- This passage provides a nice coda to the section that we have been working through. When taken as a whole, I think these few verses recenter us to the heart of who Jesus was and what He was doing. In particular, this passage highlights Jesus’ relationship with Israel. Of course, that is a relationship filled with contention.
- Israel’s place in the life of Jesus as well as the future of Israel as we look to the end of time are important subjects and ones that we need to understand. This passage is insightful on both counts.
FIVE FUNDAMENTALS OF JESUS' RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL:
1. Jesus was opposed at every turn.
- Luke 13:31.
- There are two groups opposing Jesus as we look at v. 31.
- The first is Herod. This is Herod Antipas. This is the Herod who jailed John the Baptist and who Jesus appeared before during the trials that led to His crucifixion. After the death of Herod Antipas’ father Herod the Great his kingdom was broken into four parts. Herod Antipas was given Galilee and Perea. He is referred to as a tetrarch, which means one-quarter. He was given one-quarter of his father’s kingdom. You’ll remember that he happened to be in Jerusalem during Jesus’ trial, even though he was the ruler of Jerusalem.
- Did Herod really want to kill Jesus? We don’t know for certain because the Pharisees - as we will discuss in a moment - did not have pure motives.
- The arguments here are mixed.
- On the one hand, in favor of Herod wanting to kill Jesus:
a. It makes sense to kill anyone else claiming to be a king.
b. He was brutal in his actions toward John the Baptist.
c. Jesus in v. 32 does not call the Pharisees out as lying. Of course, calling Herod a “fox” may just be a way of dismissing him, but the lying point still holds.
- On the other hand:
a. When Jesus finally does stand before him in trial, he seems more interested in finding out more about Him than immediately killing Him.
b. As stated, the Pharisees had questionable motives. Particularly, the hope that this threat might drive Jesus out of their region.
c. If Herod was really going to kill Jesus and the Pharisees wanted Him dead, why warn Him of the threat?
- Overall, we know that Rome was in the end not sympathetic to Jesus, which is a seriously understated way to say it. Although it was the Jewish authorities who pushed for His execution, the Roman authorities were not open to a new power center rising in Palestine and disrupting their rule.
- The bottom line is that Rome was opposed to Jesus rising in power.
- The second group is the Pharisees.
- They come in v. 31 to Jesus with a warning: get out because Herod is coming after you.
- As we’ve just unpacked, this may have been a legitimate threat that Jesus was facing or they might have made it up to try to drive Him out of their region. One thing is certain, though, whatever the truthfulness of the statement, their motives were not pure. They opposed Jesus. They wanted Him taken off the stage. They wanted Him to leave their area.
- The Jewish religious leaders are, of course, the ones who will push for Jesus’ execution because He is a threat to their power.
- The bottom line here is that the Jewish religious authorities were opposed to Jesus rising in power.
- In sum, we begin with the simple fact that Jesus was opposed at every turn. He is opposed by Rome. He is opposed by the Jewish religious authorities. He finds many potential followers walking away from Him because they don't like His unorthodox message.
- Jesus faced opposition everywhere He turned.
- This is crucial to understand how it stands in opposition to the image of Jesus as someone who everyone loved. He is often thought of as a Mr. Rogers’ type of figure. Gentle, meek, lowly. But no one ever tried to crucify Mr. Rogers.
- Jesus stood for something. Jesus had a radical agenda. Jesus was trying to transform the world. Those who had a vested interest in the world as it was were not happy to see what He was doing.
- How does this apply to us today? We need to understand that Jesus is still trying to do something radical. He doesn’t want us to just float down the world’s river. He is bringing forward a Kingdom that seeks to transform the world.
- It also seeks to transform us.
- Jesus was opposed with good reason. He came to change things.
- If we’re not interested in being a part of that transformation, we should rethink our allegiance to Him.
2. Jesus had a clear vision of what He intended to accomplish.
- Luke 13:32-33.
- There are some important phrases in vv. 32-33.
- First, there is “die outside Jerusalem.”
- This, along with numerous other gospel references, indicate that Jesus clearly knew what was before Him: crucifixion. Jesus knows what He is walking toward.
- It is an odd phrase historically. Obviously there were other prophets who died outside Jerusalem. What does it mean? The best I can come up with is not thinking of it in terms of all the Old Testament but rather the prophecies about the one prophet who fulfilled the unique role that Jesus inhabits. That is, not prophets, but the Prophet. In the grand scheme and sweep of the salvation story, there are multiple prophecies that point toward the story of the Suffering Servant of Israel coming to a head at the heart of Israel. That, of course, points us to Jerusalem. That matches up with Jesus’ words.
- This lines up with Jesus, as the Prophet, dying in Jerusalem.
- The second is the dual references to the “third day.” That's the exact phrase in v. 32. In v. 33, it’s rendered the “next day,” but the context obviously makes it the third day.
- The phrasing here is unusual. In v. 32 Jesus speaks of doing miraculous healings “today and tomorrow” and then reaching His goal on the third day. Those third day references seem clearly pointed at the resurrection even though the phrasing is peculiar.
- In v. 33 a similar three-part phrasing is used, although it ends with “the next day.” With the closing statement in that verse about a prophet dying outside Jerusalem, it again points this directly at Jesus’ death and resurrection.
- All of this makes it clear that Jesus knew exactly what the trajectory of this path was. He is here to die for our sins and then He will be resurrected from the dead to newness of life by the power of the Father.
- Since our larger theme within this sermon is Jesus’ relationship with Israel, there is a point to be made here regarding salvation: He knew that Israel would reject Him. He knew that He would be a Suffering Messiah.
- In some ways - and certainly in the grand scheme of salvation - this is a good thing in the sense of opening up salvation to us Gentiles. Jesus in His ministry said that He had come for the house of Israel. The open door for salvation for those of us who are non-Jews opens up via the rejection of Jesus by the Jews.
- This, of course, was no surprise to God. He knew how things would play out and the opportunity for salvation to come to the world.
- This should be a source of encouragement and comfort to us. God had a plan. God wasn’t winging it. God, in His infinite wisdom, came up with a way to bring together His perfect justice and our sinfulness. It’s a plan that leads to God going further than anyone ever imagined He would go.
3-. Israel will reject Jesus as the Christ.
- Luke 13:35a.
- In what senses is the house of Israel left desolate? I think there are two ways that are worth mentioning.
- First, the rejection of Christ leads to the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. and the end of Israel as a country for then.
- This, of course, is undisputed historic fact.
- What is not as obvious or agreed upon is that the cause of that was Israel’s rejection of Christ. That all of that was a judgment from God, as was promised.
- I think the best way to think about it is to ponder the opposite scenario. What if the Jews had joyfully accepted Jesus as their Christ? Would Israel have collapsed? No. Would the Temple have been destroyed? No. Would Rome have triumphed? No.
- It is the rejection of Christ that leads to God’s judgment and all the consequences that we see. There is no doubt that their house was left desolate.
- Second, we also see a similar phenomenon in spiritual realms as well.
- The above point focused on what happened physically. There was a spiritual impact as well as Israel was put aside for a time as “God’s chosen people” and the church age came to fruition. Now “God’s chosen people” are people of every nation and tribe and tongue who receive Christ as Savior and Lord.
- We will discuss in a moment that God is not finished with Israel yet, but that doesn’t change the fact that we are clearly in the church age right now. To say that another way, from a spiritual perspective, the house of Israel has been left desolate.
- One application point we can take from that is that you should not presume upon being “God’s chosen people.”
Any one church getting off track isn’t going to end the church age, but each church should remember that when Israel disobeyed God brought judgment. Sometimes we just presume that God is going to bless us because we have claimed to be His people whether we are actually doing His will or not. God fully reserves the right to bring judgment on His people when they refuse to obey His will.
- It is a sad reality that 4,000 churches shut their doors every year in America. There are other things in play in some of those situations, like demographic change or economic struggles in a region, but many of those are closing their doors as a judgment upon the consistent disobedience of the people and leaders in those churches. Sadly, some churches deserve to close their doors because they have not been seeking God first. Sure, there are other reasons that happen too, but we should not reject the hard truth that sometimes it is judgment.
4. Israel’s rejection of Jesus as the Christ will not be the final chapter for them.
- Luke 13:35b.
- Zechariah 12:1-14.
- What is this “Blessed” reference referring to? It is pointing us to the reality that there will come a time in the future when Israel will enthusiastically embrace Christ. This is tied to His return. He will miraculously save Israel when all of the nations of the world are joined against it.
- Let’s look at Zechariah 12:1-14 and we see amazing details about Israel’s embrace of Christ.
- Back to Luke 13:35. This is a closing note of hope within this passage. God is not done with Israel. There will be a joyous final chapter.
5. Jesus has great love for Israel despite their rejection.
- Luke 13:34.
- As we close, it’s worth asking why the previous point is true. Why engineer a return of Israel to Christ? Why not just cast them off as being disobedient and move on with Plan B?
- Verse 34 gives us an answer.
- Even after all of Israel’s disobedience, even after all the heartache and heartbreak they caused, God still loves them.
- Jesus describes His heart here in motherly terms - wanting to gather them together.
- It makes me think of parents together dealing with children who are caught in the web of addiction. They love their child, they long for their child to change, they would rejoice to see their child living a better life, they live daily in the brokenness that their child’s addiction brings into their lives.
- This is stunning when you think about it. All the junk that Israel has done. All the prophets they’ve rejected. All the teaching they’ve circumvented. All the miracles of Jesus they’ve ignored. All the accumulated weight of all they’ve done. And yet. And yet God still longs to draw them to Himself.
- It’s something that would make no sense to us if we weren’t parents. But as parents we understand that reality of loving the person while being filled with sadness at what the person is doing.
- A final point of application goes to anyone listening to this sermon who has made a ton of mistakes. You likely feel that God looks at you with at best dismissal and at worst hatred. But to God you are that child who has walked away.
- I think of the story of the prodigal son. The father was eagerly watching for the son to walk back up the road. Again, it’s a truth that only makes sense if you’ve been a parent. But it is a truth that is in the heart of God.
God wants you to come home tonight. God wants to be reconciled to you. That happens through Jesus. Jesus opened the door for us to be able to have a connection to God again. He has done His part but we have to respond.
