Knowing The Word in Luke 21:29-33

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

21:29 And Jesus told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Comments

These five verses are tricky to understand. The key to understanding this lesson is in interpreting what Jesus means in the phrase “this generation.” In the Qumran scrolls, the term “last generation” apparently includes several lifetimes, meaning more than one generation as we understand a generation. This use of “generation” concerns the kind of people that persist through to the end of time. The expression means the generations that live in the last phase of the history of redemption. We currently live in this last phase between the first and second coming of Jesus.

Jesus concludes by saying that his words are eternal and not attached to the material universe. They also hint at our future. Heaven and earth as we know them and as they exist will not remain the same. Scripture indicates that they will merge to form a new, eternal future when heaven and earth come together, and when we who are in Christ will all receive resurrection bodies.

Application

What do you think about your future life? People misunderstand what it will be like, relying more on a Hallmark card version of people becoming angels, playing harps, and sitting on clouds. Angels and humans are distinctly different; one does not become the other. Instead, after our death, we go to rest in Jesus, spending time in paradise with him, waiting for his second coming and for the resurrection of the dead, when we will receive immortal bodies like Jesus has.

Prayer

May God the Father, who loved the world so much that he sent his only Son, give you grace to prepare for eternal life.

May God the Son, who comes to us as Redeemer and Judge, reveal to you the path from darkness to light.

May God the Holy Spirit, by whose working the Virgin Mary conceived the Christ, help you bear the fruit of holiness.

Michael Perham