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Luke 21

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And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.

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And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.

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And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:

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For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.

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And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,

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As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

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And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?

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And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

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But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.

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Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

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And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

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But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.

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And it shall turn to you for a testimony.

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Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:

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For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

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And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.

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And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.

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But there shall not an hair of your head perish.

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In your patience possess ye your souls.

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And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.

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Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.

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For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

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But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.

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And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

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And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

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Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

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And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

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And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;

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When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.

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So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.

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Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.

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Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

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And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

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For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

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Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

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And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives.

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And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him.

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Luke 21

The widow's two copper coins — given out of her poverty, constituting everything she had to live on, contrasted with the rich giving from their surplus — open the chapter with the kingdom's counter-valuation. The prediction of the temple's total destruction (not one stone on another) produces the when-and-what-sign question that the Olivet Discourse answers. The discourse distinguishes between the signs of 70 CE (armies surrounding Jerusalem, the time of punishment, the desolation) and the signs of the final consummation (cosmic disturbances, the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory). The fig-tree parable communicates the readability of the signs: as budding leaves signal summer, these things signal the kingdom's near arrival. This generation will not pass away: some of the predicted events belong to the first century; the Son of Man's coming awaits the Father's appointed time. The chapter closes with the watchfulness instruction — be careful, stay awake, pray to stand before the Son of Man — and the daily rhythm of Jesus' final week: each day teaching at the temple, each evening on the Mount of Olives.

Luke 21:38

And all the people came early in the morning to hear him at the temple — all the people came early in the morning: the popular enthusiasm for the temple teaching. The early rising communicates the eagerness of the Jerusalem crowds who want to hear Jesus — the same crowds whose protection prevents the arrest.

Luke 21:33

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away — heaven and earth will pass away: the impermanence of the cosmos. But my words will never pass away: the eternal reliability of the divine word. The words of Jesus are more permanent than the cosmos.

Luke 21:3

Truly I tell you, he said, this poor widow has put in more than all the others — more than all the others: the theological evaluation contradicts the financial reality. More (pleon) in the assessment that counts is the larger proportion, not the larger quantity.

Luke 21:4

All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on — out of their wealth (ek tou perisseuontos, from their excess): the rich give from what remains after all needs are met. Out of her poverty she put in all she had to live on (holon ton bion, her entire livelihood): the widow gives what she cannot afford to give. The total giving is the measure of her greater gift.

Luke 21:5

Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said — the disciples' admiration of the temple's magnificence is the occasion for the prediction of its destruction. Beautiful stones and dedicated gifts: the visual splendor of Herod's temple renovations.

Luke 21:6

As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down — not one stone left on another: the total destruction prediction, fulfilled in 70 CE when the Roman armies under Titus razed the temple completely. Every stone thrown down communicates the comprehensiveness of the coming destruction.

Luke 21:7

Teacher, they asked, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place? — the disciples' two questions: when and what sign. The Olivet Discourse is Jesus' extended response — distinguishing between the signs of the 70 CE destruction and the signs of the final coming.

Luke 21:8

He replied: watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, I am he, and the time is near. Do not follow them — watch out that you are not deceived: the first warning. False messiahs claiming I am he and the time is near: the false urgency claims that will mislead. Do not follow them: the non-following of the false messianic claims.

Luke 21:9

When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away — wars and uprisings: the political instability before 70 CE (the Jewish revolt of 66 CE, the wars across the empire during 68–69 CE). Do not be frightened: the events are part of the divine plan. The end will not come right away: the events are not the immediate end.

Luke 21:10

Then he said to them: nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom — nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom: the standard Old Testament language for the wars preceding divine judgment (Isaiah 19:2). The language moves from specific historical events to the larger pattern.

Luke 21:11

There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven — earthquakes, famines, pestilences, fearful events, great signs from heaven: the full range of natural and cosmic disturbances. The language is the standard eschatological stock of the prophetic tradition.

Luke 21:37

Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives — each day in the temple, each evening on the Mount of Olives: the rhythm of the final week. The Mount of Olives as the nightly retreat communicates both the prayer practice and the Gethsemane context that will follow.

Luke 21:32

Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened — this generation will not pass away: the timing statement that connects some of the predicted events to the first-century generation. The 70 CE destruction was within a generation; the Son of Man's coming remains anticipated.

Luke 21:12

But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name — before all this: the persecution of the disciples precedes the end-time signs. The persecution sequence (seizing, synagogues, prison, kings and governors) is the historical experience of the first-century church recorded in Acts.

Luke 21:13

And so you will bear testimony to me — the persecution will produce testimony (martyrion). The same Greek root gives us martyr — the witness who testifies even unto death. The persecution is not the end of the mission but the expansion of its platform.

Luke 21:14

But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves — make up your mind beforehand (promeletan, pre-meditate, plan in advance) not to worry: the advance decision not to prepare the defense. The pre-meditation is the decision not to pre-meditate.

Luke 21:15

For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict — I will give you words and wisdom: the divine provision at the moment of testimony. The adversaries will be unable to resist or contradict: the Spirit-given testimony will be irresistible to counter.

Luke 21:16

You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death — betrayed by family and friends: the cost of discipleship in its most painful form — the intimates who hand over the disciples. They will put some of you to death: the actual martyrdom of some disciples is predicted.

Luke 21:17

Everyone will hate you because of me — everyone will hate you: the universal hostility that discipleship produces. Because of me: the reason for the hatred is the identification with Jesus, not any independent cause.

Luke 21:18

But not a hair of your head will perish — not a hair of your head will perish: the paradox alongside the martyrdom prediction. Some will be killed (verse 16); none will ultimately perish (verse 18). The physical death is not the ultimate perishing — the soul that is committed to Jesus will not be lost.

Luke 21:19

Stand firm, and you will win life — stand firm (hupomone, endurance, patient persistence) and you will gain your souls (psychas hymōn ktēsasthe, acquire your lives): the endurance that holds through persecution to the end wins the life that cannot be taken.

Luke 21:20

When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near — Jerusalem surrounded by armies: the Roman siege of 67–70 CE. The desolation that is near is the 70 CE destruction — a specific, historically predictable sign.

Luke 21:21

Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city — flee to the mountains: the flight instruction for the pre-destruction period. Historical sources record that the early Jerusalem community did flee to Pella across the Jordan during the Roman siege — a fulfillment of this instruction.

Luke 21:22

For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written — the time of punishment (hēmerai ekdikēseōs, days of vengeance, days of retribution): the judgment of Jerusalem as the fulfillment of the prophetic warning about the consequences of rejecting the divine messengers. In fulfillment of all that has been written communicates the scriptural necessity of the coming judgment.

Luke 21:23

How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people — the pregnant and nursing mothers: the most vulnerable in the flight from the besieged city. Great distress (anagkē megalē, great necessity): the word for the extreme pressure of the siege. Wrath against this people communicates the divine judgment being executed through the Roman armies.

Luke 21:24

They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled — fall by the sword, taken as prisoners: the historical experience of 70 CE. Jerusalem trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled: the period of Gentile domination of Jerusalem as the transitional era before the final restoration.

Luke 21:25

There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea — the cosmic signs of sun, moon, and stars shift the discourse to the final consummation beyond the 70 CE events. Nations in anguish: the universal distress.

Luke 21:26

People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken — faint from terror (apopsychontōn, breathing out, dying) at what is coming: the apprehension itself as overwhelming. The heavenly bodies shaken: the cosmic disruption of the final judgment (Isaiah 13:10, Joel 2:10).

Luke 21:27

At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory — they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud: the Daniel 7:13–14 fulfillment. Power (dynamin) and great glory: the full eschatological splendor of the returning Son of Man.

Luke 21:28

When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near — when these things begin: the beginning of the cosmic signs. Stand up and lift up your heads: the posture of hope rather than fear. Your redemption is drawing near: the same events that produce the nations' terror produce the disciples' hope.

Luke 21:29

He told them this parable: look at the fig tree and all the trees — the fig tree and all the trees: Luke's version extends the illustration from fig tree alone (Mark 13:28) to all trees, making the lesson more universal and less specifically symbolic of Israel.

Luke 21:30

When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near — when they sprout leaves: the seasonal reading. You can see for yourselves and know: the observable sign that produces the confident knowledge. Summer is near: the predictable sequence communicates that the signs of the Son of Man's coming are as readable as the seasons.

Luke 21:31

Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near — even so, when you see these things happening: the cosmic signs as the kingdom-arrival indicators. The kingdom of God is near (eggys estin): the same nearness as the summer after the budding.

Luke 21:34

Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap — be careful (prosechete, pay attention to yourselves): the self-monitoring warning. Carousing, drunkenness, and the anxieties of life: the three heart-weighters that produce the unwatchfulness. That day will close on you like a trap: the sudden enclosure of those who are not watching.

Luke 21:35

For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth — for it will come on all who live on the face of the whole earth: the universal scope of the coming day's impact. No one on earth is exempt from the day's arrival — the global character of the consummation.

Luke 21:36

Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man — be always on the watch (agrypeite, be sleepless, be constantly alert): the sustained watchfulness. Pray that you may be able to escape: the prayer for the endurance that navigates through the coming events. Stand before the Son of Man: the ultimate goal — standing (not cowering) in the final presence.

Luke 21:1

As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich giving their gifts into the temple treasury — looked up: the visual attention to the temple treasury scene. The rich giving their gifts: the conspicuous giving of those with wealth to contribute.

Luke 21:2

He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins — the poor widow putting in two very small copper coins (lepta dyo, literally two leptons — the smallest coins in circulation, together worth about 1/64 of a day's wage): the contrast with the rich is established by the size of the gift.