JESUS SORROW FOR JERUSALEM Luke 13:31-35

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1 1 JESUS SORROW FOR JERUSALEM Luke 13:31-35 Hugh Latimer, one of the great preachers and leaders of the English Reformation in the sixteenth century, was once preaching in Westminster Abby when King Henry VIII was in the congregation. As he stood in the pulpit, he thought to himself: Latimer! Latimer! Latimer! Be careful what you say. The king of England is here! Then it dawned on him: Latimer! Latimer! Latimer! Be careful what you say. The King of Kings is here. 1 JESUS IS WARNED ABOUT HEROD (13:31) This text gives us the information that not all Pharisees were hostile to Jesus, some wanted to save Him. It is not common to come across a Pharisee who warns Jesus of impending danger. In the following passage, however, that happens: At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to Him, "Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you" (v. 31). Jesus concern for everyone is evident by His relentless traveling schedule in the country around Him. JESUS BLUNT WORDS TO HEROD (13:32-33) Jesus then sent Herod a blunt message through the Pharisee: He replied, Go tell that fox, 'I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.' In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! (vv ). Because foxes were known for their cunning and destructive nature, they were considered insignificant or worthless. So when Jesus called Herod a fox, He did so meaning that Herod was cunning or clever, destructive and insignificant. 2 Jesus had begun His journey from Galilee to Jerusalem (9:51; 13:22) and in no way was going to be intimidated by some self-aggrandizing monarch. Jesus agenda had been set before time began. Neither Herod nor any other powerful person or force could change that agenda. Jesus took orders from the Father and He was intent on carrying those orders out. There was no stopping the King of kings who was on a mission of mercy to die for mankind.

2 2 It is not often we see Jesus stand up to people in all His regal glory and speak as Lord of lords. In most instances Jesus does not react to such threats but carries on His ministry of mercy. However, on this occasion He spoke with divine authority. Another example of such a response was when Jesus stood before Pilate who asked Him where He was from: Where are you from? Pilate asked Jesus. And Jesus did not answer. Then Pilate, probably feeling rebuffed by our Lord s silence, threatened Him: You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you? Jesus answered him, You would have no power over Me unless it had been given you from above.... (Jn 19:9-11). Go tell that fox.... Spoken like a king! It seems our Lord is being sarcastic here in Luke (vv. 32 and 33; see also Jn 19:9-11). He called Jerusalem the killer of prophets and that it would not be fitting for a prophet to die outside of Jerusalem. Jesus says He will continue to cast out demons and heal the sick. He was constantly concerned about the spiritual condition of those with whom He dealt. Our concern should be the same as Jesus. If we find we hardly witness at all, could it be because we simply are not that concerned with the spiritual well being of our fellow human beings? JESUS LAMENT (13:34-35) "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see Me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord'" (vv ). Jerusalem, rather than being the shining light on the Hill, had become a spiritually desolate nation of legalistic laws and practices. Notice how great the compassion of our Lord is towards sinners. We see this brought out in a most forcible way by Jesus description of Jerusalem. Even though He knew the wickedness of that city, the crimes that had been committed in the past, and anticipated His own suffering there, yet He laments, "How often would I have gathered your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."

3 3 Unlike many self-righteous religious people, it grieves Jesus to see sinners caught up in their wickedness and headed for judgment: "As I live, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked" (Eze 33:11). Unconverted people not only grieve parents, relatives and friends, they grieve Jesus. Jesus is willing to save sinners: "He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Pe 3:9). He would have all men saved and come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Pe 3:9; 1 Ti 2:4). The will of hardened, rebellious man, and not the will of Christ, is the reason why sinners are lost for evermore. Christ "would" save them, but they were not willing. Christ is always ready to save sinners! If we are lost, we shall have no one to blame but ourselves. Christ universal offer will condemn us: "You refuse to come to Me to have life" (Jn 5:40). We shall reap the fruit of our own choice. God's sovereignty and man's responsibility shall appear perfectly harmonious one day. In the meantime, what is crystal clear is Christ's infinite willingness to save. OUR LIVES ARE IN GOD S HANDS Let us learn from these verses how entirely our times are in God's hands. Our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us this lesson in His reply to those who bade Him depart, because Herod would kill Him. He said, "I cast out demons, and I do cures today and tomorrow." He had no fear of Herod because His time was not yet come for leaving the world. His work was not yet finished. Until that time came it was not in the power of Herod to hurt Him. Until that work was finished no weapon forged against Him could prosper. We ought to seek to possess a spirit of calm, unshaken confidence about things to come (Ps 112:7). We are not to neglect the use of means, or not to plan at all for an unseen future. To neglect means is fanaticism, and not faith. However, when we have done what we can, we should remember that though duties are ours, events are God's. Therefore, we should leave the future in God's hands. It is so easy to become overanxious about health, family, finances, plans for a rainy day. But how many of our cares and fears are about things which never take place? Happy is the person who recognizes that His life is in God s hands, that he shall live on earth until his

4 4 work is done and not a moment longer. The Herods of this life the powers of this world cannot snuff out our life. We will live as long as God permits. All the physicians of earth cannot preserve or extend our life when God calls us home. Our very hairs are numbered. Our steps are ordered. All things are working together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Ro 8:28). When we are afflicted, it is for the best. We can afford to be calm, quiet, unruffled and undisturbed since there is no such thing as chance, luck or accident in the life of a believer. In our lives and activities, we all have one thing in common, unless we repent, we will all perish. No matter how good our behavior and no matter how bad our behavior, we are all sinners before God. Without divine intervention, we are all headed for hell. News. Jesus left us here to be that light shining on a hill and that voice that proclaims the Good Therefore, it is our responsibility to bear fruit. We are the ones responsible for whether our fellow man hears about Jesus Christ. If we find we don't share Jesus Christ with others, could it be because we are not concerned about the souls of our friends and neighbors? We need a vision of hell. And we need the love He has for the lost. Jesus was concerned about everyone. And His concern should be our concern. Herod was like so many people of our time. He knew Jesus only by rumor. Some people in our day know Jesus as a compassionate man, but they don t know much else about Him. Like Herod, many only know about Jesus by rumor. They don t know who He really is. They listen to the sermons but don t hear them. They may even read the Bible but they don t comprehend it. They didn t bother to seek the Scriptures. They were satisfied with hear-say. It is impossible to know who Jesus is outside the Gospels and the New Testament. Rumors will only lead to error. Luke tells us later in the gospel that Herod had sought to see Jesus, primarily out of curiosity. In fact, when Pilate sent Jesus to Herod during our Savior s trial, Luke records: When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see Him, because he had heard about Him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by Him. So he questioned Him at some length; but He made no answer. (Lk 23:8-9; see also Ps 112:7)

5 5 Jesus did the same thing to Pilate. He gave him the silent treatment. But when Pilate reacted to Christ s silence, Jesus did speak to Pilate. But on the occasion of Christ s trial before Herod, He didn t say a word to Herod. That was probably a sign of judgment. Jesus considered that Herod was not worthy of a reply. JESUS LAMENT (13:22) Jesus authority is seen in His refusal to have an earthly monarch setting His agenda. The second is a great contrast. It is His compassion and humility. He was on His way to Jerusalem to give His life a ransom for us sinners (13:22). The city in which He would give His life for the world was the city He had called and longed to gather to Himself (Mt 23:37-39). And now our Savior laments over that city. Herod had a shallow understanding of what Jesus stood for (Lk 9:3-9; see also Mt 23:37-39). Herod knew Jesus by rumor, until, of course, Jesus stood before him in judgment before His death. Jesus did not raise an army or use His miraculous powers to drive out his enemies from Jerusalem, and to throw Israel s rebellious priesthood out of His Father s house. Instead He let them throw Him out of both the temple and the city. And astoundingly, what had been His Father s and His, He left in their hands: Your house, He said, is left to you (Lk 13:35). If people use their God-given free-will to reject the Savior, neither God nor Christ will overrule. That does not mean that puny man has the power to defeat the will of the Almighty since it was always God s will that man s will should be genuinely free. It was always God s intention that man be able to say No! to God. But God is also free. That means freedom to say No! when they arrive at God s gate unrepentant. APPLICATION The question for us is, "Are we dry and desolate?" If we find ourselves in a spiritual desert, dry and desolate, it may be because our love has waxed cold and we no longer have the concern for others that Jesus has. NOTES 1 William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke: The Daily Study Bible, Revised Edition (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1975), Ibid.

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