Keep Moving Your Feet

Luke 13:31–35 ESV

At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away 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 finish my course. Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

Introduction: “You are God’s Workmanship Created in Christ Jesus to do good works.” God has a purpose for your life, but what if doing that purpose means you will face obstacles, resistance, Obstructions? How did Jesus handle that?

7-We Will Face Obstructions.

We have three basic Characters in this passage. Jesus, the Pharisees, and Herod. One of these represents a resistance to Jesus’ mission.

vs. 22 - 30

Jesus is saying that proximity to Jesus will not save you. A relationship will save you “Knowing.”

Just because you are in a garage it does not make you a car....

Just because they are people of Israel, just because they were there when Jesus walked through their town did not mean they would be saved.

Just because you go to church on Sunday, or call yourself religious, it does not mean your are saved. - You need a relationship with Jesus. - People from all over the place.

The implication of this means the Pharisees wanted Jesus to move on.

- Either the Pharisees did care for Jesus.

- Or they were lying to get Jesus to move on.

Luke 9:9 LEB

And Herod said, “John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he was wanting to see him.

Luke 23:8 LEB

And when Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had been wanting to see him for a long time, because he had heard about him and was hoping to see some miracle performed by him.

1. “Calling someone a ‘fox’ in antiquity would not necessarily imply that the person is sly (although that was one possibility); instead, it could portray the person as worthless, slanderous, treacherous or (quite often) cunning, but often in an unprincipled manner. Thus Jesus here does not offer Herod a backhanded compliment (cf. Ezek 13:4). Moreover, foxes were predators and scavengers (Neh 4:3; Song 2:15; Lam 5:18), hence could prey on hens (Lk 13:34) when they had the opportunity” (Craig Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993], 217).

Jesus’ response included his sadness over Jerusalem rejecting him - The Leadership which would have included some Pharisees.

Little children are notorious for accidentally telling on themselves. If you have multiple children, you know this is true. One of them will run to his parents and complain about his sister hitting him. It’s always shocking to the little boy when his mom asks what he did to his sister. Parents know that all too often the child telling on a sibling shares some of the guilt. When the Pharisees tell Jesus that Herod will kill him, Jesus responds with grief over the spiritual state of Jerusalem—where the Pharisees exercise significant influence.

The very people who are supposed to be receiving his ministry as the Messiah are rejecting him. They are trying to be sly about it. Just move on, nothing to see here.

We can also face a number of obstacles in Sharing the Good News.

Ridicule, indifference, spiritual strongholds, People who have so much prosperity that they see no need. People who say, Well I go to church, but don’t foster a relationship with Jesus - want to be religious, but no relationship.

John Ortbergh gave a masterful sermon about our shadow missions. Our own shadow missions can be an obstacle.

We have faced challenges in our mission as a church, have we not. It has not been easy to Build Disciples, Grow in Faith, and Serve in Christ’s name. Some have left, rejecting changes made to reach people, some are convinced that we should just fight for people who go to other churches simply so we look successful as we grow. Some have decided in one way or another not to participate in our mission. And there has been tremendous sadness.

Ultimately, it is not people/flesh and blood, Paul teaches us, but it is the spiritual forces of this world. It is our enemy who resists.

How Does Jesus Respond?

8-Good News People Don’t Let Obstructions Prevent the Objective.

Jesus’ response reminds me of when I played football.

video of famous running backs.- Walter Payton, watch his feet.

9-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq15VkLfPgc - to 1:05

In other words. Jesus is on a mission, and he is going to keep doing what God has called him to do.

10 - I am going to keep healing, and delivering. I am going to keep moving from town to town. I am going to keep moving towards Jerusalem for my ultimate purpose.

1. Jewish tradition claimed that Jewish people were under God’s wings, and when a Jewish person converted a Gentile, he or she ‘brought the Gentile under the wings of God’s presence.’ The Old Testament also portrays God as an eagle hovering over its offspring (Deut 32:11; cf. Ex 19:4) and protecting Israel under his wings (Ps 17:8; 36:7; 57:1; 61:4; 63:7; 91:4), and similarly terrifying Israel’s foes (Jer 49:22). This is but one image of God’s love for his people. Jesus here applies this divine role and image to himself” (Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, 217).

- Jesus demonstrates a tremendous sadness over the rejection of the Good News. And we may feel the same thing. If we are truly followers and disciples of Jesus, we will experience that same sadness - We might be angry at the Spiritual forces that hinder people, but sad that the people reject Jesus.

- At the same time we are to keep moving our feet.

1. “Jesus’ destiny, then, is to go to Jerusalem and die, risking the threats of the fox, and adopting the role of the mother hen to the chickens faced with sudden danger. But will Jerusalem benefit from his offer? Jerusalem has a long history of rebelling against God, refusing the way of peace (that sentence, alas, seems to be as true in the modern as in the ancient world). As Ezekiel saw, rebellion meant that the holy presence of God had abandoned the Temple and the city, opening the way for devastating enemy attack (Ezekiel 10–11). The only way for the city and Temple to avoid the destruction which now threatened it was to welcome Jesus as God’s peace-envoy; but all the signs were that they would not. When Luke brings us back to this point again, it will be too late” (N. T. Wright, Luke for Everyone [London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004], 173).

Jesus is not going to let any obstructions, obstacles get in the way of his objective.

So the question is...

11-What is Your Good News Objective?

My Statement of Driving Purpose:

View: I am God’s adopted child, blessed by the new life from Christ, and called to equip people for God’s mission.

Vision: I believe God desires to see my family love Him above all else, to expect His Good News in their lives, and to Follow His wildest dreams for them.

I believe God wants to see a contagious movement of Young and Growing disciples sold out to following Christ in mission.

I believe God wants to use my coaching to energize Church Planters and Parent Churches for a Multiplication Movement.

Vortex: I am God’s persistent Equipper to energize people for God’s mission.

- I am going to keep doing that. Some people will want to be equipped, some people will not want to. I will be sad yes, over those who do not want it, but I am going to keep pursuing what God has called me to do.

What has God called you to do? What Gifts, what passions, in what ways are you God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works.

Different Stages of life

You may be learning what that is, you may be clear on what that is, you may be at a stage where you don’t have the energy to do it like you did before.

You may have to modify how you go about fulfilling your God given calling to be a Good News Person. But keep your feet moving.

Conclusion: