Big Idea: Jesus predicts the temple’s destruction—a vindication of his own message and mission as the Son of Man—and warns his followers not to confuse the signs of its destruction with the event itself.

Understanding the Text

This passage begins Matthew’s fifth and final discourse containing Jesus’ teaching (chaps. 24–25) and is directed to the disciples. The focus of 24:1–35 is Jesus’ predictions about the temple’s destruction (introduced in 23:37–39). In 24:3 the disciples respond to Jesus’ initial claim of the temple’s fall with a two-pronged question—the first about the time of the temple’s destruction, and the second about the sign of his return at the end of the age. Jesus responds to the first question in 24:3–35, while the latter question is addressed in 24:36–51. Allusions to D…