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Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said,\xa0\u201cAs 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.\u201d \xa0\u201cTeacher,\u201d they asked, \u201cwhen will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?\u201d\xa0 He replied: \u201cWatch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, \u2018I am he,\u2019 and, \u2018The time is near.\u2019 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.\u201d Then he said to them: \u201cNation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. \xa0There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.\u201d (Luke 21:5-11)

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Jesus\u2019 first point to his disciples is: don\u2019t pay attention to the outward appearances of a thing.\xa0 That had been his point about the widow\u2019s mites and the showmanship of the Teachers of the Law in our previous two devotions, too.\xa0 It is still his point here.\xa0 Things are not always as they seem.\xa0

The Temple may have looked magnificent and all the gifts of God\u2019s people too, but never has the majesty of the architecture told much about the heart of the matter.\xa0 And the heart of this matter was that God was about to do a new thing.\xa0 In Jesus, yes, but also in relationship to Jerusalem and the Temple: every stone would be thrown down.\xa0

Jesus\u2019 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.\xa0 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.\xa0 Just because it feels like the time of Christ\u2019s return is nigh, does not mean that it is.\xa0 Just because someone comes with high religious claims of messianic proportion, does not mean they are to be believed.\xa0 Our Lord has told us quite plainly: do not be deceived or taken in by these end-times or messianic predictions.\xa0 Do not follow them.\xa0 Follow Jesus.\xa0 Period.

And yet, just like the disciples, we want to know when the end is going to come and what it\u2019s going to look like!\xa0

That anxiety runs particularly high today.\xa0 Not just a rumor of war, but war itself has broken out against Ukraine.\xa0 This is not the only armed conflict in the world today or even in the past few years\u2014there have been many, like the civil war raging across Ethiopia right now.\xa0 But the war of Putin against the Ukraine feels different to us.\xa0 It\u2019s happening closer to home and with a much more lethal power involved: a nuclear power.\xa0

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.\xa0

And yet: Jesus\u2019 words remain.\xa0 Do not be frightened or deceived.\xa0 Stand firm.\xa0 What does that mean practically?\xa0 It means, I think, to continue to follow Jesus and him alone in his Kingdom ways, even now.\xa0 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.).\xa0 And of course, it means the prayer: Come Lord Jesus, come.\xa0

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.

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