There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 26 People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.” 29 He taught them a lesson. “Consider the fig tree and all the other trees. 30 When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near; 31 in the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 34 “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise 35 like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. 36 Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.” 37 During the day, Jesus was teaching in the temple area, but at night he would leave and stay at the place called the Mount of Olives. 38 And all the people would get up early each morning to listen to him in the temple area.
Jesus told his disciples that throughout the world there will be great cosmic signs in the heavens, and chaos in nature that will terrify mankind. In Luke’s time, the ‘world’ was the vast Roman Empire. The Son of Man is in control of all these evil forces so the disciples should ‘stand erect’ and hold their heads high when they see these signs because their redemption is near. They know how to read the signs of nature to identify the change of seasons, so when they see these signs, they should be assured that his predictions will come to pass, and the Kingdom of God is near. The fullness of Christian redemption will occur when they share in the resurrection at the coming of the Son of Man in glory.
Jesus reminded the disciples to be vigilant and pray for the strength to overcome their trials. They should not let their hearts grow cold from carousing and drunkenness (12:45) and the anxieties of daily life (Lk. 8:14), because they do not know when the Son of Man will return (Mk. 13:32-36). After he said these things, Jesus continued to teach daily in the temple area.
Almighty God, we rely on you for our daily bread and we raise our deepest thoughts to heaven in supplication with the faith that you will answer them. In your mercy grant us the grace to endure the hardships of this world with the assurance that we will share in the resurrection of your Son. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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