Wow! What beautiful work! It’s amazing that someone possessed the skill to make this!” I overheard this comment when visiting the grand cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. Yes, it is indeed admirable, but I could not shake the feeling that we tourists had missed the point. While it represents the artistry of a skilled worker, anyone willing to look beneath the surface at the art itself can see the narrative of scripture and find the story of the world’s redemption. The tourist saw the signs and missed the point.
Perhaps that explains Jesus’ animation in this passage when people focus on beautiful stones rather than on his transformative story and work. They see the stones of the Temple and admire their beauty. Jesus’ words of caution surely catch them off guard: “The days will come when not one stone will be left upon another.” He may have intended this statement to serve as a warning so that they would not abandon their faith in him as the Messiah when the day of the Temple’s destruction arrived.
Jesus meets their natural questions of when and how with words to this effect: “Trust me. Listen to me. Persevere.” Jesus knows that other stories will creep in and try to supersede the story of his return. He warns them about following after false messiahs who claim to usher in a new age.
How easily we explain away difficulties! How tempting it is to look for signs as a means to control our fears! But the story we must heed is the one that reminds us that troubles befalling us are not without the promise of Jesus’ presence. May we have the eyes to see more deeply the transformative story of Jesus.