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The Last Monday and Tuesday of Jesus

Near the end of the Savior’s ministry, two events occurred which have been on my mind somewhat of late, especially since I was asked recently about the Second Coming. If you don’t mind, I’d like to share this.

On the last Monday of the Lord’s life, he entered the temple in Jerusalem and found in its courts a scene that angered him  –  flocks of cattle and sheep were milling and bawling, money changers with their temples, with their tables, exchanged current coinage for temple coinage that pilgrims might pay the temple tax, haggling vendors hawk their wares in a scene that would remind us of carnivals at fair time. The noise, the stench and especially the blasphemous desecration of Holy Ground moved the Lord to indignant anger.

With whip and thunderous command, he drove them out into the streets where they belonged. No one dared oppose him, not even the leaders of the Jews whose pockets were being lined by the ill-gotten gain. Why? Because in guilt, there’s always weakness.

Twice the Lord cleansed the temple. Once at the beginning of his ministry and again at the end. Now I’ve wondered if there’s a broader parallel to what He did then. I mean, the Lord cleaned the house once on this Earth with a flood. The second time, He will cleanse this house with fire. Oh and clean it will be of that we may be assured.

Now the second story takes place the following day of the Lord’s life on Tuesday. While in the precincts of the temple he prophesied the total destruction of the temple and denounces the leaders of the Jews for their hypocrisy and corruption and then upon leaving the temple, he retires to the solitude of the Mount of Olives across the Kidron Valley.

As he sat probably looking over toward the city and the temple, his disciples came to him privately and asked him, “When the temple would be destroyed. When would the prophecy be fulfilled, and what would be the sign of His second coming?”

The Savior’s answers to those questions constitute Matthew 24 and what we call the discourse on the signs of the times. 

Now my purpose here is not to enumerate those signs but to look carefully at the emotional aftermath they had on the disciples. He described to the disciples such horrible things as wars, rumors of wars and the whole Earth in commotion and men’s hearts failing them for fear just before his coming. He speaks of the love of men waxing cold and iniquity abounding of earthquakes and desolating sicknesses, volcanoes exploding underwater of Tonga, men killing one another, he said and when he finished the apostles were visibly scared and upset.

Jesus calmed them by saying, “Be not troubled for when all these things come to pass, ye may know that the promises which have been made unto you shall be fulfilled.”

Now here is my point. If the original 12 Apostles were troubled by those signs of the times, most of which would not even occur in their lifetime, in their millennia, how much more understandable is it that we, in whose days, those signs, are being fulfilled. Should be troubled and if we’re not troubled perhaps to a measure we should be. However, there is no need to let either the signs or the flood of wickedness and corruption around us terrify us. I assure you, the Good Shepherd is right on schedule. He has not abandoned the flock just because of a little bad weather and some ravening wolves among us. I quote Him again. 

“Be not troubled”. Don’t be ignorant and foolish and ignore the signs, know what they mean but stand firm on the covenant path. As President Nelson said, “The safest place for us in the days ahead is living inside our covenants.”