This is the second week of the Lenten season and in the Scripture we are about to look at we see an incident that took place as Jesus was headed for Jerusalem in order to complete the work for which He came to earth.
We know that Jesus was headed to Jerusalem because
it says back in Luke 9:51
“As the time approached for Him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.”
Some translations say that, “He set His face to go to Jerusalem.”
I love that imagery! He was determined! He was resolute! He was intently, perseveringly, purposefully, single-mindedly, tenaciously, unfalteringly, unflinchingly, unwaveringly headed for Jerusalem! There was nothing, absolutely nothing in this universe that could stop Him from reaching Jerusalem and fulfilling His purpose of making a way for our salvation!
And, the main Scripture for this morning speaks about just such a case where it would have been easy for Jesus to take a detour from His trip to Jerusalem.
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.’
“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.”’
“In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day - for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!
“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!
“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.’”
Now, if you read the preceding verses of the 13th chapter of Luke you will find that Jesus had preached about repentance, He has healed a crippled woman on the Sabbath day, He told a parable about the Kingdom of God and He told another parable about what it takes to be saved and the tragic end for those who are not saved.
Probably the most upsetting thing for the rulers of the Synagogue in this series of events was the healing on the Sabbath. After this exchange the common people were delighted and the leaders of the Synagogue were humiliated because their selfish motives had been revealed. So, it’s not a big surprise that the religious rulers told Jesus to basically “get lost, take a hike!”
We see again in verse 13 it says
“At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to Him, ‘Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill You.’”
Now, were the Pharisees really interested in Jesus’ welfare? They are indicating that they have some insider knowledge that Herod wishes to kill Jesus. But was that true? Herod did finally get to see Jesus and his initial reaction was not to kill Jesus but something quite different.
It says in Luke 23:8
“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.”
Now, that’s rather odd, isn’t it, that the rulers said that Herod wanted to kill Jesus but we find that Herod was actually looking forward to seeing Jesus. However, in all fairness, Herod was initially very concerned that Jesus might be John the Baptist resurrected from the dead. So, we don’t know how Herod was feeling about Jesus at this particular point in time. All we know is what the Pharisees said.
Now, if the Pharisees really knew of Herod’s plans and wanted to help Jesus avoid Herod’s grasp it seems as if they would have given Him some direction as to how to avoid Herod’s men.
For instance if they knew that Herod’s men were coming from the south the might have advised Jesus to head north, east or west. But they didn’t.
They just said, “Leave this place and go somewhere else!” In other words, “Just get out of here, we’ve had enough of you and you parables and miracles.”
Do you ever react like the Pharisees did when someone (or the Holy Spirit) confronts you about sin in your life?
I remember an incident decades ago in another church where a man who was a gentle, quiet, Christ following widower was courting a lady who was separated from her husband and not yet divorced.
I am assuming that this lady was divorcing because of unfaithful-ness by her husband but I do not know. Anyway, a church member, a very gentle and quiet church member when to him and asked if he should be dating a married woman.
The reaction of the gentle quiet, Christ following widower who was dating the separated wife of another man was a reaction that you would expect from someone under conviction. Was the Holy Spirit already speaking to this man about his dating activities? I don’t know, but, his reaction was much like the reaction of the Pharisees to Jesus, “Leave this place and go somewhere else!”
So, how do we react when we are confronted with a sin or a possible sin in our lives by someone else? It may be a caring friend or Scripture or a sermon or the conviction of the Holy Spirit during prayer. How do we react? Would we say to our brother or sister in Christ “Leave this place and go somewhere else” or would we be gracious and ask for their help and prayer in the matter?
Would we turn our back on Jesus and keep sinning or ask Him to stay longer and help us with the problem?
We can learn a lesson from how these Pharisees reacted when confronted with their prideful response to the teachings of Christ.
With that being said, let’s continue on with this great Scripture.
In verses 32 and 33 it says,
“He (Jesus) replied, ‘Go tell that fox (Herod), “I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach My goal.”’
“In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day - for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!”
This is exactly the result and response of someone who is determined to go to Jerusalem even though it means death.
Why was Jesus so determined to go to Jerusalem?
Why was Jesus willing to walk into the jaws of certain death?
What was the driving force behind this unwavering path to seeming destruction?
In John 4:34 Jesus says,
“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.”
My food, Jesus said, that which sustains my physical and spiritual life, is to do the will of His Father and to complete the task set before Him.
In John 5:30 Jesus says,
“By Myself I can do nothing … for I seek not to please Myself but Him who sent Me.”
In John 6:38 Jesus says,
“For I have come down from heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent Me.”
In these verses the speaker is the “… Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.”
- From the Nicene Creed
And this Jesus is saying that His purpose for being on earth, His motivating drive is to do the will of the Father who sent Him and to complete the task assigned to Him. This is the Jesus that we see described on the screen, not some mere human but God Himself with an all consuming goal of pleasing His Father.
Now, here is a major lesson we need to learn. We have talked about this before and it bears repeating. We are not the center of the universe. God is not standing by attentively waiting to see what it is we need so that He can fulfill our every wish.
In America the human-God relationship has been turning upside down. If the goal of Jesus is to please His Father and accomplish the task assigned to Him shouldn’t that be our goal as well? But, no, we have preachers who preach that faith in Christ brings a life of wealth, health and the removal of all things unpleasant. On the other end of the spectrum we have preachers who preach a private faith that never needs to be shared and that this private faith may not actually be truth for others as all roads lead to god and a universal salvation or even reincarnation.
But Jesus, the Son of God, by contrast, set His face toward Jerusalem with the exclusive purpose of completing the task assigned to Him by His Father even though it would mean His death on a cross of torture and humiliation.
And, all of His disciples, except for Judas, attempted to make sure that the world was aware of one great truth, that Christ crucified, risen and coming again was and is the only path to salvation!
Now, what about us? Do you have a goal in your life? What is it? Have you set your face toward the cross of Christ and the Kingdom of God? Or, is you goal of this world? Popularity? Financial success? A beautiful physique? Power? Fame? Independence?
Relaxation and leisure?
Think about it! What is the driving force in your life? If the last week of your life or of my life was replayed for the world to see what would they see as the driving goal of your life? What would they see your face set toward?
Think about what you’ve done in the work of the Kingdom of God in the last year besides attending church. Some of you have poured out your lives serving others for the cause of Christ. Some of you have set your faces toward the goal set before you of accomplishing the will of the Father!
May the Lord bless you and increase your numbers!
The final point we want to take a look at this morning, very briefly, is found in verse 34 where Jesus says,
“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!”
In this great verse we see the eternity of Christ in the Triune Godhead! Here we see Jesus looking back over history. Seeing how many times He had sent prophets to His wayward children. Beaconing them to return to Him for their physical and spiritual lives. Longing to protect them. Sending messenger after messenger with invitations of protection and warnings of disobedience. And, then, finally coming Himself in order to make all things plain to those of us who seek Him with all of our hearts.
In my minds eye I can imagine the eternal Christ looking down from heaven over His chosen people, Israel, longing to be their God and for them to be His people, but, they were not willing.
God is still looking down. He’s ever vigilant. He’s looking right now down into this sanctuary. He knows our hearts. He knows the driving force of our lives. Is it Him or some facet of this world?
Are we like Jesus with our faces set resolutely toward accomplishing the will of the Father and the completion of the task He has set before us? If we are then we can rest assured that this eternal Jesus has gathered us to Himself and we are protected by His eternal strength.
(Give a short salvation explanation if the Spirit leads)
(Benediction)
Now To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. - Jude 1:24-25
