How does Luke deal with Temple of Jerusalem?

The Temple in Acts

Acts begins with all the disciples of Jesus meeting together. Immediately after the Ascension and Pentecost in the summary statement at the end of Acts 2, the temple once again enters the narrative. Just as Luke's gospel ends with the followers of Christ meeting in the temple, so Acts begins with the same meetings.

Just as Jesus taught in the temple (Luke 19:47), so also the believers meet in the temple (Acts 2:46). Acts 3:1-10 presents an explicit example of some of the Twelve going to the temple to pray. In this way, it still stood at the center of their lives, even as it had stood at the center of Jesus' life. Also of note is the lame man who went with Peter and John to the temple in order to tell others of his healing. After this event, the temple guard arrested and brought the two apostles before the leaders (Acts 4:1-21). It was a temple guard who took them, even as the guard took Jesus in Luke 22:52.24.

In another summary statement at Acts 5:12, Luke portrays the believers meeting at Solomon's Colonnade, a part of the temple. After another arrest, the disciples escape and again teach in the temple (Acts 5:20-25). After being arrested yet again for teaching in the temple, they returned to teach in the temple daily according to Acts 5:42. This indicates not a rejection of the temple, but a continuance of the temple as a place of teaching for the early church, much as it was during Jesus' own ministry. It is more likely that these stories show a rejection of the gospel by the Jewish leaders, and so they in turn are rejected.

The function of the temple in this part of Acts is as the seat for the infancy of Christianity. The next major portion of narrative in which the temple appears details Paul's arrest and the subsequent retellings. Acts 21:26-30 tells of Paul going to the temple in order to fulfill a vow. The Jews accuse him of allowing a Gentile into the temple precincts, at which point a riot ensues. Paul is then taken by the Romans and imprisoned. The verses leading up to this cast the account ironically, since Paul took this vow to demonstrate his allegiance to the temple cults (21:24). While the reaction of the Jews is obviously problematic, it is interesting to note that Paul's "downfall," much like that of Jesus, occurs at the temple. In his defense before the crowd in 22:1-21, Paul asserts that he received a vision while in the temple. That this vision occurs in the temple demonstrates its importance to the narrative, even though Luke places this out of chronological order by Paul's retelling of the near-riot and his defense. Note the recurrences in 24:5-18; 25:7-12; and 26:2-23, which also deal with the charges against him of violating the temple. The temple is then central in the trials before various officials, and the Jewish leaders repeated this allegation more than once in order to keep him imprisoned. The temple continues as a center of action throughout Acts, even as the narrative apparently moves away from Jerusalem. In Acts, the temple conveys many different thematic elements. It functions as the focus of the early church since it is central to the religious life of the church as a gathering place. As argued above, the first five chapters of Acts seem to revolve around the temple, with most of the major action occurring in the temple proper or in its immediate vicinity. One is unable to find any malice or lingering ill-will on the part of the believers against the temple itself, based upon Luke's narrative. In the Pauline sections, the temple returns to prominence after a significant narrative gap. Throughout, the temple is a positive symbol for Paul, even though he is the “apostle to the Gentiles." Thus, the temple in Acts functions as a focal point, yet it seems to bookend Acts instead of playing a central role.

The Temple in Luke (& Jerusalem in the Last Days)

“5 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, 6 “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.” 7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?” 8 He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. 9 When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.” 10 Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. 12 “But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 This will result in your being witnesses to them. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 All men will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By standing firm you will gain life. 20 “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its 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 not enter the city. 22 For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. 23 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled”. (Luke 21:5-38)

The temple fascinated both Jesus and His disciples, but how different were those things which attracted them. Jesus was attracted by a widow and a contribution which would have little or no impact on the receipts of the temple that day: “As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:1-4). The small gift of this widow was singled out by Jesus, above all of the large contributions which were given at that time, for this was all the woman had. She gave out of her need. The others gave out of their abundance. She gave two small and almost worthless coins, but these were all that she had. Jesus commended her gift because it was evidence of her love for God and her faith in Him to care for her needs.

The disciples were attracted by something different, something more tangible, and something more inspiring and impressive. They were awe-struck with the magnificence of the temple. What attracted their attention was that the temple was beautifully adorned. Luke alone informs us that at least some of these adornments were the result of gifts that were donated.

The temple was both great and glorious, especially to the disciples of our Lord. The disciples were not from Jerusalem, but from Galilee. We would say that they were “hicks” from the “sticks.” They would have seldom gone to Jerusalem, and thus they would behold the grandeur of the temple as tourists. And the temple was indeed an awesome sight

It is interesting to note that the three synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) mention only our Lord’s appearance in Jerusalem as a child. John, on the other hand, mentions several occasions at which Jesus was there (John 2:13; 4:45; 5:1ff.; 7:10ff.; 10:22; 11:18). In none of the instances of our Lord’s appearances in Jerusalem can I find a reference to the disciples —at least there is no emphasis on their being present. I would not go so far as to say that when Jesus went to Jerusalem He always left His disciples behind, but it would seem that He could have. I suspect that Jesus did not want His disciples to get caught up in premature messianic enthusiasm, and He therefore may have purposely not taken them with Him, at least on some occasions.

Temple of Solomon

The original Temple of Solomon was an exceptionally magnificent building, but was destroyed in 586 B.C., by the Chaldaeans (Chaldea or Chaldaea (pron.: /kælˈdiːə/), from Greek Χαλδαία, Chaldaia; Akkadian: māt Ḫaldu; Hebrew: כשדים, Kaśdim; Aramaic: ܟܠܕܘ‎, Kaldo) was a marshy land located in south eastern Mesopotamia which came to rule Babylon briefly. Tribes of Semitic settlers who arrived in the region from the 10th Century BC became known as the Chaldeans or the Chaldees. The Hebrew Bible uses the term כשדים (Kaśdim) and this is translated as Chaldaeans in the Septuagint.) It was rebuilt by Zerubbabel (Zerubbabel (Hebrew: זְרֻבָּבֶל, Modern Zrubbavel Tiberian Zərubbāḇél; Greek: Ζοροβαβέλ, Zorovavel; Latin: Zorobabel) was a governor of the Persian Province of Judah (Haggai 1:1) and the grandson of Jehoiachin, penultimate king of Judah. Zerubbabel led the first group of Jews, numbering 42,360, who returned from the Babylonian Captivity in the first year of Cyrus, King of Persia (Ezra). The date is generally thought to have been between 538 and 520 BC. Zerubbabel also laid the foundation of the Second Temple in Jerusalem soon after - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaldea) and his companions after the return of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity. This rebuilt temple was comparatively small and simple. Herod the Great (who ruled over the Jewish people from 37 to 4 B.C.) was a great lover of architecture. And it is due to him that the temple, with its environs on the temple mount, were built up to such a massive and artistic building complex (nearly five hundred yards long and four hundred yards wide). Herod the Great drew up a grand architectural plan according to which the whole temple with all its surrounding buildings had to be rebuilt. He even caused a thousand priests to be trained as builders to do the work so that the Jews could not accuse him of having the temple built by “unclean hands”. With this rebuilding a commencement was already made in 19 B.C., but it was only completed in A.D. 63 under Agrippa II (Agrippa II (born AD 27/28), son of Agrippa I, and like him originally named Marcus Julius Agrippa, was the seventh and last king of the family of Herod the Great, thus last of the Herodians. He was the brother of Berenice, Mariamne, and Drusilla (second wife of the Roman procurator Antonius Felix - http://en.wikipedia.org). He is sometimes also called Herod Agrippa II) and Albinus. This reminds us of what the Jews said to Jesus in reply to His figurative words about the breaking down and erection of the temple. They understood Him to speak of the temple building and then said: “Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou build it up in three days?” (John ii. 20). When they uttered these words (c. A.D. 28), the temple was therefore already forty-six years in rebuilding. It would take another thirty years and longer before it was to be completed. And it had been finished for hardly seven years when in A.D. 70 it was completely destroyed in fire and blood notwithstanding the fanaticism with which the Jews tried to defend it.

The group of buildings belonging to the temple as it was rebuilt by Herod occupied a much larger area than that of Solomon, and the whole of the temple-mount was surrounded by a high, strong wall with towers on the northern side. On the other sides there were no towers, because the steepness of those sides of the hill on which the temple was built and the height of the wall made it impregnable on those sides. On the temple square there were beautiful colonnades, stairs and gates by which the various temple buildings were combined to form a whole. The actual temple was built on an elevation of white marble blocks with golden ornaments. So it dominated all the buildings on the temple site.

The Jewish historian Josephus gives the following description of the temple:

“The whole of the outer works of the temple was in the highest degree worthy of admiration; for it was completely covered with gold plates, which when the sun was shining on them, glittered so dazzlingly that they blinded the eyes of the beholders not less than when one gazed at the sun’s rays themselves. And on the other sides, where there was no gold, the blocks of marble were of such a pure white to the strangers who had never previously seen them (from a distance they looked like a mountain of snow’”.

The noble stones were the great stones used in erecting the building (some huge stones can still be seen in the “wailing wall”, but this was part of the substructure, not of the Temple itself). According to Josephus some of them were as much as forty-five cubits long. The offerings would be decorative gifts such as the golden vine Herod gave with “grape clusters as tall as a man” (Josephus, Bellum v.210 - http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org).

The backdrop to our text is thus the temple and its great beauty. The response of our Lord to the disciples’ awe will evoke two questions:

1. Pertaining to the timing of the coming of the kingdom;

2. Seeking to learn the sign which would precede and prove that His kingdom was at hand;

Jesus did not answer the first question, and He indicates a number of evidences that His return is near. But our Lord’s focus is not on the conclusion of history so much as on the conduct of His disciples in the interim period, a period of considerable length, and of much difficulty.

In Luke 21:5-38 there are two major events in focus, but neither of them are dealt with completely separate from the other:

1. The destruction of Jerusalem;

2. The second coming are distinct events, separated by a considerable period of time and they cannot be separated;

We can arrange the items into an ordered series, and it would run as follows:

(1) the time of testimony (vs. 12a) indicates this period comes before all the rest);

(2) The emergence of false messiahs;

(3) Political upheavals (including the fall of Jerusalem);

(4) Cosmic disturbances; and

(5) The coming of the son of Man.

From this apocalyptic timetable we can extract the Lukan answers to the two questions raised in vs. 7. When will the temple be destroyed? It will occur as part of the political disturbances prior to the End. What will be the sign when this is about to take place? The sign will be when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies (vs. 20). Though it was the oracle about the temple’s destruction that prompted the questions which evoked the discourse, the evangelist’s concerns are broader in this chapter than the fall of Jerusalem and the temple’s demise.

Nevertheless, we can generally view chapter 21 in this way:

(1)The beauty of the widow’s contribution to Jesus—(vv. 1-4)

(2)The beauty of the temple and Jesus’ teaching—(vv. 5-38)

(3)The destruction of temple & its implications—(vv. 5-24)

(4)The second coming of Christ & its implications (vv. 25-38)

However the focal point of our discussion will largely be to verses 5-24, which may be broken down in this way:

(1) The disciples’ awe and Jesus’ awful revelation—(vv. 5-6)

(2) The disciples’ question and Jesus’ response — (vv. 7-24)

(3) The question—(v. 7)

(4) Do not be deceived and follow false messiahs — (v. 8)

(5) Do not be frightened, and fail to be witnesses—(vv. 9-19)

(6) Do not seek safety within Jerusalem—(vv. 20-24)

Jesus had marched on Jerusalem. While there was an enthusiastic crowd to greet Him, Jesus knew that this was not the day of His coronation. There would be a cross before there was to be a crown, as He had already told His disciples on a number of occasions. Jesus wept over this city, for He knew that as a result of its rejection of Him as Messiah, a day of judgment was coming upon it:

“If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days shall come upon you when your enemies will throw up a bank before you, and surround you, and hem you in on every side, and will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation” (Luke 19:42-44)

The official rejection of Jesus is now virtually complete. The leaders of the nation have conspired to put Jesus to death. They have challenged His authority and have asked Him questions which were designed to incriminate Him. These have failed. The leaders have only been embarrassed, causing them to be more resolute in their determination to kill Jesus. All that remains is for Judas to be introduced, and for his act of betrayal to be carried out, leading to the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus. Just as Jesus’ debate with the leaders of Jerusalem is over, so is His teaching of the masses coming to a close. Now, the Lord is concentrating much more on His disciples, preparing them for the treacherous days ahead. They are still “starry-eyed” and optimistic, but Jesus’ words will at least momentarily sober them, or at least puzzle them, for they pertain to the destruction of Jerusalem, the persecution of the Lord’s disciples, and the dangers which accompany discipleship.

Making some very important observations concerning the entire prophetic passage, we will focus our attention on verses 5-24 and the destruction of Jerusalem. We will seek to identify the event, to understand Luke’s description of it, and then to consider the practical implications of this event for the disciple of our Lord.

So let’s make several important observations:

1. Two principle events are in view in our text: the destruction of Jerusalem, which is soon to come, and the second coming of Christ, which will take place after some protracted period of time;

2. These two events are not neatly separated in our text, nor is our text chronological in its organization;

3. Our Lord’s dealing with these two events, separated in time, is not to distinguish them so much as to intertwine them;

4. Luke does not describe the destruction of the temple, and so his two works were either written before the temple’s destruction in 70 A.D. or he chose not to describe the event or to allude to it;

5. Jesus dwells more on the disciples’ conduct than He is on satisfying their curiosity as to either the exact time of fulfillment, its sequence of events, or even some specific sign which unmistakably identifies the end as at hand;

6. While we view the destruction of Jerusalem as past history and the second coming as unfulfilled prophecy, Luke and the disciples viewed them as both future;

7. The things which Jesus says to His disciples as “you” cannot all happen to them, and thus “you” must refer to Israel or Israelites corporately, and not just to the disciples individually;

8. The mood of this text is sober. There is no hype, and much warning about the dangers which lie ahead for Jesus’ disciples. It describes the times ahead, up to the second coming as dangerous and difficult. There is no “prosperity gospel” to be found here, but rather a sobering warning about the days ahead;

9. The subjects of the destruction of Jerusalem and the second coming are not introduced for the first time here. Luke 17:20-37 and 19:41-44 both deal with these future events.

Let’s first talk about disciples’ fascination with Temple, found in 21:5-6:

“5 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, 6 “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”

As we have already seen, the temple was an awe-inspiring sight. The disciples were understandably impressed. Was it possible that the disciples’ attachment to the temple was based upon some false assumptions concerning it? For example, if the disciples believed that Jesus was about to establish His throne in Jerusalem, would He not make the Temple His headquarters? Did this not mean that their “offices” would be in the temple? If such was their thinking, then no wonder they were impressed with this building. What great facilities this building would provide them.

But this was not at all to be the case. The Lord’s coming would really usher in (or at least intensify) the “times of the Gentiles,” which would be signaled by the downfall of Jerusalem and the destruction of this temple. The huge stones, so impressive to the disciples, would not be left standing on one another.75 What “cold water” this must have been, poured out, as it were, on the ever warming hopes of the disciples.

Now we have disciple question found in 21:7:

7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”

Jesus had been very specific about the destruction of the Temple, but vague as to the time when it would take place. The disciples want to know exactly when these things will take place, and the sign which will signal that they are just about to occur. The disciples, like most of us today, are concerned about the wrong things. They wish to know information which will be of no real benefit to them, largely to satisfy their curiosity. Jesus is much more interested in their conduct than their curiosity, and so He virtually avoids their questions, teaching them instead what they do need to know—how they should conduct themselves in the light of the destruction of Jerusalem, and His second coming. This we see in the next passage.

In 21:8-24 we see the destruction of Jerusalem and it practical implication:

“8 He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. 9 When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.” 10 Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven”. 12 “But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 This will result in your being witnesses to them. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 All men will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By standing firm you will gain life. 20 “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its 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 not enter the city. 22 For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. 23 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

Though our Lord has little interest in satisfying the curiosity of His disciples concerning the timing of these events, He has a great interest in teaching them about their conduct in the light of these events. How different is His focus from our own. There are many differences and much debate about the timing and the sequence of events in matters of prophecy, but there can be little doubt as to what our Lord’s emphasis is here—on the disciple’s conduct.

The conduct of the disciple can be summed up in three somewhat negative statements, which are given in the text above:

1. Do not be deceived, so as to follow false “messiah’s” (v. 8);

2. Do not be frightened, either by unsettling world events, or by persecution directed at you personally (vv. 9-19);

3. Do not flee to Jerusalem for safety when it is under siege (vv. 20-24);

In verse 8, Jesus warned of the danger of following false “messiah’s.” When times are bad, it is easier to accept ready solutions to our problems. The false “messiah’s” have been with us throughout the history of the church. They claim to come in our Lord’s name. Indeed, they are bold enough to claim to be Him. Naturally, they must also claim that the time of the “kingdom” has come. I believe that it is not the “messiah” which is so attractive in the final analysis, but the “kingdom” which he promises. Jesus here outlines the very difficult days ahead for His followers. The false “messiah’s” promise of “good times,” which is synthetic, “good news” for troubled saints. Jesus warns His disciples not to follow such fakes.

Luke’s account has but one verse of warning concerning the false “messiah’s,” but Matthew has much more to say on this subject. He reports of Jesus teaching that these “counterfeit Christ’s” will be accompanied by “great signs and miracles” (24:23-24). He further informs us Jesus warned that many will “turn away from the faith” in following such “saviors and that the love of most would grow cold (24:10-13). These last days will be difficult ones for the followers of Jesus. To be too eager to escape these tough times will cause one to be susceptible to such errors.

In verse 9 Jesus turns to the difficulties which may tempt the true believer to deny or to distort his faith and practice. The great danger which is in view is that of fear. Fear is both the enemy of, and the opposite of, faith. Verses 9-11 speak of the dangers facing men in general, less personal forms: wars, revolutions, earthquakes, famines, and pestilences. These are not personal forces, but they can have a great personal impact upon an individual. The last days are going to be chaotic, dangerous, and foreboding, but these “dark hours” are the occasion for light, the light of the gospel (cf. Ephesians 5:8-14; Philippians 2:15). All of these chaotic events cannot and must not be avoided, for the kingdom of God will come only after these things have come to pass (v. 9). The cross always precedes the crown.

In verse 12 the difficulties of the disciple become much more personal. Now, the Lord speaks of the persecution which believers in Christ must suffer by virtue of their identification with Him. The persecution spoken of here is characteristic of that which has taken place down through the history of the church, but it is that which directly affected the disciples to whom Jesus was speaking. Luke, in his second volume, the book of Acts, gives a historical account of some of the sufferings of the saints in the days after our Lord’s ascension.

The difficulties of these hard times, is no barrier to the gospel, however. Indeed, these hard times provide an excellent opportunity to demonstrate and to proclaim the hope which we have in Christ. Believers will be brought forward, and charged publicly, and thus they have the opportunity for a public witness, whether before Jewish opponents in the synagogues, or Gentile opponents, such as kings and governors. In such cases, the saint is not to plan his testimony in advance, but rather to look to the Lord to give the right words for the moment. Stephen’s powerful message (recorded in Acts 7) is but one example of the faithfulness of God to give His servants the right words to speak.

The persecution which men will face will be even more personal, however. Not only will we be opposed by the enemies of the gospel, such as religious and political leaders, but we will be opposed by our own families. Saints in those hard times will be betrayed by their closest relatives, handed over to persecution, and even to death. Now, the hard words of Jesus concerning the disciple and his family (Luke 14:26), make a great deal of sense. The “hard words” of Jesus were intended for the “hard times” ahead, times such as those described here in chapter 21. If we are going to be betrayed by our own family, we must have chosen Christ above family, or we will forsake the faith in such times.

Disciples are not to be apprehensive about what they will say in their own defense, because the words will be given them at the time of need (v. 14). Men need not fear the rejection of family if they have already chosen Christ above all others (v. 16). Men and women of faith need not fear persecution, and even death, because true life, eternal life, is found in Christ (vv. 17-19). It sounds contradictory for our Lord to say that some will be killed for their faith in Him, and then, in the very next sentence to affirm that “Not a hair of you head will perish” (v. 18). How can both statements be true? The problem is at once resolved when we distinguish “real, eternal, life” from “mere physical existence.” In our Lord’s discussion with the Sadducees He taught that with God, all are alive, for God raises the dead. To hold fast to one’s faith and to die in faith is not to die at all, but to live.

As Jesus elsewhere taught: “For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it” (Luke 9:24).

The third warning of our Lord to His disciples is found in verses 20-24, where the context is the coming destruction of Jerusalem (of which the destruction of the temple was a part). This would happen in the lifetime of the disciples who were with Jesus. It was a warning particularly relevant to them, for most of the saints would have fled from Jerusalem by the time of its destruction, but not the apostles:

“And on that day [of Stephen’s stoning] a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles” (Acts 8:1b).

Persecution was to be God’s instrument for removing His church from Jerusalem before its destruction. The disciples (here called apostles), however, would remain behind. Jesus’ words are most relevant to them. When they saw the Roman army coming to besiege the city, they should flee from it, so as to escape from the wrath of God at the hands of these soldiers. The action which our Lord called for would have first seemed to be suicidal.

The destruction of Jerusalem would prove to be as devastating as Jesus had forewarned, because according to Josephus (Titus Flavius Josephus (37 – c. 100), also called Joseph ben Matityahu (Biblical Hebrew: יוסף בן מתתיהו, Yosef ben Matityahu), was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer who was born in Jerusalem - then part of Roman Judea - to a father of priestly descent and a mother who claimed royal ancestry; in the book: “The Jewish War, Chapter VI, 9 - http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org) 1,000,000 Jews perished at that time with the destruction of Jerusalem (through famine, pestilence’s, fratricide, and the Roman sword) and 97,000 prisoners were taken and carried off everywhere. Josephus probably exaggerates. But in any case it is certain that hundreds of thousands perished. The Roman historian Tacitus states (Historiae, v, 13, 4) that the normal population of Jerusalem was 600,000 before A.D. 70. And if we bear in mind that before the investment of the city the Jews poured into Jerusalem in tens of thousands for the Passover and could not again return to their homes and thus remained in the city throughout the five months’ siege, it may be understood that hundreds of thousands would perish in the over-populated city. In any case not a single one was left alive in the ruined city. Furthermore, in this destruction, foretold by our Lord, a number of the purposes of God would be accomplished. The old order would be done away with. The priesthood would be done away with. The way would be made for the church to be established as the dwelling place of God, the “new temple” (cf. Ephesians 2:18-22). The temple made with human hands would be no more. The Jews would be removed from their land. The times of the Gentiles would be in full swing. Until the Lord’s return, Jerusalem would be the pawn of the Gentiles, to deal with as they chose (in my opinion, this includes the present order in Israel, which exists only because of the Gentiles intention of dealing thus with the Jews). So to conclude, Jesus’ words here contain a number of important lessons for those of that day, as well as for saints of all ages.

The Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts weave a varicolored tapestry illustrating the temple's influences in the daily lives of people in the era of Jesus and his apostles. In fact, to demonstrate that the temple gave meaning to life and faith, Luke begins his two-volume story inside the temple, taking his readers within the sanctuary, one of the most sacred spots on earth. Moreover, as Luke's narrative demonstrates, the temple was a place of worship and sacrifice, of healing and teaching, of beauty and begging. All life and living came together at the temple. The universality of the temple in the spiritual lives of early Christians makes their history all the more poignant when the temple door slammed shut on them.

The first place that Luke mentions in his Gospel is the sanctuary of the temple, which is the holy space separated from the holy of holies by the veil of the temple. It appears in the following line: "[Zacharias's] lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord" (Luke 1:9). The term translated as "temple" here is the Greek word “naos”, which means a sanctuary (also in Luke 1:21, 22). Hence, Luke's Gospel account of divine promises and resulting miracles opens in God's house. The first promise, of course, comes from an angel to Zacharias the priest and features the birth of an unusual child, the firstborn of Zacharias and his wife Elisabeth (see Luke 1:13–17). Thus a sacred promise of birth is associated with the sanctuary. In this connection, the line "Elisabeth conceived" (Luke 1:24)—another reference to birth—records the first in a series of miracles that follow the divine promise to Zacharias. Naturally, this series of miracles includes those tied to Jesus' birth and those growing out of his ministry. The broader story of Luke chapter 1 concerns a family, the family of Zacharias and Elisabeth. God makes this family whole by aiding in the miraculous birth of John, later known as the Baptist. In sum, Luke opens his story in the sanctuary, one of the most holy places on earth, and shows sensitivity to sacred space. Additionally, the story ties the concepts of birth and family firmly to the temple experience of Zacharias.

Luke's narrative next mentions the temple as the site of offerings. This is significant in terms of both what was offered and, perhaps, what was not offered. Mary's mandatory offering for purification, which, according to the Law of Moses, was to follow the birth of a child, occurred at the proper place in the temple. According to the Law of Moses, a woman was obliged to offer sacrifice forty days after the birth of a male child and eighty days after that of a female in order to regain her ritual purity. Before offering such a sacrifice, a woman was not to put her hand upon any sacred thing nor enter any hallowed place. Poor people were to offer either two turtledoves or two pigeons (see Leviticus 12:2–8). It is this sacrifice that Luke specifically notes and that Joseph and Mary perform (see Luke 2:24).

This set of scenes underscores the importance of the temple as a place of sacred offerings and commitments. More than that, Luke shows that those in his story who come to the temple for such purposes are faithful to God's law—in this case, the Law of Moses—a point worth emphasizing. Demonstrating such faithfulness seems to be one of Luke's intents when he narrates the events that occurred at the temple (see Luke 2:22, 24, 27, 39). In addition, there is an underlying sense that those who are truly respectful of Moses' law are in a position to receive the new law that is to be brought forward by Jesus. Thus the temple becomes more than a place of offerings. It becomes a testing ground, as it were. In this light, participation in temple services is one of the measures of righteousness, but participation alone does not confer righteousness. A quick examination of the offices of those who were involved not only in Jesus' arrest but also in the later attempts to restrain his apostles exposes temple officials as leaders of the relentless opposition against him and his followers, nonetheless in the earliest passages of Luke, those events surrounding Jesus' first presentation at the temple portray the temple itself in a positive light.

In Luke 2:22-38 we see aged Simeon and Anna who prophesied about and praised the infant. In Luke's narrative, the events that involve this elderly pair establish that the temple is a place of inspiration and prophecy. But these are not the only such incidents in Luke and Acts. The healing of the cripple at the beautiful gate of the temple and Paul's vision within the temple grounds substantiate the same point (see Acts 3:1–11; 22:17–21). In addition, the writer gives us little information about the lives and temple activities of Simeon and Anna except to say, in the case of Anna, that she "served God with fasting and prayers night and day" (Luke 2:37). Rather, Luke's focus rests on their inspired interaction with Jesus' parents and the infant himself. In the case of Simeon, Luke first notes the revelation that had come to him through the Holy Ghost "that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ" (Luke 2:26).

The most important details in the story come in verse 27 where Luke writes that Simeon "came by the Spirit into the temple". Not only did the Spirit guide Simeon into the temple and, evidently, to the very spot in that huge edifice where Mary and Joseph were, but when Simeon took the child "in his arms" (2:28), the Spirit loosed a flood of wide-ranging prophecy about Jesus' future. According to Simeon's inspired words, the child would brighten into "a light to lighten the Gentiles" and, in a similar vein, would radiate "the glory of [God's] people Israel." Thus Jesus' work would bring blessings both to Gentiles and to Israelites. Moreover, he would become "a sign which shall be spoken against", probably pointing to the opposition that Jesus would face during his ministry.

Luke's description, placing Anna next to Simeon in a tight sequence, plainly implies that she too came at the behest of the Spirit. These spiritual manifestations in the temple do not stand alone. In a much later scene, Peter and John healed a crippled man at the Beautiful gate, which allows entry from the Court of the Gentiles into one of the inner courts (see Acts 3:1–11). The unusual force of the miracle emerges from the fact that the "man [was] lame from his mother's womb" (Acts 3:2). The miracle reversed a situation that had occurred before his birth—that is, as a natural process. The intensity of the man's joyful response appears not only in his "walking, and leaping, and praising God" but also in the fact that he "held Peter and John" fast, not letting go, perhaps putting his arms firmly around their necks or waists (Acts 3:8, 11). In summary, the involvements of Simeon and Anna underscore the notion that the temple was a place for receiving the highest of spiritual blessings.

Now in Luke 2:41-51 we will find that Temple was a center of teaching and learning, where the Jesus was a teacher of “the doctors”. This pattern of Jesus (and His disciples) teaching in the temple repeats itself many times in Luke and Acts. To conclude is important to note that the temple continued as a place of teaching and learning even after Jesus' death and resurrection. In fact, the temple seems to have become the center of the apostles' regular teaching activity, as Luke's notation about the customary place of meeting indicates: Solomon's porch that runs along the east side of the temple area (see Acts 3:11; 5:12).

Earlier I spoke about Luke's story about Anna. This sets an approving tone for temple worship. He records that she "departed not from the temple, but served God with fasting and prayers night and day" (Luke 2:37). Luke's positive note, if anything, holds up such temple worship habits as exemplary. So does Jesus himself.

In summary, the collective of passages in Luke and Acts, which deals with worship at the temple, all paint such experiences in very positive hues. Whether it is Anna's worship habits, Jesus' parable of the two men praying, Jesus' actions and words against temple merchants, or the activities of Jesus' apostles, the resulting picture is the same. They all regarded the temple as the chief center of worship.

The concept of worship or public prayer is that of rituals or ceremonies, the morning and evening public prayers were closely tied to the sacrifices of the two daily burnt offerings and the two ceremonies of lighting incense. Such an observation recalls Luke's remark that a crowd of people who "were praying" outside the temple awaited Zacharias's appearance after his ceremonial lighting of the incense (see Luke 1:10, 21). Moreover, Anna's presence in the temple "night and day" (Luke 2:37) may point to the two times that people came together daily for public prayers and for the ceremonies of lighting incense and sacrificing burnt offerings.

In Luke 21:5 we can find the beauty of the Temple: "of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts".

From other ancient sources too, we can find, predominantly the works of Josephus (Titus Flavius Josephus (37 – c. 100), also called Joseph ben Matityahu (Biblical Hebrew: יוסף בן מתתיהו, Yosef ben Matityahu), was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer who was born in Jerusalem - then part of Roman Judea - to a father of priestly descent and a mother who claimed royal ancestry - http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org), that the temple structure of Jesus' day was an edifice of almost unparalleled beauty. The refurbished temple that was standing then was the work of King Herod. In fact, construction was still going on during Jesus' ministry and would do so for more than three decades after his ascension.

That the temple was the center of all life and living is perhaps best illustrated not only by the daily presence of a crippled beggar at one of the interior gates, the gate "which is called Beautiful", but also by his healing (see Acts 3:2–8). I have already explored the meaning of the temple in light of both the healing of this man and the ceremonial purpose for which Peter and John had come to the temple that day.

In light of our discussion it should not surprise us that early Christians still kept ceremonies required by the Law of Moses, even a generation after Jesus' atonement. On this occasion, Paul had agreed to a request by James the brother of the Lord to accompany devoted church members into the temple as they completed their vows (see Acts 21:18–26). The experience started innocently enough, but Paul had already received a number of warnings that this trip to Jerusalem would lead to his imprisonment (see Acts 20:22; 21:4, 10–11, 13). Oddly, his imprisonment turned out to be a rescue from the hands of an angry mob within the temple grounds.

So to conclude: the temple is the starting place for Luke's entire two-volume story that began with the angel's appearance to Zacharias and ended with Paul safely in Rome preaching the gospel message.

The angel's words to Zacharias in the sanctuary spoke of birth and, by extension, of family. In the events that rolled out of this beginning, we sense the importance of the temple for teaching and healing, for ceremonies and worship, for beauty, and for accepting and blessing the unfortunate among us.

In the end, nonetheless, Luke presents an unusual twist.

The temple became a place hostile to Jesus' followers. Its "doors were shut" against them (Acts 21:30). Now it stood bereft of the people who came and went under the influence of God's Spirit and it stood awaiting its destruction at the hands of Roman legionnaires. Even so, for as long as the temple stood, it functioned as a spiritual guiding light and haven for those who came within its walls.

At the end, The Temple and Jerusalem have been closely linked to one another, through this is not always a direct correspondence, but rather is a solid premise. Additionally, by tracing references to the Temple and Jerusalem (as we saw throughout the two books); we can observe the use of the Temple as the beginning and goal of Luke and as the center of the Book of Acts.

Based upon the temple grounds, as the building church, as the indication, apparently all this points toward the Temple as the rightful place of the church as the true successors of the title: “the people of God”.

NOTES:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaldea

• http://en.wikipedia.org

• Josephus, Bellum v.210 - http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org

• http://orthodoxwiki.org

• http://www.biblegateway.com

• Свети ТЕОФИЛАКТ Охридски ТУМАЧЕЊA ДЕЛА АПОСТОЛСКИХ

• ПРЕПОДОБНИ ЈУСТИН ЋЕЛИЈСКИ ДОГМАТИКА ПРАВОСЛАВНЕ ЦРКВЕ