Lamentations Of Christ

Lamentations of the Man Christ Jesus

Luke thirteen is filled with wonderful lessons. The editors of my particular bible precede the chapter with the words, "Call to Repentance." Surely that is the focus of our Lord's teaching here. In the first section Jesus speaks of the necessity and urgency of repentance. He makes it very clear that all men, women and children are in need of repentance. Twice He makes this strong statement. "Unless you repent you will all perish!"

In the next section, verses six through nine, Jesus tells us what true repentance looks like. He describes a fruitless fig tree and warns that it will be cut down if it remains fruitless. Of course there is a spiritual application. One who claims repentance and faith in Jesus but bears no fruit is not a Christian. A true lover of God, by faith in Jesus for salvation, bears the fruit of obedience. If there is no fruit, there is no salvation and eventually, when grace has been withdrawn, this person will be cut down and cast into the fire.

In verses ten through seventeen Jesus reveals His power over sickness and special days by healing a woman on the Sabbath. This infuriated the Jewish leaders who accused Christ of breaking the law. Jesus argued his case and proved that healing the sick was not a violation of the Sabbath. His opponents were humiliated and the crowd rejoiced.

In verses eighteen through twenty-one Jesus speaks of the slow but certain expansion of His kingdom. Then in verses twenty-two through thirty He calls the people to repentance once again. His advise is this: strive, wrestle, agonize to enter the kingdom of God for the day is coming when the door of opportunity will be closed. The day of grace will come to an end. All who have entered will dine with Me, all the rest will be cast out. On the outside there will be great misery and eternal torment.

Christ spoke all these things to or at least in the presence of the Pharisees. They had been humiliated, told they must repent, and that the door to heaven might be closed with them on the outside. As if that was not enough the multitudes loved Jesus and were gathering by the hundreds to hear Him. Is it any wonder that in the final section of this chapter we find the Pharisees trying to get rid of Jesus. Follow with me as I read our text for today.

(Luke 13:31-35 NASB) "Just at that time some Pharisees came up, saying to Him, "Go away and depart 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 reach My goal.' {33} "Nevertheless I MUST journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem. {34} "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it! {35} "Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!'"

Now let us take a closer look. (Luke 13:31 NASB) "Just at that time some Pharisees came up, saying to Him, ‘Go away and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You.'" This is the same Herod who had John the Baptist beheaded. Did he want to kill Jesus also? We know that Jesus made him nervous and perhaps fearful. For he and others thought that Christ might be John come back from the dead. Was Herod's conscience bothering him? Perhaps that was why he wanted Jesus to leave. On the political side a "Jesus movement or uprising" could cause Herod some trouble. Maybe that is why Herod wanted Him to move on. Who knows what motivated such an evil man.

The first question I ask when I read this verse was, "Were these Pharisees really concerned about Jesus' well being? That is highly doubtful. Jesus was a real problem to the Jewish leaders. The people followed and listened to Him instead of them. Some believe the Pharisees wanted Jesus to move on to Jerusalem where they had the power to deal with Him like they wanted to and ultimately did. What ever their motivation Christ's response is what concerns us today.

{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 reach My goal.' {33} "Nevertheless I MUST journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem."