Sunday 16 November 2025
When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” (vs 5-6)
Background
I recently visited Salisbury Cathedral and was overwhelmed by the majesty and beauty of the building, constructed 800 years ago for the glory and worship of God. In today’s Bible reading people were similarly praising the beauty of the Jewish Temple. It was a focus for their national and religious life and it gave them comfort and a reassurance that God was with them. However, Jesus was critical of the religious leaders and the unjust practices that took place in the Temple (eg Luke 19:45-46). His prediction that the Temple would be destroyed came true in AD 70. Scholars are divided over whether Luke’s Gospel was written before or after this event.
The verses we read today do not make for comfortable reading. They use ‘apocalyptic’ or ‘end times’ language (and this continues later in the chapter). Jesus spoke about rumours of war and insurrections – especially topical in the world today – and went on to speak about earthquakes, plagues and famines. It was widely believed that these things would accompany significant events. Christians over the centuries have predicted Jesus’ return during times of turmoil and I recently met a Muslim man who shared his hope that Jesus would return soon, based on his analysis of the world today.
Is the world getting worse, or do we just hear more through the news? Jesus warned his followers to be careful in interpreting the ‘signs’: "but the end will not follow immediately". (v. 9)
Jesus’ warnings about persecution came true for many Early Christians and there are stories about this in the Book of Acts, a companion book to Luke’s Gospel. The Open Doors charity shares stories of Christian believers facing violent persecution in the world today and works to support them. Jesus is clear that being a believer does have a cost: persecution, betrayal and even death can be the consequence for some people of following Jesus. In the West, Christians do not tend to experience persecution in this way today.
To Ponder:
- In this reading, there seems to be a contradiction between verse 17, which warns of danger, and verses 18-19, which tells readers "not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls". How do you think this might be understood?
- If you would like to learn more about Christians who are persecuted and the work of Open Doors in supporting them, you can do so here: Open Doors
Prayer
Lord, we thank you for the religious tolerance we experience in this country. We pray for Christians across the world who face persecution. Please give them courage that they might stand firm in their faith. Amen.
Bible notes author: The Revd Kate Cambridge
Kate is a presbyter in the Winchester, Eastleigh and Romsey Circuit. In her free time she enjoys doing laundry (!), spending time with her family and wrestling ball point pens off her miniature poodle.