Luke 21:4-8
Jesus had just made painful denunciations to the Jewish people (Mt. 23). In the context of His great
sadness, disciples pointed out the beauty of the temple made from the peoples gifts. But this was no
comfort to Jesus as He declared even these symbols of God’s presence would be destroyed. As we
read the parallel passages (Mt. 24 & Mark 13), we see the questions of the disciples a little clearer.
They saw the coming destruction of Jerusalem, Jesus’ return, and the end of the age as synonymous.
Through the advantage of time, we see the destruction of Jerusalem as foreshadowing the return of
Christ and end of the age [for rejecting Christ]. Jesus response reveals His greatest concern: “…See to
it that you are not misled, for many will come in My name,…” (8b). The word for misled carries a
concern He had for getting off track. Much confusion about HIs answer is a result of misunderstanding
the disciples questions in context. A prayerful and careful reading of Matthew 24, Mark 13 & Luke 21
will help us to see both the disciples questions and Jesus’ response with clarity.