THE WEEK OF TRINITY XXV – SUNDAY 

LESSON: MATTHEW 24:15‒28 

“When you see the desolating sacrilege spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; let him who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house; and let him who is in the field not turn back to take his mantle.” Matthew 24:15‒18  

In this chapter we have a description of the conclusion and end of two kingdoms—the kingdom of the Jews as well as the end of the whole world. These two the evangelists Matthew and Mark toss together without observing any due order as the Gospel of Luke does. All that these evangelists want to do is to give and to relate the words of Christ; they do not trouble themselves with what He spoke first or subsequently. But Luke takes special care to write more clearly and with more order, and reports this whole discussion twice. First, briefly in chapter nineteen he speaks of the destruction of the Jews at Jerusalem, and then in chapter twenty-one he reports these two matters in succession.  

You must know, then, that Matthew here wraps together and takes up at the same time the end of both the Jewish people and the end of the world, and cooks this up into one broth. If you want to understand it, you have to separate and draw out each part to its end, that which is spoken of the Jews and that which is spoken of the whole world. 

SL.XI.1870,1‒2
AE. 79:324-336

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, guide and direct us by Your Holy Spirit so that we may always accept Your Word given us through men and in human form as the Word of truth and salvation, for Your name’s sake. Amen. 

Editor’s note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today’s sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil–Gospels, 5:326-343.