Глава 21

1–4. Two widow's mites. – 5–38. Prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem and the second coming of Christ. Luke 21:1. Looking, He saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury; Luke 21:2. I also saw a poor widow who put two mites there, Luke 21:3. and said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than anyone else; Luke 21:4. for all of them, out of their abundance, put in as a gift to God, but she, out of her poverty, put in all the food she had. The story of the widow who put two mites into the church treasury is an almost exact repetition of the story of the Evangelist Mark (Mark 12:41–44). "After looking". Until now, the Lord had been talking with His disciples. Now He looks around the people entering the church and sees a widow. “As a gift” (verse 4) more precisely: “as gifts” (εἰς τὰ δῶρα), i.e. the rich added from themselves to the gifts that were in the treasury. Luke 21:5. And when some said about the church that it was decorated with expensive stones and inlays, He said: Luke 21:6. the days will come in which from what you see here, not one stone will be left upon another; everything will be destroyed. Luke 21:7. And they asked Him: Teacher! when will this be? and what is the sign when this should happen? The introduction to the speech about the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world is presented according to the Gospel of Mark with abbreviations (Mark 13: 1–4). "Some" . These were, in all likelihood, disciples of Christ (cf. verse 7 and Mark 13:1). “With expensive stones” (cf. Mark 13:1). "Deposits" (ἀναθήμασι). These are various offerings to the church, made on famous occasions, for example, the golden vine given by Herod the Great (Josephus, “The Jewish War,” VI, 5, 2). “When will this be?” Apparently, those asking only mean the destruction of Jerusalem, but since this fact in their minds was closely connected with the destruction of the world, they do not ask anything about the latter (see Mark 13:4). Luke 21:8. He said, Beware that you are not deceived, for many will come in My name, saying that I am He; and that time is at hand: do not go after them. Luke 21:9. When you hear about wars and turmoil, do not be horrified, for these things must happen first; but the end is not immediate. Luke 21:10. Then he said to them: nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; Luke 21:11. there will be great earthquakes in places, and famines, and pestilences, and terrible phenomena, and great signs from heaven. The Lord speaks here about the harbingers of the coming of the Messianic time, the time of the opening of the glorious Kingdom of the Messiah. “Then he said to them” (verse 10), i.e. After a preliminary exhortation, he began to depict the impending disasters. "In places", i.e. now there, now in another place. "From the sky". This definition applies to both the previous expressions "appearance" and "sign". This is discussed in more detail in the comments to Mark 13:6–8; Matthew 24:4–7. Luke 21:12. First of all, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues and prisons, and bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake; Luke 21:13. This will be for your testimony. Luke 21:14. So make it your heart not to think in advance what to answer, Luke 21:15. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all who oppose you will not be able to contradict or resist. Luke 21:16. You will also be betrayed by your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and some of you will be put to death; Luke 21:17. and you will be hated by everyone because of My name, Luke 21:18. but not even a hair of your head will be lost, Luke 21:19. With your patience save your souls. The Evangelist Luke speaks, in general, in agreement with Mark (Mark 13:9-13) about the calamities that will befall the disciples of Christ before the onset of this time. “Above all these things” (verse 12), i.e. these disasters will befall you even before the destruction of Jerusalem. “This will be for your testimony” (verse 13), i.e. By doing this you will be able to show your loyalty to Me. "Mouth" (verse 15), i.e. ability to speak eloquently and persuasively. The apostles received this when the Holy Spirit was sent down to them (see Acts 6:10). “Nevertheless a hair of your head shall perish” (verse 18). According to the usual interpretation (see, for example, the Explanatory Gospel of Bishop Michael), here we are talking about the fact that God will protect the disciples, protect their life, which is necessary for the preaching of the gospel. But this explanation does not correspond to the expression of verse 16: “some of you will be put to death.” More likely is the opinion that here we are talking about preserving the disciples spiritually: “none of the above will harm you in the matter of your salvation.” The meaning of verse 19 also fits this interpretation, where it is undoubtedly said that through patience in suffering, the disciples of Christ will preserve themselves for eternal true life (Mark 13:13). Finally, one could understand this passage in such a way that even if the apostles endure misfortune and torment, it will only be where it is God’s permission (cf. Matt. 10:30). Luke 21:20. When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is drawing near: Luke 21:21. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; and whoever is in the city, come out of it; and whoever is in the vicinity, do not enter it, Luke 21:22. for these are the days of vengeance, that all that is written may be fulfilled. Luke 21:23. Woe to them that are pregnant and to those who nurse at the breast in those days; for there will be great disaster in the land and wrath against this people: Luke 21:24. and they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and be carried away into captivity among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. The Evangelist Luke speaks about the destruction of Jerusalem, in general, in agreement with Mark (Mark 13:14 et seq.), but there are some peculiarities here. “Jerusalem surrounded by armies” (verse 20). Some (for us - Bishop Michael) believe that the Evangelist Luke here explains what the “abomination of desolation” is, which Mark (and Matthew) speaks of. But such an interpretation is not based on anything. Surrounding a city with troops does not mean “desolation” of it... “Those who are in Judea” (verse 21). This refers to the disciples of Christ, as can be seen from verse 20 (“you will see” - “know”). The opportunity to flee the city will therefore still present itself, even though the city will be surrounded (verse 20). “Let all things that are written be fulfilled” (verse 22). This refers to numerous prophecies about the destruction of Jerusalem, including Daniel’s prophecy about the 70 weeks (Dan.9:26–27). “From the edge of the sword” (verse 24) – more precisely: “from the mouth of the sword” (στόματι μαχαίρας). The sword is depicted as a biting beast (cf. Gen. 34:26; Deut. 13:15). According to Josephus, about a million Jews died during the siege and capture of Jerusalem. "They will be taken into captivity." 97 thousand were taken captive - mostly to Egypt and other provinces. “Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles.” The city is here portrayed as a person whom the Gentiles will treat with utter contempt (cf. Isa. 10:6; Rev. 11:2). “Until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled,” i.e. until the period of time appointed for the pagans to carry out God's judgment on the Jewish people has passed (St. John Chrysostom). These “times” (καιροί) must end at the second coming of Christ (cf. verses 25–27), which must occur during the lifetime of the listeners of this speech (verse 28: “lift up your heads”). Therefore, there can be no talk here about long periods and, therefore, there is no prophecy about the fall of paganism under Constantine the Great, much less about the conversion of “the full number of the pagans” (Rom. 11:25) to Christ. It is clear that by the coming of Christ here it will be necessary to understand not His coming before the end of the world, but His coming in the Holy Spirit, or consider the speech about the Second Coming spoken in the spirit of Old Testament prophecies (see comments on Matthew 24). Luke 21:25. And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on earth there will be despondency of the nations and bewilderment; and the sea will roar and be troubled; Luke 21:26. people will die of fear and anticipation of the disasters coming to the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken, Luke 21:27. and then they will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. Luke 21:28. When this begins to come true, then look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. Luke 21:29. And he told them a parable: Look at the fig tree and at all the trees: Luke 21:30. when they are already blooming, then, seeing this, you know for yourself that summer is already close. Luke 21:31. So, when you see these things coming true, know that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Luke 21:32. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things happen; Luke 21:33. heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. The Second Coming will be preceded by special signs, which the Evangelist Luke speaks of, closer to the Gospel of Mark (see Mark 13:24–31). “Signs in the sun” (verse 25; see Mark 13:24). “Despondency of peoples and bewilderment” - more precisely: the grief of peoples in a hopeless state of mind in front of the noise of the sea and waves (the noise of the sea and its indignation is exactly what people will stand in front of in a hopeless state of mind, συνοχὴ ἐθνῶν ἐν ἀπορίᾳ ). “To die of fear” (verse 26). Since the image moves at an increasingly strong pace, what we need to see here is not simple powerlessness, but the direct emission of the last breath of people. "For the powers of the heavens will be shaken." This will be the reason for the extraordinary noise of the sea and other turmoil in the world. “Your redemption” (verse 28) is the same as “vengeance for the elect” (Luke 18:7). The judgment of the evildoers and the glorification of the sufferers for the name of Christ will begin. Luke 21:34. Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with gluttony and drunkenness and the cares of this life, and lest that day come upon you suddenly, Luke 21:35. for he will come upon all those who live on all the face of the earth like a snare; Luke 21:36. Therefore, watch at all times and pray, that you may be worthy to escape all these future disasters and to stand before the Son of Man. The exhorting character at the conclusion of this speech can be observed in both Matthew and Mark, but in Mark and Matthew this exhortation is much simpler and shorter (cf. Mark 13:33 et seq.; Matt. 24:42). “Intoxication” – more precisely: “hangover”, as a result of yesterday’s intoxication (κραιπάλῃ) as opposed to drunkenness (μέθῃ). "That day", i.e. the day of the second coming and judgment. “I have not comprehended you.” This day is personified as seizing people unexpectedly. “Like a net” is a net that hunters throw over animals or birds (cf. Isa. 24:17). "For all time". It is more correct to relate this expression to the word “pray” (δεόμενοι), because the Lord spoke about constant prayer above (Luke 18:1–7). “May you be worthy” is the goal and together the content of the prayer. According to the best codes, it reads here: in order for you to have strength, to be able (κατισχύσατε, and not καταξιωθῆτε). "Avoid everyone..." . Those. happily overcome all the dangers that lie ahead of you and save your life, i.e. their position as God's chosen ones (cf. verse 19 and Luke 18:7). “To appear before the Son of Man” (see Mark 13:27). The elect will be placed (σταθῆναι) before Christ by the Angels and will form a chosen retinue around Him (cf. 1 Thess. 4:17). There is no talk here about the judgment of these chosen ones of God. Luke 21:37. During the day He taught in the church, and when He went out He spent the night on the mount called the Mount of Olives. Luke 21:38. And all the people came to Him in the church in the morning to listen to Him. Here is a general overview of Christ's activities during the latter part of His life. The Lord continued during the day, without fear of enemies, to speak in the church as a teacher, and at night he retired to Mount Olivet (cf. Mark 11:19). You might be interested in: