December 3rd, 2023
Scripture
5 When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, 6 “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”
7 They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” 8 And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray, for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them.
9 “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified, for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” 10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom; 11 there will be great earthquakes and in various places famines and plagues, and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.
12 “But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. 13 This will give you an opportunity to testify. 14 So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance, 15 for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents and siblings, by relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 You will be hated by all because of my name. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your souls.
--Luke 21:5–19
Reflection
Bracing words to begin the year!
In our passage (Luke 21:5–19), our Lord warns his disciples of the cataclysm attending the fall of Jerusalem and the end of the world. He warns, too, of “the cost of discipleship” and of the opposition and persecution which those who follow in the way of the Crucified are bound to suffer in one form or another. “You will be hated by all because of my name,” he says (v. 17). But such opposition is, to the Christian, an opportunity to bear witness to Christ crucified (see vv. 13–15). And an occasion for displaying the loving protection and care of God: “You will be hated by all,” he says, “But not a hair of your head will perish” (v. 18). Given that Jesus has just warned his disciples that some of them will be put to death (v. 16), this must also be true of the martyrs; “not a hair of their heads will perish,” in the sense that the Lord will preserve their souls (see Wisdom 3:1) and vindicate them in the resurrection. Therefore, they have nothing to fear. As Jesus says elsewhere, “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more” (Luke 12:4). Indeed, they can even rejoice, as the first Christians did, that “they were worthy to suffer dishonor” for the sake of Christ (Acts 5:41, cf. Matthew 5:11-12), because in this way especially their lives are configured to the life of their Master.
“By your endurance (ὑπομονή, hypomone) you will gain your souls,” Jesus says (Luke 21:19). This call to “patient endurance” (hypomene) is the point where the words of Jesus intersect our lives. Our Lord addresses you and me, calling us to faithfulness and steadfastness in our devotion to Christ and his Kingdom. Calling us to put nothing before the love of Christ.
Therefore…let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance (“patient endurance”, hypomone) the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured (hypomeno) the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured (hypomeno) such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart. (Heb 12:1–3)
The call to patient endurance is also a central theme for the season of Advent. So, this Advent, let us recommit ourselves unreservedly to the Lord Jesus, offering him our whole selves, souls and bodies. “May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness (hypomone) of Christ” (2 Thess 3:5).
The Rev. Christopher Yoder
Rector, All Souls’ OKC