Jun 25
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Old Testament Reading: Jeremiah 21:1–10
“This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchiah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, ‘Inquire of the LORD for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the LORD will deal with us according to all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.’ Then Jeremiah said to them: ‘Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls. And I will bring them together into the midst of this city. I myself will fight against you with outstretched hand and strong arm, in anger and in fury and in great wrath. And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence. Afterward, declares the LORD, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in this city who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives. He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword. He shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion.’ And to this people you shall say: ‘Thus says the LORD: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live and shall have his life as a prize of war. For I have set my face against this city for harm and not for good, declares the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.’” (Jeremiah 21:1–10, ESV)
New Testament Reading: Luke 21:5-38
“And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, ‘As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.’ And they asked him, ‘Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?’ And he said, ‘See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.’ Then he said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness. Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives. But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. And he told them a parable: Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.’ And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet. And early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him.” (Luke 21:5–38, ESV)
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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without the benefit of proofreading.
Introduction
It took me some time to decide whether I would preach multiple sermons or one sermon on the text of Luke 21:5-38. There is certainly enough material here for 5 or 6 sermons, but the text is a unit, and there is a flow of thought that runs through this text that I do not want to lose by breaking the passage up into smaller parts, and so I have decided to preach one sermon on it.
The Question
Everything that Jesus says in this passage is in response to a question that was put to him while he was in (or near) the temple in Jerusalem, and so we must, first of all, consider the question.
In verse 5 we read, “And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, [Jesus] said, ‘As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down’” (Luke 21:5–6, ESV).
Friends, it would be difficult to overstate the grandeur and beauty of the temple that stood in Jerusalem in Jesus’ day. This was not the temple that King Solomon, the Son of David, built. That temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in the year 586 B.C., in fulfillment of the prophecy of Jeremiah 21:1–10, which we read a moment ago. The temple in Jerusalem was then rebuilt when Judah returned from the Babylonian captivity, but we are told that its glory could not be compared to the glory of the temple Solomon had built. This rebuilt temple is often referred to as the second temple. When Jesus was alive, the temple in Jerusalem was being extensively renovated. One Bible dictionary says,
“The temple erected by the exiles on their return from Babylon had stood for about five hundred years, when Herod the Great became king of Judea. The building had suffered considerably from natural decay as well as from the assaults of hostile armies, and Herod, desirous of gaining the favour of the Jews, proposed to rebuild it. This offer was accepted, and the work was begun (B.C. 18), and carried out at great labour and expense, and on a scale of surpassing splendour. The main part of the building was completed in ten years, but the erection of the outer courts and the embellishment of the whole were carried on during the entire period of our Lord’s life on earth (John 2:16, 19–21), and the temple was completed… [in] A.D. 65” (M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary and Treasury of Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Doctrine, and Literature (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1893), 660).
I’ve quoted the Jewish historian, Josephus, several times in previous sermons. If you were to go to his complete works, Book V, Chapter 5, you would find a description of the temple that Herod built, and you would understand that it was truly a grand and glorious structure, adorned with very precious materials. In one place, Josephus reports that the very large “gates were on every side covered over with gold and silver, as were the jambs of their doors and their lintels; but there was one gate that was without the [inward court of the] holy house, which was of Corinthian brass, and greatly excelled those that were only covered over with silver and gold.”
It is not surprising, therefore, that “some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings…” (Luke 21:5), for fallen men and women are easily impressed by large and shiny things. Think of the great cathedrals. Think of our national monuments. Think of our big cities with the skyscrapers in the midst of them. Go back in time and think of the megalithic structures built by ancient peoples, the great pyramids of Egypt being the most famous of these. And do not forget the Tower of Babel, as described in Genesis 11. From the beginning of time, men, in their hubris and pride, have constructed great buildings and monuments so that others might stand in awe of them and praise their achievements.
Now, please do not misunderstand me. I do believe that the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem was built according to the command of God and for his glory. And I do not doubt that many faithful men and women approached God in humility, sincerity, and truth to worship him at that temple, the second temple, and at Herod’s renovated temple. But it seems to me that Luke is highlighting a problem here—a problem very similar to the one addressed in the previous passage. Sinful men and women are, by nature, enamored with worldly things and blind to things spiritual and eternal. In the previous passage, Jesus condemned the scribes for this very thing. These Biblical scholars were not spiritual, they were worldly. They liked to walk around in long robes, and loved greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts. All the while, they devoured widows’ houses and for a pretense made long prayers. Christ declared, they will receive the greater condemnation (see Luke 20:46–47). Now, Luke tells us that some were enamored with the temple and its physical beauty. Notice, they were not captivated by God and his glory, but with the temple itself. They were “speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings…” And then Jesus said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
[Dear brothers and sisters, these words that Jesus spoke concerning the temple in Jerusalem can be said of any and every manmade and earthly thing—“As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” Do not set your hope on these things, therefore. Do not live for the things of this earth or build your life upon them. Do not be enamored by their beauty. Live for God and his glory. Be enamored with Jesus Christ and the glory of his kingdom.]
Jesus’ words concerning the destruction of the temple must have shocked everyone. To help us understand why, imagine Jesus standing next to the Capitol building or the White House and saying, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” Naturally, you would wonder when these things would happen and what would bring about the destruction. And so it is not surprising that those who heard him, asked him, saying, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” Hear the question again: Teacher, when will these things, that is to say, the destruction of the temple, be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?
Everything that Jesus says in the passage that is open before us today is in response to this question, and Jesus’s answer may be divided into four parts.
First, in verses 8-19, Jesus clarified that the temple would not be destroyed immediately.
Secondly, in verses 20-24, Jesus taught that he would soon come in judgment against Jerusalem.
Thirdly, in verses 25-27, Jesus declared that at the end of time, he will come to judge the world.
Fourthly, in verses 28-36, Jesus instructs his followers as to how we must live as we endure his partial and restrained judgments poured out upon the world and eagerly await his second coming.
The Temple Would Not Be Destroyed Immediately (vs. 8-19)
Do not forget the question: When will these things, namely, the destruction of the temple, be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place? The very first thing Jesus did was to clarify that the temple would not be destroyed immediately.
“When will these things be?” His answer begins in verse 8: “And he said, ‘See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.’” The NKJV translates the Greek this way: “but the end will not come immediately” (Luke 21:9, NKJV). The NIV says, “but the end will not come right away” (Luke 21:9, NIV84). So then, there would be a delay between Christ’s first coming and the τέλος, that is to say, “the end.”
You might be thinking what I was thinking when studying this text: What did Jesus have in mind when he spoke of “the end”? Is he here referring to “the end”, that is to say, the destruction and judgment of Jerusalem and the temple, or is he referring to “the end”, that is to say, the destruction and judgment of the world? I believe the answer is yes. And I say that because I think there was something typological about the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple and the time leading up to it. By that, I mean I view the judgment of Jerusalem and the temple in the year 70 AD as a kind of foreshadowing or foretaste of the judgment of the world that will take place at the end of time. In other words, if you were to ask me the question, did Jesus Christ return in the year 70 AD to judge?, I could say, yes, in a sense, he did. To be clear, that was certainly not the second coming of Christ. Do not misunderstand me, Jesus did not return bodily in the year 70 AD to raise the dead and to judge the world fully and finally. Those events are yet in our future. Nevertheless, there was something about the judgment that came upon the Jews, their nation, their city, and their temple in the year 70 AD that foreshadowed the judgment that will come upon the world at the end of time.
Jesus was asked, “When will these things be?” The first thing he said was, “The end will not be at once.” “The end” that Jesus refers to in this text is, first and foremost, the end of the temple in Jerusalem, and the end of the Old Covenant order it served. But a pattern is established here that will be repeated on a much larger scale at the end of time. Just as there was a delay between Christ’s first coming and his return to judge the Jews, their nation, their city, and their temple in the year 70 AD, so too there will be a delay—a much longer delay—between Christ’s first coming and his return to judge the world at the end (τέλος) of the age. Furthermore, the things experienced by the original disciples of Jesus between his first coming and the end of the temple in Jerusalem will be experienced by all disciples of Jesus, living in all times and places, as we await his return at the end of time.
The message was for them, and it is for us. Verse 8: “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.’ Then he said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness. Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives” (Luke 21:8–19, ESV).
The question is this: To whom was Christ speaking?
Answer: First and foremost, he was speaking to the disciples who were with him, who would experience all of these things firsthand during that time of delay between the ascension of Christ to heaven (in the year 30 AD), and the forty years (or so) leading up to the destruction of the temple in the year 70 AD. Secondly, he speaks to all of his disciples who are living during this time of delay between his first advent and his second advent at the end of time. What is the connection between these two events? The former was but a foretaste and foreshadowing of the later.
[And so I may apply the words of Christ to you, dear brothers and sisters. As we await the return of Christ at the end (τέλος) of time, we must not be led astray by false Messiah’s. And when we hear of wars and tumults, we must not be terrified, for these things must first take place, knowing the end will not be at once. During this time of delay we must know that “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences.” Indeed, we will be hated by all for Christ’s name’s sake. But not a hair of our head will perish, for Christ will raise us up. It will be through endurance that we will gain life eternal (see Luke 21:8–19).]
Christ Would Soon Come In Judgement Against Jerusalem (vs. 20-24)
Do not forget the question put to Jesus. When will these things, namely, the destruction of the temple, be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place? After clarifying that there would be a delay, Christ declared that he would soon come in judgment against Jerusalem.
Look at verse 20: “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.” This would be the clear sign that Jerusalem was about to be judged and the temple destroyed: the Roman army would surround the city to besiege it. If you wish to read an account of this, see Josephus’s The Wars Of The Jews, Books III-VI.
In verse 21, Christ instructed his disciples as to what they were to do when they saw this taking place. “Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
What were the disciples of Jesus to do when they saw the Roman armies surrounding Jerusalem to besiege it? They were not to fight, as if this city would have significance in the inaugurated kingdom of Christ. They were to flee!
It is interesting to read some of the commentaries written during the Reformation era and to see those commentators point to this text to justify the practice of fleeing during times of persecution. Many Christains were persecuted during the Reformation. And the Reformers taught that it is permissible to flee from persecution. This makes good sense, given that the kingdom of Christ is not associated with a particular city or nation. If it were, then the citizens of Christ’s kingdom would be commanded to fight. But it is not, and so we are permitted to flee. And it is a well-known fact that whenever persecution has caused the church to scatter, it has often resulted in the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the expansion of the kingdom of God, which is spiritual and not earthly.
The Christians living in Judea and Jerusalem were instructed to flee when they saw the Roman armies approaching. They were not to believe the false prophets who were present in those days, who were saying that the city and the temple would be spared and that none should leave (see Josephus, The Wars Of The Jews, Book VI, Chapter V). They were to flee, knowing that God was about to pour out his “wrath against [the Jewish] people”, that they would soon “fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations.”
The question remains: What would become of Jerusalem and the Jews? Would this captivity of which Christ spoke be brief, as it was in the case of the Babylonian captivity? Before the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the temple, it was prophesied that the captivity would last 70 years and then the people would return to rebuild the temple and inhabit the land once more (see Jeremiah 25:11). No such promise was made by Christ. Instead, he prophesied, saying, “They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24, ESV). What are the times of the Gentiles? They are the days of the New Covenant wherein the gospel of the kingdom of Christ is spreading to all nations. Paul speaks of this era when he says, “Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Romans 11:25, ESV). What will happen when the “times of the Gentiles are fulfilled”, or, to use Paul’s terminology, when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in? Will there be a return to Israel, Jerusalem, and worship at the temple, as so many today believe? The Scriptures nowhere teach such things. These ideas are read into the Scriptures by those who fail to recognize the great progression from the Old Covenant to the New and that Christ Jesus came to redeem, not only the elect of the Jews, but people from every tongue, tribe, and nation who have descended from Adam. Christ is clear: “Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24, ESV), an then comes the end.
At The End Of Time, Christ Will Come To Judge The World (vs. 25-27)
This is our third observation: In verses 25-27, Christ declares that at the end of time, after the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled, he will come to judge the world.
In verse 25 we read, “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:24-27, ESV).
While it is true that some awesome and very strange things happened in the year 70 AD when the temple was destroyed, what Jesus describes here seems to go beyond anything that then took place. Christ speaks of signs involving the “sun and moon and stars”. I will not pretend to know what exactly the fulfillment of this prophecy will be. He here speaks of the whole earth being in distress and nations (in the plural) being perplexed because of the roaring of the sea and the waves. People are described as “fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. As you can see, the distress that is described here is not local, but global. More than this, the spiritual powers of the heavenly realm will be shaken, and all will see “Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Did Christ return to pour out his wrath on Jerusalem in the year 70 AD? In a prototypical way, yes. But here we have a reference to the bodily return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on the last day. Notice, lastly, that Christ spoke of this event as if distant. He did not speak as if the disciples who were with him in the days of his earthly ministry would be alive to see this day.
Exhortation (vs. 28-36)
In verses 28-36, we find a string of exhortations. Here, Jesus instructs his followers as to how we must live as we endure his partial and restrained judgments poured out upon the world and eagerly await his second coming.
In verse 28, we find the first of six commands. “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28, ESV). “These things” must refer to the things that Christ said would happen during the lifetime of his original disciples— persecution and the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, etc. “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads…” Disciples of Jesus must not cower in fear during times of tribulation, rather, they must stand tall and show courage in the face of danger. Why? Because if danger and death is near, or if the return of Christ is near, then this means that their redemption in Christ Jesus is drawing near. The command is this: Do not cower in fear when trials and tribulations come, but stand tall and show courage in the face of danger, since your hope is in the redemption that is yours through faith in Christ the King.
In verses 29-33, we find a brief parable containing two more commands: “And he told them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know [know!} that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Luke 21:29–33, ESV).
The saying of Christ, “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place,” has perplexed many. Did Christ mean that his second coming would happen within the lifetime of those to whom he originally spoke? No. As has been said, the “these things” of verse 28 and the “these things” of verse 31 refer back to the things Christ said his original disciples would experience, namely, the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. When Christ said, “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place”, he was referring to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. This, remember, was the thing that got this whole conversation rolling. Follow the flow of thought from verse 6: “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down” (Luke 21:6, ESV), Christ said. Verse 7: “And they asked him, ‘Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” (Luke 21:7, ESV). Verse 31: “So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near” (Luke 21:31, ESV). Verse 32: “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place” (Luke 21:32, ESV). And the words of Christ proved true. The temple in Jerusalem would be leveled to the ground within 40 years time.
The two commands found in verses 29-30 are the commands to “look” and to “know”. Look at the fig tree (and all of the trees)! Just as you know that summer is drawing near when you see the leaves begin to bud, so too you must know that the kingdom of God is near when you see these things taking place around you. And yet, sadly, Christains are prone to do the very opposite. When Christians hear of or experience persecution, when they hear of nations rising against nations or of wars and rumours of wars, when they hear of or experience earthquakes, famines, and pestilences, I’m afraid they are prone to forget that Christ reigns supreme presently, is furthering his kingdom now, and will one day bring it to completion. But here Jesus commands us to “know that the kingdom of God is near” whenever we “see these things taking place” (Luke 21:31, ESV). We must know that Christ rules and reigns supreme even now, and that the word of God will never fail. “Heaven and earth will pass away, [but the word of Christ] will not pass away” (Luke 21:33, ESV).
Finally, in verses 34-36, Christ commands watchfulness and alertness. “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:34–36, ESV).
To “watch” is ”to be in a continuous state of readiness to learn of any future danger, need, or error, and to respond appropriately—‘to pay attention to, to keep on the lookout for, to be alert for, to be on one’s guard against.’”(Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 332.)
And what are we to be on guard against? We are to be on guard, lest “our hearts be weighed down with dissipation [behavior without moral restraint] and drunkenness and cares [anxieties, worries] of this life…” Watch yourself, brother. Watch yourself, sister. Keep your heart pure and free from worldly anxieties and cares lest when times of difficulty come, you be trapped or ensnared.
Instead of being drunk and drowsy, spiritually speaking, over the cares and concerns of this life, we must stay awake, that is to say, alert. This we are to do through prayer, so that we may have the strength to escape the trouble that is sure to come in this world and to stand upright before the Son of Man when he comes, to call us home through death, to pour out judgments partial and restrained, or with the clouds at the end of time to rescue his people, to judge, and to usher in the eternal state.
Conclusion
Our text concludes with these words: “And every day [Jesus] was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet. And early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him.” (Luke 21:37–38, ESV)
