Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said,“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.” “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?” 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. When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.” Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.” (Luke 21:5-11) Jesus’ first point to his disciples is: don’t pay attention to the outward appearances of a thing. That had been his point about the widow’s mites and the showmanship of the Teachers of the Law in our previous two devotions, too. It is still his point here. Things are not always as they seem.

The Temple may have looked magnificent and all the gifts of God’s people too, but never has the majesty of the architecture told much about the heart of the matter. And the heart of this matter was that God was about to do a new thing. In Jesus, yes, but also in relationship to Jerusalem and the Temple: every stone would be thrown down.

Jesus’ second point is that despite the deep religious, political, military, humanitarian, and even astrological and seismic upheavals: his followers need not be afraid and ought not be deceived. It is not about the outward appearances of a thing: things are not always as they seem.

Just because the world feels like it is coming undone, does not mean that it is. Just because it feels like the time of Christ’s return is nigh, does not mean that it is. Just because someone comes with high religious claims of messianic proportion, does not mean they are to be believed. Our Lord has told us quite plainly: do not be deceived or taken in by these end-times or messianic predictions. Do not follow them. Follow Jesus. Period.

And yet, just like the disciples, we want to know when the end is going to come and what it’s going to look like!

That anxiety runs particularly high today. Not just a rumor of war, but war itself has broken out against Ukraine. This is not the only armed conflict in the world today or even in the past few years—there have been many, like the civil war raging across Ethiopia right now. But the war of Putin against the Ukraine feels different to us. It’s happening closer to home and with a much more lethal power involved: a nuclear power.

This is a war that has led to much costly suffering, has already changed the geo-political landscape in significant ways, and that carries the threat of nuclear holocaust in ways not present since the end of the Cold War.

And yet: Jesus’ words remain. Do not be frightened or deceived. Stand firm. What does that mean practically? It means, I think, to continue to follow Jesus and him alone in his Kingdom ways, even now. In other words: it means things like praying, giving, and acting in ways consistent with obedience to Jesus in his ways of justice, peace, grace, mercy, and love on behalf of Ukrainians and Russians (and Ethiopians and so many others facing open war, famine, etc.). And of course, it means the prayer: Come Lord Jesus, come.

Pastor Michael will have some further thoughts on what kingdom living in tension-laden times looks like as Jesus continues this discourse in Luke, tomorrow.