Topic 10Topic 10 Judgment on the ComplacentJudgment on the Complacent(Jesus’ Future Expectation)(Jesus’ Future Expectation)

Kingdom of God brings salvation for the needy but judgment and disaster for the satisfied (rich, powerful, religious).

A. The Woes (pronouncements of doom/judgment) – Jesus challenges the pious/respectable/powerful.

1. Woes against the rich (# 74 Lk. 6:24-26)a. Counterparts to Luke’s Beatitudes. (Jesus comforts the troubled;

troubles the comfortable.)

b. Warnings of doom to the rich, full, laughing, well-spoken-of.c. Wealthy oppressors – depend on power/wealth; no need for

God; no respect for God’s demands for justice.d. Warns of “eschatological reversal of fortunes”: oppressed poor

to be delivered; rich oppressors to be judged (cf. Rich Man and Lazarus).

A. The Woes – cont.2. Woes against scribes and Pharisees (# 154 Lk. 11:37-54

par. Mt. 23:1-26 cf. # 210)a. Pharisees (v. 39-44)

1) Overemphasize rituals (purity; tithing) but neglect ethics (justice; mercy; faith; cf. Mt. 23:23).

2) Pose as models of righteousness (cf. Mt. 23:5-7) but really are stumbling-blocks (blind guides; cf. Mt. 23:24).

b. Scribes (v. 45-52) – interpreters of Torah1) Impose heavy burdens of Torah-interpretation – levels of

tithes, temple tax, sacrifices, purity, Sabbath kept poor peasants impure and excluded (cf. Mt. 11:28-30).

2) Reject kingdom of God for themselves and hinder others.a) Climax long history of rejecting God’s messengers.b) Judgment coming upon Jerusalem/temple (Lk. 11:49-51;

Mt. 23:36-39; c) Parable of Wicked Tenants (# 204 Mk. 12:1-12) – Israel’s

leaders rejected prophets; now Jesus; vineyard taken away.c. “Hypocrite” (13 of 17 occurrences are in Mt.)

1) Theater term – actor playing role behind mask.2) Role-player; pretender; pretends to be religious but not sincere.3) Pharisees not uniformly hypocritical; Mt. may heighten polemic

due to conflict with synagogue at time of writing.4) Such hypocrisy can infect any religion, even our own.

B. Two Eschatological Discourses1. The “Little Apocalypse” (Mk. 13 par. # 213-230)

a. Unfolds eschatological drama scene by scene.1) v. 1-4 Setting: outside temple

a) Temple will be destroyed.b) Questions about the End: when? signs?

2) v. 5-8 Preliminary signsa) False messiahs, wars, earthquakes, famine (traditional

apocalyptic signs of end).b) Not signs that end has come; only beg. of “birth pangs.”

3) v. 9-13 Persecution of Jesus’ disciplesa) Provides opportunity for witness; gospel must be preached.b) Assurance that the faithful will be saved.

4) v. 14-23 The “desolating sacrilege”a) Orig. referred to desecration of temple by Antiochus IV in

167 BC (Dan. 9:27; 11:31: 12:11; 1 Macc. 1:54).b) Here refers to Roman destruction of temple in 70 AD; note

graphic imagery of war, panic, flight. c) Perhaps influenced by Caligula’s threat to put his statue in

temple c. 40 AD.

Temple

B. Two Eschatological Discourses – cont.1. The “Little Apocalypse” (Mk. 13 # 213-230) – cont.

a. Unfolds eschatological drama scene by scene – cont.5) v. 24-27 Coming of the Son of Man

a) Apocalyptic events in OT imagery (Isa. 13:10; etc.).b) Cosmic changes symbolize God’s ultimate power over evil.c) Son of Man comes on clouds to gather elect (cf. Dan. 7:13).

6) v. 28-31 Nearness of the enda) Parable of Budding Fig Tree – sure sign of summerb) “These things” are sign that he/it is near; before this

generation passes away (v. 30).7) v. 32-37 Uncertainty of the time and need to be alert

a) No one knows the time except God the Father.b) Undermines misguided enthusiasm and careless indifference.c) Parable of Doorkeeper – need for watchfulness.

b. Difficulty of interpretation1) Contains genuine sayings organized by Mk. or his tradition.2) Relationship between events in history (war imagery in v. 14ff.)

and eschatological events (v. 24ff.) is unclear.a) Is Mk. describing fall of Jerusalem in apocalyptic imagery?b) Or end-time events in war imagery?

3) Differences in perspective: Jesus; Mark; today.4) Two discourses with different emphases.

B. Two Eschatological Discourses – cont.2. The “Q-Apocalypse” (Lk. 17:20-37 par. # 183-184)

a. Different emphasis: no preliminary warning signs.

b. Kingdom comes suddenly, without warning, like lightening, Noah’s flood, or destruction of Sodom.

c. Uses imagery of war, panic, flight (cf. Lk. 21:20, where

Lk. refers explicitly to siege of Jerusalem).

C. Aspects of Jesus’ Future Expectation1. Suffering for himself and his followers

a. Mk. 8:34-35 (# 123) – “…let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me…”

b. Mk. 10:39 (# 192) – “…the cup that I drink you will drink…”c. Lk. 12:49-53 (# 160) – “I came to bring fire to the earth…(not

peace), but rather division…”d. Mk. 13:9-13 (# 215) – “…they will hand you over to councils;

and you will be beaten in synagogues…”

2. Catastrophe for Jerusalem, temple, and nationa. Lk. 13:1-5 (# 162) – Nation must repent or perish.b. Lk. 13:34-35 par. (# 167) – Lament over Jerusalem - …”your

house is left desolate…”

c. Lk. 17:23-33 (# 184) – Q-Apocalypse – sudden disaster; war imagery.

d. Lk. 19:39-44 (# 197) – Triumphal entry – laments rejection of way of peace; predicts destruction of Jerusalem; war imagery.

e. Mk. 13:2 (# 213) – Destruction of temple; “not one stone left upon another.”

f. Lk. 21:20-24 (# 216) – Jerusalem surrounded; trampled by Gentiles (cf. 70 AD).

C. Aspects of Jesus’ Future Expectation – cont.3. The day of judgment

a. Mt. 11:20-24 par. (# 66) – Woes on unrepentant Chorazin and Bethsaida.

b. Lk. 11:31-32 par. (# 152) – Judgment on this generation.1) Queen of Sheba recognized Solomon’s wisdom; this generation

fails to see it in Jesus.

2) Ninevites repented at Jonah’s preaching; this generation fails to repent at Jesus’ warnings. (Note “sign of Jonah” in Mt. and Lk.)

c. Mt. 10:32-33 par. (# 60) – “All who acknowledge me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father…” (cf Mk. 8:38).

d. Mt. 13:24-30 (# 96) – Parable of Weeds and Wheat.1) Wheat field sabotaged with poisonous darnel = good and bad

are mixed together until end.

2) Separation at harvest = final judgment.

3) Responds to demands that Jesus weed out sinners; God will judge when time comes.

e. Mt. 25:31-46 (# 229) – Parable of Sheep and Goats.1) Final judgment compared to separation of sheep and goats.

2) Based on ministry to the needs of “the least of these.”

C. Aspects of Jesus’ Future Expectation – cont.4. Gehenna (hell)

a. A brief history of hell.1) “Gehenna” = Hellenized spelling of Hebrew for “Valley of

Hinnom,” a valley southwest of Jerusalem.2) Condemned by OT prophets as place of child sacrifice to pagan

god Molech (Jer. 7:31-32; 19:6; 32:35; 2 Kgs. 23:10; 2 Chr. 28:3; 33:6).

3) Later used as city trash dump – continually smoldering fires and rotting, worm-eaten garbage.

4) Apocalyptic literature: becomes place of judgment by fire; place of fiery torment for wicked after death or after resurrection and final judgment.

b. Sayings of Jesus (11 of 12 NT occurrences).1) Mk. 9:43-48 par. (# 131) – alternative to entering K of G; imagery

of worm and fire (cf. Isa. 66:24).2) Mt. 5:22 (# 22) – hell of fire as image of judgment.3) Mt. 10:28 par. (# 60) – place of destruction for body and soul.4) Mt. 23:15, 33 (# 210) – Pharisees are “children of hell.”5) Similar imagery – Mt. 25:41, 46; 13:42; 8:12; 22:13; 25:30.6) Image of utter ruin, having missed blessed life of K of G.7) Cf. 2 Thess. 1:9 – eternal separation from presence of God.

D. Conclusions1. No specific timetable.

a. Impression given that catastrophe is imminent; lends urgency to call to repentance.

b. Perrin: every saying that sets a date fails test of authenticity.

2. No elaborate details.a. Compared to apocalypses, Jesus is quite reserved about

depicting details of End; prefers indirect allusion and analogy.b. Less concerned about predicting future than using certainty of

judgment to lend urgency/ultimacy to present call to decision.

3. Judgment as backdrop for emphasis on grace.a. Future judgment reveals present as time of grace.b. Jesus’ ministry is final hour of mercy (Parable of Barren Fig

Tree).

4. Future not unalterable.a. Future is not predetermined; God remains sovereign.

1) Mk. 13:20 – God shortens time of suffering for sake of elect.2) Lk. 13:8 – God lengthens the time of grace.

b. Takes sting out of view that Jesus had imminent expectations which did not materialize.

Reconstruction of Herod’s Southern Reconstruction of Herod’s Southern Extension of Temple MountExtension of Temple Mount

“…what large stones and buildings…” (Mk. 13:1)

Huge Blocks in Herodian Temple Huge Blocks in Herodian Temple Mount WallsMount Walls

At the corners of Herod’s southern addition to the Temple Mount, his engineers used extra-long blocks to bind the joining walls together and hold them in place against the pressure of the massive fill behind them and the buildings to be erected above. Some of these blocks measure 12 meters (39 feet) in length and weigh over 100!

Return