Encouragement To Faith In Times Of Fear

Luke 21:5-24
Impressive, dazzling, magnificent, an architectural wonder - these are just a few ways Herod’s Temple has been described by historians. It was massive, and it symbolized power, strength, and immense wealth. In Luke’s account, as the Galileans are marveling at the beauty and artistry as well as the magnitude of the Temple, Jesus turns again to his followers with an “upside-down kingdom” prophecy: this symbol of worldly power and dominance would be destroyed. And, as prominent and awe-inspiring as the Temple was, Jesus did not hesitate to claim that He was greater.
Perhaps the Temple, with all of its symbolic power and greatness, began to mean more to the people than God meant to them. Perhaps their awe at its splendor and its security of power meant more to the people than their trust in God. What do you think Jesus was doing in predicting the destruction of Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem? How do you see earlier accounts in Luke building up to this prophecy?