Matthew 24:3

As he sat. Jesus had probably come here to spend the night, rather than return to Bethany as He had the two days preceding (see on ch. 21:17).

The disciples. See on v. 1.

Privately. It was hard for them to grasp the import of Jesus’ declaration concerning the destruction of the Temple, particularly in relation to recent events such as the Triumphal Entry and the Second Cleansing of the Temple, which seemed to them to presage the imminent establishment of the Messianic kingdom. Doubtless they came to Him privately because it would be considered treason to talk about such things publicly.

Tell us, when. They fondly anticipated that Jesus would proclaim Himself King almost any day now, and be acclaimed by the nation as Messiah. When, then, would the desolation of the Temple occur?

These things. That is, the desolation referred to in ch. 23:38 and more clearly stated in ch. 24:2.

The sign. See on v. 30.

Coming. Gr. parousia, “presence,” or “arrival.” Parousia appears commonly in the papyri for the visit of an emperor or a king. The word also occurs in vs. 27, 37, 39, but nowhere else in the Gospels, though often in the Epistles. It is sometimes used to denote presence as opposed to absence, as in Phil. 2:12, but more commonly of the coming of Christ, as in 2 Thess. 2:1, or of men, as in 1 Cor. 16:17. In the NT it is used as a technical term for the second advent of Christ. There is nothing in the term parousia to denote a secret coming.

The disciples apparently understood that Jesus was to go away for a time, after which He would return in power and glory to take His kingdom. Jesus, evidently, must already have given more explicit instructions on this subject than the Gospels record (see GC 25). Popular belief held that when Messiah came He would disappear for a time, and that when He reappeared no one would know whence He came. However, this is the first extended discussion of the second “coming” so far as the Gospel record is concerned, although it had been implied in the parables of the Pounds (Luke 19:12-15) and the Wicked Husbandmen (Matt. 21:33-41; cf. ch. 16:27). For a synopsis of the manner in which the OT prophecies of the Messiah and the Messianic kingdom would have been fulfilled had Israel been faithful see Vol. IV, pp. 26-30. For a comment on the fundamental errors of Jewish theologians in interpreting these OT prophecies see DA 30.

In the minds of the disciples “these things” — the destruction of the Temple, and the coming of Jesus a second time at “the end of the world” — were closely united. They conceived of these events as taking place either simultaneously or in rapid succession. When, on the day of the ascension, the disciples inquired, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom of Israel?” Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power” (Acts 1:6, 7). They did not yet understand that the Jewish nation would reject Jesus, and in turn be rejected as God’s chosen people (see Vol. IV, pp. 32, 33). The knowledge of future events would, at the time, have been too much for them. The disciples had, in fact, proved incapable of grasping the repeated instruction Christ had been giving them for nearly a year, relative to His imminent sufferings and death (see on Matt. 16:21; Matt. 20:17-19). The events foretold proved to be almost more than they could endure (see Luke 24:11, 17-25; DA 631, 772).