Matthew 24:1-2 1After Jesus left the temple he was going away, and his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2But answering he said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly, I say to you, not a stone will be left upon a stone which will not be thrown down.”
This is the last of five major discourses in Matthew. The focus of chapter 24 is on warning and encouraging the disciples to remain faithful until Jesus comes again. Chapters 24-25 are often called the “Little Apocalypse” because they share themes and images with apocalyptic literature, especially as found in Revelation. There seems to be two time periods referenced in the chapter: 1) the soon destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, which took place in 70 A.D., and 2) Jesus’ second coming at some unknown point in the future. It is not always easy to distinguish to which Jesus refers, or perhaps if he could be referring to both, with the first destruction of Jerusalem providing a mirror or type of the suffering at the end of the age. The opening words of this chapter are sad because this was likely the last time Jesus would be in the temple. The religious leaders and people had abandoned their Messiah, and so he walked away, leaving the temple empty of God’s presence.
The disciples, most of whom came from small towns in Galilee, were impressed by the large buildings around the temple, much as someone from the country would be impressed with the sky scrapers of modern cities. Jesus used their observations as the launching point for his last major teaching as recorded in Matthew. He prophecies very clearly about the destruction of the temple, which would have seemed impossible to any of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Herod the Great had refurbished the temple and its courts, making it one of the wonders of the ancient world. The Jews of that day had the same false security as the people of Jerusalem during the days of Jeremiah. Without God’s presence and protection, the temple was just a pile of organized rubble. The Jewish war with the Romans began in 66 A.D. when the Jews revolted. This troubled intensified until the Romans under Titus laid siege to Jerusalem, destroyed its walls, and utterly demolished the temple. Jerusalem and Judaism would never be the same after this. No longer were sacrifices offered. The Jews became more the people of the book than people of temple worship. Jesus warned his disciples not to get caught up in the awesome beauty of the place, because without God, it was nothing. Without God, anything we do is but rubbish, as Paul wrote in Philippines 3:8.
For older posts, click here.