31-35<\/strong> .<\/em><\/strong> A Message to Herod Antipas.<\/p>\n 31<\/strong>. The same day<\/em> ] Or, In that very hour<\/em> ( , A, D, L, &c.).<\/p>\n Get thee out<\/em>, and depart hence<\/em> ] These Pharisees were as eager as the Gadarenes to get rid of Jesus; but whether this was their sole motive or whether they further wished to separate Him from the multitudes who as yet protected His life, and to put Him in the power of the Sadducean hierarchy, is not clear. That any solicitude for His safety was purely hypocritical appears in the tone of our Lord’s answer, which is yet far more merciful than that in which the prophet Amos had answered a similar message from an analogous quarter. Amo 7:12-17<\/span> .<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n for Herod will kill thee<\/em> ] Rather, wills to kill thee. <\/strong> The assertion was probably quite untrue. Herod had not even wished to kill John, but had done so with great reluctance, and had been deeply troubled in conscience ever since. He did indeed wish to see<\/em> Christ, but it was with the very different desire of “seeing some miracle done by Him” (Luk 23:8<\/span>).<\/p>\n Came certain of thee Pharisees – <\/B>Their coming to him in this manner would have the appearance of friendship, as if they had conjectured or secretly learned that it was Herods intention to kill him. Their suggestion had much appearance of probability. Herod had killed John. He knew that Jesus made many disciples, and was drawing away many of the people. He was a wicked man, and he might be supposed to fear the presence of one who had so strong a resemblance to John, whom he had slain. It might seem probable, therefore, that he intended to take the life of Jesus, and this might appear as a friendly hint to escape him. Yet it is more than possible that Herod might have sent these Pharisees to Jesus. Jesus was eminently popular, and Herod might not dare openly to put him to death; yet he desired his removal, and for this purpose he sent these people, as if in a friendly way, to advise him to retire. This was probably the reason why Jesus called him a fox.<\/P> Herod – <\/B>Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great. He ruled over Galilee and Perea, and wished Jesus to retire beyond these regions. See the notes at Luk 3:1<\/span>.<\/P><\/p>\n Luk 13:31-32<\/span><\/p>\n Go ye and tell that fox<\/em><\/p>\n That fox<\/strong><\/p>\n The attempt of the Pharisees to frighten Jesus Christ out of Perea drew from Him a prompt and sharp rejoinder.<\/p>\n The answer was to the effect that no such threats could influence the purpose or in the least degree accelerate the movements of the Nazarene. His work was near an end, but He would have no hurry or panic. He would cast out demons and perform cures to the last day that His predestined stay in Perea would permit. If Herod wished to put a hasty stop to such works, so much to the discredit of Herod. As for the menace to His life, Jesus despised it. He was going up to Jerusalem, knowing that He would be killed. But Herod could not kill Him. At the outset of His ministry an angry crowd in Galilee had tried to make an end of Him, but they could not. The Prophet could not die but at Jerusalem. The metaphor here was in the opprobrious epithet applied to Herod Antipas–that fox. Evidently it expressed, and was meant to express, that the Lord Jesus saw through and despised the cunning wiles of the Tetrarch. Many writers on the Gospels, both in Germany and among ourselves, have been anxious to protect our Saviour from the charge of speaking disrespectfully of a ruler, and have therefore tried to show that this epithet was in reality hurled against the Pharisees, who had affected so much Solicitude for His life. In the present case, it is as plain as words can make it that Jesus stigmatized Herod as that fox. The man was a selfish intriguer, neither good nor strong, but cunning, subservient to those above him, a sort of jackal to the imperial lion at Rome, but ruthless to any who were beneath him and within his grasp. Probably it was this metaphor that suggested to Jesus that of the hen protecting her brood, which immediately follows. He looked on Herod and men of his stamp as devourers of the people. As for Himself, He might seem to be weak and unable to save Himself, but He was the best friend of the people; and if they would only gather to Him, He would cover them with the wings of His protection, so that no fox could do them hurt. But the Pharisees, and ultimately the misguided people too, took part with the fox against Him. And why should it be thought strange that Jesus could entertain and express a feeling of scorn for what is mean and wicked? Some of our moralists assert too roundly that mortal man has no right to feel contempt. There is a contempt that is ignoble, and there is a contempt that is noble. The ignoble is that which rests on mere conventionalism and prejudice, as when one despises another for being less highly born or less richly provided than himself. It flourishes among conventional professors of religion who yet sing the praises of humility. Such hauteur could not find place in the breast of our Saviour, and ought not to be harboured by any Christian. Wherever it enters it hardens the heart, dries up the sympathies, inflates the sense of self-importance, and induces a cold indifference to the wants and woes of others. But there is a noble scorn that may dwell in the heart along with tender compassion and fervent love. If there be a genuine appreciation of what is good and true, the obverse side of it must be a healthy contempt for what is wicked and false. (D. Fraser, D. D.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Righteous reproach<\/strong><\/p>\n He does not hesitate to call Herod a fox–a mere cunning, designing man, only courageous when there is no danger at hand; scheming and plotting in his den, but having no true bravery of heart; an evil-minded person, whose whole character is summed up in the word fox. What I did Jesus Christ, then, call men names? Not in the usual sense of that expression. Did He call Herod a fox out of mere defiance or spite? He was incapable of doing anything of the kind. When Jesus Christ spoke a severe word, the severity came out of the truth of its application. Is it not a harsh thing to call a man a liar? Not if he be false. Is it not very unsocial to describe any man as a hypocrite? Not if he be untrue. Wherein, then, is this wickedness of calling men names? In the misapplication of the epithets. It is wicked to call a man true, if we know him to be untrue. There is an immoral courtesy; there is a righteous reproach. We do not use harsh words when we tell men what they really are. On the other hand, it is a matter of infinite delicacy to tell a man what he really is, because, at best, we seldom see more than one aspect of a mans character. If we could see more of the man, probably we should change our opinion of his spirit. In the case of Jesus Christ, however, He saw the inner heart, the real and true quality of the Tetrarch; and, therefore, when He described Herod as a fox, He spoke the word of righteousness and of truth. It was not an epithet; it was a character in a word; it was a man summed up in a syllable. Let us, therefore, be very careful how we follow this example, because we ought to have equal knowledge before we take an equal position in this respect. On the other hand, let us beware of that simulation of courtesy, which is profoundly untrue, which is despicably immoral–the kind of thing which sets itself to catch the favour and the flattery of the passing moment. (J. Parker, D. D.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Christs work cannot be stopped<\/strong><\/p>\n We thought that Jesus Christs labour would be cut short by this message from Herod. Jesus Christ must finish what He has begun. But is it not in the power of the great and the mighty to say to Christ, You must stop at this point? It is in their power, truly, to say it, and when they have said it they may have relieved their own feelings: but the great, the beneficent, the redeeming work of the Son of God proceeds as if not a word to the contrary had been said. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers took counsel together against the Lord, and against His anointed; and behold their rage came to nothing, and their fury recoiled upon themselves! He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Holy one shall have them in derision. Are we opposing Jesus Christ? Are we in any way setting ourselves against the advancement of His kingdom? It will be an impotent rage. Go and strike the rocks with your fist- perhaps you may batter down the granite with your poor bones. Try! Go and tell the sea that it shall not come beyond a certain line, and perhaps the hoary billows will hear you, and run away and say they be afraid of such mighty men. Try! You have nothing else to do, you may as well try. But as for keeping back this kingdom of God, this holy and beneficent kingdom of truth–no man can keep it back, and even the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Men may rage; men do rage. Other men adopt another policy; instead of rage and fury and great excitement, they set themselves against the kingdom of God in an indirect and remote way. But both policies come to the same thing. The raging man who pulls down the wooden cross and tramples it underfoot, and the man who offers a passive resistance to the progress of the kingdom of heaven, come to the same fate. The light shines on, noontide comes, and God gets His own way in His own universe. (J. Parker, D. D.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Perseverance in the path of duty<\/strong><\/p>\n An example of the marvellous power to be found in the motive of duty is afforded in the seven years march of David Livingstone from the coast of Zanzibar toward the courses of the Nile. What else, indeed, could have so well sustained him in his trials with savages, and noxious insects, and nearly impassable jungles, and starvation, and prostrating disease, and prospective death? In this journey, he writes, in the calmest style of self-examination, I have endeavoured to follow with unswerving fidelity the path of duty The prospect of death in pursuing what I knew to be right did not make me veer to one side or the other. And so this sublime hero struggled on until, while apparently engaged in the act of prayer, he passed from a kneeling posture on earth to an enthroned position in heaven. <\/p>\n Verse 31<\/span>. Depart hence<\/B><\/I>, c.] It is probable that the place from which Christ was desired to depart was Galilee or Perea for beyond this Herod had no jurisdiction. It can scarcely mean Jerusalem, though it appears from Lu 23:7<\/span>, that Herod Antipas<\/I> was there<\/I> at the time of our Lord’s crucifixion.<\/P> <\/P> Herod will kill thee.<\/B><\/I>] Lactantius<\/I> says that this Herod was the person who chiefly instigated the Jewish rulers to put our Lord to death: Tum Pontius, et illorum clamoribus, et Herodis tetrarchae<\/I> instigatione, metuentis ne regno pelleretur, victus est<\/I>:-fearing lest himself should be expelled from the kingdom, if Christ should be permitted to set up his. See LACT. Inst. Div<\/I>. lib. iv. c. xviii., and Bishop Pearce on Lu 23:7<\/span>.<\/P> <\/p>\n It is plain from this text, that our Saviour was at this time in Galilee, for that was the tetrarchy or province of Herod Antipas, who is the Herod here mentioned. Whether these Pharisees came of their own heads, or as sent by Herod, is not so plain, nor so well agreed by interpreters. If they came of their own heads, it is certain they came not out of kindness, for the whole history of the gospel lets us know, that the Pharisees had no kindness for Christ, but were his most implacable enemies, and continually consulting how to destroy him; but they either came to scare him out of Galilee, whose repute was so great, and who did them so much mischief there, or to drive him into the trap which they had laid for him in Judea. But it is most probable that they came as secretly sent by Herod, who though of himself he be reported to be of no bloody disposition, yet upon the Pharisees continual solicitations might be persuaded to send them on this errand, choosing rather cunningly to scare him out of his province, than by violence to fall upon him. This opinion looks more probable, because, Luk 13:32<\/span>, our Saviour sends them back with a message to Herod, Go ye, and tell that fox.<\/B> Herod had gained himself no reputation amongst the Jews, by his murdering John the Baptist, whom the Jews generally valued as a prophet; and probably seeing our Saviour exceeding him in popular applause, he was not willing to augment the odium which already lay upon him for that fact; yet, to gratify the Pharisees, (many of which were in his province), he was willing, if he could effect it cleverly, and without noise, to he quit of Christ, especially considering (as we before heard) he had an opinion that he was John the Baptist risen from the dead, or the soul of John the Baptist in another body; and possibly: he could not tell what might be the effect of his ghost so haunting his province. It is certain, that either he, or the Pharisees, or both, had a mind to have him gone some where else, to which purpose this message is brought to him. Our Saviour, either discerning Herods craft in this thing, or having observed the craft he used in the whole management of his government, that he might keep favour both with the Roman emperor and with the Jews, bids them, Go and tell that fox<\/I>. I do not much value their critical observation, who observe that it is not <\/span>, but, <\/span>, that is, this fox; from whence they would observe that our Saviour might mean the Pharisees, not Herod; nor is there any need of it to excuse our Saviour from the violation of that law of God, Exo 22:28<\/span>, Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people; <\/I>which law Paul reflected on, Act 23:5<\/span>, and pleads ignorance for his calling Ananias a whited wall.<\/I> For we shall observe that the prophets all along (being immediately sent from God) took a further liberty than any others, in severely reproving kings and princes. Elijah tells Ahab it was he that troubled Israel; the prophets call the rulers of the Jews, rulers of Sodom, and princes of Gomorrah, &c.<\/I> But Christ may be allowed a liberty neither lawful nor decent for other persons, not though they were prophets. But what is the message which Christ sends by these Pharisees? <\/P> Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.<\/B> Tell him, saith he, what I am doing; I am freeing his subjects from molestations by evil spirits, and the encumbrances of many diseases. What do I do worthy of death? I have but a little time to trouble him, for in a little time I must die, which is that which he means by being perfected: it is plain that those words today, and tomorrow, and the third day<\/I>, must not be taken strictly, for Christ lived more than three days after this. If this will not satisfy him, tell him, saith our Saviour, that <\/P> I must walk today, and tomorrow, and the day following.<\/B> I know that, as to this thing, I am not under his command or power, I must walk, <\/I>& c.; my days are not in his hands, and I know that he cannot kill me, <\/P> for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.<\/B> Jerusalem is the place where I must die, not Galilee; the sanhedrim sits at Jerusalem, who alone can take cognizance of the case of false prophets, and Jerusalem is the place where the people must fill up the measure of their iniquities by spilling my blood. Upon this our Saviour breaketh out into a sad lamentation of the case of that once holy city, the praise of the whole earth. <\/P> <\/p>\n 31. and depart hence<\/B>and “goforward,” push on.<\/I> He was on His way out of Perea, eastof Jordan, and in Herod’s dominions, “journeying towardsJerusalem” (Lu 13:22<\/span>).Haunted by guilty fears, probably, Herod wanted to get rid of Him(see on Mr 6:14<\/span>), and seems, fromour Lord’s answer, to have sent these Pharisees, under pretense of afriendly hint, to persuade Him that the sooner He got beyond Herod’sjurisdiction the better it would be for His own safety. Our Lord sawthrough both of them, and sends the cunning ruler a message couchedin dignified and befitting irony.<\/P><\/p>\n The same day there came certain of the Pharisees<\/strong>,…. Who dwelt in Galilee, for they were in all parts of the country: these being nettled and filled with indignation at Christ, because of the parables he had that day delivered, the miracles he had wrought, and the several awful and striking things which dropped from him, and which they knew respected them; contrived to get rid of him, by frightening him with a design of Herod’s, to take away his life, should he continue there: for this seems to be rather a stratagem of theirs, than of Herod’s; though it may he, that Herod might take this method, and make use of these men in this way, to terrify him; fearing to lay hold on him, and put him to death; partly because of the people, and partly because of the remaining uneasiness and terror of his mind, for taking off the head of John the Baptist:<\/p>\n saying, get thee out and depart hence<\/strong>; in all haste, as soon as possible:<\/p>\n for Herod will kill thee<\/strong>: he is resolved upon it, he has formed a design, and will quickly take methods to execute it. This was Herod the tetrarch, of Galilee; from whence we learn, that Christ was as yet in Galilee, though he was journeying towards Jerusalem,<\/p>\n Lu 13:22<\/span> for Herod’s jurisdiction reached no further than Galilee: this was either a device of Herod’s, or of the Pharisees, or of both, to get rid of Christ in the easiest manner.<\/p>\n Christ’s Message to Herod.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/I><\/span><\/P> <\/TD> <\/TR> 31 The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee. 32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day<\/I> I shall be perfected. 33 Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day<\/I> following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. 34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather<\/I> her brood under her<\/I> wings, and ye would not! 35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time<\/I> come when ye shall say, Blessed is<\/I> he that cometh in the name of the Lord.<\/P> Here is, I. A suggestion to Christ of his danger from Herod, now that he was in Galilee, within Herod’s jurisdiction (v.<\/I><\/span> 31<\/span>): Certain of the Pharisees<\/I> (for there were those of that sect dispersed all the nation over) came<\/I> to Christ, pretending friendship and a concern for his safety, and said, Get thee<\/I> out of this country, and depart hence,<\/I> for otherwise Herod will kill thee,<\/I> as he did John. Some think that these Pharisees had no ground at all for this, that Herod had not given out any words to this purport, but that they framed this lie, to drive him out of Galilee, where he had a great and growing interest, and to drive him into Judea, where they knew there were those that really sought his life. But, Christ’s answer being directed to Herod himself, it should seem that the Pharisees had ground for what they said, and that Herod was enraged against Christ, and designed him a mischief, for the honourable testimony he had borne to John Baptist, and to the doctrine of repentance which John preached. Herod was willing to get rid of Christ out of his dominions; and, when he durst not put him to death, he hoped to frighten him away<\/I> by sending him this threatening message.<\/P> II. His defiance of Herod’s rage and the Pharisees’ too; he fears neither the one nor the other: Go you, and tell that fox so,<\/I> v.<\/span> 32<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. In calling him a fox,<\/I> he gives him his true character; for he was subtle as a fox, noted for his craft, and treachery, and baseness, and preying (as they say of a fox) furthest from his own den. And, though it is a black and ugly character, yet it did not ill become Christ to give it to him, nor was it in him a violation of that law, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.<\/I> For Christ was a prophet, and prophets always had a liberty of speech in reproving princes and great men. Nay, Christ was more than a prophet, he was a king, he was King of kings, and the greatest of men were accountable to him, and therefore it became him to call this proud king by his own name; but it is not to be drawn into an example by us. “Go, and tell that<\/I> fox, yea, and this<\/I> fox too” (for so it is in the original, te alopeki taute<\/B><\/I>); “that Pharisee,<\/I> whoever he is, that whispers this in my ear, let him know that I do not fear him,<\/I> nor regard his menaces. For,” 1. “I know that I must die, and must die shortly; I expect it, and count upon it, the third day,<\/I>” that is, “very shortly; my hour is at hand.” Note, It will help us very much above the fear of death, and of them that have the power of death, to make death familiar to us, to expect it, think of it, and converse with it, and see it at the door. “If Herod should kill me, he will not surprise me.” 2. “I know that death will be not only no prejudice to me, but that it will be my preferment; and therefore tell him I do not fear him; when I die, I shall be perfected.<\/I> I shall then have finished<\/I> the hardest part of my undertaking; I shall have completed my business;” teleioumai<\/B><\/I>—I shall be consecrated.<\/I> When Christ dies, he is said to have sanctified himself;<\/I> he consecrated himself to his priestly office with his own blood. 3. “I know that neither he nor any one else can kill me till I have done my work.<\/I> Go, and tell him that I value not his impotent rage. I will cast out devils, and do cures, to-day and to-morrow,<\/I>” that is, “now and for some little space of time yet to come, in spite of him and all his threats. I must walk,<\/I> I must go on<\/I> in my intended journey, and it is not in his power to hinder me. I must go about,<\/I> as I do, preaching and healing, to-day, and to-morrow, and the day following.<\/I>” Note, It is good for us to look upon the time we have before us as but a little, two or three days perhaps may be the utmost, that we may thereby be quickened to do the work of the day in its day.<\/I> And it is a comfort to us, in reference to the power and malice of our enemies, that they can have no power to take us off as long as God has any work for us to do. The witnesses were not slain<\/I> till they had finished their testimony.<\/I> 4. “I know that Herod can do me no harm, not only because my time<\/I> is not yet come, but because the place appointed for my death is Jerusalem, which is not within his jurisdiction: It cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem,<\/I>” that is, “any where but at Jerusalem.” If a true prophet<\/I> was put to death, he was prosecuted as a false prophet.<\/I> Now none undertook to try prophets, and to judge concerning them, but the great sanhedrim, which always sat at Jerusalem; it was a cause which the inferior courts did not take cognizance of, and therefore, if a prophet<\/I> be put to death,<\/I> it must be at Jerusalem.<\/P> III. His lamentation for Jerusalem, and his denunciation of wrath against that city, Luk 13:34<\/span>; Luk 13:35<\/span>. This we had Matt. xxiii. 37-39<\/span>. Perhaps this was not said now in Galilee, but the evangelist, not designing to bring it in in its proper place, inserts it here, upon occasion of Christ’s mentioning his being put to death at Jerusalem.<\/P> Note, 1. The wickedness of persons and places that more eminently than others profess religion and relation to God is in a particular manner provoking and grieving to the Lord Jesus. How pathetically does he speak of the sin and ruin of that holy city! O Jerusalem! Jerusalem!<\/I> 2. Those that enjoy great plenty of the means of grace, if they are not profited by them, are often prejudiced against them. They that would not hearken to the prophets, nor welcome those whom God had sent to them, killed<\/I> them, and stoned<\/I> them. If men’s corruptions are not conquered, they are provoked. 3. Jesus Christ has shown himself willing, freely willing, to receive and entertain poor souls that come to him, and put themselves under his protection: How often would I have gathered thy children together,<\/I> as a hen gathereth her brood under her wings, with such care and tenderness! 4. The reason why sinners are not protected and provided for by the Lord Jesus, as the chickens are by the hen, is because they will not: I would,<\/I> I often would, and ye would not.<\/I> Christ’s willingness aggravates sinners’ unwillingness, and leaves their blood upon their own heads. 5. The house that Christ leaves is left desolate.<\/I> The temple, though richly adorned, though greatly frequented, is yet desolate if Christ has deserted it. He leaves it to them;<\/I> they had made an idol of it, and let them take it to themselves, and make their best of it, Christ will trouble it no more. 6. Christ justly withdraws from those that drive him from them. They would not be gathered<\/I> by him, and therefore, saith he, “You shall not see me,<\/I> you shall not hear me, any more,” as Moses said to Pharaoh, when he forbade him his presence, Exo 10:28<\/span>; Exo 10:29<\/span>. 7. The judgment of the great day will effectually convince unbelievers that would not now be convinced: “Then you will say, Blessed is he that cometh,<\/I>” that is, “you will be glad to be among those that say so, and will not see me<\/I> to be the Messiah till then when it is too late.”<\/P><\/p>\n In that very hour <\/B> ( <\/SPAN><\/span>). Luke’s favourite notation of time.<\/P> Pharisees <\/B> (<\/SPAN><\/span>). Here we see the Pharisees in a new role, warning Jesus against the machinations of Herod, when they are plotting themselves. <\/P> <\/p>\n Day. The best texts read hour. <\/P> Will kill [ ] <\/SPAN><\/span>. As in so many cases the A. V. renders as the future of the verb to kill; whereas there are two distinct verbs; to will or determine, and to kill. The meaning is, Herod willeth or is determined to kill thee. Rev., would fain, seems rather feeble.<\/P> <\/p>\n ‘<\/p>\n 1) “The same day there came,” <\/strong>(en aute te hora proselthan) “in the same hour there approached,” came directly, in that hour, with intent, purpose, and design.<\/p>\n 2) “Certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him,” <\/strong>(tines Pharisaioi legontes auto) “Certain Pharisees, repeatedly saying to him,” scolding, deriding, and advising Him, with hate in their hearts, but in an effort to pass the buck, or fix the blame of predicted harm to Him on others.<\/p>\n 3) “Get thee out, and depart hence:” <\/strong>(ekselthe kai poreuou enteuthen) “You get out and away from this area,” where you have talked like this: “Push away, if you care for your life and safety,” He was on His way out of Perea, Herod’s dominion, going on toward Jerusalem, Luk 13:22<\/span>.<\/p>\n 4) “For Herod will kill thee.” <\/strong>(hoti Herodes thelei se apokteinai) “Because Herod wishes (above all else) or desires to kill or liquidate you,” haunted by fears, Mar 6:14<\/span>, to wipe you out, but not as much as they themselves did, Mat 14:1<\/span>. It is likely that they themselves had induced Herod to bring such a message of death to Him, Mat 16:21<\/span>; Mat 17:12<\/span>; Mat 17:23<\/span>; Mat 10:17-19<\/span>; Mat 21:45-46<\/span>.<\/p>\n It deserves our attention, that Christ gives the designation, daughter of Abraham, to one whose body had been enslaved by Satan during eighteen years. She was so called, not only in reference to her lineage, as all the Jews without exception gloried in this title, but because she was one of the true and actual members of the Church. Here we perceive also what Paul tells us, that some are <\/p>\n delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus, (1Co 5:5<\/span>.) <\/p>\n And the length of time points out to us that, though the Lord does not immediately relieve our distresses, yet we ought not to despair. <\/p>\n It is difficult to ascertain the precise time when this happened, farther than that Christ was at that time residing in Galilee, as during the whole period of his public calling he remained longer there than in any other place. Certain persons, wishing to be considered as his friends, advise him that, if he wishes to be in safety, he should go beyond the boundaries of Herod’s jurisdiction. In what manner those who gave that advice were affected towards him we have no means of knowing; but I am strongly inclined to conjecture, that they attempted to drive him to some other place, because they saw that the greater part of the people in that place were attached to Christ, so that the Gospel was generally received. We must observe who those advisers were. Luke says that they were some of the Pharisees Now we know that that sect was not so favorable to Christ as to make it probable that those men were anxious about his life. What then? Their design was, to awaken in him such fears as would drive him to some place of concealment; for they expected that, in a short time, his authority would decline, and that his whole doctrine would vanish away. But we must also direct our attention to the first originator and contriver of this scheme, Satan; for, as he endeavored at that time to interrupt the progress of the Gospel, by terrifying the Son of God, so he constantly invents and hatches up new grounds of alarm, to strike the ministers of Christ with dismay, and to constrain them to turn aside. <\/p>\n CRITICAL NOTES<\/em><\/p>\n Luk. 13:31<\/span>. The same day<\/strong>.A better reading is, In that very hour (R.V.). Pharisees, saying<\/strong>, etc.We are certainly led to understand that these Pharisees had been sent by Herod to induce Jesus to leave his territory. If the intimation of Herods desire were a mere invention of the Pharisees it would be difficult to understand the epithet Christ applied to him. Probably Herod had no real desire of the kind; he had become sufficiently unpopular by the murder of the Baptist, and had no inducement to add to his guilt by further violence against Jesus. Besides, when Jesus was afterwards in his power be abstained from injuring him. But the excitement connected with Christ, and Herods own superstitious fears, would doubtless make him anxious for the Saviour to leave the country. His cunning<\/em> is shown by his endeavouring to secure this end in an underhand way, and by his using his enemies, the Pharisees, as his tools in the matter. Will kill thee<\/strong>.Rather, would fain kill thee (R.V.); i.e.<\/em>, will is not a mark of the future tense, but the verb to desire.<\/p>\n Luk. 13:32<\/span>. That fox<\/strong>.An emblem of cunning and mischief. This is the only recorded example of Christs speaking of any one in terms of sheer contempt. The rest of the verse has been the subject of great discussion. What are the three days specified? and what is meant by being perfected? Some have taken the time specified as referring to present labours (to-day), to future labours (to-morrow), and to His final sufferings at Jerusalem (the third day I shall be perfected). It is difficult, however, to understand the days in any other than a literal sense. The meaning would, therefore, be that Jesus would still remain for three days in Herods terrritories, and would still engage in those mighty works that had excited his apprehensions, and carry through His plan to the very end. The only serious objection to this interpretation is that the words I shall be perfected would seem to suggest more than merely bringing to an end the miracles of healing in the district of Pera; but no other meaning is possible if the days specified are to be taken as literal days.<\/p>\n Luk. 13:33<\/span>. I must walk<\/strong>.Rather, I must go on My way (R.V.), the word used by the Pharisees in Luk. 13:31<\/span> (depart). Christ is<\/em> on His way out of the territory of Herod, but He is not urged by the fear of that kings malignity; He is not afraid of death, for He is going to meet death in Jerusalem. It cannot be<\/strong>, etc.There is terrible irony in these words. Christ speaks of His life as being safe until He arrives in Jerusalem. It is almost a moral impossibility, His words imply, for a prophet to perish except in that city, which had monopolised the slaughter of the prophets. The death of John the Baptist was an exception to the rule.<\/p>\n Luk. 13:34<\/span>. O Jerusalem<\/strong>! etc.Rather, which killeth stoneth sent unto her (R.V.). How often<\/strong>.Reference is here made to visits of Jesus to Jerusalem and of labours there which St. Luke and the other Synoptists do not record. As a hen<\/strong>.It has been said that the figure of the eagle in Deu. 32:11-12<\/span> is emblematical of the spirit of the Old Testament, and this in the present passage of the spirit of the New Testament. The contrast between I would and ye would not is very startling: the power of man to resist and defeat the merciful purposes of God.<\/p>\n Luk. 13:35<\/span>. Desolate<\/strong>.The best MSS. omit the word, but it or some such term is needed to complete the sense. In the R.V. it is inserted in italics. The Divine Glory had departed from the house (cf. Eze. 10:18<\/span>; Eze. 11:23<\/span>). Ye shall not see Me<\/strong>.Judicial blindness, the veil remaining still upon the heart of the Jewish people. Until the time<\/strong>, etc.The words quoted were actually used on Christs triumphal entrance into Jerusalem a short time after this, but we cannot think that the prophecy was in any sense then fulfilled. It is more probable that a mistaken understanding of these words led to their being employed on that occasion. Christ here speaks of a second coming in the far-distant future and associates it with the penitence and faith of the Jewish nation, which will then receive Him as the Blessed One.<\/p>\n MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.<\/em>Luk. 13:31-35<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Courage and Compassion<\/em>.There could be no doubt of the hypocritical character of the concern which these Pharisees manifested for the safety of Jesus, or of the enmity of the prince whose designs were now disclosed to our Lord. Yet he was not intimidated by the news conveyed to Him, nor did He break off His beneficent labours to save Himself by flight. His reply was animated by a calm dignity and an heroic courage. So far from being interrupted in My ministry by any tidings you bring, be they false or true, by your wish or by Herods wish, to be rid of My presence at once, I shall proceed on My way. I shall do as before I have done. I shall put forth My powers, casting out devils, healing sick for the present, for the future; and only at a remoter period will My life and course reach their appointed end. Nor was it that He refused to believe that a violent end was in store for Him. He knew that He should die in that city to which He was now journeying, and His heart was filled with griefnot at the thought of His own sufferings and death, but at the thought of all the miseries which rejection of Him would draw down upon hermiseries against which He would fain have protected her. This union of unshaken courage with infinite tenderness is very wonderful and affecting, and make the lamentation which He uttered over Jerusalem one of the most pathetic passages which history contains. These words of Christ are full of instruction and warning.<\/p>\n I. We, too, need to be on our guard against the craft and malice of enemies<\/strong>.We are exposed to the wiles of one who but seeks to allure and to drive us from following the path of duty, and whose subtilty and malice we cannot by our own strength overcome. Our own hearts are only too apt to betray us, by becoming allies of our enemies, and by trying to persuade us to avoid the risks which fidelity to God seems to involve. Our true safety lies in our having that wisdom which will enable us to discern the snare of the enemy, under whatever guise it may be concealed, and in our committing our souls to God in well-doing as unto a faithful Creator.<\/p>\n II. The serenity and courage of Christ should be an example to us<\/strong>.He was not to be deterred from the path of duty by the menaces of enemies or by the solicitations of weak friends. He continued to prosecute His work faithfully and boldly, notwithstanding every threat and danger. Let us, then, persevere in the path of duty, and believe that God will restrain the wrath of men, and bring us safely through every danger, until our appointed time arrives. The place, time, and manner of our death are in Gods hand, and, like those of Christ, are determined. It is good, too, that, like Him, we should regard the period of our life here as short, that we may be diligent in doing the work that lies before us; and that we should regard death, not as interrupting, but as completing, our course.<\/p>\n III. The expostulation with those who had resisted His invitations is full of significance for us<\/strong>.It implies very real and great dangers to which we are exposed. He would not have spoken in such solemn tones of the protection He would have afforded to those who now rejected Him, if dangers of the most terrible kind did not threaten them. The judgments of God upon the doomed city, the penalties of a broken law, the punishment due to those who have wilfully rejected the salvation brought near to themare all in His minds eye as He speaks these words. And the same dangers of being cut off in sin and being overwhelmed in sudden and hopeless ruin still hang over those who are impenitent. His words distinctly imply, also, that all who betake themselves to His protection are safe, and that He is ready to receive even the worst of those who have despised and rejected Him, if only they will betake themselves to Him in humility and penitence. In many ways He warns us of our dangerin the expostulations of conscience, in the invitations of the gospel, and in the events of life, which are all governed by His providence, and which daily illustrate the wrath of God against sin, and the blessedness of obedience to Him. He points out, too, in this utterance, the true reason of rejection of salvation: Ye would not. However we may deceive ourselves, aversion of heart is the secret of refusal to accept Christ as a Saviour. Ye will not come unto Me, that ye might have life. And, finally, He warns His hearers of a time when He will return, clothed with Divine power and authority, to judge the world, and when all must meet Him face to face. Only those who receive Him will then welcome Him, and say, Blessed be He that cometh in the name of the Lord.<\/p>\n SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON <\/em>Luk. 13:31-35<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Luk. 13:31-35<\/span>. The Saviour and His Adversaries<\/em>.<\/p>\n I. We may learn from this passage the craft and malice of the enemies of the gospel and of our salvation. Luk. 13:31-32<\/span>. Herod will kill thee<\/em>.Our Lord not merely gave an answer to the Pharisees, which would have been enough if their word of alarm had been a mere audacious lie, devised by themselves, but charged them to take back His reply to Herodthat fox, that creature of cunning and deceit. As for the menace to His life, Jesus despised it. He was going up to Jerusalem, knowing that He would be killed. But Herod could not kill Him. The Prophet could not die but at Jerusalem. The metaphor here was meant to express that the Lord Jesus saw through and despised the cunning wiles of the Tetrarch. The man was a selfish intriguer, neither good nor strong, but cunning, subservienta jackal to the imperial lion at Rome. The epithet is certainly a startling one. It must have sounded to the Pharisees like the crack of a whip. But there is no need to apologise for it, as though it were unworthy of Him who was meek and lowly in heart, and as if it had fallen from His lips incautiously. It was calmly spoken. It expressed a just feeling of scorn for a tricky and crafty character. There is a contempt that is noble, as well as a contempt that is ignoble. Noble scorn may dwell in the heart along with tender compassion and fervent love. That man cannot be the disciple of Christ who breathes intrigue and practises deceit. Those who please Him are men of simple faith and honest purpose. Without these a man is liable to be described by the Lords withering epithet, that fox.Fraser<\/em>.<\/p>\n Depart hence<\/em>.It was in the interest of the Pharisees to see Jesus depart into Juda, where he would fall under the power of the Sanhedrim. And it also suited Herod best for Jesus to quit his territories; for, on the one hand, the excitement which His presence caused among the people was bound to disturb him; and, on the other hand, he was certainly unwilling to burden his conscience by adding another murder to that of the Baptist. Jesus, however, knew the Pharisees too well to believe that they were interested in His welfare, and recognised in the message they brought a plot in which Herod was chief conspirator. His reply contains a severe but merited rebuke: Not daring to show the teeth of the lion, thou hast recourse to the tricks of the fox.Godet<\/em>.<\/p>\n Luk. 13:32-35<\/span>. I do cures to-day and to-morrow<\/em>.The words may be paraphrased as follows: I have to exercise My blessed office for a certain time. For this time, however, I must walk and work, and no power can touch Me (Mine hour is not yet come); but in Jerusalem it will come, and then will ye gain power over Me. Your victory, however, will be your ruin, and Him whom ye shall have rejected, ye shall never more behold till the day of His final return.<\/p>\n A Revelation of the Saviours Heart<\/em>.<\/p>\n I. Jesus displays His perfect knowledge of what is in man as He unveils the cunning and hypocrisy of His enemies. He laments over the miseries which His enemies are preparing for themselves by their rejection of Him.<\/p>\n IV.<\/p>\n He anticipates with joy the last and most glorious scene of all, when Israel will repent of her unbelief, and receive Him as her Saviour and Lord.<\/p>\n Luk. 13:32-33<\/span>. Go ye, and tell<\/em>.Christs reply is addressed<\/p>\n 1. To Herod. Be reassured: My activity, which consists in ministering to the suffering, is drawing to an end: three days only remainbut those three days, no one, not even thou, mayest cut short. Luk. 13:32<\/span>. That fox<\/em>.Distinguished by craftiness, and malice, and cowardice. Herod probably did not wish to kill Jesus, but to get Him out of His territory. To threaten thus without really purposing to carry out the threat, and to use Pharisees, his opponents, to report the threat, is the cunning of that fox.<\/p>\n The Message to Herod<\/em>.Tell him from Me that My times are set in the eternal counsel of God, and when My prefixed time is accomplished for My labours and sufferings I shall, in spite of all the opposition of earth and hell, be perfected and enjoy My full glory.Hall<\/em>.<\/p>\n Respect for Rulers<\/em>.There is no need to seek to clear our Saviour from the appearance of having violated the law which forbade speaking evil of the ruler of the people (Exo. 22:11-28<\/span>). The prophets all along had no hesitation in severely reproving kings and princes. Thus Elijah tells Ahab that it was he that troubled Israel, and Isaiah calls the rulers of the Jews rulers of Sodom and princes of Gomorrah. Much more might He who had sent the prophets use like freedom in rebuking sin.<\/p>\n Lamb-like Patience, Lion-like Courage<\/em>.Over against the fox, the Saviour appears in lamb-like patience, but also in lion-like courage.Van Oosterzee<\/em>.<\/p>\n Luk. 13:33<\/span>. The third day I shall be perfected<\/em>.<\/p>\n I. Christs clear vision of the successive steps of His work yet remaining. It cannot be<\/em>.There would be a certain moral unfitness, a violation of custom, in the murder of a prophet anywhere but in Jerusalem. The words are instinct with a terrible irony.<\/p>\n John the Baptist had indeed been an exception to the rule; he had not been slain in Jerusalem. But that city could scarcely allow its monopoly to be again infringed upon, and that within so short a space of time.<\/p>\n Luk. 13:34-35<\/span>. The Lamentation of Love<\/em>.We have here a typical exhibition of grace: <\/p>\n 1. Indiscriminate grace<\/em>. <\/p>\n 2. Inviting grace<\/em>. <\/p>\n 3. Ineffectual grace<\/em>.<\/p>\n Luk. 13:34<\/span>. Them that are sent<\/em>.Not treating the ambassadors of God as clothed with that inviolable sanctity which protects from injury the ambassadors of an earthly sovereign.<\/p>\n As a hen<\/em>.The similitude condescendingly employed by our Saviour is one of the homeliest possible, but inexpressibly felicitous and significant. It graphically represents the Saviours intense and tender solicitude and desire. How lofty, too, the self-consciousness which it bespeaks! The whole of the Jews belonged to Him as His brood. He could<\/em> cover and protect them all. He could do, too, without them, although He longed after them; but they could not do without Him.Morison<\/em>.<\/p>\n Protection Withdrawn<\/em>.Like a bird of prey which hovers in the air above its victim, the enemy threatens the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Jesus, who had, up to this, been sheltering them under His wings, as a hen her chickens, withdraws; they remain exposed and are reduced to defend themselves. Such is the representation of matters given here.Godet<\/em>.<\/p>\n The Hen and Chickens<\/em>.Christs word carries such intrinsic dignity that we do not need to fear the familiarity of the metaphor. The words express Christs feeling for the people of Jerusalem in view of their citys hastening doom. Coming after words of stern warning, this saying reveals a most pathetic sorrow. Remember how complete was His knowledge of the sin of Jerusalem. He recalled its past blood-guiltiness. He foresaw its coming treatment of Himself and His apostles. Yet He lamented over it, and His compassion yearned to rescue its people from destruction. His repeated visits, at personal risk, had been fruitless. They would not come to Him that they might have life. To this day the relations subsisting between Jesus Christ and the Jewish nation at large throughout the world may be expressed in His own words, I would, but ye would not.<\/p>\n I. The illustration employed implies that the danger was at hand<\/strong>.Perdition is imminent. Christ is a present Helper to those who come to Him.<\/p>\n II. How simple the way of salvation!<\/strong>How sure and perfect the defence! Those who trust in the Saviour are completely covered by His righteousness and strength.<\/p>\n III. It is a grief to Christ to have His offer of salvation slighted<\/strong>.No one knows as He does the awfulness of the doom from which He rescues His people, or their weakness and helplessness before the impending judgment.<\/p>\nFuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
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<\/P> <\/TD> <\/TR> <\/TABLE> Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
II. The example of Christ should teach and encourage us not to be deterred from the path of duty by any threatenings of enemies or misgivings of weak friends.
III. It teaches that Christ was, indeed, perfected by His sufferingsperfected as a Saviour for us.
IV. He here appears as expostulating with those who have hitherto resisted His invitations.<\/p>\n
II. He manifests a holy serenity in carrying on His beneficent labours, though he is conscious that a cruel death awaits Him in the near future.
III.<\/p>\n
2. To the Pharisees. They, too, may reassure themselves: their victim will not escape them; He is on the way to the city which has ever been the murderess of the prophets.<\/p>\n
II. His calm and deliberate purpose to go through with His work, unmoved by the menaces of His enemies.
III. His consciousness of the rapid march of eventsof His death now not far off.
I must walk<\/em>, i.e.<\/em>, depart (as in Luk. 13:31<\/span>), or go on my journey. Christ was, indeed, journeying out of Herods territory, but not because of Herods threat. So far from being scared away by fear of death, He knew that in the city to which He journeyed He would meet certain death.<\/p>\n