Jerusalem, Jerusalem

Luke 13:31-35. KJ 2000

(31) The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get out, and depart from here: for Herod will kill you.
(32) And he said unto them, Go, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out demons, and I perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be finished.
(33) Nevertheless I must walk today, and tomorrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish outside of Jerusalem.
(34) O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which kills the prophets, and stones them that are sent unto you; how often would I have gathered your children together, as a hen does gather her brood under her wings, and you would not!
(35) Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, you shall not see me, until the time comes when you shall say, Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord.

There is a certain bittersweet sensation to watching a grown child go astray. The heart yearns for earlier years, happier times. The mind wants to scream warning—and the mouth sometimes does, even knowing that it will be rejected word for word.

There is something of that in this passage. It begins with the King of Kings putting a king in his place. Herod, like all the rest of us, is accountable to God.

• God's plans, not Herod's, will prevail. His threats are nothing to the living God.
• God's timing will prevail as well. His steps are deliberate and the days are numbered.
• Even so, the end will come rapidly—and who will be prepared?

Jerusalem—the prophets' slaughterhouse

Nothing so shows the rebellious nature of man, his utter sinfulness, than this. Jerusalem, the city where God placed his Name, designated to be the one place on earth where the presence of God could be found by anyone, is the prophets' slaughterhouse. Those who come in the name of the Lord find a bludgeon, an axe or a saw applied to their bodies. In this case, it will be a cross.

And what is the reaction of Jesus to this? What does he want to do with the city which has so foully treated the prophets, and is about to crown that performance by crucifying the Author of Life? He wants to hold them in his arms and love them. He loves these people; his mercy is very tender toward them, as a mother would be toward her wayward child. But it is not to be.

The truth is very bitter indeed. Within a few years the city will be ripped from the hands of the Jews, and they will be destined to wander the earth for centuries. Only in our own time have they returned, in war, to the city of David. Many feel that this is a sign of the times, signaling the imminent return of our Lord. This may be; no one knows that hour. But the time will someday come, that is sure.

This follows close upon Christ's words about the narrow door. It tells us how he will feel when he rises to close that door, keeping out the ones he never knew. It will be a bittersweet time for Him, for he came to seek and save the lost, and he does not wish for even one to perish. The choice is not his; it is ours. We make it now, as we live. Will he grieve over us?