21 But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that her desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country stay out of the city. 22 For these are the days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.

23 How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Jess Chow

These verses are a warning from Jesus to the Jewish people of his own day. What a severe warning he gives about the impending destruction of Jerusalem, their holy city. The warnings to get out of the city and flee to the mountains and the countryside make me think of times of war, when similar instructions are issued, such as in World War 2 – in Australia before the bombing of Darwin, and in Japan before the relentless US bombing campaign. Millions of women and children were evacuated because of the knowledge that great distress would be coming upon the land. These were urgent warnings and the choice that was made was a matter of life and death.

Here in Luke, the thing that could save their lives was trusting in the warnings of Jesus about what lay ahead, and heeding his warning by acting – taking refuge rather than stubbornly staying. In a much greater sense, Jesus has also warned us about the coming destruction of the present heaven and earth, and He offers us refuge in Himself from God’s wrath on the judgement day that awaits the whole world.

In our relative peace and comfort in Australia, it can be hard to imagine a state of this much urgency and destruction in wartime. In a similar way, when life seems to go on and the earth has continued to turn for thousands of years since Jesus’ warnings, it can be hard for me to imagine the urgency we need to have to lead people to refuge from the coming destruction and judgement. But this is a sobering reminder of the reality of our world – Jerusalem did fall in AD 70 as Jesus warned, and the new Jerusalem is coming as He has promised. The call to take refuge in Him stands.

Heavenly Father, give us eyes to see and alert minds about the reality of the coming judgement. Help us cling to Jesus as our refuge, and lead others to your salvation. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jess is a member of our Fairfield Evening congregation.