What does Luke 19:43 mean?
Many of Jesus' prophesies are subject to interpretation. Here, readers may wonder if He's speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70, less than forty years after His triumphal entry (Luke 19:28–40). Or perhaps He is speaking of the tribulation and end times. In this case, we know Jesus is talking about AD 70.Josephus explained that the initial unrest between the Jews and the Romans was caused by several factors, many having to do with money. Because of decades of Roman taxation, the Jewish peasants were destitute. The craftsmen in Jerusalem were out of work after the temple renovations were completed in AD 63. The Jewish leaders had a working relationship with the Romans and were normally able to control the populace; yet the peasants believed their leaders were corrupt. Added to that, in AD 66, Nero told the Roman governor of Judea to raid the temple treasury for money. When some Jews mocked the governor but couldn't be found, the governor had random people arrested and crucified.
Jewish militias began attacking Roman outposts, eventually taking Judea and Galilee. Nero brought in General Vespasian who brought his son Titus. By AD 68, they had retaken Galilee. Meanwhile, the Zealots and the Sadducees were fighting in Jerusalem; many Jews left Jerusalem and Vespasian decided to wait and let the Jewish leaders weaken themselves before attacking the well-fortified city. Before Vespasian was ready, Nero killed himself, and Vespasian left for Rome to become emperor.
Titus was inexperienced, but his lieutenant was not. They besieged Jerusalem during Passover in AD 70, a time of year when the city's population was at a maximum. For a time, the factions in Jerusalem kept fighting each other, delaying a unified defense. Eventually, they reconciled and the Romans learned the Jews were capable defenders. Titus changed tactics, withdrew, and waited. He crucified anyone who tried to escape Jerusalem: some five hundred a day. Over a hundred thousand Jews died of starvation during the siege.
The Romans finally managed to retake the Antonia garrison. They disassembled the stones to reach the Temple Mount and set fire to the porticos. By mid-August, the temple was aflame. The money in the treasury and some of the sacred vessels were taken to Rome, but much of the gold and silver fittings melted between the cracks in the stones, leading the Roman soldiers to literally take them apart one by one (Luke 19:44) to get to the precious metal.
The great irony is that when Jesus finally reaches the temple, He sees the same problems. With the priests' approval, the Court of Gentiles is filled with thieving merchants (Luke 19:45–48). The lust for money and the corruption of the leadership are normal on the Temple Mount.
