He taught them a lesson. “Consider the fig tree and all the other trees. 30 When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near; 31 in the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Jesus has just spoken about the coming destruction of Jerusalem and about events that point toward God’s plan to bring salvation to his people throughout all generations until it reaches its fulfillment at the end of time. Now he turns to something very ordinary and close at hand: the fig tree and all the other trees. As he often does, Jesus takes a simple scene from daily life and uses it to help his disciples understand more clearly how God’s plan is unfolding.
In the region where Jesus lived, people knew how to “read” the trees. For much of the year, a fig tree can look bare and lifeless. Yet when its buds begin to swell and leaves appear, everyone understands that summer is near. Jesus reminds the disciples that they do not need special training to see this. When their eyes are open, nature itself tells them that a new season is on the way (vv. 29-30).
He then draws the comparison: “In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near” (v. 31). The “these things” in Luke 21 include the upheavals he has described in the preceding verses: persecution, the fall of Jerusalem, and signs in the heavens and on the earth. These events are not random or meaningless. They show that the present order is not permanent and that God’s plan is moving forward, even when he allows suffering and carries out his own just judgment on sin. When Jesus speaks of the “kingdom of God,” he is not only referring to a future moment, but to God’s saving rule that has already drawn near in his own person and mission.
The saying, “this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place” (v. 32), has often raised questions. In Luke’s context, at least part of the answer is clear. Within about forty years of Jesus’ words, Jerusalem was surrounded and destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70, just as he had foretold earlier in the chapter. Many of those listening to him that day would live to see that judgment fall on the city that had not recognized “the time of your visitation” (Lk. 19:44). In that sense, his prophecy was fulfilled within the lifetime of that generation.
At the same time, Luke’s Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles show that these events around Jerusalem are also joined to a much larger story. The fall of the city and the spread of the Gospel are not separate, unrelated threads. Together, they show that God’s plan is moving from Israel outward to all nations, as the word of the Lord is preached “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The shaking of earthly realities does not mean that God has lost control; it shows that his kingdom does not depend on any one earthly city, structure, or empire.
Jesus ends this brief teaching with a strong contrast: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (v. 33). Even the most stable things we know—the sky above and the ground under our feet—belong to a created order that will one day be transformed. Scripture already prepared Israel for this truth. The prophets spoke of a time when the present heavens and earth would give way to “new heavens and a new earth” (Is. 65:17; 2 Pt. 3:13), where righteousness dwells. In that light, Jesus’ words are not meant to cause panic, but to correct our sense of what is truly lasting.
What does not pass away is his word. This is a remarkable claim. Jesus does not only say that God’s word will remain; he says, “My words will not pass away.” In the Old Testament, it is the word of the Lord that endures when everything else changes. Here, Jesus places his own teaching in that same place of permanence and authority. His promises, his warnings, and his teaching about the kingdom share in the stability of God himself. As history moves forward, as nations rise and fall, and as even the created world moves toward its final renewal, the word spoken by the Son remains trustworthy.
In this passage, Jesus teaches two closely connected truths. First, God often allows the events of history, including times of shaking and loss, to act like the changing of the seasons in nature. They signal that this world is not ultimate and that God’s reign is drawing near in a deeper way than we can see on the surface. Second, in the middle of those changes, his word is the one sure foundation. The disciples—and all who come after them—are not called to guess dates or read hidden codes, but to read the signs of their time in the light of his teaching and to trust that what he has said will stand.
Lord Jesus, you teach us through the simple signs of creation and through the events of history. Help us to recognize the nearness of your kingdom and to trust that your words will not pass away. When the world around us feels unstable, anchor our hearts in your promises and keep us faithful to you until your work is brought to completion. 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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