Yesterday, we flew through the opening verses of Jesus words of warning and encouragement to the disciples and today we slow down a bit. Jesus is still talking about the destruction of the temple, but also about his coming again. These two times and ideas are being taught as one unit.

Jesus tells his disciples that when they see the abomination that causes desolation in the temple, they should run away. What exactly is this? Well, two centuries before Jesus, the Greek king Antiochus took Jerusalem and desecrated the temple. He set up his own gods in the temple and performed pagan sacrifices on the altars meant for the worship of God. Centuries before this, the prophet Daniel described a vision of this and labelled this occurrence as the abomination that causes desolation. It was a horrible, sinful act that ruined the worship at the temple.

Fast forward to 70AD and then we would see the Romans surrounding Jerusalem, letting the population starve, letting famine and sickness go through everyone, and then they entered the city. They killed people who were so frail they couldn’t stand. Blood flowed down the temple steps. The temple burned.

This is what Jesus is referring to in these verses. When the disciples saw these things, they were to get out! Run away! Leave everything behind and flee. Don’t look behind at the temple and the suffering but in their distress, look to Jesus. Those days were terrible for the population but in the midst of all of this, Jesus is still Lord. Jesus knows what is going to happen and so he lovingly warns his disciples about all that is ahead for them. MC

Questions

Prayer

Loving Lord, thank you that you are in control and King over all. In our distress and in our times of need, help us to cry out to you, to pour out our hearts to you, that we may have our eyes and lives fixed on you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.