Do not be afraid for the future
Luke 21:5-11
5 When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, 6 ‘As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.’
7 They asked him, ‘Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?’ 8 And he said, ‘Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, “I am he!” and, “The time is near!” Do not go after them.
9 ‘When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.’ 10 Then he said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 11 there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.
Human beings have a problem with pride, with arrogance. Pride and arrogance are toxic to the humble life of following Jesus, toxic to the humble life of living into the reign of God.
The disciples were impressed by the buildings in Jerusalem built by human hands. The buildings appeared permanent – that they would last forever. Jesus said “no” that will not be the case – a day was coming when even these great buildings would be torn down and destroyed. Destruction was coming. By extension, that is true of everything human beings build, it will be subject to destruction.
Jesus in stating this destruction would take place raised the question in his follower’s minds – “When will this take place? So that we can be prepared.” And Jesus launched into his second warning about human pride. This time about trying to know when the end will be – trying to guess which sign is the one that will signal the end. Again, Jesus says be warned that the voices that say they know how the end will be – they are incorrect, do not be drawn into believing what they say.
Verse 9 makes clear that the stories of wars and terrible situations will come, but the fact that those terrible situations exist does not mean that the end is near. The call is to be faithful in the midst of the difficulties of the world – to not be terrified (vs. 9). Trusting God, who is forever, who knows the end from the beginning, this is where hope lies, not the human made things or human understanding. God alone is forever and therefore God is worthy of our trust.
PRAYER:
O Lord, we hear news about many frightening things, and anxiety creeps into our lives. Keep us calm, move us from fear to trust in you, from anxiety to the peace the Holy Spirit brings. In Jesus’ name. Amen.