GOSPEL OF LUKE: Chapter 21

Luke 21:1-4  The Widow's Offering
Just then he looked up and saw the rich people dropping offerings in the collection plate.  Then he saw a poor widow put in two pennies.  Her said, "The plain truth is that this widow has given by far the largest offering today.  All these others made offerings that they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford - she gave her all!"   (MSG)
From Faith in Action Commentary:
"This woman sacrificed what little she had, her last resources to live on.  Jesus called that real giving.....How often do we miss seeing examples today of people in the most reduced circumstances having a better handle on generosity than those mired in materialism?  Giving is the antidote to greed, a sure way to protect our hearts against selfishness.  The humble poor have much to teach those of us with an abundance of resources but a calculating spirit.  Our situations vary.  What would sacrificial giving mean for you?  Have you ever given past your last available resources?  How has God seen you through?"

Luke 21: 5-38  Signs of the End of the Age

"It will seem like all hell has broken loose - sun, moon, stars, earth, sea, in an uproar and everyone all over the world in a panic, the wind knocked out of them by the threat of doom, the power-that-be-quaking.  ... And then -then!- they'll see the Son of Man welcomed in grand style - a glorious welcome!  When all this starts to happen, up on your feet,  Stand tall with your heads high.  Help is on the way! 

     Jesus gives a long discourse on the signs of the end times, the impending judgment on Jerusalem in particular.  But in the midst of the natural disasters, the tearing apart of families, there is hope.  When the judgment comes, it will be like all heaven is breaking loose, and all the glory of God, the goodness of God, will shower the world.  





Luke 21:29-33      The Lesson of the Fig Tree
Then Jesus told them this parable: 'Think of the fig tree and all the other trees.  When you see their leaves beginning to appear, you know that summer is near.  In the same way, when you see these things happening, you will know that the Kingdom of God is about to come.    Remember that all these things will take place before the people now living have all died.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
     The fig tree is an example of the changes in the seasons.  There will be changes in our world as judgment approaches.  The signs will be there of the approach of the finality of God's Kingdom.  But, in the meantime, are the signs not still present of bits and pieces of the Kingdom with us now, the fruit of peace ripening within each of us?