Today’s scripture: Luke 21:5-33 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (John Seksay):
“…Jerusalem will be trodden down until the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled.”
“…Truly, I say to you, this generation shall not pass away until all has taken place.”
The reading today is one that links the teachings of Jesus to the apocalyptic literature of the Bible, including Daniel and Revelation. When that occurs, all words that refer to the passage of time undergo curious transformations. We commonly assign the temporal value of 40 years to a generation. By this yardstick, some of the original apostles could have been alive in 70 A.D. when Jerusalem was sacked and destroyed, marking the beginning of the Judaic Jewish Diaspora. But none would be alive to see the restoration or recovery. What definition should I be assigning to the term “generation”?
The GLBT Study New Testament, translated from the early Greek by Dr. Ann Nyland, translates the first passage above as “…Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations, until everything that needs to happen actually happens.” The second passage also has a very interesting footnote. The word genea, commonly translated as “generation,” is more accurately expressed as a group of people (with commonly shared values) or a tribe, without the association to a specific time frame. Her translation reads “Truly, this people-group will not pass away until all these things happen.” What a different perspective!
So I now tend to translate genea as the meme of Christ’s teachings, commonly called Christianity. Meme is a term now used to discuss the evolution of an idea or cultural concept that shapes human societies. Just like etiquette, architecture, and music, spiritual teachings can grow and blossom, diverge and evolve, or diminish and lapse, over long periods of time and wide areas of the planet. So my new reading is that Christianity will carry on and evolve until all that Christ sought to accomplish with his teachings is fulfilled.
That would mean that I, as a Christian, am not an observer waiting on others to generate some specific set of circumstances. I am the eye of the original apostles at this particular moment. I am also, like yeast in bread, very much part of the change that I anticipate!
Thought for the day: The Kingdom of God is planted in me. How can I make what needs to happen in me actually happen today?
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.