Tenth Sunday after Trinity

In the northern European tradition, which has been carried over into the American Book of Common Prayer, the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost commemorates the siege and destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Jesus foretold this event in today’s Gospel: «For the days will come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another.»

The siege of Jerusalem by the future Roman emperor Titus lasted about four months and ended with the capture and destruction of the city on August 30. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, about a million people perished during the siege and the subsequent fighting, and even the holiest place for the Jews, the Temple, was set on fire and destroyed.

The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in year 70 was a major turning point in Jewish history, leading to a transformation of their culture and religion to ensure its survival. With no more temple and sacrifices, the priesthood lost its importance, and the synagogues and diverse rabbinic schools became the center of Judaism, as it still is today.

For Christians, the destruction of Jerusalem and especially the Temple meant confirmation that Jesus was right. Not only was His prophecy about the fall of Jerusalem in today’s Gospel proved true, but also that the sacrificial service of the Old Covenant will come to an end because it is no longer needed, because Christ has brought the only true, perfect, and final sacrifice that has redeemed the whole mankind.

We are the new temple of God. We are called to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. Jesus exhorts us to know “the things which belong unto our peace”.  These things are true worship and living in love – in the same self-giving love with which God has loved us.