Matthew 24:1-51

Comment:

You are requesting clarity on this entire chapter, which is long and dense, with a number of different themes. The best I can do is suggest an overall approach, which may help you find its meaning for yourself.

The first three verses seem to foreshadow the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in the year 70 CE. Of course, the author of the gospel would already know of that event, since it was written in the early 70s. The rest of the chapter is sometimes referred to as a “Little Apocalypse,” since it concerns the question of what will happen as the kingdom of heaven approaches. It’s important to remember that for Jesus, the kingdom of heaven was not another place to which we would be taken. In fact, it’s not a place at all; it’s a new dimension of spiritual consciousness. It is at hand, he said. It is within us. The point of these dramatic statements is that there will be considerable resistance to the coming of the kingdom. The negative energies and beliefs that will be replaced in kingdom consciousness are going to resist the process. We shouldn’t expect that things will get easier as we move further toward our goal—just the opposite. The brighter the light, the darker the shadows. He’s not trying to frighten his disciples—or frighten us. He simply wants us to be prepared for what is to come, and to know that our spiritual truth cannot be overcome by the negative shadows.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed