Why to Bring Back Reverence Into Our Lives - Today's Bible Verse Explained / Homily - Saint Luke 21:20-28

By Tony Joe:

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 21:20-28

Jesus said to his disciples: “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that its desolation is at hand.

Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. Let those within the city escape from it, and let those in the countryside not enter the city, for these days are the time of punishment when all the scriptures are fulfilled.

Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days, for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth and a wrathful judgment upon this people.

They will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.

People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon 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.

But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand."

Today's Bible Verse Explained / Homily - Saint Luke 21:20-28

In today's Bible reading we witness Jesus continuing his teaching at the Jerusalem Temple.

He warns about two specific events - one, the imminent fall of Jerusalem, and the other, the end of the world.

The timeless nature of his teachings will mesmerize any ardent observer, as on one hand He is foretelling about an imminent event, then about Jerusalem remaining in predominantly foreign control for nearly 1900 years till the modern Israel state was established, and then about the end of the world.

Indeed, Jerusalem beats every city in being ruled by the highest number of foreign nations, during this period. During the 1900 years between the Siege of Jerusalem of AD 70 and the formation of modern Israel, the city has been ruled by Romans, Byzantines, Persians, Sassanids, Arabs, Crusaders, Ottoman Turks, British, and Jordanians.

Note Christ's words that "Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled."

He also correctly predicts the dispersal of His community members across the world which finally resulted in the greatest human tragedy of all time - the Holocaust during World War II. 

Note his statement, "They will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles."

   

Regarding the end of the world too, Jesus is foretelling several signs - in the sun, moon, and stars, as well as greatly disturbed oceans.

Finally, it will be time for Son of Man to reappear for the Last Judgement, and unlike His first coming, He will come in "power and great glory." 

The great tragedy that will befall the whole world just before the Last Judgement is eloquently captured in his words - "...on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves", and that "People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world."

But this Gospel verse also delivers one of the greatest hopes ever to all the believers, who adore the one and only God, in the Spirit.

Even when these terrible signs begin to appear, they can "...stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand."

It is worth meditating upon when can we stand erect with raised heads in everyday life.

Of course, it is only when we are confident that we have not done shameful things before the world.

But that is easier, as when the world or the culture itself becomes shameless, many can stand erect with raised heads facing the world.

Whether you and me can do the same before God is the all important question today's Gospel reading is asking us to meditate upon.

Whether we have done or are doing shameful things before God who is witness to everything, even our secret thoughts.

A good point to start the required corrections is to ponder whether we have anything to revere as sacred in our lives. God, values, morals, anything would do as a starting point.

The world and its culture are turning irreverent at an alarming pace, with nothing spared from our crude jokes, our vulgar comments, and our swear words.

Let us start the journey back to our innocence, when God, parents, siblings, spouse, friends, relations, work, hobbies, reading, television, and many such things were viewed with reverence.

A life without reverence for anything is what makes a life shameful before God. Let us start our corrections.