Christ's Lament over Jerusalem
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Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”
32 He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ 33 In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!
34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 35 Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
Introduction
Introduction
This morning we will be considering an in which Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees. Keep in mind that Jesus has been heading towards Jerusalem, where he would ultimately be put to death. We were reminded of that from last weeks’ passage. But at this point in his journey towards Jerusalem, we are told that He was confronted by a group of Pharisees, and they tried to have Him sent out of the area by issuing a threat against Him.
What we will see in the context of this threat is that Jesus responds with strong emotion. We often have a very one-sided view of Jesus and His responses to situations. Gentle Jesus meek and mild is usually how people like to think of Him. But Jesus was filled with all kinds of strong emotions that bacome evident through His responses to situations. We will certainly see some of that this morning.
As we consider these things, we must get a sense of the urgency of the Gospel message. Christ was concerned for the souls of people. When there was opposition to the Gospel, He was rightly angered - with a righteous and holy anger.
When He saw people wandering around aimlessly, like sheep without a shepherd, he was deeply concerned for their wellbeing.
In our passage today, we read of a lament that Christ cried out as He considered the city of Jerusalem, the place where God was said to dwell, and we gain a glimpse into the heart of Christ for people to live in joyful obedience and submission to Him.
As we look at this passage together, do consider the call of God upon your own life. The will of God as has been revealed in Scripture, and consider how grieved God is when we fail to live in submission to His revealed will in the Scriptures.
As we look to this text, let us consider firstly…
1. The Threat On Christ’s Life
1. The Threat On Christ’s Life
We read in verse 31 about the Pharisees that approach Christ. As we read this verse, we will note that Luke begins the verse with the words, “At that time...” The time was a time where Christ was warning those who were following Him about the importance of following Him.
He had just spoken about the narrow way, and urged His followers to be sure to enter in through the narrow way.
He had also just warned that there were those that were first that would be last, and those that were last that would be first. Clearly there was a reference to the religious leaders in that warning, where they were certainly seeing themselves to be first, and everyone else around them to be last.
This is the context.
Clearly, Christ’s teaching continued to ruffle the feathers of the religious elites, and that becomes clear through their words to him / their threat against Him, in verse 31…
31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”
It is the Pharisees that approach Jesus. Now, we know from previously in this study in Luke that already the religious leaders had it in for Jesus, and they were looking for ways to get rid of Him.
It is evident from their approach here that they wanted Christ to disappear. That’s not the way they bring it across. They approach Jesus cloaked in a veil of sincerity. They wanted to present themselves as those with noble intentions, all the while, their only goal was to get rid of Jesus.
In one sense, they were acting out the words of the Psalmists…
20 They do not speak peaceably,
but devise false accusations
against those who live quietly in the land.
21 His speech is smooth as butter,
yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,
yet they are drawn swords.
We must remember that the Pharisees had become preoccupied with the goal of getting rid of Jesus. It was a goal that was divorced from the honour and glory of God. Their goal was to rid the earth of the very Son of God.
So strong was the deception in their hearts, that they had turned into the most prominent of the enemies of God. It is this evil intent that brings them to Christ.
They saw Jesus as a threat to them. They saw Jesus as a threat to their established positions, and to the authority that they wielded. They saw Jesus as a threat to the adulations and praise they received from people. Jesus was a threat to them.
A very self-centered manner of life.
So what is their approach at this time?
They bring a report that Herod is looking to put him to death. The Herod that was ruling at that time was Herod Antipas… (different Herod to the one that was ruling during the birth of Jesus).
Now, keep in mind that Herod was not particularly concerned about the Gospel being preached. Herod was a governor/ruler that had been put into place / power by Rome. He was supposed to maintain peace. But there was no real concern with the Gospel being preached per se.
And so, the question arises, was this a true threat by Herod himself, or was it simply a lie created by the Pharisees in order to try and scare Jesus off?
Well, on the one hand, Herod had been the one that put John the Baptist to death by beheading him. If Herod was prepared to put one prophet to death, there certainly was a possibility that He would put another to death.
But we must recall the reasoning behind putting John to death was far more personal. The circumstances came about that John was imprisoned because he spoke out about Herod and Herodias, and their marriage that was impure/unlawful… And therefore John had been put in prison.
Even the death (beheading) of John came about because of the cunning plot of Herod’s wife, when he made a foolish commitment. (Mark 6:16ff).
And so there is perhaps a slight possibility that there is an element of truth in the threat of the Pharisees. However, I think the evidence favours the fact that they were making this entire story up.
Most likely, the entire report was a fabrication. Why do I say that?
Firstly, we read in Luke 9:9
9 Herod said, “I myself had John beheaded; but who is this man about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see Him.
Herod wanted to actually see Jesus, not to kill him, but to see who he was. Later on in Luke’s Gospel, we read...
8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle.
The context of Luke 23 is when Jesus was being accused before Pilate, and Pilate actually didn’t see any fault in Jesus, and so to get Jesus out of his own hands, and evade the challenge that faced him in terms of dealing with the accusations against Jesus, he heard that Jesus was from Galilee, and so sent him to Herod to determine what to do with him.
But when Herod sees him, we see the reason was not to kill Him, but rather out of intrigue, to see him perform a miracle.
In the above instant, the worst that Herod did was to have the soldiers beat him. If he wanted Jesus killed, certainly he would have seized the opportunity…
But Herod doesn’t kill him. In fact, Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate, and we read Luke 23:14-15...
14 and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. 15 Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death.
Therefore, it is clear that the weight of the evidence suggests that Herod didn’t truly want to put Jesus to death. Maybe there had been a threat from Herod based on false accusations that were brought against Jesus by the Pharisees themselves. It may even have been that the Pharisees had united together with some of the Herodians in order to plot a means to have Jesus put to death.
6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
Let me just say, the Pharisees and Herodians were usually enemies… But against Jesus, they had a common enemy.
Again in Mark 12:13 we read…
13 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words.
Based on all of this, what we must deduce is that at the very most, Herod may have issued a threat, hoping that Jesus would move away, so that peace could be maintained in His area of Jurisdiction.
But even this is unlikely. It seems far more likely based on the weight of evidence that the Pharisees were using a made-up threat, or a non-contextualised statement made by Herod (twisting what he was saying) in order to try and get rid of Jesus.
They were attempting to intimidate Jesus, and so have him leave their area.
What a convenient way to do it… to threaten!
This leads us to consider our second main point, and that is...
2. The Certainty of Christ’s Completed Work (vv.32-33)
2. The Certainty of Christ’s Completed Work (vv.32-33)
In the context of this threat that is issued against Jesus, Christ responds in a couple of different ways. In verse 32 we read…
32 He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’
The very first impression that we get from Christ’s response is that He was anything but intimidated. In fact, he sends quite a strong message back to Herod via the Pharisees. He doesn’t assume that threat is false, or even try to address it from that context. He simply responds as if what they’ve stated is true.
He beings with the words… “Go tell that fox...” What was this referring to? Why use the term “fox?”
Two things should be noted. In one sense the fox was cunning. The statement by Jesus was one that was intended to convey a sense of the low, cunning nature of Herod.
In the ancient world, the fox was considered to be an animal without dignity or honour. It was certainly not a complement.
In this sense, Jesus was portraying Herod as one that was cunning and sly, and not to be trusted.
On the other hand, the fox was a weak animal, particularly in comparison to a lion.
Christ’s response is thus quite forthright. He is not concerned about Herod, or any threat that he may or may not have issued. And Christ was prepared to send this message back in the strongest terms.
We must just pause at this point and rejoice in the resolute Spirit of our Saviour to carry out His work in the face of great opposition. Christ’s will was to do the will of His Father, and to go to the cross. He set His face towards Jerusalem, and would not be deterred or swayed, irrespective of the opposition that He faced.
Friends, we must not downplay this point. Christ was fully human. He carried within Him the full range of emotions. We read in Hebrews 4:15
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.
The perfect man, innocent in every way, was constantly under attack and under threat. Nonetheless, he remained resolute, in order that he might complete the work that He came to do.
That becomes all the more clear as we consider further Christ’s response in this case. We see the message that Jesus sends to Herod via the Pharisees.
He says, “I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow...” and then the “third day I will reach my goal...”
Now, we know well that one of the beautiful things that Jesus was doing was that He was helping those in need. He had come into the world to show compassion and mercy. He had come to release people from their bondage to all kinds of afflictions. He demonstrated His power through the miracles that He performed, that were always to the good and benefit of the people that He served.
It’s incredible to think that Christ had done nothing but help people. He had done nothing but serve in humility and love. It was this man, providing help to all, that was now being threatened.
Friends, sin within the heart of man will lead that man to act in extremely selfish ways. The Pharisees were so concerned for themselves and their status, that even though Jesus was a man who was literally giving His life for others, serving the needs of the people, they rejected Him, because He didn’t serve their agenda.
Importantly from Jesus words, notice the statement that Jesus makes that he will do these things “...today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.”
There are two things that are important to note from this statement. Firstly, we must recognise that this statement was a common semitic expression. The third day referred to completion.
In other words, Christ was saying that He would complete all the work that he had come to do.
In this sense, here was a word to Herod (and even to the Pharisees) that no matter what his intentions were for Christ - even if that was to put him to death - They would not be successful, at least until such time as Christ had finished every bit of work that he had come to do.
Christ would do all the work that he had intended. He would heal every person that He had purposed to heal. He would deliver every demon-possessed man and woman that He had planned to. He would raise every person that He had intended to raise from the dead.
To take this a step further, Christ was in absolute control of His own life, and was here to do the work that was determined for Him to do, and no one could stand in His way.
Herod (or the Pharisees, religious leaders etc.) would not be able to take His life apart from Him willingly laying down that life Himself.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
Herod could never take His life apart from Christ willingly laying it down. The Pharisees could never take His life apart from Christ willingly laying it down.
Nonetheless, Christ would ultimately lay His life down for our sake, because this was His will and the will of His Father.
This leads us to consider a further meaning behind the words of Christ. Not only was Christ coming to complete the work that He came to do (which is conveyed in his use of the phrase, “today, tomorrow, the third day...”) but ultimately that perfect would be done through the death of Christ, and resurrection on the third day.
In this sense, we can see a veiled reference to Christ completing His work on the third day - the day of His resurrection.
What is so significant from this is that there were evil plots against Jesus, and yet they would only serve to fulfil His own purposes, the very purposes of God.
Christ would ultimately be put to death on the cross. But this was only in accordance with the work that He had purposed to do.
This reference becomes more clear as Christ goes on to address the Pharisees particularly in verse 33...
33 In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!
Here is a clear indication that Christ was looking to His death at this point. Christ brings in the reference to Jerusalem, which was the place where God was known to dwell among His people.
This was the centre of worship for the Jewish people. Christ is directing this comment directly at the Pharisees that were now confronting Him. These were the religious elites, that believed themselves to be in right standing with God. They were the ones that held Jerusalem in high esteem as the place of God’s dwelling among His people.
The Pharisees believed that they were the ones that were responsible for leading the Israelites in the worship of God. But Christ outright rejects their thinking. In fact He confronts them and turns their assumptions on their heads.
Jesus reminds them that it is in Jerusalem that the prophets are killed. The very place where God was known to dwell with His people, was the place where the messengers of God were put to death.
The very place where God’s people claimed to worship and praise Him, was the place where they would put to death the spokesmen of God.
In other words, while they claimed to love God and to worship and serve God, when the true Word of God through His prophets was brought to them, they would shut out that voice, and put the prophets to death.
How deceived the hearts of the people could be, thinking and believing that they were worshiping God according to the Scriptures, all the while living in opposition to God.
Friends, this is why it’s important that we test our own hearts and attitudes carefully according to the Scriptures. That we would be deceived into believing that we follow God, all the while walking in disobedience, and even being those who would participate in crucifying the Son.
Religion does not save us. Seeking to be good, and to put on a good show for those around us doesn’t bring salvation to us. In fact, very often, this leads to a pride of life, a heart that is proud.
Coming back to our text, we must note the words of Christ that no prophet can die outside Jerusalem. The prophets of old were killed in Jerusalem, or at least by the religious leaders based in Jerusalem. It was here that they were rejected, and Christ says that He too would be killed in Jerusalem.
The implication here is that Christ is indeed a prophet from God - greater than a prophet to be sure, but a prophet nonetheless. He was speaking the very words of God, but He would be rejected.
In Acts 3:22-23 we read of this… Peter is teaching / preaching, quoting Deut.18:15....
22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.’
This is the prophet - point to Jesus - that Moses spoke of. And Jesus clearly indicates to these Pharisees that this prophet would be put to death.
While these Pharisees believed that they loved God, and that they were demonstrating this love through the sacrificial service, they actually had hearts that were far away from God, and they would be the ones that put to death the very Son of God.
As we continue, we must note thirdly...
3. The Compassion in Christ’s Lament
3. The Compassion in Christ’s Lament
This is a most fascinating observation, in light of what has just unfolded. Christ is facing severe opposition. He is being threatened with His life. And He knows very well that the opposition that He is facing comes from the religious leaders. It comes from Jerusalem.
But his response is one of lament. Sadness. And he speaks this lament over Jerusalem...
34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
What a moving picture this is. The compassion of Christ, even for those who are in opposition to Him is clearly evident. He is moved within Himself on account of the refusal of His people to respond to His call.
The repitition of the word Jerusalem demonstrates an affection towards the people, despite their opposition. Similar instances are seen elsewhere in Scripture..
31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;
33 The king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And thus he said as he walked, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
Christ’s cry in this instance over Jerusalem is a cry of affection. He demonstrates His sincere love and care over the city and its inhabitants. Christ was deeply moved because of their refusal to listen and draw near to God.
Later on, Christ would even go on to weep over Jerusalem…
41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it
Let me ask… what is your typical response when people unjustly oppose you? What is your response when you’ve tried to show kindness, mercy, compassion, love, tenderness, and you receive hatred and nastiness in response… How do you then respond? Usually, if we’re honest, the tendency, the natural inclination, is to respond with righteous indignation!!! Righteous anger.
But here, we have the very Son of God… God Himself in the flesh… responding to this opposition with a demonstration of heartbreak, compassion. He’s moved. He longed for them to repent, to heed the call, to come to Him, so that he could protect and nurture them.
Notice what Christ / God longed to do… “how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings...”
The clear desire here from Christ was the tender care of a people that He loved. But they refused.
Now, I want to touch on a theological truth in this regard. We must understand something of the will of God as we look at this verse.
Write down the terms…
Some may ask, but if God is sovereign, why isn’t He making them come under his wing? It may be tempting to think that Jesus seems helpless here, and that he’s incapable of turning people to him, or causing them to come to Him. Certainly that’s not the case.
What we have here is the Permissive will of God being put on display. God permits people to rebel against him.
God has a Decretive Will - that which He decrees. And nothing can stand in the way of that which God decrees. What God pronounced at the creation, “let there be light,” it happened. When God chose to turn Paul from rebellion against Him, to being a servant sent to preach the Gospel, Paul didn’t have the power to stand in God’s way, or even resist. That was God’s decretive will. God decreed it, and it happened.
13 “But he stands alone, and who can oppose him?
He does whatever he pleases.
11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.
But there is also God’s Preceptive Will. In other words, God tells us what his will is in the Scriptures. God wills that we live holy lives. God wills that we worship Him in Spirit and truth. God’s will is that we abstain from immorality. That’s what He desires of us, what His will is for us.
His Preceptive will for Israel, for Jerusalem, was to submit themselves under His authority. In fact, we see that God even longed for this.
His Permissive will was to allow them to walk in rebellion. They did not want to listen. They did not heed his calls. Although He longed to show compassion to them, and to graciously care for them, they were not willing. They refused. And so, He left them.
What we see in this verse is the heart of God, a heart of compassion. A heart that longs for people to turn and come under His loving protection. And yet, these who knew so much about God, refused. They wanted their own way. They wanted to trust in their own abilities and strength.
I want us to see from this that God does not delight in wickedness and rebellion, and He does not delight to punish wickedness and rebellion. But ultimately, He will do this, because He is just and true and right.
Ezekiel 18:23 (NASB95)
23 “Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares the Lord God, “rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?
11 “Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’
God says this in the NT as well..
4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
What is that speaking of? The Preceptive will of God. That’s what He desires in terms of His will for people. It’s His call.
It’s not His decretive will.. because if it was, it would most certainly happen.
What it’s saying is that God’s call to repentance has gone out into the world, and He desires that people turn. But His permissive will is such that He will allow people to choose rebellion against Him.
This is what is happening here. Christ is saying, he longed to protect and to nurture Jerusalem / Israel. He longed to show His compassion, but they refused.
Friends, we must see that the religious leaders, along with much of the nation Israel, had built their identity not on the true worship of God, but on their own performance. In other words, their identity was on their own ability to perform. Their identity was on their own efforts at obedience, rather than a humble and submissive posture before God.
Let us consider the application of this to ourselves today. The Gospel call has gone out, and the love of God has been demonstrated through Christ. God’s call to us is to draw near through Christ. God’s Preceptive will for us… His desire for us, is that we repent of sin and submit ourselves under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
God’s will for us is that we humbly accept and acknowledge our own inability to save ourselves; or to please God. The joy is, that when we come to the end of ourselves… when we deny ourselves… when we truly humble ourselves… we come under the loving protection of God.
What may be hindering you from doing this?
This leads us to consider our fourth and final point...
4. The Caution Concerning Christ’s Coming
4. The Caution Concerning Christ’s Coming
There are consequences to rebelling against God and His call. Christ outlines these consequences to the Pharisees in verse 35…
35 Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
Here is a warning from Jesus, that their house (referring primarily to the temple, but also to Jerusalem as a whole) would be left desolate. This was a prophetic word from Jesus that the temple and Jerusalem would be utterly destroyed. This grand place where the Jewish people based their identity would be brought to ruin and destruction.
And beyond that, they would not see Christ again until they said, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
What is Jesus referring to here?
Some have thought this to refer to Jesus entering into Jerusalem and the people waving the palm branches, and singing Hosannah to the Son of David.
More likely, however, is that Jesus was referring to His second coming. It is at His second coming that every knee would bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
And He is saying that even these Pharisees will on that day, declare, “blessed be the name of the Lord.” But unless this declaration flows out of a repentant heart, and faith in Him, it will be to no avail.
Every knee is going to bow. Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Every one of us here will declare this at Christ’s return.
The question is, will we declare it now, while we have breath, and while we have the opporutnity to do so with a repentant heart, and a deep trust in Him?
Application / Conclusion
Application / Conclusion
I want to close by encouraging us through just through application of this passage.
Keep in mind...
The Pharisees wanted to drive Jesus away.
They saw Him as a threat to them… a threat to a system of their own making.
It grieved the heart of Christ.
he came to show compassion and mercy… but they rejected Him.
This leads to a lament.
But we also find that there is a warning to them.
If they continued to refuse Christ, there would be consequences.
Now, there are two kinds of people sitting here.
The first, is that you’re an unbeliever.
You’ve rejected Christ, or at least, you’re trying to keep Him away, perhaps convince yourself that He is not the way.
Or perhaps you just haven’t fully embraced Him.
Please, hear His call to you. The purposes of God for people are good and wonderful.
Being in right relationship is the greatest joy and delight that we could experience.
If you’re hesitating… consider this.
Repentance and faith is difficult.
It’s hard for us to acknowledge our frailty, our sinfulness, our self-righteousness… it’s hard.
But we are called to confess what God says to be true of us… to acknowledge our sin, and to humble ourselves before Christ.
Please do this… please consider this… God’s plans are for your good when you turn to Him, and humble yourselves before Him.
There’s another group sitting here, those who are professing believers. Probably the bulk of us.
While we certainly are not as overt in our attempts at pushing Christ away, there are very subtle ways that we do this.
The temptation is to continue to want to find our identity in the things of this world...
The successes at work…
The apparent success in our homes…
Financial freedom and security...
The approval of man…
The affirmations of people…
And pay lip service to Christ. Certainly we ackowledge that He is the Saviour, and His word is true.
But in the practical reality of life, we deny Him. We don’t submit to Him as Lord. We don’t want Him to be Lord, because we will lose our identity that we’ve built up in these other things.
It’s a danger.
Let me encourage every professing believer....
Christ is sufficient.
Christ is Lord.
He truly is our only hope, and our only true source of joy.
We deny ourselves a deep contentment and joy when we fail to fully submit to Him, in every situation, in every circumstance, in every good time, and in every troubled time.
Our stability, our peace, our hope, our confidence is in Christ!
All I once held dear, built my life upon
All this world reveres and wars to own
All I once thought gain I have counted loss
Spent and worthless now compared to this
Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing
You're my all, You're the best
You're my joy, my righteousness
And I love You Lord
Now my heart's desire is to know You more
To be found in You and know as Yours
To possess by faith what I could not earn
All surpassing gift of righteousness
Oh to know the power of Your risen life
And to know You in Your sufferings
To become like You in Your death, my Lord
So with You to live and never die
Is your hope, your joy, your confidence.... is your life bound up in Christ?
Are you sheltered under the protective, loving arms of God?