When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that its desolation is at hand. 21 Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. Let those within the city escape from it, and let those in the countryside not enter the city, 22 for these days are the time of punishment when all the scriptures are fulfilled. 23 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days, for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth and a wrathful judgment upon this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
25“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.”
Jesus is still speaking in the temple in the days just before his Passion. Luke now shows him moving from the coming destruction of Jerusalem to the final coming of the Son of Man.
When Jesus speaks of Jerusalem “surrounded by armies” and its “desolation” being near (v. 20), readers of Luke’s Gospel would think of the Roman siege and destruction of the city in A.D. 70. The warning is very concrete: those in Judea must flee to the mountains, those in the city should escape, and those in the countryside must not enter (v. 21). Instead of urging people to stay and fight, Jesus tells them to leave. His instruction indicates that the fall of the city is not something his disciples are called to prevent by force: this downfall is a judgment they will not be able to prevent, and their task is to preserve life and remain faithful to his word. The city that should have been a place of God’s presence and peace will become a place of devastation.
He describes this as “the time of punishment when all the scriptures are fulfilled” (v. 22). In the Old Testament, the prophets often warned that if God’s people persisted in resisting his ways, their city could fall and they could go into exile (cf. Dt. 28:36, 49-52, 64-68; 2 Kgs. 17:5-23; Jer. 7:3-15; 25:8-11; Mic. 3:9-12). Here, Jesus is saying that those warnings are reaching their climax. The judgment on Jerusalem is not random; it is part of the larger story in which God takes seriously both human freedom and his own promises. The language of “punishment” expresses that this is not just a military accident but a moral and spiritual moment in Israel’s history.
Jesus’ sorrowful words, “Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days” (v. 23), highlight how severe and tragic the coming suffering will be. In any crisis, those who are most vulnerable feel the weight of events most intensely. A “terrible calamity” and “wrathful judgment upon this people” point again to the seriousness of rejecting God’s call to peace and the message that Jesus has brought. This “wrath” does not mean that God loses his temper or acts out of uncontrolled anger. It describes the serious and just consequences of turning away from the One who came to bring true peace (cf. Lk. 19:41-44).
Verse 24 reflects both death in battle and exile. The city that symbolized God’s dwelling among his people will be dominated by non-Jewish nations. The phrase “times of the Gentiles” suggests a period in which Jerusalem is under Gentile control and, at the same time, the message about Jesus goes out into the wider world. Luke’s Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles together show that Israel’s story and the mission to the nations are woven together in God’s plan for the Gospel to go out “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Then, in verse 25, the focus widens from one city to the whole creation: “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay.” In the Old Testament, cosmic signs often accompany the “day of the Lord,” when God acts in a decisive way in history. Here, disturbances in the heavens and turmoil “on earth” show that no part of creation is untouched by what is coming. Nations will be “perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves,” a picture of confusion and fear in the face of forces human beings cannot control.
In verse 26, the “powers of the heavens” can mean everything that appears fixed and stable in the visible sky. To say they are “shaken” is to say that the usual order of the world will be disturbed. The point is not to invite speculation about specific astronomical events, but to communicate how serious and universal the final stage of God’s plan will be. The world as we know it will not simply continue forever unchanged.
In verse 27, “Son of Man” is the title Jesus uses for himself, and “coming in a cloud” recalls the Old Testament vision in which one “like a son of man” comes with the clouds of heaven to receive kingship and everlasting dominion from God (cf. Dan. 7:13-14). Here, Jesus applies that imagery to his own future coming. He will appear not in hidden weakness, as in his first coming, but openly, with “power and great glory.” This is the moment when God’s rule, already present in Jesus’ ministry, will be revealed fully and finally.
Because of this, Jesus can say to his followers, “But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand” (v. 28). For those who belong to Christ, the final shaking of the world is not simply a threat but the approach of “redemption.” In the Bible, redemption means being set free or bought back from slavery or bondage. Here it points to God bringing his saving work to completion: freedom from the power of sin and death, the restoration of creation, and the full sharing in the life he has promised. “Stand erect and raise your heads” is the opposite of collapsing in fear. It is the posture of people who know that the One who is coming is the same Lord who died and rose for them.
Jesus speaks clearly about the real historical judgment that will fall on Jerusalem, a city that did not recognize “the time of its visitation” (Lk. 19:44). However, he also lifts our eyes beyond that event to the final coming of the Son of Man, when God will bring his plan for Israel and the nations to its completion. The near event (the fall of Jerusalem) becomes a sign and foreshadowing of the ultimate day when Christ will appear in glory. Luke’s message is: history is not random, and God’s purpose moves toward a real and final fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
Let us pray for the grace to live with a clear mind and a steady heart, trusting that in every shaking of this world, the risen Lord remains faithful and will bring to completion the redemption he has begun. Amen.
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Sources and References:
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- Bernard Orchard et al., A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture (1953).
- Faculty of the University of Navarre, The Navarre Bible: Luke (Four Courts/Scepter).
- José Enrique Aguilar Chiu et al., eds., The Paulist Biblical Commentary (2018).
- Raymond E. Brown et al., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (1990).
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