What Manner of Stones

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, 'Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!'” What beautiful architecture the city of Jerusalem presented to the eye of the beholder. What splendor the kingdoms of this world lay before the one who looks at them. What riches the people of this earth display in bright array.

And what does Jesus say in reply? “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” Not one stone left standing upon another. No beautiful buildings standing proudly. No hallowed monuments to progress or prosperity left erect. No halls of riches and royalty left in their grand splendor.

Of course, we know that Jesus' words came true literally for those particular buildings, in a matter of forty years or so. The Roman general Titus Vespasian laid siege to Jerusalem, took the city, and destroyed the second Temple, which to this day remains in ruins. The holy city was left in ruins, and has never again returned to its former glory. And the people of Israel are scattered to the four corners of the earth.

Is this what Jesus is telling his disciples in this incident, though? That their beautiful city would be ruined in generation? Or is there more to this story?

Jesus foretells the destruction of the Temple, but His words say more than that. See these beautiful buildings, these well-hewn stones, these hallowed walls – they will all fall into ruin. Decay, neglect, and disaster all work to pull down even the best-made edifices of man.

What is the value of a building? Is it in the beauty of its craftsmanship, in its architecture? Or is it in its function, in what the building houses? The beautiful, gleaming buildings arrayed on and around the temple mount in first-century Jerusalem served to proclaim to the world the glory of the people of Israel, the favored status of the children of Abraham. The Temple was engineered to inspire awe and wonder in the faithful people who came to worship there.

We humans like monuments. Just go into a city and look for the statues, the historical markers, the bronze plaques commemorating this, that, or the other. In some parts of this country, you can find an historical marker on some rock practically every half-mile.

But even more so, you like monuments of your own constructing. You like to erect the grand buildings of your mind, the mental structures which remind you of your greatness, of your prosperity, of your goodness. You would like to look around and see the works of your hands and the fruits of your labors. And, looking at all that your hands have made, you would like to take pride in your accomplishments, in your own deeds.

This is no new idea, no surprising temptation. Just think back to the tower of Babel. The people organized themselves together to build a tower that would reach all the way to heaven. God had commanded that they scatter over the face of the earth to populate the world, and instead they set about building a great city, a monument to their own ingenuity. So God confounded their language and scattered them to the winds. Noah's ark, the body of Moses, and the Ark of the Covenant all remain hidden, lest men gather around them and turn them into objects of adoration.

You look about and see what beautiful buildings and what great monuments the hands of men have built. You look about and you see what great things your labors have achieved. And you look about and do not see the Lord God who gives you your daily bread, who created the heavens and the earth and provides for your every need of body and soul.

Lest you become secure in your prosperity, Jesus warns that not one stone will be left upon another in this world. The city of Jerusalem was besieged, the Temple was destroyed. Buildings rise and buildings fall. Statues are erected and statues are felled. Men and women are born and they die. Memorials are placed and memorials are forgotten.

The end of all things is certainly coming. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. You will see the destruction of cities and countries. You will see brother turn against brother, mother against child, husband against wife. These things must come, and they are but the beginning of the end. But the end is not yet.

All the finery of the world will pass away. The great buildings will crumble. The wealth of the nations will be eaten up. You will face persecutions, famines, trials, and great dangers. Men will seek to silence you, to oppress you, to kill you. And these are but the beginning of the birth-pangs, the start of the end.

But do not be alarmed at these things. For you, the end has already come. Our Lord Jesus Christ has already proclaimed for you “It is finished!” The judgment has come, and you have been declared not guilty. The consummation of the age has happened, once and for all, upon the cross, where your Lord and Savior died for you. There, upon that cross, the judgment for sin was executed, and your life was made secure in Jesus' death. And then He rose with healing for the nations. He rose triumphantly from the grave to proclaim freedom to those held captive by sin, death, and the devil. He rose to say to you, Your sins are forgiven.

Not one stone will remain standing upon another. But yet there will remain one stone standing. That rock is Christ, our cornerstone. The stones of the Law will fall, and they will crush those upon whom they fall. But you who fall on Christ will be broken, but not destroyed. For your heart must be broken by the Law, broken upon the rock which is Christ. But then He whom God the Father raised from the dead will raise you from the dead and make you whole again.

The one rock who will remain standing can never be moved. Not angels or demons, not weather or water, not man or beast – nothing in all creation can change or move Christ Jesus our Lord or His grace given for you. Your cornerstone, your foundation stands firm in the midst of the trials and tribulations of this world, as the end times rage about you.

Not one stone will be left standing upon another in this world. And this even applies to the holy buildings of the Church. Congregations come and go. Sanctuaries are build, and sanctuaries are destroyed. Men are born and men die. Steeples rise and steeples fall. But the Word of the Lord remains forever.

The Church remains wherever her head is. For the Church is the people of God gathered around the gifts of God, the sheep who hear the Shepherd's voice. Even when the wonders and treasures of this world and life are gone, the Church shall remain, because her cornerstone shall remain. For this Rock shall never fall. The Shepherd stands guard, and the sheep will never be lost out of His hand. You may pass through the valley of the shadow of death, but He has already faced death itself, and He has won the victory.

“Be on your guard... You will be hated by all for [Christ's] name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

Built on the Rock the Church shall stand

Even when steeples are falling.

Crumbled have spires in ev'ry land;

Bells are still chiming and calling,

Calling the young and old to rest,

But above all the souls distressed,

Longing for rest everlasting (LSB 645.1).

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.