40 Days of Jesus ~ Day 17 (Luke 1)

by Roseanna White | Feb 29, 2016 | Bible Study

Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled[a] among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, 3 it
seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things
from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent
Theophilus, 4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.

John’s Birth Announced to Zacharias

5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.
8 So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But
the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is
heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call
his name John. 14 And you will have Joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For
he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine
nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even
from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’[b] and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
18 And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”
19 And
the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the
presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad
tidings. 20 But
behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these
things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be
fulfilled in their own time.”
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. 22 But
when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that
he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained
speechless.
23 So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. 24 Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

I’m intrigued by the “turning the hears of the fathers to the children” bit. It’s quoting Malachi 4:5-6, which says, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 6 And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” This is a market contrast to Jesus saying he came to turn brother against brother, parent against child, etc. So John’s message of repentance was meant to restore something in families. But Jesus’s message of salvation was meant to separate others.

Christ’s Birth Announced to Mary

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”[c]
29 But when she saw him,[d] she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The
Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will
overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be
called the Son of God. 36 Now
indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old
age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”
38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

I think it’s pretty important to note the future tenses used here–the Holy Spirit will come upon you . . . but he hadn’t yet. Mary had a choice. She could have turned away, shaken her head, said she couldn’t do that to Joseph. Couldn’t hurt her family. Couldn’t suffer the gossip. She could have refused. But she didn’t. Mary chose to accept God’s calling, God’s will.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And
it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe
leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for Joy. 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

I always love seeing how the Holy Spirit moved and worked before He was imparted to all believers on Pentecost. Here we see Him descend upon Elizabeth. It isn’t a constant thing, isn’t even something the person invites or requests. It’s solely at the will of the Lord. 

The Song of Mary

46 And Mary said:

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
54 He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
55 As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”

56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.

Birth of John the Baptist

57 Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. 58 When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.

Circumcision of John the Baptist

59 So
it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and
they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. 60 His mother answered and said, “No; he shall be called John.”
61 But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” 62 So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called.
63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, “His name is John.” So they all marveled. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. 65 Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. 66 And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him.

 I don’t think I’d noticed that last bit before–that all the countryside marveled. And watched. These people were expecting great things from John well before he was old enough to become The Baptist. And they were expecting, believing. It wasn’t a doubtful watching–it was a certainty that the Lord was with this boy and would do great things. That’s pretty awesome.

Zacharias’ Prophecy

67 Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

68 “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited and redeemed His people,
69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of His servant David,
70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets,
Who have been since the world began,
71 That we should be saved from our enemies
And from the hand of all who hate us,
72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers
And to remember His holy covenant,
73 The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:
74 To grant us that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;
For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people
By the remission of their sins,
78 Through the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Dayspring from on high has visited[e] us;
79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

80 So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

40 Days of Jesus ~ Day 16 (Mark 16)

by Roseanna White | Feb 27, 2016 | Bible Study

Mark 16

Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.
6 But
he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who
was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they
laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”
8 So they went out quickly[a] and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Mary Magdalene Sees the Risen Lord

9 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.

Jesus Appears to Two Disciples

12 After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.

The Great Commission

14 Later
He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked
their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those
who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they[b]
will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no
means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will
recover.”

Christ Ascends to God’s Right Hand

19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.[c]

This feels like a pretty quick ending to the tale, doesn’t it? Boom-boom-boom. He’s risen, people saw him, Great Commission, He ascends. We get a lot more details in the other Gospels . . . but this still gets the force of it.

My question today comes from the Great Commission ~ have you seen any of the signs that are to follow believers?

40 Days of Jesus ~ Day 14 (Mark 14)

by Roseanna White | Feb 25, 2016 | Bible Study

Mark 14

After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death. 2 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people.”

3 And
being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the
table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of
spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. 4 But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? 5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply.
6 But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. 7 For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. 8 She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. 9 Assuredly,
I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what
this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

This woman has no name is this gospel. She has no history. But her story is indeed told the world over, because she honored her Savior, anointed him before his burial. Jesus knew what was coming. Did she? Probably not. But the Spirit had prompted her to make this sacrifice, and she obeyed.

10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.

12 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?”
13 And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him. 14 Wherever
he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where
is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 15 Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.”
16 So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.
17 In the evening He came with the twelve. 18 Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me.”
19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, “Is it I?” And another said, “Is it I?”[a]
20 He answered and said to them, “It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish. 21 The
Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that
man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that
man if he had never been born.”

Little historical tidbit here–houses in Jerusalem at the time had thick, flat roofs to protect the interior rooms from the heat of the day. But these roofs were put to use during the morning and evening hours. Most houses had exterior steps or a ladder leading to the roof, where tables and chairs were set up. Sometimes people who had need of extra rooms would end up closing this space in, adding another story to their house, accessible only from the outside. This is what they referred to as their “upper room.”

22 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, “Take, eat;[b] this is My body.”
23 Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And He said to them, “This is My blood of the new[c] covenant, which is shed for many. 25 Assuredly,
I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until
that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

My church does a Messianic Passover Seder every year, which has made this make so much more sense to me! For us, communion is something that exists all on its own. But reading where during the meal Jesus would have said this and done this brings it to life in whole new ways that show how he is fulfilling prophecy and centuries of tradition. If you’ve never done a meal like this, I encourage you to look it up!

27 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night,[d] for it is written:

‘I will strike the Shepherd,
And the sheep will be scattered.’[e]

28 “But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”

29 Peter said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be.”
30 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.”
31 But he spoke more vehemently, “If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”
And they all said likewise.

Oh, Peter. We all like to think that we’ll stay steady when others flee. That we’re stronger, more devoted, more steadfast. But Jesus knew well that this was too much a test for any man. And he knew too that they would all emerge from it stronger than they’d ever been.

32 Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. 34 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.”
35 He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. 36 And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”
37 Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
39 Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words. 40 And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him.
41 Then He came the third time and said to them, “Are
you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has come;
behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”

It’s so hard to stay awake when your eyes are heavy. I can’t tell you how many times mine drift shut when I want to stay awake to talk to my husband while he’s driving at night or to watch the end of that show. And yes, how often I fall asleep while I’m praying. It’s hard. And we’re weak.


And my heart breaks for Jesus as he prayed that prayer. He knew what he had to do. He knew he would do it. And still he just wished there was another way. Here we see Jesus’s humanity . . . and his perfect submission.

43 And
immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve,
with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief
priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely.”
45 As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, “Rabbi, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
46 Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him. 47 And one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
48 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? 49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”
50 Then they all forsook Him and fled.

That safely jumped out at me this time. Why did Judas stipulate that Jesus was to be led away safely? Did he not realize he was betraying his Master to death? Did he think He would just be arrested, imprisoned perhaps? Scolded and released? Maybe he didn’t fully understand. Maybe that’s why he’s so horrified afterward that he hangs himself?

51 Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body. And the young men laid hold of him, 52 and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.

Tradition holds that this young man is probably the author of the book, John-Mark. Tradition also holds that it’s at his father’s house that they just had the Last Supper, so it would have been natural for him to have followed Jesus and the disciples to the garden.

53 And they led Jesus away to the high priest; and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. 54 But
Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high
priest. And he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.
55 Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. 56 For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree.
57 Then some rose up and bore false witness against Him, saying, 58 “We
heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within
three days I will build another made without hands.’” 59 But not even then did their testimony agree.
60 And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” 61 But He kept silent and answered nothing.
Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”
62 Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
63 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? 64 You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?”
And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.
65 Then
some began to spit on Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, and
to say to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers struck Him with the palms of
their hands.[f]

They knew they wanted to kill him, had to kill him, but none of their false testimonies could agree–how crazy is that? But Jewish law stated that in order for a man to be put to death, there had to be three witnesses whose stories all agreed. Jesus could have kept quiet here, and then what would have happened? But he instead spoke the truth so that he would be delivered to death and fulfill his purpose.

66 Now as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came. 67 And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with Jesus of Nazareth.”
68 But
he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are
saying.” And he went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed.
69 And the servant girl saw him again, and began to say to those who stood by, “This is one of them.” 70 But he denied it again.
And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, “Surely you are one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it.”[g]
71 Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this Man of whom you speak!”
72 A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And when he thought about it, he wept.

40 Days of Jesus ~ Day 13 (Mark 13)

by Roseanna White | Feb 24, 2016 | Bible Study

Mark 13

Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!”
2 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?”
5 And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 6 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. 7 But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 For
nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there
will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and
troubles.[a] These are the beginnings of sorrows.
9 “But
watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and
you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought[b] before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. 11 But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate[c] what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12 Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 13 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
14 “So when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’[d] spoken of by Daniel the prophet,[e] standing where it ought not” (let the reader understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house. 16 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 17 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 18 And pray that your flight may not be in winter. 19 For in
those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the
beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever
shall be. 20 And
unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but
for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.
21 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it. 22 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.
24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 And
then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the
four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of
heaven.

This is a really big chunk, but it’s all on the same topic, so I didn’t want to break it up.


When we look at Jesus’s prophecies of the end times here, we see some things that have already happened–the temple was indeed torn down, and not long after Jesus lived. Many Christians have been arrested and beaten and killed for His name’s sake. Certainly many false messiahs have risen up, promising salvation to their followers that they can never deliver on.


But some of this is obviously still in the future–and it’s a future that people have expected to happen in their lifetime since Jesus first spoke the words. Rather than wanting to hasten it on, we ought to be praying that we can do more work for Him before it comes, I think. Preach that gospel to those nations.

28 “Now
learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already
become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it[f] is near—at the doors! 30 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

I find the duplication of “will not pass away” here interesting. Someone looking only at the literal words will read Jesus’s claim that “this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place” and be confused. That generation–as in, the people born within those twenty years–certainly passed away without the end times coming.

But Jesus was also the Second Adam. He was the start of a whole new kind of man–one born again, in the Spirit. If you look at the generation of which he’s speaking being the spiritual generation, then it can mean all Christians. The generation will not pass away–earth and heaven might, but His words will not. They are linked, I think, to this generation of believers. His words are the generation, and the generation are born through His words.

32 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. 34 It is
like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave
authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the
doorkeeper to watch. 35 Watch
therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is
coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in
the morning— 36 lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. 37 And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”