A Study of Luke 21:25-36
by William Stringfellow
Read Luke 21: 25-36
Notice: It is placed among assorted discourses attributed directly to Jesus while he was teaching in the temple in Jerusalem, after having entered the city in the midst of the fanfare and tumult which has come to be known as Palm Sunday. (Luke 21:37; see Luke 19:28-47). Immediately following this passage is the Luke account of the events of Maundy Thursday-the Last Supper, Jesus' agony as he prayed at the Mount of Olives, the betrayal of Judas, the arrest and arraignment of Jesus, Peter's denial (Luke 22) . Thus, the very location of this passage gives it much prominence, while, at the same time, the direct attribution of the words in the passage to Jesus by the writer of the account clothes it with great authority.
Read the passage again.
Comments - The passage bespeaks signs of the coming of the Lord, but it seems clear that it is the Second Coming of the Lord that is the reference, rather than the birth of Jesus.
- Why has the Church traditionally called attention to signs of the second Advent in observing the first Advent?
- Does the Luke text concerning signs of the Second Coming recall other Biblical passages? (see, e.g.,. Matthew 24:3 35; Mark 13:4-37; John 12:27-33, 16:33; I Thes. 5:1-11; II Tim. 3:1-5; II Peter 3;3-10; Rev. 6:12-17; cf., Is. 13:10; Dan. 7:13-14).
- Is the message for the world of the first Advent and that of the second Advent the same? Is there some basic connection between the two Advents so far as the life of this world is concerned? Can either Advent be understood without reference to the other?
- The birth of Christ is commonly regarded as an occasion for rejoicing. What is there to rejoice about in this text about the coming of Christ "with power and great glory" amidst perplexity, foreboding, and final distress?
- What does it mean for a Christian to be vigilant and to "watch at all times" for signs of the Judgment of the Word of God?
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