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!

 

 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 that Jesus taught, "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."  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!'"  My study Bible comments here that today's passage shows first, Christ voluntarily going to His Passion.  Secondly, it displays His great love for Jerusalem in spite of its continual state of rebellion.  Finally, He reveals His foreknowledge of how He will be received on the first Palm Sunday.  

 

Let us note that Jesus' cry, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem" is a lament made with love and sadness, and Jesus also shows His commitment to the mission entrusted in Him, remaining in Jerusalem, "for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem."  It's quite interesting to think of this image that Jesus has given, of Himself as a would-be mother hen gathering her brood under her wings.  This is a striking maternal image of Jesus that He gives to us directly.  We might take a close look at some historical architecture of Churches to see how it reflects Christ's image here.  Looking at the beautiful and majestic dome of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) Church, built in what was then Constantinople (532-537), and minus the minarets added later, we see a very rounded maternal image which reflects Christ's desire to embrace His children as a hen would under her wings.  (See this architectural drawing of the structure.)   This Church was the largest cathedral built in the world for nearly a thousand years, but nonetheless its shape manages to convey the sheltering in the wings of a mother hen, a rounded image with a brilliantly illumined dome that seemed to float above the people.  Interestingly the name Hagia Sophia, "Holy Wisdom," is also feminine in its Greek form, although it refers to Christ Himself.  Why is it important that Christ gives us this picture?  Because it teaches us how our faith works in so many balanced and powerful ways.  Those who would suggest that our faith is merely one of patriarchy would be entirely mistaken, because in Christ's language and practice during His ministry the feminine plays a great role as well.  His love for Jerusalem -- the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! -- is clearly stated here in maternal terms.  It is little wonder that for the Orthodox world, perhaps the greatest image of protector is that of the Virgin Mary, the Theotokos, or "Mother of God."  She is, additionally, considered to be the greatest of the saints, and exalted as the one who exemplifies our faith among human beings.  She bore possible shame and humiliation in her acceptance of her role given by God, protected and sheltered our Lord, and in humility bore the pain that would come as well.  Of course, the whole of the Church and all the faithful is necessary to the faith, and no one is left out. But Christ gives us one of the greatest images we have of what it is to love and care for one's lost children in this image of the mother hen and her brood, and the great desire to protect.  In chapter 15, Luke will also give us the parable of the Prodigal Son, with its image of the father who runs to the returning prodigal.  But let us for today be grateful for Christ's portrayal of His love as that of a hen who longs to protect her lost children, and who will nonetheless stay for the sacrifice He must make at their hands, although they will leave their home desolate.

How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!

 

 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 that Jesus taught, "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 will 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."  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!'"  My study Bible says of today's passage that it shows, first, that Christ voluntarily is going to His Passion; secondly, His great love for Jerusalem despite its continual state of rebellion; and finally, His foreknowledge of how He will be received on the first Palm Sunday (Luke 19:28-44).  

As it draws nearer to the time of the Cross, we find that both the state and religious establishments are bound to be against Christ.  First of all, some Pharisees are warning Him about Herod's intent to kill Him.  Herod is Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee, commonly called King.  He rules for Rome, and is the son of Herod the Great who was responsible for the slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16-18).  Herod Antipas has already had John the Baptist beheaded (Luke 9:7-9), and we have read that he fears that Jesus is John risen from the dead because of the many signs Christ does.  But Jesus turns His attention away from Galilee and toward Jerusalem, for that is where His Passion will happen.  He gives a dismissive and assertive reply back for Herod ("Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected'").  But His real focus, as we note, is on Jerusalem, "for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem." We note Jesus' lament, "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!'" As my study Bible notes, Jesus' lament is filled with love.  Indeed, this is a stunning reference in that He portrays Himself with a feminine reference in the image of a mother hen who gathers her chicks under her wings for protection, but these children in Jerusalem were not willing.  The religious leadership is unwilling to heed His warnings and prophecies (Luke 11:37-54).  Also noteworthy in today's passage is Christ's reference to Himself as a prophet.  But, like the prophets before Himself, Christ's prophetic role means rejection by the religious establishment in Jerusalem.  Let us note that He remains the Christ, the Messiah, although prophecy is clearly one of the roles He has also fulfilled as Messiah.  So, as the state begins to menace Him, the stage is set, and once again, as we have observed in the readings over the past week or so, we become aware that for Christ it is the light of the Cross that now leads the way toward Jerusalem.  We note the poignant way that passion is combined with love, Christ's wistful regret over the choices of His children as a brood of chicks a mother hen seeks to protect, and also His reference to Jerusalem as "the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!"  And again, as we have observed so often throughout the past week of readings or so, the drawing near of the Cross and His human death also tells us that Judgment is near, that inescapable time that will come to all of us, about which He has continually warned His disciples and those who follow Him regarding the time of our lives in this world and how precious it is.  Now is the time, in today's reading, as He will head toward Jerusalem, He clearly indicates that His rejection at Jerusalem means for the religious leaders, "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!'"  That time to which Jesus refers is the coming of the Kingdom at the final judgment.  His ministry is drawing to a close, and the time for repentance, due to hardness of heart, is past.  There is no time limit on God's mercy, but there is a natural progression that happens in the  heart through rejection of God, the passing of a point of the possibility for our own "change of mind."  In the eyes of the Church, we may become so hardened to God's truth that we render ourselves incapable of repentance.  Today's passage tells us about God's personal love, expressed by Jesus as that of a mother hen who wants only to care for and protect her chicks.  Let us remember this image, for it is the image of God's love always extended to us, if we are willing.

 

 

 

 

How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!

 

 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 that Jesus 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 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."  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.'"   As Herod Antipas is the ruler (tetrarch) of Galilee, this tells us that Jesus, although He has begun to journey toward Jerusalem, is still in Galilee.  It is also quite interesting that there are Pharisees who seek to protect Jesus from the one who rules for Rome.  Jesus' reply is bold; although He speaks in what is no doubt a riddle both to these Pharisees and to Herod when He refers to the third day.   He nevertheless asserts His power against the adversary, the evil one, and that He will complete His mission 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!'"  My study bible comments that this passage shows first that Christ is voluntarily going to His Passion, and second it shows His great love for Jerusalem despite its continual state of rebellion.  Finally, on display here is also Christ's foreknowledge that He will be received on the first Palm Sunday with the words "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!" (see 19:37-38).

Jesus speaks of His love for Jerusalem.  In today's reading we're given this extremely interesting, feminine image of Christ as a mother hen, who "gathers her brood under her wings."  This speaks of a tremendous love, a maternal protective love.  It is interesting to understand this image in these words as given to us by Jesus, and also to consider that throughout Christian history the image of the Virgin Mary as protector of the faithful, especially in times of war, has remained strong in both East and West.  For Byzantium, Mary, in a famous hymn, is called "Champion General."  This hymn was composed fter a famous incident in the tenth century, in which enemy armies, encamped and prepared to attack outside the gates of Constantinople, mysteriously changed their minds and simply left.   The city was unprotected at the time, as its army was fighting far away, so the people and religious leaders made supplications for intercession by Mary -- in the midst of which occurred a vision of her at fervent prayer for the Christian city.  In the Battle of Lepanto (which took place in what is now called Nafpaktos/Ναύπακτος in modern Greece) an alliance of Catholic states defended the West successfully against  Ottoman Armies, turning back the tide of Ottoman aggression.  This victory was credited to the Virgin Mary, to whom the Pope had ordered the people to pray for intercession through the use of the Rosary.  There are many other such instances in which the protection of a people has been ascribed to the protection of Mary as intercessor, as one who prays for the people to her Son Jesus.  Noteworthy indeed are the feminine images of protection for defensive victory in battle against a hostile aggressor, that perhaps begin here with Christ's image of Himself as mother hen who would so often have protected the brood of Jerusalem as her baby chicks, but they were not willing.  With hearts far away from Him, Jesus says, "Your house is left to you desolate," an image of emptiness and abandonment.  It suggests to me that, as full or empty as our hearts are with love of God, this is the fullness (or desolation) of our house.  At this stage, Christ has come in a long line of succession of prophets, to call the people back to God.  As Jesus says, Jerusalem is the city where the prophets were killed, and that stones the ones sent to her.  But He is the Son, and another will not be sent after Him.   The desolation to which He refers will manifest in the Siege of Jerusalem, which will take place in 70 AD, about a generation after Christ's crucifixion.  In the modern world, we do not often run across feminine images for protection against an enemy army.  But the whole history of Christianity has given us a different perspective in terms of God's protective and loving nature, starting with the image of the mother hen that Christ gives us here, and continuing until today as Churches East and West still call upon Mary for supplication during times of extreme peril, especially military in nature.  Let us be assured that our strength is in our faith, and the way of desolation is when we abandon that faith, and our hearts are no longer full of love for Christ and the grace and mercy that is His way.  Let us consider in times of trouble where our hearts must be full, so that our home is full and healthy with the promise of life and renewal.

This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead

John the Baptist, Angel of the Desert.  17th century Russian icon

And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well-known.  And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  Others said, "It is Elijah."  And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets."  But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!"  For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her.  Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."  Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him.  And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.  Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.  And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you."  He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom."  So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?"  And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!"  Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."  And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.  Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought.  And he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.  When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

- Mark 6:13-29

Yesterday we read that Jesus went out from Capernaum and came to His own country Nazareth, and His disciples followed Him.  And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue.  And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things?  And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!  Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?  And are not His sisters here with us?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house."  Now He could do not mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.  And He marveled because of their unbelief.  Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.  And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.  He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts -- but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.  Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"  So they went out and preached that people should repent.  And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.  Today's reading begins with the last verse from yesterday's (above), giving us a framework for what is happening.  The apostles have been sent out on their first missionary journey, and so Jesus' ministry is not simply expanding, but it is also becoming more known for the marvelous works that accompany it.

Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well-known.  And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  King Herod Antipas is the son of the King Herod the Great who slew the infants in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16).  He is technically the governor of Galilee (also titled tetrarch), but popularly called a king.  Herod is aware that John the Baptist did not perform miracles.  But now he suspects that Jesus is John risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.  Today's reading unfolds the story of the Baptist's death at Herod's hands.  My study bible comments that Herod fears John more dead than alive.

Others said, "It is Elijah."  And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets."  The prophet Elijah was expected to return and work signs before the coming of the Lord (Malachi 4:5).   The Prophet is interpreted by some to be a reference to the Messiah, my study bible says; that is, the One foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15).  Others interpret this as simply meaning that a new prophet had arisen.

But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!"  We can understand the fear of Herod, as he supposes that John the Baptist has been raised from the dead -- effectively with great powers he did not have during his ministry -- whom Herod himself had beheaded.

For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her.  Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."  Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him.  And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.   This explanation, and the story of John the Baptist's death, is given parenthetically in the Gospel, explaining what has happened previously, and Herod's fear that John has returned from the dead.  Herod had married his brother's wife, Herodias, while his brother was yet living.  This was in opposition to the laws of marriage of the Jews, and so John the Baptist had spoken publicly against it.  Herodias wanted to kill him, we're told, but Herod, on the other hand, had a sense of John's righteousness and holiness, and so he protected him.  He also apparently delighted to listen to him.  It seems that Herod knew John's revered popular status as a prophet and holy man among the people.  My study bible notes that Herod feared John.   With all his wealth and soldiers, Herod feared a man who lived in poverty and was clothed in camel's hair (1:6).  My study bible calls this a testament both to the power of personal holiness and integrity, and also to the people's perception of John, for they held him in the highest esteem (11:32).

Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.  And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you."  He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom."  So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?"  And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!"  Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."  And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.  Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought.  And he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.  When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.  There are a few things we can note about this story.  First of all, there is the temptation to swearing oaths, which Herod gives in to with an over-lavish promise to Herodias' daughter.  In effect, he sets his own trap for himself.  Moreover, contemporary hearers would be scandalized to know that parading a daughter in such a display and in such a setting was a violation of her modesty, in accordance with the cultural standards of the time.  The violence and gore of the holy man's fate -- and the relationship between mother and daughter -- testifies in and of itself to the excesses of thirst for power on display, and its consequences.

In a certain light, we may consider today's story from the Gospel illuminating for Lenten meditation.  The excesses of the court of Herod are instrumental in pointing out to us the wisdom of traditional practices of Lent, and the things we need to consider at this time.  There are first of all the great expenditures of lavish wealth meant to show off the king's (and his kingdom's) power and reach.  We can imagine what sumptuous feast must have been served, showing off the far extent of the Empire's trade in its exotic fares and spices, the skill of the king's cooks and servants, and the possibly the sophistication of luxuries available to them.  And yet in the midst of beauty and royal splendor, the selfish and ruthless acquisition of power for its own sake is at play.  It corrupts the relationship between mother and daughter, not only with disrespect for her daughter's own modesty and integrity of her body and being, but with the "teaching" of the skill of murder for the sake of absolute power.  That there is no regard whatsoever for the holiness for which John the Baptist is widely known and revered by the people doubles this effect.  The king's over-indulgence in swearing a rash oath to his stepdaughter teaches us something as well, for not only are oaths generally things to avoid, but they also present to us great temptation -- a trap we easily fall into, as illustrated here.  Oaths often give us a sense of control and power, but we see even that slip immediately through the king's hands, as his wife uses the opportunity to her own perceived advantage.  And there we have another casualty of relationships based merely on power and the acquisition of authority, and not on love:  manipulation for its own sake as a kind of victory, as a way to operate in the world in which we delude ourselves regarding our own capacity for intelligence and cunning and what it says about us.  These things are instrumental not only as cautionary tales for those who take the faith of Christ seriously, but in particular at this time of Lent, when we are meant to go within more deeply, to take time out from our usual frenetic activities, and consider what is most important to our faith.  This is a time when we are meant to consider what is most important for the good of our body, soul, and spirit.  Our practices of focus on the interior life should give us pause to consider what it is we chase in life, what's most important to us, what is really worthwhile, and where we might to pull back and reconsider how we might live a little differently -- for that's the real meaning of repentance, or "change of mind."  John the Baptist himself remains a figure of importance, especially at this time, for both he and his disciples teach us what it means to stick to the real business of our faith at all times, through thick and through thin.  Not only does he continue with his faith and ministry through his imprisonment, but he dies a heroic death, a martyr to his faith.  In the tradition of the Church, he precedes Christ to those who have passed, proclaiming the coming of Christ in Hades, as forerunner both to the living and the dead.  The detail added in the final verse gives us the disposition of John's disciples, they stick faithfully and soberly to the business at hand, accepting all that has come, and doing what is necessary for their faith.  All of this teaches us something about this time, in which the world faces an epidemic to consider our response to:  Who are we really?  What are we to be about?  How do we get down to the real things of Lent we need to focus on, especially now?  I could make a bad joke about losing one's head -- but let us consider the case in which at times like these, we need to think about the things to which we dedicate ourselves, and the things we're better off in letting go and getting down to the real business of life such as it is now.  Such circumstances have the capacity to really focus our energies on where effort is needed, and to let go of what is extraneous to our health on all levels of our being.  Let us consider to what we dedicate ourselves, and what is most important and essential in our lives now, just like, in our tradition of Lent, we are supposed to do.  The icon above depicts John the Baptist, particularly titled as Angel of the Desert.  In many Orthodox icons, he is depicted with wings, as this gives us an understanding of his role (similar to the angels) as messenger.  In fact, the word angelos means messenger in Greek.  (It should be noted that for the most part, depictions of angels with wings, such as Gabriel or Michael, are also symbolic of their status as divine messengers.)   John is also called Angel of the Desert in this icon for his dedication to the things of God, putting material things second to his purpose, as he was called as prophet and forerunner, and the one of whom Jesus said, "among those born of women there is no one greater than John" (Matthew 11:11, Luke 7:28). 

How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!

 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

In yesterday's reading, Jesus 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."  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."  Herod is the tetrarch of Galilee.  This is an overt sign that state power wishes to interfere with the ministry of Jesus, and we have already been told about the beheading of John the Baptist (3:19-20, 9:9).  Cyril of Alexandria comments that this warning by the Pharisees comes just after Jesus speaks about judgment, and warns the people that without entering through the "narrow gate," that judgment will not go favorably.  Jesus has explicitly said that "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," which is language frequently aimed at the leadership, and particularly the Pharisees.  Jesus' reply to their warning about Herod is a rebuke:  He will continue casting out demons and performing cures "today and tomorrow."   Moreover, on the "third day" His work will reach its ultimate fullness.  There is a play on words in the Greek; Jesus says that He "completes" the cures and exorcisms He performs today and tomorrow.  This word in modern Greek can mean "conclude" as well.  But the same root forms the verb for "perfect" -- to bring something to its ultimate point of fullness.  He also makes it clear that His departure for Jerusalem, and leaving Galilee, is His choice for the ultimate perfection of His ministry on the "third day."

 "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!'"  My study bible tells us that there are three things confirmed here in Jesus' statement.  First, He is voluntarily going to His Passion.  He also displays His great love for Jerusalem despite its continual state of rebellion.  Finally, He expresses here His foreknowledge of how He will be received on the first Palm Sunday.

Even as Jesus has not yet departed Galilee, He expresses His awareness of what will happen in Jerusalem.  Actually, if we look closely at His words, He is describing what must happen in Jerusalem.  He neither concedes to the Pharisees nor to Herod, but nevertheless Jerusalem is where He must go for His Passion.  It's important that we note also that Jesus' language about Jerusalem is expressing His love for it, as heart and center of God's people.  Quite notably, Jesus gives us an unusual maternal image of Himself, as a hen who would gather her brood under her wings.  He says, "How often I wanted to gather your children together."  In that phrase, how often, we can read Jesus speaking as the Lord of the Old Testament, the One who sent the many prophets and others to Jerusalem who were killed and stoned there.  With this language, Jesus also gives us the understanding that His warnings and stern rebukes are made out of love, because He desires those whom He loves to come to Him, through that "narrow gate" He spoke of in yesterday's passage.  This is a question of a love that wants what is best for its wayward children, but does not countenance that which is ultimately destructive, and cannot force a returned love.  What we read then is a kind of excessively painful heartache that is carried by our Lord for His children who do not love Him back.   It is certainly a part of the Cross and His Passion, and it tells us that whatever it is that breaks our own hearts in this world, Christ Himself -- even as Son -- knows full well.  There are those who would ask if God feels pain, and I think that we can point to this passage and read the expression clearly in Jesus' statement regarding those whom He loves, to whom has repeatedly been sent those who would call them back.  It is a lament of loss and desolation, for He knows the conclusion is one of rejection.  What is harder to bear than the rejection of those whom we love?  In chapter 7, we are given the story of the sinful woman who was forgiven much (7:36-50).  He then tells the woman, "Your faith has saved you."  We know that Christ's love is so strong that His forgiveness is endless.  But where our own love and faith is not returned, and communion is broken, even God's love cannot reach.  These passages seem to tell us that the key to all is trust, a communion of little child to parent.  All discipline, any rebuke we read, is made from love.  In Revelation 3:19, the Lord says, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.  Therefore be zealous and repent."   Our relationship in Christ will always be one of constant learning and growth, our own point of perfection far ahead on that horizon of "fullness."  Can we trust in His love?

How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.  Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.'  Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.  Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt.  Serpents, brood of vipers!  How can you escape the condemnation of hell?  Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes:  some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.  Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

"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 chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!  See!  Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"

- Matthew 23:27-39

In our current readings, Jesus is in Jerusalem.  It is Holy Week, the final week of Jesus' earthly life, and the last Passover He would attend.  Yesterday, we continued reading His final sermon:  "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.  Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?  And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?  Therefore he who swears by the altar,  swears by it and by all things on it.  He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.  And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:  justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.  Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also."

 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.  Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."  In yesterday's reading, Jesus said to them, " For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.  Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also."  But here, He goes even further in the description of what kind of hypocrisy He sees in them.  The filth inside isn't a matter of dirty dishes and utensils, but tombs filled with decay and death and uncleanness.  It is a warning to all of us about a hypocritical life, and how seriously we should take this flaw, a kind of fallen state in which we become blind to our own spiritual death.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.'  Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.  Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt.  Serpents, brood of vipers!  How can you escape the condemnation of hell?  Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes:  some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.  Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation."  Jesus' condemnation of the leadership continues to build.  Not only are they responsible for the extremes death and uncleanness within themselves, but they take on the guilt of all before them who have passed on this way of being untrue to the love of God, the hypocrisy that murdered the prophets while posing as the righteous.  All of this in which they freely chose to participate will come upon this generation.  It is not completely clear which Zechariah Jesus refers to here, but some teach that He refers to the father of St. John the Baptist, whom patristic tradition says was murdered in the temple.   Others teach that it was the prophet Zechariah at the time of Joash the king (2 Chronicles 24:20-22). 

"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 chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!  See!  Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"  My study bible says that God's deepest desire is the reconciliation of His people, but most do not want Him.  The desolate house, it says, refers both to the temple and to the nation itself.  "House" can be used to mean "family" or "tribe" (see Psalms 115:12, 135:19).  Both the temple and the nation will be without God's presence once Christ has departed.

The maternal image that Jesus gives here of Himself is an astonishing one in a number of ways.  Or, rather, perhaps we could say that it is one which we must sit up and notice.  It is a picture of Christ, the Lord, having watched over Jerusalem like a mother hen throughout time, throughout the history of God's people.  It is important that we have this understanding of the maternal and feminine characterization of Christ's love, care, grace, and tender mercy, because it tells us something about what it means to be fully human as one who is created in the image of Christ, and who must learn to be Christ-like.    The fullness of our Lord includes this maternal image, one of comfort and care and protection  and eternal mercy.  He characterizes Himself as One with the care of a deeply devoted and loving mother, but whose love, concern, and care is not reciprocated by her children. In this extremely moving lamentation over Jerusalem, Jesus teaches us about who He is as Lord of a universe, the One to whom we are to turn, and who longs for us to do so.  But the most devoted care and protection cannot function through rejection, and repeated rejection.  Jesus teaches us that even in His majestic identity as Creator and Lord of the universe, He is maternal and loving, with the tenderness of a mother hen for her chicks.  He inspires us to know what a balanced life really is, with its capacity for love and devotion -- and for the heartbreak of rejection and failure of one's beloved children.  Let us consider all that He teaches us, about Himself, and about what we ourselves are to imitate.  The depth of care and protection that He teaches are His here belong to all who find Him, and are capable of reciprocating even the smallest sense of that love.

How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.  Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with then in the blood of the prophets.'  Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.  Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt.  Serpents, brood of vipers!  How can you escape the condemnation of hell?  Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes:  some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.  Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

"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 chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!  See!  Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"

- Matthew 23:27-39

In our current readings, Jesus is in Jerusalem, and it is Holy Week.  He has made His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, cleansed the temple, and engaged in confrontation, questioning, and testing by the various parties of the  leadership, with His own challenging responses.  (See the readings from Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.)  In Monday's reading, Jesus began His final public sermon, a great indictment of the practices of the leadership.  In yesterday's reading, He continued:   "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you shut up the kingdom against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.  Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.'  Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?  And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.'   Fools and blind!  For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?  Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.  He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells on it.  And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:  justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.  Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also."

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.  Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."  Again, Jesus uses vivid imagery to express the idea -- and the true spiritual condition -- of their religious hypocrisy.  We would do well to remember that Jesus is the One who has come to give us life in abundance.  He is the light of the world, and that light is the life of the world.  It is evil that is death, and the internal darkness of tombs is full of death.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with then in the blood of the prophets.'  Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.  Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt.  Serpents, brood of vipers!  How can you escape the condemnation of hell?  Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes:  some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.  Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation."  Here is another measure of hypocrisy:  those who have harmed the servants who have come in the name of the Lord, calling God's people back to God, are their "fathers."  The present day leadership builds tombs to the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and declares they would not have responded as did their fathers.  But Jesus says they are identical and do the same, and thereby witness against themselves.  By doing what they do (and will do to him) they also inherit the guilt of the same acts.  See Jesus' parable of the Wicked Vinedressers in Wednesday's reading for a deliberate illustration of what He is alluding to here.

"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 chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!  See!  Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"  My study bible says here that God's deepest desire is the reconciliation of His people, yet most do not want Him.  The house left desolate refers to the temple and also to the nation (of which the temple is great symbol and representative), as a house also has the meaning of "family" or "tribe" (Psalm 115:12, 135:19).

Jesus' repeated use of the word "woe" in this final public sermon is one that is important for us to understand in its context.  Hilary of Poitiers has commented that "woe" is a voice of sorrowing. For this reason Jesus says earlier in the sermon that the Pharisees and scribes close the kingdom of heaven, because they hide in the law the consolation of His truth.  They lost sight of the advent of the Messiah expected by the prophets.  St. Hilary writes, "Through deceptive teachings, they do not allow others to go to heaven either. They do not adorn the way of eternity" (On Matthew 24.3).  That woe is a voice of sorrowing is very pertinent and evident in today's reading, as we read Jesus' clear words of lamentation over Jerusalem.  Jesus' words give us this clear understanding, when He says, "How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!"   The maternal image of the hen gathering her chicks is the image of Christ as He pronounces woe, even as He calls Jerusalem "the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her."    All the images given here are maternal and caring.  He even calls Jerusalem "her," giving us not just the language of mother and home, but also of the Bride.  This final summing up of woes regarding the leadership isn't one of condemning anger, but of sorrowful lament.  There may be a kind of righteous anger or indignation at the practices that harm the people, especially the poorest and the helpless who are led astray and preyed upon, but there is sorrow in the lament of where it all leads, and the result these choices will produce.  All of the practices that Jesus condemns are those of turning astray from God and from the prophets and servants repeatedly sent to call them back to God and to God's ways.  The last and final one sent is Christ -- the Son Himself (see again the parable of the Wicked Vinedressers in Wednesday's reading).  Christ's great lament over His beloved, the Bride Jerusalem, becomes a teaching for all of us and for the whole world.  This isn't just about one people, but it is about all of us who call ourselves children by adoption, who desire also to be a part of God's people by following Christ.  The Church falls under the same "rule" that Jesus espouses here.  Hypocrisy that hides greed and exploitation will also bring woe and lamentation, a sad state.  It hides death and darkness inside of a whitewashed exterior, when we are called to come to the One who gives life to the world.  If we look around us in our world, we can see the effects of evil acts.  There is hypocrisy to go around.  Those who profess to love Christ cannot hide behind a false exterior kind of morality or "legality" while the things they do only bring more death and suffering into the world, especially to those who are powerless.  Let us remember His words of lamentation, and that they apply to us today as they did on that day when Jesus said them in the temple in Jerusalem a generation before its destruction in 70 A.D. at the siege of Jerusalem.  He is still the mother hen who wishes to gather her chicks under her wings, if we are but willing to come.

How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!

 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 and 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 that 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

In yesterday's reading, Jesus teaching, and He asked, "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 tells us that "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."  Herod was the ruler of Galilee; Jerusalem is in Judea, governed by Pontius Pilate.

And He said to them, "Go and tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.'"  A note tells us that "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."  This word for "perfected" in Greek has the meaning of perfected, but its root is "finish" or "fulfilled," meaning "to the end," "complete."  Nothing will jeopardize Jesus' mission.

"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 tells us, "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."

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one that 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!"  Of this verse my study bible says, "Jesus' tender lament and judgment over unrepentant Jerusalem show He loves His adversaries as we are to love ours."  It's a statement about rejection, and yet a willing love on Jesus' part, a longing to care for those who are His children.

"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!'"  My study bible says that "the time referred to is Palm Sunday, when Jesus will be acclaimed at His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem." 

There is such a deep lament here in Jesus' words about Jerusalem.  The implication is that He's been watching over Jerusalem for many years, for centuries -- that is, over the Jerusalem that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her.  Who has sent them?  Was it Christ who wanted so often to gather Jerusalem's children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, they they were not willing?  This is the implication in the verses.  And desolate the city is left, and all Christ does is lament!  Our choices are important; they may have devastating effects upon our lives, and yet it is our freedom that is the most absolute part of ourselves.  Christ Himself does not interfere with this, but rather implores with love, and repeatedly sends prophets and saints, and those who tell us of God's word.  The welcome, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" is the one that will be shouted upon His welcome to Jerusalem, at the beginning of Holy Week, the start of His Passion, and death and Resurrection.  This welcome is the welcome of the Messiah, and yet it is the end of His mission into this world.  Those who would be His children now are those by adoption.  In chapter 8, Luke tells us that Jesus teaches, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."  So we may become children  by adoption, through faith.  Jesus' life, teaching, Passion, death and Resurrection are for this:  that those who would be gathered under His wings may come from everywhere, simply by faith.  Let us remember His great grace, this gift that reaches to all of us.  Are we willing?