On the Mount of Olives, Jesus gave his most important prophecy.
They sat in a quiet place on the Mount of Olives. There had been a long pause before Jesus’ friends asked some very important questions. We’re glad they asked those questions but we’re also still trying to figure out what the Lord meant when he answered them.
This is the third in a series of articles considering this important prophecy. I will not avoid some of the controversies that exist in the various interpretations. (parts one and two.)
This conversation between the Lord and his disciples was probably on a Tuesday. It was still a few days before the offering of the Passover Lamb. That of course was a yearly ceremony in Jewish tradition. Most didn’t realize the true Passover Lamb was walking in their midst.
The small group had begun to leave the temple area and were walking away. As they did so, his disciples commented to Jesus about the beauty of the temple.
So begins one of the most important prophesy passages in the Bible.
Covenant and Controversy Follow the link for this must-see video series.
https://thewritelife.tech/2018/09/27/the-days-of-noah-as-when-jesus-returns/
Jesus left the contentious crowd behind.
Matthew 24:1
“And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple.”
In reading this opening verse, you get the sense that the disciples were proud and boastful of the temple and its surrounding structures. Perhaps the Lord didn’t seem to be equally impressed with the buildings but was more impressed with the fact it was His Father’s House. The disciples had to point out, “Hey, isn’t this a great place?” Jesus’ response probably left his friends a bit stunned because he just wasn’t as fascinated by the great temple as they were.
Jesus was about to say, (paraphrase).
“It’s no big deal. It’s going to be torn down soon, so don’t get attached.”
Just got blasted
In the previous chapter, we read that the Lord had just finished blasting the Jewish religious leaders. He finished his strong words by including the city of Jerusalem in his rebuke. The blind guides and religious zealots were hypocrites. They weren’t good examples of godly behavior, but quite the opposite. The city itself was ripe for God’s judgment.
“Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” That’s what Jesus had just told the crowd of embarrassed leaders. It didn’t seem like good news, so the disciples were looking for some better news regarding the future of the temple. The Lord was leaving those hallowed grounds for the last time, and not on good terms.
The disciples were impressed, but Jesus not so much.
Matthew 24:2
“And Jesus said unto them, See you not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
The Lord gave just a casual acknowledgment of the impressive structure. “You see these things?” Then he continues his thoughts from the last chapter and tears into the structure too after he just finished tearing into the religious leaders before that. The destruction of this great temple was a denouncement of the failed leadership and a message to all that God was not pleased.
Josephus, the Jewish historian, confirmed the truth of Jesus’ words. The Roman leader, Titus, gave the orders to tear the building down to the last stone. The mercenaries employed by Rome were more than happy to follow those orders. It has remained so to this day. The wailing wall that remains was not part of that structure. It was part of a surrounding wall, not the original temple.
That day in Jewish history, when the temple was destroyed, remains a great day of sorrow to the people.
Now for their questions on the Mount of Olives
Matthew 24:3
“And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the world?”
Jesus and the disciples continued their walk until they came to a garden. The Lord sat in the serene setting on the Mount of Olives. They had walked down into the Kidron Valley, then up the hill on the other side. From there they were able to look across the valley and see where they had come.
The disciples came to him “privately.” They were likely all alone in that area of the garden. The impressive temple and the surrounding courts were visible from their vantage point. The Lord was now ready to go more in-depth into what he had begun to imply about the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem. There would have been a long gap of silence between verses two and three. The disciples had a long walk through the Kidron Valley, then up the side of the Mount of Olives to consider how they would phrase their questions.
A pause for suspense on the Mount of Olives
When we read the Bible, we often don’t allow ourselves to really consider the setting and think through the emotions of what was truly taking place. Jesus had just finished grilling the foolish hypocritical leaders who were plotting to kill him. The Lord knew this was his last week of ministry and the cross awaited him at the end of the week. He knew those leaders wouldn’t listen to him. Only a few, like Nicodemus, were open to God’s Spirit.
The long walk through the valley and into the garden gave Jesus time to “chill out” a little after the tense moments in the temple. He was fully man and fully God, but not an unemotional robot. He cried at the grave of Lazarus and felt the pain of the woman caught in adultery as well as the woman who grabbed a hold of his garment and begged to be healed.
I suspect that the Lord began to breathe easier now that he sat in the dirt looking across the way at the temple. He might have been picking up small stones and tossing them aimlessly down the hill when his friends finally spoke again. They probably very carefully weighed whether now was a good time to ask their questions.
Then they spoke on the Mount of Olives
It could have been as much as an hour after Jesus mentioned the stones of the temple being torn down to the last one.
“When Lord,” the disciples finally asked.
That question was directly connected to the comment about the stones not being stacked upon another. “When would the temple be completely destroyed as you say?” That was their first question. They understood his meaning, though they found it incredible to believe. Remember, at this time they still didn’t understand he was going to die and go back to heaven. They thought he was there to rule and reign.
They weren’t looking for two thousand years of Jewish dispersion. Surprise!
In the next article, I’ll get into the controversy regarding his response to their questions.
More articles you might like.
The Days of Noah. Olivet Discourse: A return to Noah’s days?
https://thewritelife.tech/2019/04/22/herods-temple-not-one-stone-upon-another/
Let me know what you think.