Posts
On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, "Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You." And He said to them, "Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.' Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' "
- Luke 13:31-35
Yesterday we read several of Jesus' teachings: He said, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches." And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened." And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?" And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.' But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.' There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last."
On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, "Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You." My study bible has a helpful note: "This warning of some Pharisees may well be sincere, or it could be a cunning way to get Jesus to Judea so they could enforce their authority against Him. Herod Antipas imprisoned and beheaded John the Baptist." Although journeying toward Jerusalem, He is still in the territory governed by Herod.
And He said to them, "Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.' " Again, my study bible has a helpful understanding for us: "Jesus does not mince words in calling Herod fox for his sly craftiness. Perfected refers to the completion of Jesus' mission through His Passion and Resurrection in Jerusalem. He has nothing to fear from Herod." Later in Luke's gospel, we will read of the friendship of Herod and Pilate effected during Jesus' trial.
"Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem." My study bible says, "Jerusalem, the center of religious authority, often was the site of the judgment and persecution of God's prophets. Jesus speaks with prophetic irony here." Jerusalem is the great city, the center of religious activity, the site of the Temple and therefore so much of Jewish history -- including the persecution of the prophets.
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' " Again, my study bible has a helpful note for us: "Jesus' tender lament and judgment over unrepentant Jerusalem show He loves His adversaries as we are to love ours."
I always remark upon the loving nature of Christ's interior relationship to Jerusalem, and it's illustrative of events in our own lives, when people whom we love may disappoint or turn asunder relationships as we would have them. Jesus' image He uses here is very affectionate, and maternal: "as a hen gathers her brood under her wings." Often, I've been told, the mystical saints of history (those who are male) have a feminine quality to them. I think this is very important and essential that we understand something about our faith: tenderness and love are qualities that belong to all human beings. Jesus has just spoken of His perfection, and so we should view this kind of love, the one that is tender, protective, and careful even of those children who will do what they will -- until rejection is clear. Jesus sets for us an example of what it is to be truly loving and at the same time discerning; He teaches us the paradox of God's eternal love which is also truth and true judgment. Those who reject Him He cannot force into relationship, into the relationship He truly desires and will never cease desiring. So it often is with us, when those whom we love are destructive or harmful or rejecting. Our love may never cease, even when relationship as we would desire it is impossible. In our prayers, let us remember Jesus' love even for those who would harm Him; as my study bible puts it, even for His enemies. So, by His example, we can continue to love even those whom we can no longer trust nor engage in relationship as would be our fondest desire.
