We could talk again about the goal of apocalyptic literature. But that would be repetitive and boring. It’s like poetry. Much of poetry is not intended to be taken literally. When the psalmist cries out “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5 NASB), it is not intended to be a statement of theology. It is hyperbole to express feelings. How do you express the feeling of sin and its always present nature; how it seems to become a part of you; something you are born with? You speak of being a sinner from the womb. It is that pervasive and devastating. It is poetry and therefore not necessarily a teaching on original sin. I feel that. Sin becomes such a part of you. Like the lungs formed in utero, sin can feel cellular. So, once again, the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple were not just another Roman victory. It was an apocalyptic; shaking of the heavens; God breaking in with judgment; the issuing in of the Kingdom of God, event.
If verses twenty-five through twenty-eight are all of a sudden dealing with the culmination of all history, then it seems that one must conclude that the phrase “this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” either means that Jesus got his time frame all mixed up, or he used the word generation in a completely different and surprising way. So, maybe this is still about the devastating destruction of Jerusalem. Jesus tells them a parable; a throwing beside. Look at, perceive, understand the fig tree and all the trees. The fig tree was common in Palestine. It leafed in late Spring and was, therefore, a good indicator that Summer was just around the corner. Most of the trees in Palestine did not lose their leaves. So, why do we have all the trees here? Could it be that the fig tree stands for the Jews and all the other trees refer to Gentiles? Maybe. There may just be a subtle hint about the inclusion of “other trees” in the kingdom of God here. But mostly, Jesus is offering up an obvious sign of things to come; something they could look at and know what follows next.
After the parable, Jesus said, “So you also, when you see these things happening . . .” So, first of all, it seems that he is giving them something they will be able to see. Why would Jesus give them a sign that he says they will see, if they will, in fact, not see it? The “these things” gets discussed. Does this refer to verse 25-28 only, or does it refer to the whole passage? Those who want it to refer merely to the previous section, do so because they want those verses to be about the second coming. Others will say, “Well, it is difficult, after all, to know when Jesus is speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem and when he is speaking of the culmination of history at his coming.” But that little difficulty goes away, if the whole passage is using apocalyptic imagery to describe the destruction of Jerusalem as a cataclysmic breaking in of the presence of God; the kingdom of God drawing near in judgment and salvation. So, when they see all of these things coming about, they can know that the kingdom of God is near.
Then Jesus tells them, “Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place.” The word “truly” is “amen.” Jesus used it often to say, “you are going to want to pay attention here.” “This generation” does not refer to the Jewish people; or the generation at the end of times. It is “this generation.” It is the people to whom Jesus is talking to. And Jesus didn’t get it wrong. He wasn’t mistaken about how long it was going to take. In 70 AD, the Romans would come; heaven and earth would shake; Jesus would ride on a cloud to judge and take his throne. There were signs for them to be on the lookout for: nations would rise up against nations; there would be earthquakes, plagues, and famines, and the Romans would surround the holy city. Heaven and earth may fail, but Jesus’ words will never fail. This particular apocalypse would arrive in their lifetime.
Jesus is warning about a judgment of God event. But there was good news for his disciples. This was the breaking in of the kingdom of God. And just like they would notice a fig tree leafing out and say, “Well, Summer is about to come,” when they saw the things Jesus told them about happening, they could say, “Well, the judgment of Jerusalem is about to happen.” And in that moment, what will they trust in? Not the Temple; not the holy city; not the nation of Israel; not even the heavens or the earth. No. Trust in the everlasting words of Jesus. His message is eternal. So, instead of spending all of our effort on trying to figure out the day of the Parousia, let’s just trust in the message. No matter what, it will stand. Grace.