Jesus and the disciples are leaving the temple and one of them remarks what a magnificent edifice it is. This was the third go-round for the Jerusalem temple: The first had been planned by King David and constructed by his son, Solomon, and was exquisite in every way. Sadly, that structure had been leveled by Nebuchadnezzar when the nation was carried off into exile in Babylon.
Once God's people were allowed to return to their homeland, a second temple was built, but it paled in comparison to the original, and folks were embarrassed by it. Even so, for 500 years, that had been the center of Jewish worship.
Along came the Romans and, at the pleasure of Caesar, Herod the Great as king in Israel. Herod knew that the temple was not all the Jews wished it were, so, in an effort to curry favor and, at the same time, leave a monument to his rule, he embarked on a temple renovation and expansion project that would make it bigger and better than it had ever been. His most notable contribution was the magnificent stonework of the temple platform that was greatly enlarged — beautiful. But Jesus said that it would not last; "Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down" (v. 2). Quite something to imagine when you realize that the stones were about the size of a minivan. With the benefit of our perspective — 20/20 hindsight — we know he was right.
As Jesus and his friends continued to walk and talk together, they made their way across the valley and finally rested in one of their old haunts on the Mount of Olives. Off in the distance, the temple dome dominated the landscape, and the sight prompted the conversation to continue: "Tell us, when will this be (this ‘not one stone upon another'), and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?"
A fair question. There is something fascinating about prophecy. All of us wish we had a glimpse of the future.
A television preacher recently talked for an hour about his new book that supposedly explained everything we needed to know about the coming of Jesus and the end of time. "You must have this book," he said over and over again with a telephone number (not even toll-free) constantly flashing at the bottom of the screen. It seems that he was the only one who had prophetic insight into world events, and for a mere $14.95 we could have the benefit of his wisdom. We would not survive the coming terrors unless we had this book. Bass Mitchell, an insightful biblical commentator, called the number and suggested to the poor operator that if this preacher really thought this was so vital to the survival of the planet, and that the end was so near, he would be giving the book away! I mean, he won't need the money, right? It's all coming to an end anyway. Who needs a bank account? True, it costs money to print, but he will not have to pay for it if it goes as he says. The woman on the other end of the line was not amused. "Sorry, sir," she said, "but I don't know much about theology," to which my friend responded, "Neither does the writer of the book you're selling."[1]
Predictions of the future? Here are some from folks we could surely trust.[2]
- Frank Knox, US secretary of the Navy, on December 4, 1941: "Whatever happens, the US Navy is not going to be caught napping."
- Economist Irving Fisher on October 16, 1929: "Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau."
- Thomas Watson, IBM chairman, 1943: "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
- Decca Records, rejecting a request for a recording contract with a group called the Beatles, 1962: "We don't like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out."
So what will the future hold? According to Jesus, some pretty nasty things: wars, earthquakes, famines. Well, we know nasty. Can you say downsize? Can you say El Niño? Hurricane? Tsunami? 9/11? Can you say sickness? Death? Can you say, "Bad things happen to good people"? Yes, we can say all those things, even though we would rather not. We need no apocalyptic visions of flaming catastrophe to understand nasty. The question is how can we handle nasty?
Jesus offers advice: "Beware that no one leads you astray" (v. 5). When life is falling apart — and it sometimes does, even for the best of us — when it seems as though one stone is crashing down upon another, we are liable to listen to any voice that promises to help. The words are, "Be careful" — be careful.
Then Jesus speaks what strikes me as an incredibly comforting word; he says, "These are but the beginning of birth pains" (v. 8). Indeed. God's people understand this, even if we forget it at trying moments. Birth is a painful process, for both mother and child. Yes, many transitions are painful, but we know that blessing awaits when the process is complete. What sustains us in the dark moments is our faith.
Have you ever heard someone say, "I would never have made it without my faith"? Probably more times than you could count. And in what fertile soil was that faith nurtured and grown? It is nurtured in the church.
History offers no parallel to the church. When the world is out of joint, when people's minds are disordered and their hearts are failing them for fear, when it seems as though not one stone is left on another, then the thing of supreme importance is the living church, with all of her sanctuaries of worship and her avenues of service. The living church where men and women come to have their faith strengthened, their thoughts clarified, their ideas uplifted, their convictions born, and their characters created. In an age when communities of all kinds are crumbling and individualism is the prevailing ideology, only the church "can offer a community that was here before any of us were born, that will be here after all of us die and that binds us to one another because it binds us to Christ."[3]
What does the future hold? By the grace of God, in the midst of everything else, it holds the continuing ministry of the church.
1. Bass Mitchell, via Ecunet, "Sermonshop 1997 11 16," #35.
2. Nate Castens, via Ecunet, "Gospel Notes for Next Sunday," #800.
3. Robert Bellah, quoted by Jerry L. Van Marter, "Church Is Best Equipped to Rebuild Communities," PCUSA NEWS, #4041, 2/12/97.