Scripture Reading(s)
Luke 13:31-35
13:31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.”
13:32 He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work.
13:33 Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’
13:34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
13:35 See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.'”
Reflections
No matter what threat the Pharisees brought to Christ’s ministry it was not enough to thwart Him from continuing the mission that He was sent to do. Notice how Christ’s response was not one of fear but of great sadness to those who would not accept the message of the Gospel.
During this time Christ’s preaching was threatening the political rulers of the time. It was causing the loyalty that the people were to have towards Rome to be thwarted and questioned by something greater. This brought great fear to Herod and those in power and out of fear they wanted to react in violence. They sought to instil fear into the heart of Christ. It was a sad moment because not only did they fail to recognize who Jesus was but furthermore they were so driven by thirst for power that it caused them to be blind and ultimately reject the good news of Christ.
Christ would not be thrown off course by threats of powers that were no match for Him and we too should trust in the same working power of Christ being played out in our lives. Let us respond with joy to the good news that Christ has set before us and go out and boldly proclaim that news to others.
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.”
It is interesting that some Pharisees were the ones that wanted Jesus about Herod. We tend to think of all the Pharisees as bad people in the Bible. But that is a bit of an exaggeration. Many who belonged to the Pharisees were honest and earnest people just seeking to serve God. So it should come as no surprise that some of them wanted to protect Jesus.What is even more interesting is that Jesus cares not that Herod is coming for Him. Jesus has work to do and He’s going to make sure it gets done.
These same Pharisees were then told by Jesus that they would be saying “blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” Jesus’ return will be met with every knee bowing and every tongue confessing His name. But Jesus wants us to honor Him before He returns, not just afters.
Theses days everyone is obsessed with end times prophecies and predicting when Jesus is coming back. But this is a distraction from the real work of Christ. In fact, when His own disciples tried to predict when He was going to take power He called Peter “Satan.”
“Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” (Matthew 16:23)
I say all that to merely say, serve Christ now. You can waste your whole life like the Pharisees trying to be a theological purist or a predictor of the end times. But that is not the work of Christ. This is the work of Christ,
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ (Matthew 25:35-36)