Luke 13:31-35 (3)

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-If you would, please...

…turn in your Bibles to Luke 13.

And we’ve come to the last section of chapter 13...

(it begins there in verse 31)

And like much of chapter 13 has been...

…here too, Jesus’ words are pretty sobering.

They begin with another reminder of...

...Jesus’ perfect faithfulness...

…to the will of the Father...

And they end with His...

…heavy hearted lamentation...

…over the UNfaithfulness of the Nation of Israel...

…and the corresponding decree of Ichabod...

…being pronounced upon them.

So, we have a lot of ground to cover, this morning.

So, let’s get to it!

Luke 13:31–35 (ESV)

31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.”

32 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.

33 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.’

34 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!

35 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!’ ”

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Pray

-Let me draw your attention back to Verse 31.

And notice there, that Luke begins the verse...

…with a helpful marker of time.

He tells us...

…(I’m assuming in reference to the previous section)...

…that this conversation in our text, took place:

Luke 13:31 (ESV)

31 At that very hour...

So, that tells us that...

…it happened as Jesus was going...

Luke 13:22 (ESV)

22 ...on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem.

One important thing that tells us, is...

…that Jesus has most likely...

…not yet arrived in Jerusalem...

…for the final time.

-Now, we also need to remember...

…what Jesus had been saying...

Luke 13:31 (ESV)

31 At that very hour...

Here’s a good summary...

…from a commentator:

(I think it will save us some time)

Luke, Volumes 1 & 2 (Outfoxing Herod and the Pharisees)

Jesus had been speaking about the narrow door to eternal life, which many spiritual outsiders would find, but many religious insiders would never enter. The last will be first, Jesus said, and the first will be last.

(Hopefully you can remember that)

-So, on the heels of that...

…Luke tells us this:

Luke 13:31 (ESV)

31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.”

Now, at first glance, this seems like...

…a nice gesture by the Pharisees, doesn’t it?

(At least at the outset)

And some commentators have concluded from this, that...

…there must have been some Pharisees...

…who weren’t hostile to Jesus.

And, while that’s certainly a possibility...

I don’t think that it...

…makes the best sense of...

…what we see in the rest of our text.

Think about it:

Let’s break down their warning:

First of all, notice this:

Luke 13:31 (ESV)

31 . . .Pharisees came and said to him . . .

This wasn’t a chance encounter

They had sought him out.

This was premeditated and intentional

(remember that when we get to Verse 32)

Now, they came bringing news:

Luke 13:31 (ESV)

31 . . . Herod wants to kill you.”

Now, this probably didn’t surprise...

Jesus

Anybody else

…when they heard this.

Remember what we’ve...

...already learned and read about Herod:

Luke had introduced us to him...

…back at the beginning of Chapter 3.

Luke 3:19–20 (ESV)

19 ...Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done,

20 added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.

(He eventually had him beheaded)

And, in Chapter 9, we had read:

Luke 9:7–9 (ESV)

7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead,

8 by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen.

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

So, now these Pharisees have come, saying:

He isn’t just wanting to see you

He’s wanting to kill you!

-And they proffered this solution:

Luke 13:31 (ESV)

31 ...Get away from here...

From where?

Well, presumably, the territory of Herod...

Which would consist of the Provinces of...

Galilee

Perea

(show map)

So, considering that Jesus...

…was making his way to Jerusalem...

…and had already gone through Samaria...

…he was most likely...

…in the southern territory of Perea at this time.

-So, for him to “Get away from there” . . .

…would mean for him to...

…move on to, where?

To Jerusalem!

Why would they want him to do that?

(Don’t answer that yet)

First, consider these other questions...

…from Philip Ryken:

What were their real motives?

Maybe their concern for Jesus was genuine, but maybe they were conspiring with Herod.

One wonders, for example, where the Pharisees received their intelligence about these terroristic threats. Had they been talking to Herod?

Perhaps Herod was using the Pharisees to intimidate Jesus. Or maybe they were using Herod to get Jesus out of Galilee, where Herod ruled, and into Jerusalem, where they had more control.

In any case, it seems ironic that the Pharisees were the ones who were trying to keep Jesus safe. — Ryken

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(They usually wanted him dead too!)

-Now, going beyond the small players, here...

(Meaning Herod and the Pharisees)

What would have been the design...

…of their Master, in this?

To tempt Jesus to:

Alter his ministerial plans to save his own life.

Follow their advice over his Father’s plan.

But, of course...

…He would do NEITHER!

Standing steadfast in the face of fear and temptation...

Luke 13:32 (ESV)

32 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.

Now, why does he refer to Herod as “that fox?”

Because he’s:

Cunning and deceitful

Predatory

Crafty

But in the end, he’s rather...

Small and Weak.

He is a Roman puppet...

…with very little actual power and authority...

…compared to other rulers on earth...

…and in comparison to the authority...

…that Jesus possessed...

…he was little more than an ankle-biter.

-Also, consider:

What does it tell us...

…that Jesus told them...

…to report back to Herod...

…with his response?

Well, probably, that they...

…had been sent by Herod...

…or had, at the least...

…colluded with him!

-Now, look again at the message...

…that Jesus sent back.

He’s neither...

Fleeing

Hiding in a corner...

And he’s certainly not...

…going to pause his ministry...

…out of fear for his life:

Luke 13:32 (ESV)

32 . . . . ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course.

So, notice the not so subtle reminder...

…of his power and authority in that.

He’s conquering diseases

He’s triumphing over demons!

And He’d been doing those things for years now.

(Herod himself had marveled at it)

It was what the Father had...

…sent him to do...

…in preparation for...

…and in the attestation of...

…his coming death, Resurrection, and Ascension.

And, he wasn’t going to stop it...

…simply because some earthly king...

…had made threats against his life.

This was his work...

For today

For tomorrow..

…and he would continue that work...

…until “the third day” . . .

(Meaning a very short time)

But on “the third day” . . .

(in a relatively short time)

…he would "finish his course!”

Other translations render it:

Luke 13:32 (NASB95)

32 ...the third day I reach My goal.’

Luke 13:32 (CSB)

32 ...on the third day I will complete my work.’

Luke 13:32 (NKJV)

32...the third day I shall be perfected.’

It’s that root word “telos”

John Gill explains:

An Exposition of the New Testament, Volumes I–III (Chapter 13)

and the third day I shall be perfected; that is, in a little time after, I shall be made perfect by sufferings, my course will be finished, and I shall have done all the work completely, I came about;

and till that time come, it is not in his power, nor yours, nor all the men on earth, or devils in hell, to take away my life, or hinder me doing what I am about.

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Brethren, NOTHING was going to...

…throw him of course.

NOTHING was going to prevent him...

…from fulfilling the charge...

…that he had received from His Father!

NOTHING was going to prevent him...

…from — through his perfect obedience...

…from becoming fully qualified (perfected)...

…to be (as) the savior of his people.

-All other mediators and covenant heads, thus far...

…had failed their probation.

They had...

Succumbed to fear

Given into temptation

Fallen into sin.

Adam had failed

Noah had failed

Abraham had failed

Moses had failed

David had failed

They could never fully qualify (ultimately)...

They never “finished their course”

They were never “perfected”

But Jesus:

Hebrews 5:8–9 (ESV)

8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.

9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,

You see, He finished his course...

He was faithful unto death...

And you and I reap the benefits!

Ryken, again says this:

...this is how he would finish his work: by dying on the cross for the sinners he had come to save.

What Jesus literally says at the end of verse 32 is “I will be finished.” This statement anticipates the climactic declaration he later made on the cross: “It is finished” (John 19:30).

By the time he died on the cross, Jesus was finished with his earthly ministry of healing diseases and casting out demons. He was finished with his holy obligation to keep the law of God...

Most of all, he was finished suffering the penalty that we deserve: the wrath of God against our sin.

Praise God, Jesus finished all the work that he was called to do! — Philip Ryken

-Now, look at Verse 33.

And let’s read it...

…in conjunction with the end of Verse 32:

Luke 13:32–33 (ESV)

32 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.

33 Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following...

Do you see what he’s saying?

He’s saying:

That he will, in fact, "get away from there”

He actually has plans to leave Herod’s realm in short time

But NOT because he’s...

Afraid of Herod

Afraid of the Pharisees

Afraid of Death!

He’s leaving, first of all, because...

A divine necessity is laid upon him to do so!

It’s the will of his Father for him to do so!

He always does the will of the Father!

AND...

He’s leaving because:

Luke 13:33 (ESV)

33 ...it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’

“cannot be” = “its unthinkable, or inconceivable”

What’s he saying?

He’s saying, with a foreboding irony, that...

Jerusalem has a monopoly...

…on the martyrdom of God’s messengers!

He’s saying that...

Nobody (at the time) had more...

…martyrs’ blood on their hands...

…than Jerusalem did!

-I like the way the JFB Commentary...

…paraphrases his message to Herod:

“He seeks to kill me, does he? Ah! I must be out of Herod’s jurisdiction for that. Go tell him I neither fly from him nor fear him, but Jerusalem is the prophets’ slaughter-house.” — JFB Commentary

-Now, that brings us to Verse 34.

Look at how he begins:

(With compassionate lament)

Luke 13:34 (ESV)

34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem...

The repetition shows intense emotion here.

And we need to let it remind us, that...

He was truly a man

He had real human emotions

His heart was really grieved by sin.

One commentator said:

The Bible Exposition Commentary (Chapter Twelve: Questions and Answers (Luke 13))

Our Lord’s heart was grieved as He saw the unbelief and rebellion around Him, and He broke out in a lamentation over the sad plight of the Jewish nation.

And, I think that...

…what he says in the last part of Verse 34...

…bears that out:

Luke 13:34 (ESV)

34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

Do you see the imagery there?

A mother hen...

...attempting to gather her chicks...

...under the safety of her wings.

Desiring to deliver them from danger...

…but they refuse her love and watch-care!

The OT is full of such examples:

2 Chronicles 36:15–16 (ESV)

15 The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place.

16 But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy.

Paul, quoting Isaiah...

…summarizes the relationship, like this:

Romans 10:21 (ESV)

21 ...of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

He’s been willing.

They have not!

This is the heart of God the Father.

It’s also the heart of God the Son.

-Nevertheless…

Even though his heart is heavy...

He levies this indictment against them, again:

(I skipped over it on purpose)

Luke 13:34 (ESV)

34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! . . .

This is a weighty indictment.

But this was precisely their history:

Nehemiah 9:26–27 (ESV)

26 “Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies.

27 Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemies...

And don’t forget...

…what we read back in...

Luke 11:47–51 (ESV)

47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed.

48 So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs.

49 Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’

50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation,

51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation.

-Now, look at Verse 35.

Their guilt having been established...

He hands down the sentence:

Luke 13:35 (ESV)

35 Behold, your house is forsaken...

(Notice: your house, NOT my house)

That’s probably either a reference to...

The people or The city (in general)

The temple within it (in particular)

Why?

Because they were said to be...

…the unique dwelling places of God...

…in all of the earth!

You see, that word “forsaken” . . .

…can also mean:

Abandoned

Made desolate

So what would it mean for them to become...

Forsaken?

Abandoned?

Desolate?

It Would mean that...

The presence of God...

…had departed from them.

God no longer dwelled in their midst

They were “Ichabod”

The JFB Commentary lays it out for us:

That glory, once visible in the holy of holies, over the mercy seat . . . that glory, which Isaiah (Is 6:1–13) saw in vision, the beloved disciple says was the glory of Christ (Jn 12:41).

Though it was never visible in the second temple, Haggai foretold that “the glory of that latter house should be greater than of the former” (Hag 2:9)

because “the Lord whom they sought was suddenly to come to His temple” (Mal 3:1), not in a mere bright cloud, but enshrined in living humanity! — JFB Commentary

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So, what’s departing?

The glory of God

And, who’s departing?

The incarnate Son of God.

Remember what the author of Hebrews said:

Hebrews 1:3 (ESV)

3 He is the radiance of the glory of God...

And if he is denied, rejected, and forsaken...

If he departs from you in judgment...

You. Are. Ichabod!

-And what happens when...

…the presence of God departs?

Ruin and destruction arrive!

Jeremiah 12:7 (ESV)

7 “I have forsaken my house; I have abandoned my heritage; I have given the beloved of my soul into the hands of her enemies.

Remember what Jesus said in:

Luke 19:41–44 (ESV)

41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it,

42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side

44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

That was their ultimate sin.

That’s what put the nail in their coffin.

-And, Verse 35 finishes with that same ultimatum:

Luke 13:35 (ESV)

35 ...And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

Those are the terms he leaves them with.

(And he’s gracious to give them any at all)

He tells them that...

…the criteria for restoration...

…for the Jewish people...

…is faith in, and confession of...

...Jesus of Nazareth, as...

The Son of God

The Messianic King!

God’s presence and blessing...

…will NOT return to them...

…or to ANYONE else (for that matter)...

…under ANY OTHER terms!

2 Quick passages:

2 Corinthians 3:14–16 (ESV)

14 ...their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away.

15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.

16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.

Romans 11:23 (ESV)

23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again.

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Are we grateful for that?

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