Bible Study series: Luke 13:31-35. Don’t fear when a scary report comes at you.
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In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Luke 13:31-35
31 At that very moment some Pharisees came up and said to him, “Go away from here right now because Herod wants to kill you!” 32 And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Watch me! I am casting out demons and I am accomplishing healings today and tomorrow and on the third day I will accomplish my course! 33 But I must keep going today, tomorrow and the following day, because it’s not possible for a prophet to die outside of Jerusalem!’
34 Oh! Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which kills prophets and stones those who have been sent to you! How I wanted to gather together your children in the way that a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! 35 Look! Your house is abandoned in regards to you! I tell you, you will in no way see me until the time comes when you say,
‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’” [Ps. 118:26] (Luke 13:31-35)
Comments:
31:
The Pharisees were either sincere about protecting Jesus, or they maliciously intended to spook the Messiah and provoke him to run off up north or to the desert.
Herod was tetrarch of Galilee in the north, who was also Herod the Great’s son and was co-named Antipas. He ruled over Galilee and Perea from 4 B.C. to A.D. 30. Herod was curious and confused about Jesus (Luke 9:7-9). As seen here, the Pharisees used Herod’s name to scare Jesus to run away, but the Lord would have none of it, calling him a fox (Luke 13:31-32). Herod was in Jerusalem during the Passover during Jesus’ trial. Pilate sent Jesus to him because he found out Jesus was a Galilean and under Herod’s jurisdiction (Luke 23:6). He plied him with many questions, hoping to see a sign, but Jesus did not answer (23:9). Herod and his soldiers ridiculed him, dressed him in an elegant robe, and sent him back to Pilate (23:10).
“go away … right now”: this takes care of two verb of going. When they are doubled up, grammarians tell us the emphasis should be translated intensely. So some translations have “quickly.”
“Pharisees”: You can learn more about them at this post:
Quick Reference to Jewish Groups in Gospels and Acts
“third day”: Jesus said “on the third day.” But in the story about the sign of Jonah, he quotes the OT prophet and says “three days and three nights (= 72 hours). How do I prove that “three days and three nights” can be partial? First, in 1 Sam. 30:12 (literally “today three days”), the day before yesterday. Second, in Esther, a period described as “three days and three nights” (4:16) is concluded on the third day (5:1). (Thanks, R. T. France, p. 491, fn. 12!). Third, Jesus says he will rise on the third day (Matt. 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; 27:64, and in Mark and Luke). Those verses in the Gospels where he quotes Jonah 1:17 and here where he says “on the third day” prove that he did not over-interpret Jonah, for the prophet was merely a sign and type. Jesus believed that three days and three nights could be partial. Fourth, even Paul said, “on the third day, according to the Scriptures”, that is, the OT (1 Cor. 15:4). So Paul must be using a semitic inclusive day out of three days of 72 hours. The days are partial.
Go to biblegateway.com and look up third day. It is amazing how significant the phrase is at various stages in Israel’s history. Also, Jesus said that he will be raised on the third day (Luke 9:22), so he is referring to that world-changing event.
32:
Jesus did not take the bait. He was not scared off. He proclaimed to the malicious Pharisees that he was destined to complete his mission. He was expelling demons and performing healings. Nothing or no one would deter him.
A fox may look cute from a distance, but it kills sheep and lambs, even when it has no need to eat it just then. Jesus’s adjective was a perfect description of this ruler.
“Watch me”: “me” has been added, and “watch” could be translated by the older “behold.” See v. 11 for more comments.
“accomplish my course”: “my course” is implied. The verb is in the middle / passive voice, the passive indicating that the action was being done to Jesus. But professional grammarians teach me that it should be considered middle, something Jesus accomplishes, and the present tense in this context has a future force to it (Culy, Parsons, and Stigall, p. 471). Most translations say something like—he will finish his course or accomplish his goal. So he may mean that he has to finish things in Galilee, and then go to Jerusalem. However, he stayed in Galilee longer than three days, so the the sequence of three days cannot be literal. Further, he is about to say that he must die in Jerusalem. He was about to finish his mission under the Father’s guidance and protection, and the death—the actual nailing to the cross—would be done to him, in the passive sense of the verb. His ultimate goal is to be a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28 // Mark 10:45).
In sum, his reference to three days means both his ministry up in Galilee and then his death and resurrection in Jerusalem. Once again, go to biblegateway.com and look up the terms “third day.” It is amazing how many times the phrase appears in significant contexts. Once again, Jesus is fulfilling an OT theme, even though Luke does not quote a specific OT verse.
33:
“today, tomorrow and their third day”: this phrase is perhaps a hint that he was going to spend three days in the tomb, but the phrase should not be taken literally because Jesus is not in Jerusalem yet, and he would be there for a week. In any case, the three-day combination indicates completing his mission, for three often signifies completion.
There is irony in truth. No, it is not possible for a prophet to die outside of Jerusalem! Jesus had referred to prophets dying in Jerusalem, and this generation would be charged with their blood (Luke 11:45-51).
Jesus’s tone here is laden with irony bordering on sarcasm. Catch the tone: it simply won’t do for any messenger of God to die outside the holy city!
He had to keep going to complete his mission, and again he repeats the three days concept. It hints, perhaps, at spending three days in the tomb, where his defeat was seemingly concluded, but victory—his resurrection—was inevitable because the Father was guiding and protecting and ensuring his Son’s victory.
For a discussion of Jesus confronting religious leaders generally, see v. 17. Here he was right to call Herod a “fox.” A fox means (1) a person of no significance; (2) a deceiver and cunning person; (3) a destroyer. The latter two meanings fit Jesus’s description (Bock, p. 1247).
34:
The Jesus changed tack, pivoting. His grief was genuine. No irony here. He must have considered the city in his mind, as he paused just now in his travels towards it. He yearned to save her. If only national Israel, represented by the Jerusalem establishment, could have allowed their Messiah to give them a big hug and embrace, just like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings!
“Oh”: it could be rendered as “O,” as a direct address, but there is feeling and pain in the word, so I chose “Oh!”
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem!” Using the name twice indicates a serious call. “Pay attention! Change directions!”
Abraham, Abraham, right before the near sacrifice of Isaac, and the double name stopped it (Gen. 22:11)
Jacob, Jacob, when God was about to name his sons and their sons (Gen. 46:2)
Moses, Moses, from the burning bush (Exod. 3:4)
Samuel, Samuel, when he was a child and was going to be called (1 Sam. 3:10)
Martha, Martha, when Jesus told her not to be so anxious (Luke 10:41)
Simon, Simon, when Satan had asked permission to sift him like grain, but Jesus prayed for him (Luke 22:31)
Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? (Acts 9:4)
Those above doublets are about people, and here Jesus called Jerusalem, a city. But a city is made up of people.
“have been sent”: This participle is in the passive voice, indicating the divine passive, which is an understated way of saying God is in the background, sending the ones who were stoned to death. The rebellious people were not willing.
“willing”: in Greek it is the common verb “want” or “will” or with the negation “they did not want” or “they did not will.” This verb indicates that their hearts were blinded, so as to not want the greatest blessing of all, their Messiah. Because of the Jerusalem establishment’s unwillingness, Rom. 11 says that the Gentiles now have access to God and salvation and the New Covenant, without the law or law keeping, with such things as circumcision. A New Covenant was established for everyone, apart from Moses. Jesus had provoked the Pharisees and experts in the law, and no doubt reports went to Jerusalem about him (Luke 11:53-54).
35:
“abandoned”: it could be translated as “desolate.” It refers to Jer. 12:7, 22:5; 69:25; 1 King 9:7:8. The verb is also used in 19:42-44 and 21:6. Jerusalem was eventually desolated, after Rome destroyed the city and the temple (A.D. 70), and the Jews were kicked out of Jerusalem and after the Bar Kochba rebellion (A.D. 132-35), when they were expelled from Judea. Jesus prediction came true.
Go here and then scroll down to see photos I took of the Arch of Titus, which depicts the aftermath of the conquest:
Luke 21:5-33 Predicts Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Now Judaism, expressed in the temple worship, sits under judgment (Luke 19:41-45; 21:20-24; 23:26-31; Matt. 21:33-45), though, as noted, numerous individual priests (Acts 6:7) and thousands of Jews of Jerusalem and Judea converted (Acts 2:41; 4:4; Acts 21:20). God loves people, but he is not enamored with systems.
And now the kingdom has been turned over to the Gentiles, so the gospel can go around all the world, without Judaism encumbering it. The kingdom of God has been streamlined to the basics, without all the rituals and dietary laws and harsh penalties and other things spelled out in the Torah (first five books of the Bible). The Sinai Covenant has been replaced with the New Covenant (Heb. 8, 9, 10), but the New Covenant Scriptures still retained moral law.
Jerusalem will not see Jesus until people cry out, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” This was fulfilled in Luke 19:38, but it was done in Luke by a whole crowd of disciples. Matthew places the proclamation after his entry into Jerusalem and his lament (23:39). So combining the two passages in Luke and Matthew, there is an element of the final Second Coming at the end of the age, but I don’t wish to press this interpretation too hard, since there are many other passages that are clearer on the topic.
In any case, back to the main point of this pericope. Jesus will arrive there on his schedule. It is God’s timeline, not a petty king’s. So Jesus does not have to fear Herod. The Pharisees who tried to scare Jesus off can go back to where they came from. Their scare tactic didn’t work. Other commentators said that the Pharisees were genuinely concerned and not trying to scare him away. I don’t agree. The Pharisees were hostile towards him.
“look”: it can be translated as “behold,” and see v. 11 for more comments.
GrowApp for Luke 13:31-35
1. The Pharisees tried to scare Jesus. Have you ever received a scary report? How did you respond?
2. The Jerusalem establishment disappointed Jesus, and he lamented. How have you responded when someone disappointed you?
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1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND MORE
To see the bibliography, please click on this link and scroll down to the bottom. You will also find a “Summary and Conclusion” for discipleship.
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