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As we come to this second Sunday in Lent, we come to a short passage but one packed with great meaning.
He begins chapter 13 by saying that any who do not repent will perish in the same way as some Galileans who were killed by Pilate or eighteen people who were killed when a tower in Jerusalem fell on them.
He ends the chapter by lamenting over all those who will perish because they do not follow him.
It is a difficult thought for us.
Jesus is clear especially in this chapter that there is a narrow way to God - that way is only through him.
This kind of message is not one that our world wants to hear.
We have gotten used to many in pulpits in churches across all denominational lines who declare a kind of universalism where everyone gets in as long as they are nice.
It’s a works-righteousness that rejects the gospel for a feel-good religion that allows people to remain just like they are because God loves them no matter what.
The gospel is no longer the gospel of Christ but a gospel of self-centeredness and self-love.
When pastors, churches, and denominations preach against this feel good religion, it often comes at a price in our world.
You can get cancelled.
You can get banned from Facebook or YouTube.
You will be shunned by others.
Our world does not like the true gospel.
Jesus tells us that we will be hated because of him.
Today, we are going to explore what it means to be transformed in times of tribulation and persecution.
None of us want to be unliked or hated by the world, but it is a natural consequence as we will see for standing up for the truth of the gospel.
1.
Those who fear the gospel persecute the church.
(vs.
31)
At the onset of our passage, a group of Pharisees comes to Jesus to tell him that Herod wishes to kill him.
It is unclear whether or not this is a fabrication by the Pharisees to get Jesus to move on or if there is a real threat from Herod.
Certainly, Herod was capable of such villany.
He has just recently beheaded John the Baptist.
Herod was a shrewd man who was paranoid of any one who may lay claim to his throne as a puppet of Rome.
He may have seen Jesus as a threat to him because of many of his followers claimed that Jesus was the Messiah.
This brought fear to Herod.
It is also true that the Pharisees could have just made it up as a way to get Jesus to leave their area.
Jesus and the Pharisees were at odds with each other at many different points in his ministry.
There were moments when they tried to get rid of Jesus but did not proceed.
Whatever the case, this encounter with the Pharisees gives Jesus the determination to finish his work that would be accomplished in Jerusalem.
The threat of death by Herod shows the fear and hatred that are found in those who do not want to hear the message of the gospel.
Why does the gospel illicit such a reaction?
The word “gospel” means “good news”.
Don’t we all want to hear good news right now with everything that is going on?
It is important for us to realize that just because it is good news to us does not mean it is good news to others.
The message of the gospel requires change in us, and many do not want to change.
They are happy in their sinful behavior because it is the default position of humanity.
Paul tells us in Romans 1:24-25
Herod was in a position where he had given up the truth for a lie and was given to the lusts of his heart.
John had called out Herod because of his sin.
His wife Herodias did not like it either.
In Mark’s gospel, Herod believes that Jesus may be John raised from the dead:
John’s proclamation of the truth and the fear that it induced particularly in Herodias led to his death.
But Jesus gives us hope in the face of persecution.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says in Matthew 5:11-12
When we are faced with persecution in this life, it is because there is fear in others about the message that calls us to repent and turn to Christ in the face of our sinfulness.
People do not want to leave their sin behind because it is all they know, and for some their sin gives them meaning.
We are facing that right now as General Conference has been cancelled and there are many questions about what is ahead.
I have already seen on social media those who are going to choose to stay within the United Methodist Church come out with hatred and vitriol toward anyone who would dare want to leave.
We are being called hypocrites and liars.
We have been referred to as people who want to destroy the church because of our bigoted ideas.
It comes completely unprovoked by those who claim to be loving and caring for all.
But it is coming and it will come hard.
We must be ready as we look to the future.
The next few months will not be an easy time for you, for me, and for my family.
We pray all goes smoothly as we learn what is next and try to navigate it the best we can.
But we must be ready for difficult times ahead.
We will need to cling to verses like verse 12, “Rejoice and be glad.”
2. The gospel message must be proclaimed in the face of tribulation.
(vs.
32-33)
No matter how the Pharisees mean it, Jesus takes their word at face value that they are agents of Herod.
He asks that they send a message back to Herod about his threat.
In his response, Jesus calls Herod a “fox”.
In rabbinical literature, a fox was seen as a creature of low cunning and insignificant in comparison to greater animals such as lions.
Jesus probably means both of these.
Although Herod had power because of his alignment with the Roman government, he was seen as a joke to most Jews.
They certainly feared him, but it was not because of his own personality or skill.
It was simply because he could do whatever he wanted within the limits of Rome to control people and seize them.
But Jesus is not afraid of Herod.
He sees him as nothing more than an insignificant animal.
Instead, Jesus insists that his ministry will go on undeterred until he arrives in Jerusalem.
He will complete his mission.
He will cast out demons and cure people until such time as he goes to the cross.
Jesus does not fain in the face of tribulation and hardship.
Herod cannot hinder the mission that will be fulfilled in Jerusalem.
God’s will is to be done because there is a specific purpose for Jesus to continue his ministry of proclaiming the kingdom until the mission is complete and reached its conclusion.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to the same action.
We know that the world is going to hate us because we proclaim the same gospel as Jesus.
As we have said before, the gospel strikes fear in those who do not receive it as good news.
It is a curse to them.
So, their reaction is going to be one where their hatred toward God who they cannot see will be brought upon us who they can see.
Jesus tells his disciples that they will face the same kind of hatred by the world that he has.
If the world loves you and celebrates you while you preach about Jesus, then there is something wrong with the message you preach.
Those outside of Christ cannot love us because they hate the true Christ.
The world loves the Christ that just talks about love and acceptance.
The world loves the Christ that does not call them to repentance.
The world loves the Christ that never talks about sin.
The world loves the Christ that allows it to remain where it is and does not call it to account.
They love a Christ that isn’t “judgy” like evangelical Christians.
But that is not the Jesus revealed in scripture.
That is the Jesus that the world has fashioned for its own gain so that it does not have to repent and leave behind that which they love - the self-centered religion that is created by having that kind of Jesus.
This is why the church in this time must be like Paul:
The gospel message that is proclaimed by Jesus and the apostles is simple: Repent and believe on the name of Jesus.
Be obedient to his commands.
Be transformed by the power of the gospel to be something more than this world can offer.
That is the fallacy that is presented by those who hate the real Jesus and by default us, too.
They want to proclaim a false gospel that is built on the works that we do and create as straw man argument against anyone who dare stand in their way.
The world that is offered by a false gospel is just this world.
How is that good?
What the true Christ offers us is change and transformation to be more and more like him - one who loves and cares for all in this world and longs for them to have a relationship with him.
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