Luke 21 Study Notes

21:1-4 There were thirteen coffers shaped like inverted trumpets in the court of women in the temple and a treasury room nearby where supplicants could deposit their offerings. The poor widow did not have much to give, unlike the rich who made a great show of their offerings. Tiny copper coins traditionally called mites (Gk lepta) were the smallest Jewish currency at that time. Jesus commended the widow for giving sacrificially.

21:5 Herod the Great began renovating the temple in 20 BC. The work was completed in AD 63, some thirty years after Jesus’s crucifixion. Some of the stones used for the foundation were forty feet long. Others were overlaid with gold.

21:6 Jesus declared that not one stone will be left on another. In AD 70, the Roman armies fulfilled this prophecy by leveling the temple and the city of Jerusalem. Many of the huge stones of the temple were toppled into lower areas surrounding the complex.

21:7 The parallel passages in Mt 24 and Mk 13 focus primarily on the end of the age, while Luke is concerned mostly about the near-term destruction of the temple (these things). But vv. 25-28 do speak of the second coming of Christ. The events leading to the destruction of the temple in AD 70 foreshadow the later time that leads up to Jesus’s return.

21:8-10 The appearance of false messiahs and date-setting schemes (the time is near), as well as widespread wars, will continue throughout the present age. However, these things must occur and are part of an expected delay before the end of the age.

21:11 Earthquakes . . . famines, and plagues of varied intensity will occur through history all the way to the end of the age. Great signs from heaven probably refer to such cosmic phenomena as that prophesied in both Jl 2:28-32 and in Rv 6:13-14.

21:12-15 These verses return to discussion of the immediate circumstances of the apostles and their co-laborers in the gospel. Persecution by Jews (the synagogues) and Gentiles (kings and governors) will lead to opportunities to witness for Christ (Ac 4; 7; 22-24; 26). I will give you such words basically repeats Jesus’s earlier promise in 12:11-12.

21:16-19 When troubles came upon them after Jesus’s death, the disciples would draw comfort from their recollection of Jesus’s forewarning that they would be hated and even betrayed by those closest to them. Not a hair of your head refers to spiritual security. Endurance is required of every true believer in Jesus Christ. Ultimately the strength to endure is supplied by God.

21:20-22 The words Jerusalem and its desolation indicate that this is the point where the questions in v. 7 are answered. Surrounded by armies is the “sign” that the temple and the city are about to be destroyed. Matthew 24:15 refers to “the abomination of desolation” spoken of by Daniel (Dn 9:27; 11:31; 21:11) that will be set up in the holy place in the temple. Luke spoke only of the desolation of Jerusalem. When the city was surrounded, it was imperative that its inhabitants and those in the surrounding areas (Judea) flee for their lives because the siege of the city was part of God’s planned vengeance against Jerusalem.

21:23-24 Wrath is God’s anger against sin expressed as righteous judgment. The survivors of the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 were spread all over the known world, even more extensively than the Diaspora that occurred during the Babylonian exile hundreds of years earlier. From AD 70 until the emergence of the modern State of Israel in the mid-twentieth century, Jerusalem was controlled by Gentiles. The times of the Gentiles refers to the current opportune time in which Gentile nations embrace the gospel. Meanwhile, Israel is spiritually hardened and will remain so until near the end (Rm 11:25-26).

21:25-26 Signs in the sun, moon, and stars, probably referring to Jl 2:28,31, were mentioned earlier (Lk 21:11). These cosmic effects will cause great anxiety among the world population.

21:27 The second coming of Christ is described in words that echo the prophecy of Dn 7:13 (the Son of Man coming . . . with . . . great glory). This passage is also cited in relation to Christ’s return in Rv 1:7.

21:28-31 Instead of cowering in the face of these signs, believers should be encouraged because they indicate that the divine plan for redemption is being completed and the advent of the kingdom of God is near. It is like watching trees sprouting leaves in the spring and knowing that summer is at hand.

21:32-33 This generation probably refers to those who will be alive when the various phenomena described by Jesus begin to take place in rapid succession. Since “generation” occasionally means “family” or “posterity,” some believe that it refers specifically to the people of Israel. On heaven and earth . . . but my words, see Mt 5:17-18.

21:34-36 That day refers to the time of Christ’s return. Those caught up in a worldly lifestyle (carousing, drunkenness) or the worries of life will be caught off guard when Christ comes back. The proper outlook is prayerful alertness (18:8), which will prepare the believer to stand and not be ashamed before the Son of Man at his return (see 1Jn 2:28).

21:37-38 During the day . . . in the evening refers to the schedule that Jesus kept during each day of Passion Week. The mention of the Mount of Olives previews the incident in which he was betrayed and arrested (22:39,47-54).