Topic 10 Judgment on the Complacent (Jesus

1
Topic 10 Judgment on the Complacent(Jesus
Future Expectation)

• Kingdom of God brings salvation for the needy but
  judgment and disaster for the satisfied (rich,
  powerful, religious).
• The Woes (pronouncements of doom/judgment)
  Jesus challenges the pious/respectable/powerful.
• Woes against the rich ( 74 Lk. 624-26)
• Counterparts to Lukes Beatitudes. (Jesus
  comforts the troubled troubles the comfortable.)
• Warnings of doom to the rich, full, laughing,
  well-spoken-of.
• Wealthy oppressors depend on power/wealth no
  need for God no respect for Gods demands for
  justice.
• Warns of eschatological reversal of fortunes
  oppressed poor to be delivered rich oppressors
  to be judged (cf. Rich Man and Lazarus).

2

• The Woes cont.
• Woes against scribes and Pharisees ( 154 Lk.
  1137-54 par. Mt. 231-26 cf. 210)
• Pharisees (v. 39-44)
• Overemphasize rituals (purity tithing) but
  neglect ethics (justice mercy faith cf. Mt.
  2323).
• Pose as models of righteousness (cf. Mt. 235-7)
  but really are stumbling-blocks (blind guides
  cf. Mt. 2324).
• Scribes (v. 45-52) interpreters of Torah
• Impose heavy burdens of Torah-interpretation
  levels of tithes, temple tax, sacrifices, purity,
  Sabbath kept poor peasants impure and excluded
  (cf. Mt. 1128-30).
• Reject kingdom of God for themselves and hinder
  others.
• Climax long history of rejecting Gods
  messengers.
• Judgment coming upon Jerusalem/temple (Lk.
  1149-51 Mt. 2336-39
• Parable of Wicked Tenants ( 204 Mk. 121-12)
  Israels leaders rejected prophets now Jesus
  vineyard taken away.
• Hypocrite (13 of 17 occurrences are in Mt.)
• Theater term actor playing role behind mask.
• Role-player pretender pretends to be religious
  but not sincere.
• Pharisees not uniformly hypocritical Mt. may
  heighten polemic due to conflict with synagogue
  at time of writing.
• Such hypocrisy can infect any religion, even our
  own.

3

• Two Eschatological Discourses
• The Little Apocalypse (Mk. 13 par. 213-230)
• Unfolds eschatological drama scene by scene.
• v. 1-4 Setting outside temple
• Temple will be destroyed.
• Questions about the End when? signs?
• v. 5-8 Preliminary signs
• False messiahs, wars, earthquakes, famine
  (traditional apocalyptic signs of end).
• Not signs that end has come only beg. of birth
  pangs.
• v. 9-13 Persecution of Jesus disciples
• Provides opportunity for witness gospel must be
  preached.
• Assurance that the faithful will be saved.
• v. 14-23 The desolating sacrilege
• Orig. referred to desecration of temple by
  Antiochus IV in 167 BC (Dan. 927 1131 1211
  1 Macc. 154).
• Here refers to Roman destruction of temple in 70
  AD note graphic imagery of war, panic, flight.
• Perhaps influenced by Caligulas threat to put
  his statue in temple c. 40 AD.

Temple
4

• Two Eschatological Discourses cont.
• The Little Apocalypse (Mk. 13 213-230)
  cont.
• Unfolds eschatological drama scene by scene
  cont.
• v. 24-27 Coming of the Son of Man
• Apocalyptic events in OT imagery (Isa. 1310
  etc.).
• Cosmic changes symbolize Gods ultimate power
  over evil.
• Son of Man comes on clouds to gather elect (cf.
  Dan. 713).
• v. 28-31 Nearness of the end
• Parable of Budding Fig Tree sure sign of summer
• These things are sign that he/it is near
  before this generation passes away (v. 30).
• v. 32-37 Uncertainty of the time and need to be
  alert
• No one knows the time except God the Father.
• Undermines misguided enthusiasm and careless
  indifference.
• Parable of Doorkeeper need for watchfulness.
• Difficulty of interpretation
• Contains genuine sayings organized by Mk. or his
  tradition.
• Relationship between events in history (war
  imagery in v. 14ff.) and eschatological events
  (v. 24ff.) is unclear.
• Is Mk. describing fall of Jerusalem in
  apocalyptic imagery?
• Or end-time events in war imagery?

5

• Two Eschatological Discourses cont.
• The Q-Apocalypse (Lk. 1720-37 par. 183-184)
• Different emphasis no preliminary warning signs.
  
• Kingdom comes suddenly, without warning, like
  lightening, Noahs flood, or destruction of
  Sodom.
• Uses imagery of war, panic, flight (cf. Lk.
  2120, where Lk. refers explicitly to siege of
  Jerusalem).

6

• Aspects of Jesus Future Expectation
• Suffering for himself and his followers
• Mk. 834-35 ( 123) let them deny themselves
  and take up their cross and follow me
• Mk. 1039 ( 192) the cup that I drink you
  will drink
• Lk. 1249-53 ( 160) I came to bring fire to
  the earth(not peace), but rather division
• Mk. 139-13 ( 215) they will hand you over
  to councils and you will be beaten in
  synagogues
• Catastrophe for Jerusalem, temple, and nation
• Lk. 131-5 ( 162) Nation must repent or
  perish.
• Lk. 1334-35 par. ( 167) Lament over Jerusalem
  - your house is left desolate
• Lk. 1723-33 ( 184) Q-Apocalypse sudden
  disaster war imagery.
• Lk. 1939-44 ( 197) Triumphal entry laments
  rejection of way of peace predicts destruction
  of Jerusalem war imagery.
• Mk. 132 ( 213) Destruction of temple not
  one stone left upon another.
• Lk. 2120-24 ( 216) Jerusalem surrounded
  trampled by Gentiles (cf. 70 AD).

7

• Aspects of Jesus Future Expectation cont.
• The day of judgment
• Mt. 1120-24 par. ( 66) Woes on unrepentant
  Chorazin and Bethsaida.
• Lk. 1131-32 par. ( 152) Judgment on this
  generation.
• Queen of Sheba recognized Solomons wisdom this
  generation fails to see it in Jesus.
• Ninevites repented at Jonahs preaching this
  generation fails to repent at Jesus warnings.
  (Note sign of Jonah in Mt. and Lk.)
• Mt. 1032-33 par. ( 60) All who acknowledge
  me before others, I also will acknowledge before
  my Father (cf Mk. 838).
• Mt. 1324-30 ( 96) Parable of Weeds and Wheat.
• Wheat field sabotaged with poisonous darnel
  good and bad are mixed together until end.
• Separation at harvest final judgment.
• Responds to demands that Jesus weed out sinners
  God will judge when time comes.
• Mt. 2531-46 ( 229) Parable of Sheep and
  Goats.
• Final judgment compared to separation of sheep
  and goats.
• Based on ministry to the needs of the least of
  these.

8

• Aspects of Jesus Future Expectation cont.
• Gehenna (hell)
• A brief history of hell.
• Gehenna Hellenized spelling of Hebrew for
  Valley of Hinnom, a valley southwest of
  Jerusalem.
• Condemned by OT prophets as place of child
  sacrifice to pagan god Molech (Jer. 731-32
  196 3235 2 Kgs. 2310 2 Chr. 283 336).
• Later used as city trash dump continually
  smoldering fires and rotting, worm-eaten garbage.
• Apocalyptic literature becomes place of judgment
  by fire place of fiery torment for wicked after
  death or after resurrection and final judgment.
• Sayings of Jesus (11 of 12 NT occurrences).
• Mk. 943-48 par. ( 131) alternative to
  entering K of G imagery of worm and fire (cf.
  Isa. 6624).
• Mt. 522 ( 22) hell of fire as image of
  judgment.
• Mt. 1028 par. ( 60) place of destruction for
  body and soul.
• Mt. 2315, 33 ( 210) Pharisees are children
  of hell.
• Similar imagery Mt. 2541, 46 1342 812
  2213 2530.
• Image of utter ruin, having missed blessed life
  of K of G.
• Cf. 2 Thess. 19 eternal separation from
  presence of God.

9

• Conclusions
• No specific timetable.
• Impression given that catastrophe is imminent
  lends urgency to call to repentance.
• Perrin every saying that sets a date fails test
  of authenticity.
• No elaborate details.
• Compared to apocalypses, Jesus is quite reserved
  about depicting details of End prefers indirect
  allusion and analogy.
• Less concerned about predicting future than using
  certainty of judgment to lend urgency/ultimacy to
  present call to decision.
• Judgment as backdrop for emphasis on grace.
• Future judgment reveals present as time of grace.
• Jesus ministry is final hour of mercy (Parable
  of Barren Fig Tree).
• Future not unalterable.
• Future is not predetermined God remains
  sovereign.
• Mk. 1320 God shortens time of suffering for
  sake of elect.
• Lk. 138 God lengthens the time of grace.
• Takes sting out of view that Jesus had imminent
  expectations which did not materialize.

10
Reconstruction of Herods Southern Extension of
Temple Mount
what large stones and buildings (Mk. 131)
11
Huge Blocks in Herodian Temple Mount Walls
Return
At the corners of Herods 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!