is subdivided:
(i) vv. 8-11, The Signs before the End.
(ii) vv. 12-19, Admonitions for the Coming Persecution.
(iii) vv. 20-24, The Desolation of Jerusalem.
b) vv. 25-36: What will precede the end of the world?
It is subdivided:
(i) vv. 25-28, The Coming of the Son of Man.
(ii) vv. 29-33, The Parable of the Fig Tree.
(iii) vv. 34-36, Concluding Exhortation to Vigilance. 1
This week's text takes up part a), points (i) and (ii), of this outline. The verses in the remainder of the outline are appointed for the First Sunday in Advent.
We note that Luke 21 moves in an entirely different direction than the preceding verses. In Luke 20 Jesus is under siege from the Jewish religious leaders as they seek to entrap him in his words in order to diminish his standing in the eyes of the populace and to give them an opportunity to bring charges against Jesus so they might be rid of this religious nuisance once and for all. At the end of Luke 20 Jesus himself asks a question about the relationship between the Messiah and David. Luke 21 opens (vv. 1-4) with the story of the widow's mite. This story of a widow who had nothing and gave everything stands in marked contrast to the beginning of this week's appointed text which speaks of the noble stones of the beautiful temple. Poverty and opulence live side by side here. We know one thing for sure. Luke is on the side of the poor widow.
The story of the widow and today's text both take place in the temple. The temple, as we have seen, was Jesus' destination as "he set his face" to go to Jerusalem. The temple becomes the loca-tion for Jesus' final extended discourse.
In Luke's presentation, this discourse rivals the Sermon on the Plain (6:20-49) for length and significance. It gathers up themes from Jesus' earlier prophetic discourses about readiness for the coming day of the Son of Man (12:35-39; 17:20-37; see also 18:8). It also pronounces Jesus' verdict on the temple and city as divine judgment which fulfills prophetic warnings....2
Luke 21:5-9 speaks of the coming destruction of the temple. The disciples wonder if a sign will light their way in grasping the import of a destroyed temple. Jesus warns against signs. His warning still holds today. There are always those among us who insist that the signs point to this or that reality for God's people. Jesus will have none of it. He assures his disciples simply that the destruction of the temple is part of the plan of God. There are many passages in Luke which speak of the dire future of Jerusalem as well: 13:1-9, 34-35; 19:27-28, 41-44; 20:9-18; 23:28-31.
Jesus then tells his disciples that they are not to be terrified by the things that are coming. "These things must take place," he tells them (21:9). We recognize this "divine must" from its usage in Luke. See Luke 2:49; 4:43; 9:22; 22:37; 24:7, 44. The destruction of the temple does not mean that God's agenda for the world has gotten out of control. Temple destruction, rather, is part of God's design in bringing salvation to the world. So, do not fear!
In Luke 21:10-19 the suffering that the disciples must bear is understood as fulfillment of Jesus' own words of prophecy. People are to understand what such calamitous events mean not just for their future but for their present lives.
They mean that Jesus' prophetic words here and in 12:11-12 are coming to fulfillment. The betrayals and trials to synagogues and prisons, kings and governors are an ex-panded vision of the public character of the opposition to Christ and his kingdom. It is for his "name's sake" that they will suffer ... This is a conflict with principalities and powers, which should be no surprise to Jesus' fol-lowers.3
The proper stance of God's faithful people in the midst of tribulation is to testify, to bear witness to Jesus. This is not an activity we need to plan for. When the time of trial comes Jesus will give us words and wisdom. Cf. Luke 12:11-12 where the promise is that the Holy Spirit will give us the words to speak. These are incredible words of promise and presence for Christians seeking to find their way in a hostile culture. As our own culture grows increasingly hostile to the values of the kingdom we might find these promises of Christ to be of great comfort. The message is similar to that in 21:9. We are not to be terrified. God will stand with us in the time of trial: "... not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls" (21:18-19). This appears to be a promise of eternal life. Luther's great hymn puts it this way:
Were they to take our house,
Goods, honor, child, or spouse,
Though life be wrenched away,
They cannot win the day.
The Kingdom's ours forever.
Homiletical Directions
Perhaps the most important reality in dealing with this week's text with its eschatological and apocalyptic overtones is to remem-ber that the focus of this passage is much more on the present than on the future. Tribulations and trials will come but we need not be afraid. It is all part of God's plan. The world has not gone berserk. God's meaning and purpose are still in working order. In the darkest of hours we also will know what to say. We will know how to testify to Christ. The words will be given us. When death and hat-red touch us we still need not fear. Not a hair of our head will perish. In losing even our very life we will find our new life, our true life.
There is not much in the way of narrative analogy in Luke's Gospel for this text. There is wonderful analogy with stories in the Book of Acts, however. We could tell, for example, the story in Acts 4:1-31. The Sadducees heard the disciples giving testimony to the good news of the resurrection and they locked them in jail. Peter, "filled with the Holy Spirit," gave their defense (Acts 4:8). God gave Peter the words to say in this time of trial. You can sort through the story yourself for its relationship to Luke 21. Note particularly the boldness of the testimony of Peter and John whom the Sadducees took to be uneducated, common men. The Lord truly touched their mouths! In the last verses of this story the dis-ciples rejoice that though the Gentiles raged against them God had delivered them. God's plan (Acts 4:28) is in place! The closing prayer of this story (Acts 4:24-30) could be paraphrased for use within or after your sermon.
Acts 5:17-42 tells a similar story. Once again the Sadducees arrested the apostles and put them in prison. But God opened the prison doors for them and gave them words of Life to speak to the people. The apostles continue to testify. God protects them from all harm. Gamaliel comes on the scene. He speaks words that God must have given him. "And every day in the temple and at home they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah" (Acts 5:42). Their testimony went on. God was at work in time of trial!
These stories in Acts 4 and 5 appear to make the same point that this week's assigned text makes. Tell these stories as a sign that Jesus' words about our life in this world are true. Tell these stories to calm fear about trials and tribulations that may come upon us. Tell these stories to encourage people to continue to testify in the name of Jesus. These are wonderful stories for the telling. Typically, Luke tells these stories with a happy ending! We know life's stories do not always end like that. There is no argument with Luke's conclusion, however. "By your endurance you will gain your souls."
____________
1.aJoseph A. Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke, X-XXIV (New York: Doubleday, 1985), p. 1334.
2.aDavid L. Tiede, Luke: Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament (Minne-apolis: Augsburg, 1988), p. 355.
3.aIbid., p. 361.
Joseph Fitzmyer has a helpful outline for the material in Luke 21:
The discourse proper falls into two main parts:
a) vv. 8-24: What will precede the end of Jerusalem?
It is subdivided:
(i) vv. 8-11, The Signs before the End.
(ii) vv. 12-19, Admonitions for the Coming Persecution.
(iii) vv. 20-24, The Desolation of Jerusalem.
b) vv. 25-36: What will precede the end of the world?
It is subdivided:
(i) vv. 25-28, The Coming of the Son of Man.
(ii) vv. 29-33, The Parable of the Fig Tree.
(iii) vv. 34-36, Concluding Exhortation to Vigilance. 1
This week's text takes up part a), points (i) and (ii), of this outline. The verses in the remainder of the outline are appointed for the First Sunday in Advent.
We note that Luke 21 moves in an entirely different direction than the preceding verses. In Luke 20 Jesus is under siege from the Jewish religious leaders as they seek to entrap him in his words in order to diminish his standing in the eyes of the populace and to give them an opportunity to bring charges against Jesus so they might be rid of this religious nuisance once and for all. At the end of Luke 20 Jesus himself asks a question about the relationship between the Messiah and David. Luke 21 opens (vv. 1-4) with the story of the widow's mite. This story of a widow who had nothing and gave everything stands in marked contrast to the beginning of this week's appointed text which speaks of the noble stones of the beautiful temple. Poverty and opulence live side by side here. We know one thing for sure. Luke is on the side of the poor widow.
The story of the widow and today's text both take place in the temple. The temple, as we have seen, was Jesus' destination as "he set his face" to go to Jerusalem. The temple becomes the loca-tion for Jesus' final extended discourse.
In Luke's presentation, this discourse rivals the Sermon on the Plain (6:20-49) for length and significance. It gathers up themes from Jesus' earlier prophetic discourses about readiness for the coming day of the Son of Man (12:35-39; 17:20-37; see also 18:8). It also pronounces Jesus' verdict on the temple and city as divine judgment which fulfills prophetic warnings....2
Luke 21:5-9 speaks of the coming destruction of the temple. The disciples wonder if a sign will light their way in grasping the import of a destroyed temple. Jesus warns against signs. His warning still holds today. There are always those among us who insist that the signs point to this or that reality for God's people. Jesus will have none of it. He assures his disciples simply that the destruction of the temple is part of the plan of God. There are many passages in Luke which speak of the dire future of Jerusalem as well: 13:1-9, 34-35; 19:27-28, 41-44; 20:9-18; 23:28-31.
Jesus then tells his disciples that they are not to be terrified by the things that are coming. "These things must take place," he tells them (21:9). We recognize this "divine must" from its usage in Luke. See Luke 2:49; 4:43; 9:22; 22:37; 24:7, 44. The destruction of the temple does not mean that God's agenda for the world has gotten out of control. Temple destruction, rather, is part of God's design in bringing salvation to the world. So, do not fear!
In Luke 21:10-19 the suffering that the disciples must bear is understood as fulfillment of Jesus' own words of prophecy. People are to understand what such calamitous events mean not just for their future but for their present lives.
They mean that Jesus' prophetic words here and in 12:11-12 are coming to fulfillment. The betrayals and trials to synagogues and prisons, kings and governors are an ex-panded vision of the public character of the opposition to Christ and his kingdom. It is for his "name's sake" that they will suffer ... This is a conflict with principalities and powers, which should be no surprise to Jesus' fol-lowers.3
The proper stance of God's faithful people in the midst of tribulation is to testify, to bear witness to Jesus. This is not an activity we need to plan for. When the time of trial comes Jesus will give us words and wisdom. Cf. Luke 12:11-12 where the promise is that the Holy Spirit will give us the words to speak. These are incredible words of promise and presence for Christians seeking to find their way in a hostile culture. As our own culture grows increasingly hostile to the values of the kingdom we might find these promises of Christ to be of great comfort. The message is similar to that in 21:9. We are not to be terrified. God will stand with us in the time of trial: "... not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls" (21:18-19). This appears to be a promise of eternal life. Luther's great hymn puts it this way:
Were they to take our house,
Goods, honor, child, or spouse,
Though life be wrenched away,
They cannot win the day.
The Kingdom's ours forever.
Homiletical Directions
Perhaps the most important reality in dealing with this week's text with its eschatological and apocalyptic overtones is to remem-ber that the focus of this passage is much more on the present than on the future. Tribulations and trials will come but we need not be afraid. It is all part of God's plan. The world has not gone berserk. God's meaning and purpose are still in working order. In the darkest of hours we also will know what to say. We will know how to testify to Christ. The words will be given us. When death and hat-red touch us we still need not fear. Not a hair of our head will perish. In losing even our very life we will find our new life, our true life.
There is not much in the way of narrative analogy in Luke's Gospel for this text. There is wonderful analogy with stories in the Book of Acts, however. We could tell, for example, the story in Acts 4:1-31. The Sadducees heard the disciples giving testimony to the good news of the resurrection and they locked them in jail. Peter, "filled with the Holy Spirit," gave their defense (Acts 4:8). God gave Peter the words to say in this time of trial. You can sort through the story yourself for its relationship to Luke 21. Note particularly the boldness of the testimony of Peter and John whom the Sadducees took to be uneducated, common men. The Lord truly touched their mouths! In the last verses of this story the dis-ciples rejoice that though the Gentiles raged against them God had delivered them. God's plan (Acts 4:28) is in place! The closing prayer of this story (Acts 4:24-30) could be paraphrased for use within or after your sermon.
Acts 5:17-42 tells a similar story. Once again the Sadducees arrested the apostles and put them in prison. But God opened the prison doors for them and gave them words of Life to speak to the people. The apostles continue to testify. God protects them from all harm. Gamaliel comes on the scene. He speaks words that God must have given him. "And every day in the temple and at home they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah" (Acts 5:42). Their testimony went on. God was at work in time of trial!
These stories in Acts 4 and 5 appear to make the same point that this week's assigned text makes. Tell these stories as a sign that Jesus' words about our life in this world are true. Tell these stories to calm fear about trials and tribulations that may come upon us. Tell these stories to encourage people to continue to testify in the name of Jesus. These are wonderful stories for the telling. Typically, Luke tells these stories with a happy ending! We know life's stories do not always end like that. There is no argument with Luke's conclusion, however. "By your endurance you will gain your souls."
____________
1.aJoseph A. Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke, X-XXIV (New York: Doubleday, 1985), p. 1334.
2.aDavid L. Tiede, Luke: Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament (Minne-apolis: Augsburg, 1988), p. 355.
3.aIbid., p. 361.
