Luke 21

Jesus praises a poor widow’s small gift, then tells His disciples that the beautiful temple will be torn down. He warns of deceivers, persecution, the siege of Jerusalem and, beyond that, His own return in glory. Through it all He calls His followers to stay watchful, steady and unafraid, because His words will never pass away.

Luke 21:1-2

In the temple courts Jesus watches people drop gifts into the collection boxes. The rich give large sums. Then He notices one poor widow put in two tiny coins. Nothing escapes His eye, including a gift no one else thought worth noticing.

BSA: copper coins (“mites, a small amount of money”): These were the smallest coins in use, almost nothing to anyone watching.

Greek: λεπτά (lepta, G3016) — “thin ones, tiny coins.” The word means ’thin’ pieces of the lowest-value coin. Two together were worth very little, yet Jesus stopped to watch her.

Luke 21:3-4

Jesus says she gave more than all the rest. The rich gave from what they could easily spare, but she gave everything she needed to live on. God measures a gift by the love and trust behind it and by what it costs the giver, not by its size.

BSA: surplus (“excess, more than enough”): The rich gave from leftovers that cost them nothing they would miss. poverty (“deficiency, lack”): Her gift came out of real need, so it was an act of trust in God.

Greek: ὑστερήματος (hysterēmatos, G5303) — “lack, shortfall.” Her gift came from what she herself was short of, not from what was left over. That is the contrast with the ‘surplus’ of the rich.

Luke 21:5-6

Some disciples admire the temple’s fine stonework and the gifts that decorated it. Jesus tells them a day is coming when not one stone will stay on another. The most impressive religious building they knew would not last, so their trust could not rest on it.

BSA: consecrated (“devoted, votive”): These were offerings set apart for God, yet even they could not keep the building from judgment.

See also: Mark 13:1-2.

Luke 21:7

The disciples want to know when this will happen and what warning sign will come first. They are thinking of the temple’s fall. Jesus’ answer will stretch from that near event to the end of the age.

BSA: sign (“token, indication”): They want a recognizable signal that would let them be ready ahead of time.

Luke 21:8

Jesus’ first answer is a warning, not a timetable. False teachers will use His name and claim to be the promised Christ, or say the end has arrived. His people are not to run after them. Being misled is a greater danger than being ignorant.

BSA: deceived (“led astray, misled”): The picture is of wandering off the right road, usually following a confident voice. I am He (“the Messiah, the Christ”): These deceivers will claim for themselves the role that belongs only to Jesus.

See also: Matthew 24:4-5.

Luke 21:9

Wars and uprisings will come, but they are not the end. Jesus tells His followers not to panic. Terrible news does not mean God has lost control, because these things ‘must’ happen and are within His plan.

BSA: alarmed (“terrified, frightened”): Jesus does not deny that the news is frightening, but forbids being thrown into terror by it. imminent (“immediately, right away”): The end does not follow at once on the heels of these troubles.

Luke 21:10-11

Jesus lists wider troubles: nations in conflict, great earthquakes, famines, plagues, frightening sights and signs from the sky. The world will be shaken. These are hard experiences, but He names them ahead of time so that His people will not be surprised.

BSA: pestilences (“plagues, epidemic diseases”): Deadly diseases spreading through whole regions are part of the picture.

Luke 21:12

Before these great upheavals, His followers themselves will be arrested and persecuted. They will be handed over to synagogues, prisons, kings and governors, all because they carry His name. Suffering for Christ is not a sign that something has gone wrong.

BSA: seize (“lay their hands on, take hold of”): The arrests will be physical and personal, not just verbal opposition. My name (“My character, My authority”): They are hated because they stand for who Jesus is and what He commands.

See also: John 15:20.

Luke 21:13

Jesus turns the trial into a platform. Standing before rulers gives His people a chance to speak about Him to people who would never otherwise hear. What looks like defeat becomes testimony.

BSA: witnesses (“to provide evidence”): They give living evidence of what they have seen and known of Christ.

Greek: μαρτύριον (martyrion, G3142) — “testimony, evidence.” The word behind ‘witnesses’ is the root of our word ‘martyr’. Giving testimony in court and giving one’s life for the truth were joined in it.

Luke 21:14-15

Jesus tells them not to rehearse their defense in anxious advance. He Himself will give them words and wisdom their opponents cannot answer. The promise is not that they will escape, but that they will not face the courtroom alone.

BSA: worry (“meditate beforehand, premeditate”): They are told not to plan and rehearse a speech in fear before the moment comes. wisdom (“spiritual understanding”): What He gives is more than clever words; it is insight from Him.

Greek: προμελετᾶν (promeletan, G4304) — “to practice beforehand.” The word pictures a speaker rehearsing a speech in advance. Jesus tells them to settle in their hearts not to do that, because He will supply the words.

See also: Matthew 10:19-20.

Luke 21:16-17

The pain will reach into their own families. Parents, brothers, relatives and friends will hand them over, and some will be killed. Believers will be hated broadly because of His name. Jesus does not soften this, and by speaking of it first He prepares them to bear it.

BSA: betrayed (“handed over, delivered up”): It is the same word used of Jesus being handed over, so they follow where He went first.

Luke 21:18-19

Jesus says not a hair of their head will perish, even though some will die. Their lasting life, held safely by Him, cannot be taken. By patient endurance they gain their lives in the deepest sense. Staying faithful, not escaping, is what secures it.

BSA: endurance (“through perseverance”): The life Jesus promises is held onto by steady faithfulness through hardship. souls (“lives, eternal life”): The word reaches beyond physical survival to a life that lasts.

Greek: ὑπομονῇ (hypomonē, G5281) — “remaining under, steadfast endurance.” The word pictures staying put under a heavy load instead of running away. It is active, determined staying, not passive putting up with trouble.

See also: Matthew 10:22.

Luke 21:20

Now Jesus speaks of the nearer event. When armies surround Jerusalem, His people should know its devastation is close. In AD 70 the Romans besieged and destroyed the city and the temple. The sign is given so they can act and be saved.

BSA: desolation (“devastation, laying waste”): The city would not just be defeated but left in ruins.

Luke 21:21-22

When the sign comes, those in Judea should flee to the mountains and those in the city should leave. Those in the countryside should not go into the city for safety. Jesus calls this a time of judgment that fulfills what the prophets had written. Obeying His warning meant life.

BSA: vengeance (“punishment, retribution”): This is God’s just judgment for the long refusal to heed Him, not blind human anger.

See also: Hosea 9:7.

Luke 21:23-24

Jesus grieves over those least able to flee, pregnant women and nursing mothers. Many will die by the sword and others will be carried captive among the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentile powers for a set period. That period is under God’s control and will come to an end.

BSA: wrath (“anger, judgment”): The suffering is understood as God’s judgment on the nation for rejecting Him. trodden (“trampled, crushed”): The picture is of a city walked over and treated with contempt by its conquerors.

Greek: πατουμένη (patoumenē, G3961) — “being trampled.” The word means walked over with the feet, like grapes in a press. It suggests lasting humiliation. It also includes ‘until’, so the trampling has a limit.

Luke 21:25-26

Jesus now looks further ahead, to the end of the age. Signs appear in sun, moon and stars, and the sea itself seems to rage. People are paralyzed with fear at what is coming, because the very order of the heavens is shaken. The world’s stability is not as secure as it seems.

BSA: bewildered (“in perplexity, utterly confused”): The nations are at a loss, with no way out and no answers left. faint (“failing at heart, breathe out their life”): Fear is so heavy that people seem to lose heart and strength entirely.

Greek: ἀπορίᾳ (aporia, G640) — “having no way out, perplexity.” The word means being without a path, boxed in with no exit. It describes the helpless confusion of people who have nowhere to turn.

Luke 21:27

At the height of the fear, all will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. The title comes from Daniel’s vision of one given everlasting dominion. The One who was arrested and killed will appear openly as King.

BSA: glory (“a state of splendor”): His coming will be visible splendor, not a hidden or doubtful event.

See also: Daniel 7:13-14; Acts 1:11.

Luke 21:28

For believers the same events mean something different. Instead of cowering, they are to stand upright and look up. When these things begin, their redemption, the full freedom Christ has promised, is near. His coming is for them the day of rescue.

BSA: redemption (“being set free from sin”): The word points to full deliverance and release, bought for them by Christ. lift up (“raise, elevate”): The head raised high shows confidence and hope, the opposite of the fear in verse 26.

Greek: ἀνακύψατε (anakypsate, G352) — “straighten up, raise yourselves.” The word describes standing up straight after being bent over. It is the posture of someone who can finally look ahead with hope.

See also: Romans 8:23.

Luke 21:29-31

Jesus gives a simple picture. When the fig tree and other trees put out leaves, anyone can tell summer is near. In the same way, when His people see these things happening, they can know God’s kingdom is near. They are not meant to be in the dark.

BSA: know (“understand, recognize”): Jesus wants His followers to read the signs with understanding, as they read the seasons.

Luke 21:32

Jesus says this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened. Christians have understood this in different ways: of the people living then, of the Jewish people as a whole, or of the generation that sees the signs. All agree His word is certain.

BSA: generation (“group of people living at the same time”): The word most plainly points to people living in one period, though it can be read more widely.

Greek: γενεά (genea, G1074) — “generation, race, age.” The word can mean those living at one time or a kind of people. That range is why readers have understood the verse differently.

Luke 21:33

Even heaven and earth, which seem permanent, will pass away. Jesus’ words will not. Everything He has said about judgment, rescue and His return rests on something firmer than the visible world.

BSA: words (“message, idea, or divine expression”): His words carry the weight and permanence of God’s own speech.

See also: Isaiah 40:8.

Luke 21:34

Because that day will come without warning, Jesus warns about the heart. Careless living, drunkenness and the worries of daily life can make a believer sluggish and unready. Ordinary cares can do as much harm as vice, if they crowd out watching for Him.

BSA: weighed down (“overcharged, burdened”): The heart can be loaded until it is too heavy to respond when the Lord comes. snare (“a trap, a surprise attack”): The day will close on the unready like a trap, with no time to prepare.

Greek: βαρηθῶσιν (barēthōsin, G916) — “become heavy, be weighed down.” The word is used of drooping eyelids and sluggish weariness. Jesus warns of a heart that grows dull and drowsy toward Him.

Luke 21:35

The day will reach everyone on earth. No one will be outside it or beyond its notice. That makes readiness a matter for every person and not for a few.

BSA: dwell (“sit, reside”): The picture is of people settled and comfortable on the earth, never expecting such a day.

Luke 21:36

Jesus ends His teaching with two commands: stay awake and pray. Prayer gives the strength to come through all that is coming and to stand confidently before the Son of Man. The goal is not only to survive but to meet Him gladly.

BSA: keep watch (“be vigilant, stay awake”): The watching is constant alertness, not a single moment of attention. strength (“be strong enough, prevail”): This strength is asked for in prayer, because it is not something they have by themselves.

Greek: ἀγρυπνεῖτε (agrypneite, G69) — “be sleepless, stay awake.” The word describes someone kept awake on purpose, like a guard on night watch. It shows the alertness Jesus wants from His followers.

See also: Mark 13:33.

Luke 21:37-38

Luke closes with the pattern of Jesus’ last days. By day He taught in the temple. At night He stayed on the Mount of Olives. Early each morning the crowds came to hear Him. Even as the cross drew near, His teaching drew people to Him.

BSA: spend the night (“to lodge, to abide”): He camped outside the city each night, away from the temple where He taught by day.