The Olivet Questions
Disciples' Question Timing of Temple's Destruction
Part Four
Summary of the Disciples' Questions
While Jesus and the disciples were exiting the temple, making their way across the Kidron valley, the disciples were pondering all that Jesus had said to the leaders of Judah[Matt. 23]. His denouncement of their qualifications as leaders of Israel, as blind guides and hypocrites, were particularly stinging. But when Jesus denounced the temple itself, that would have cut to the core of their worldview. What did Jesus mean when He pronounced, “Your house is left to you desolate,”?
The disciples would likely have felt the need to defend the glory of the temple, after all, it was the very center of Israel’s life and faith. Every year, Israelites from around the world come to Jerusalem’s temple to worship. How could it be considered desolate?
They then directed Jesus' attention to the buildings of the temple complex, some of which were still in the process of being built [John 2:20]. They were wanting Jesus to see the glory and magnificence of the whole complex, and indeed, it was one of the wonders of the world at that time. However, Jesus unexpectedly responded,
Mark 13:2 And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
Jesus pointed to these buildings, over which the disciples gushed with admiration, and said, “There shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be demolished.” These words must have penetrated deep into the Jewish psyche of the disciples. Jesus is taking about the absolute destruction, even the demolition of the glorious temple of Israel. With no temple, there can be no sacrifices, no offerings, and no festivals. Jesus is talking about the end of the Sinai covenantal system.
The Apostle Paul lends His voice to this truth, in the letter to the Galatians, when he says,
Gal. 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
In this context, Paul tells us that the Law was added to the Abrahamic Promise, “till the seed should come.” Once the Seed came, to whom the Promise was given, which is Christ, then the Levitical sacrificial system would no longer be necessary. In other words, the Presence of the Promised Seed, Christ Jesus, necessitated that the Law should go away. The Law was the mere shadow of the true substance, which is Christ Jesus.
It seemed that this was at least one of the views concerning the Messiah. When the Messiah came, He would set up His kingdom, and rule the world from Jerusalem. I believe this is what the disciples understood as His Parousia. They conceived this as the Messiah's Parousia, or Presence in the world.
We see that even after 40 days of Jesus teaching them “things concerning the kingdom of God,” they still had the leaven of the Pharisacial teaching in their minds. Just before Jesus ascended back to the Father, the disciples’ asked Him, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” This question betrays their Pharisaical thinking. They were still thinking, this late in their walk with Jesus, that He would restore the glory of the Davidic/Solomonic Kingdoms to Israel.
So when Jesus told His disciples that not one stone of the temple would be left upon another, they understood the implications of this. They would understand that the Levitical system operating in the temple would be destroyed, and that the Messianic Kingdom would be established. This was the framework for their questions. They asked, “When would the destruction of the temple happen.” In connection with this event, they wanted to know what would be the sign of His accession to the throne of Israel, and the sign of the end of the then current Age of the Law. Most of the Olivet Discourse concerns itself with the removal of the Old system. Jesus describes for His disciples the events that will lead up to the total annihilation of the Sinai system from the earth, for all time.