How does Luke 21:23 connect to Old Testament prophecies about judgment? Luke 21:23 in Its Immediate Setting • Jesus is describing the fall of Jerusalem and the future “times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:20-24). • He singles out “pregnant and nursing mothers” because siege conditions make caring for infants almost impossible. • His words, “great distress upon the land and wrath against this people,” echo covenant-curse language Israel already knew. Echoes of the Covenant Curses • Deuteronomy 28:53-57 foretold that, under siege, “you will eat the flesh of your sons and daughters.” • Leviticus 26:29 adds, “You will eat the flesh of your sons and daughters.” • These warnings were tied to breaking the covenant—exactly the charge Jesus levels in Luke 19:44; 23:28-31. Prophecies Highlighting Suffering for Mothers and Children • Isaiah 13:16: “Their infants will be dashed to pieces… their wives ravished.” • Hosea 13:16: “Their infants will be dashed… their pregnant women ripped open.” • Lamentations 4:10: “Compassionate women have cooked their own children.” • Each passage pictures a siege so severe that the most vulnerable suffer first—the same point Jesus makes. The Theme of Divine Wrath • “Wrath against this people” (Luke 21:23) recalls Isaiah 13:9: “The day of the LORD is coming… cruel, with wrath and fierce anger.” • Jeremiah 7:20 speaks of God pouring out “My wrath on this place… on man and beast.” • Jesus identifies Himself with the LORD who once judged Jerusalem, showing consistency between Testaments. Day-of-the-LORD, Siege, and Exile Imagery • Zechariah 14:1-2: nations besiege Jerusalem; half the city goes into exile—parallels Luke 21:24. • Daniel 9:26 foretells “the people of the prince… will destroy the city and the sanctuary,” a background to Jesus’ warning of the temple’s fall. • Ezekiel 5:10 predicts cannibalism during siege, matching Luke’s lament for mothers. Why Pregnant and Nursing Mothers? • Old-testament prophecies often spotlight them to depict total desperation (e.g., Deuteronomy 28; Hosea 9:14). • Jesus repeats the motif to assure His hearers that the same covenant-keeping God is about to act in judgment once more. From Prophecy to Fulfillment • In A.D. 70, Titus’ legions surrounded Jerusalem. Contemporary histories (e.g., Josephus, Wars 6.3.3-4) record starvation so severe that mothers killed and ate their infants—fulfilling the Deuteronomy and Lamentations curses and validating Jesus’ words. • The literal fulfillment in the first century anchors confidence that remaining day-of-the-LORD prophecies will also come to pass. Key Takeaways • Luke 21:23 is not an isolated lament; it is Jesus weaving together Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, and Lamentations into a single, sobering verdict. • Old Testament judgment oracles stand as a warning: covenant unfaithfulness inevitably invites divine wrath. • The accuracy of those earlier fulfillments assures believers that God’s promises—of both judgment and ultimate restoration—remain certain. |
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