2nd Week in Lent

Luke 13:31-35 The Problem with Prophets

This is the second Sunday in Lent

Lent is a season that is not typically celebrated in many Evangelical churches

However, it’s something that I’d like to start celebrating

Lent is a period of 40 days, not counting Sundays, before Easter. It starts on what we know as Ash Wednesday and goes until just before Easter

The 40 days of Lent coincide with the 40 days that Jesus fasted in the wilderness after His baptism

During Lenten season we are asked to focus on prayer, penance (asking forgiveness for our sins), repentance (turning away from our sins), almsgiving (giving to those in need), and self denial (fasting).

I’ve entitled my message today “The problem with prophets”

Our passage for today is found in Luke 13 starting at verse 31

Luke 13:31-35 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.'"

Let’s take a closer look at our passage and see what it is saying

Luke 13:31-35 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, "Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you."

As Jesus was speaking to the crowds some Pharisees come and warn Him that King Herod wants to kill Him

At first glance this seems kind of insincere

After all, Jesus was not well liked by the Pharisees

Were they really concerned for Jesus’ welfare?

It’s possible – after all, not all the Pharisees were bad guys

Nicodemus, who is the man Jesus has the conversation with in John Chapter 3, was a Pharisee

According to Church history there were several Pharisees that converted to Christianity and became teachers and leaders in the early church

It’s entirely possible that this was a group of “good Pharisees” that were genuinely concerned about Jesus

Although that is possible, I really do not think it was the case

As I read the text I believe that these Pharisees were sent by Herod to warn Jesus

This begs the question - “Why did Herod want to kill Jesus?”

I’m honestly not so sure that Herod wanted to kill Jesus, although it’s certainly possible

My guess is that Herod just wanted to get Jesus out of his territory and was hoping that the threat of death would make Jesus run off

Of course the religious leaders were not big fans of Jesus either so I am sure they were more than happy to play along

So, why did Herod and the religious leaders want Jesus to leave?

Scripture doesn’t tell us so I can only speculate, but I think I have a pretty good guess

Society today is very different than what it was back in first century Israel, but there is one thing that has pretty much remained the same throughout all of human history - those in authority want well behaved followers

People in authority want their followers to obey all the rules and customs

When everyone behaves in a certain way things run smoothly

The thing is though that well behaved people rarely change the world!

The world needs people who rock the boat, who stir things up, who challenge the status quo

Jesus was most definitely this kind of guy!

He was constantly challenging tradition

He was constantly calling out the religious leaders for not practicing what they preached

He was constantly getting in trouble for hanging out with all the wrong people - prostitutes, tax collectors, and lepers

Or, to put it in terms modern people would understand - He hung out with hookers, addicts, dealers, and gay people

In fact, the religious leaders tried to insult Jesus by calling Him a “friend of sinners” and Jesus basically said “Yep!”

Jesus healed people on the sabbath, He had dinner with tax collectors, He let women learn alongside of men, and He touched lepers - all these things were no-no’s in His society

The religious leaders hated Jesus for it and were constantly looking for any little thing they could find so they could call Him a heretic and discredit His ministry

However the people loved Jesus!

Wherever He went huge crowds followed Him

Herod was not at all a religious person, but he could see that Jesus was a troublemaker

Herod was under the authority of Rome, and if he could not keep order in his society Rome would replace him

Since Herod wanted to keep his power he most certainly didn’t need this troublemaker named Jesus in his territory stirring things up, so he got the word out that he wanted to kill Jesus

Any normal man, on finding out that the king wanted him dead, would leave the area

But Jesus saw through the ruse and called it like it was

I love how Jesus does it

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!

I love what Jesus says – “Go tell that fox”

What does Jesus mean when He calls Herod a fox?

The imagery we get when we think of a fox is someone who is slick, sneaky, and conniving

First of all , that’s a pretty bold statement towards the King!

Yes, calling our political leaders today names is almost commonplace – people are always talking smack about the government

But this was 2,000 years ago – times were different

The king could have you killed for any reason, or no reason

Although complaining about the government in Jesus’ day was probably just as common as it is today, you had to be a lot more careful

This begs another question -

Why does Jesus call Herod a fox?

Because Jesus saw right through the warning from the Pharisees

Jesus knew it was just a ploy from Herod to get Him to leave the region

And I’m sure the Pharisees were more than happy to play along – they wanted to get rid of Jesus too!

But Jesus told the Pharisees to tell Herod that He would be leaving, but it would be on His own schedule, not on Herod’s

Jesus told Herod - 'I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.'

I’ve got some things to do today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal

What does Jesus mean by “reach my goal?”

Something we must remember is that Jesus lived and acted with a purpose

Nothing “just happened” with Jesus, He had a goal and a timeframe in mind

Jesus knew that His primary purpose in coming to earth was to die on a cross for the sins of the world

Everything Jesus did in His ministry led up to this point

Jesus is telling Herod “I will leave when I’ve finished my work – probably in about 3 days”

Remember, the Pharisees told Jesus that Herod wanted to kill Him

Why does Jesus not seem like He was afraid?

After all, Herod was the king and he certainly had the authority and the resources to make good on his threat

Herod had killed John the Baptist – Jesus’ cousin – and undoubtedly had killed more people than that

When most normal people would be nervous and afraid, how could Jesus not be?

I think the answer is simple – Jesus knew that He was in the center of God’s will

Jesus knew that He had a God-ordained plan and a purpose to fulfill

As I mentioned, Jesus knew that He was to die in Jerusalem, not Galilee

Jesus even made the comment – “surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!”

This was a true enough statement – many prophets died in Jerusalem

Jesus throws this back in the face of the Pharisees and of Herod

He’s saying “I’m a prophet, and we all know that prophets only die in Jerusalem, so tell Herod to get lost”

After mentioning Jerusalem Jesus begins to mourn for the city

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.'"

Jesus is grieving over Jerusalem

Why?  What’s so special about Jerusalem?

Jerusalem is the capitol of Israel and is where the temple – the central focus of the Jewish faith – is located

Jerusalem was more than just a city, it represented the Jewish people as a whole, and more importantly, represented the Jewish faith

Jesus is mourning over Jerusalem like a loving parent mourns over a wayward child

Jesus stated that the people of Jerusalem killed the prophets that were sent to them by God

Why in the world would they do that?

Because they didn’t like what the prophets had to say

This is the problem with prophets

They come in with a message from God that should make us change our ways

Instead the message makes us uncomfortable

Sometimes the message makes us angry

Sometimes the message may even scare us

What do people do when they are uncomfortable, angry, or scared?

They lash out

Spiritual people often act like the religious leaders in Jesus’ day looking for every little thing they can find to try to call the prophet a heretic or discredit their ministry

The thing many of us fail to realize is that we do not know it all

I know that almost everyone will admit that they don’t know it all, yet most of us act like we do - especially when it comes to spirituality

No one likes to be wrong, but the fact remains that we are all wrong at times, especially when it comes to spirituality

You’ve heard me say many times that no one has perfect theology - no one’s belief system is without error

Occasionally God will send someone like a prophet into our lives to help fix that error

The question, however, is how do we respond to such people?

It would be completely foolish to believe everything people tell you

But it would be just as foolish to not believe someone simply because what they say is different than what you’ve always believed or been taught

Jesus was weeping over Jerusalem because when the prophets were sent their message was not believed

It went against the way that the people of Jerusalem did life, and rather than seeking God to see if the message of the prophet was from God, they made the dangerous assumption that many people make

The assumption that we have it all figured out, and that if we disagree with something, it must not be of God

After all, God will always agree with my way of thinking and my way of life right? {sarcasm}

Jesus then says that He longs to gather the people of Jerusalem “as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings”

What does He mean by that?

Anyone that has ever been around chickens much has seen a hen gather her chicks together under her wings {show image}

This is done in times of danger to hide and protect the chicks

Jesus is saying that He wants to do this with the people of Jerusalem

He wants to gather the people together and let them know they are safe, they are loved, and that if they put their hope in Him everything will be okay

So, what’s our takeaway from this message today?

Prophets are going to come - people that have a message from God that you need to hear

Examine these messages!

Don’t assume that just because it goes against what you have been taught or what you have always believed that the message is not from God

Check it out - pray about it - study the Scriptures - get advice from others

I don’t know about you, but if God has a message for me I want to receive it

If I am wrong I want to be corrected

Yes, prophets can be a pain at times, but we need them