We tend to treasure temples adorned with things that in the end are temporary because we think, or at least hope, the temples we treasure will last indefinitely. I’m at that stage of life when I realize that the less than apocalyptic societal events predicted to take place at some future date (like the Jetson's flying cars) will likely take place without me. So, the fact that Jesus’ 2000-year-old prediction of the end is yet to take place, despite the regular recurrence of wars, insurrections, famines, plagues and portents, doesn’t bother me nearly as much as the prediction that my temple, adorned as it is, will not last another sixty-five years. The people who heard Jesus speak the words recorded by Luke didn’t need to wait for them to come true. They were hated and betrayed and put to death because of the testimony that could not be contradicted. We learn something from their having already endured the end and therefore I think it is a mistake to make Jesus’ words a blueprint for predicting Armageddon. The end is always happening somewhere on the planet when temples of flesh and blood in testifying to the truth are adorned with suffering and yes, even death. And so, the word to those who heard it from Jesus himself and those who hear it today is the same - do not be terrified, for the stone rejected by the builders has become the chief cornerstone of a temple that can never be thrown down.
No comments:
Post a Comment