Sometimes certain things are too familiar. We've seen or read or heard them so often we've become "blind" to them.
Matthew 24
New International Version (NIV)
Matthew 24
The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times
1 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
The above scriptures verse 1 and verse 3 are like separate scenes in a movie.
Verse 1 locates the action directly in front of the Jerusalem temple. The impression is given that Jesus is sight-seeing and clueless as any tourist visiting the Holy Land might be. The disciples call his attention to the various aspects of the buildings.
As a response to what must have been admiration and awe for the temple's features and architecture, Verse 2: Jesus shuts down the topic by changing the subject to a future condition of total destruction.
No indication is given that anybody said anything at this point because the scene abruptly changes to :
Verse 3.
In Verse 3 it is some time later in a separate location when Jesus is in a solitary situation. He is approached by disciples.
What is odd about this?
The writer (Matthew?) breaks the bold statement about Destruction away from the natural response it would certainly elicit at that moment!
"Matthew" artificially creates a GAP!
Are we to accept that such an unexpected statement about the most important building in all of Judaism would not have caused a huge argument? Amazement? Demands for clarification? Might not a crowd gather, etc?
But, no!
The RESPONSE is artificially made to follow in a literary framing device....later. Jesus is all by himself and is approached specifically as a STAGED moment for a very odd series of questions, indeed!
How do we know this is STAGED?
Look at the language which is self-conscious of the literary contrivance of the PRECEDING VERSE!
It is spoken AS THOUGH the disciples know what Matthew has just written!
Imagine it is hours later and Jesus is alone and you walk up to him in a group.
Is it not the most natural thing to say: "Lord, remember earlier when we were at the temple and you said it would be destroyed?"
But, no!
There is no attempt at this because the writer has artificially created a STAGED MOMENT.
Why?
It is the AUTHOR putting words into the mouths of disciples quite clearly!
This is what is called an "insertion".
The disciples had no reason to think Jesus was GOING AWAY in order to RETURN, did they? In fact, they hardly ever understood anything Jesus said!
So, why would they start a sentence by saying:
“Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen,(THIS? THIS WHAT? NOBODY HAS SET THE CONTEXT BY ANY PRECEDING STATEMENT) and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Who talks like that? Only literary characters in stage plays.
This is some later scribe (writing this) who has been taught a doctrine about Jesus 2nd coming who is putting words in the characters' mouth!
Why would any disciple even THINK for one minute they would need a SIGN? Or, that much later at the END of the AGE Jesus would return?
It is all bollocks!
No such conversations or prophecies were uttered by Jesus. It is the later writers who INSERTED the prophecy AFTER the destruction of Jerusalem RETROFITTING its complete destruction into an awkward "conversation" to make Jesus appear to have KNOWN in advance!
Once you reread the entire scenario AS WRITTEN it becomes very awkward and contrived and phony.
Can you imagine, after Jesus death, the followers wondering why things went down the way they did? Instead of the Messiah being like King David and re-establishing a dynasty to rule over Rome and all the earth--the Messiah is now DEAD!
How can it be?
Well, maybe he WILL do those things.....um.....later! Yeah, that's the ticket! He'll come back later and do the Messianic things!
But, years and years and years passed and Rome continued as always......
The story is told and retold.....each time adding new details!
In new stories, Jesus knew it ALL way in advance even TOLD the disciples the temple would be destroyed just like it happened!
Instead of coming quickly, as we all thought, he said he would return LATER!
Etc etc.
I just thought I'd frame this VERY FAMILIAR SCRIPTURE in a way that might make you stop and RE-consider it from a "NEW LIGHT" :)