This is an excerpt from my book “40 Moments From Christ’s Final Days.” Click here to get it from Amazon using my affiliate link.
Find this moment in: Mt. 24:1-2, Mk. 13:1-2, Lk. 21:5-6
Sometime after observing the wealthy offerings compared to the widow’s small amount, Jesus and His disciples leave the temple. Perhaps because they were struggling to understand how Jesus could be so dismissive of the hefty gifts people left, or perhaps they wanted to point out that, economically speaking, such a glorious temple wouldn’t be possible with a bunch of widows’ offerings.
And while some were talking about the temple, that it had been adorned with beautiful stones and dedicated gifts, He said, “As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down.” (Luke 21:5-6)
This prophetic warning can seem so random when read on its own. Of all the times to tell His disciples about the temple’s destruction, why now? But in the context of what Christ has been doing in Jerusalem, and especially when set against what He said about the widow’s offering, we can better understand why He said this particular statement at this particular moment.
In the temple, people were donating vast sums of money so that Jerusalem’s majestic temple could reach its full completion. Herod the Great had set out to refurbish this temple to leave a legacy of his greatness. As we see from the Herodians and even the disciples, Jews were likewise finding great pride in the structure’s glory.
To understand their comments, we need to appreciate the size of the temple. After Herod’s renovations and expansion, the temple and its courtyard covered about 36 acres. For those who aren’t land surveyors, it covered more area than 25 football fields. The entire temple area took up over 10% of the city. As the highlight of Herod’s building projects, there’s no question that the sheer beauty of the temple itself inspired awe.
This is probably what people like the widow were donating to. Not only was this temple central to Jewish life, but its splendor gave them a sense of pride and purpose. Perhaps, even a sense of hope and security. Christ’s disciples were undoubtedly in awe of it and may have felt the need to correct His harshness or flippancy about the temple’s value.
His response? The grand, glorious temple would be so utterly destroyed that it would be unrecognizable. And in 70 AD, about thirty years later, the Romans did precisely what Christ prophesied.
This prophecy is impressive to those who came later, adding another bit of evidence to Christ’s divinity. However, His words also carried great weight when He spoke them. Christ wasn’t interested in wealth, nor did man-made marvels impress Him. He didn’t want His disciples to place their faith and hope in the vastness of their temple. He wanted them to live in awe of the majesty of their God.
Stop and think: As humans, we often see greater blessings in magnificent things. We believe that bigger church buildings, more prosperous and healthier people, or those with the best success stories are clear signs of God’s favor. How does Christ’s complete dismissal of the temple’s grandeur, and His promise that it would be destroyed, contrast with how we evaluate God’s blessings in our lives?
—
Click below to order your own copy of the book and read about all 40 moments!
