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As we continue our studies in Chapter 13 of Luke’s gospel, this week our attention is focused on verses 22-35. Please read them every day this week and, if possible, use a different translation each day, asking God to open your eyes to fresh revelation from His Word.
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Luke 13:31-33 (NIV)
‘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!’
Have you heard of the phrase ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend’? The idea behind this is that seemingly opposing parties can actually work together against a common enemy. During World War II, the Western Allies and the Soviet Union, despite their inherent differences, were encouraged to work together against Hitler and Nazi Germany. (Wikipedia)
As we have been studying the Gospel of Luke, it has been evident in so many passages that the Pharisees were very anti-Jesus. They were always trying to trick Him and to bring discredit on Him. In fact, we see in Mark 3:6 that they were in fact working with Herod to plot Jesus’ death – ‘Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.’
However, it seems from the first reading of our verses today that the Pharisees had some sort of concern for Jesus’ safety. They came to Jesus with a warning that Herod wanted to kill him. Jesus was travelling and ministering within Galilee and Herod Antipas was the tetrarch over this region. Therefore, it seemed perfectly reasonable for the Pharisees to ask Jesus to ‘go somewhere else’. Surely this was the right thing to say and showed some concern and friendliness?
Jesus’ response wasn’t one of gratitude and the words He uses show that He wasn’t being fooled by this sudden manifestation of care. Herod didn’t want Jesus in the region but after being tricked into murdering John the Baptist, I’m not sure he wanted another murder on his conscience. The Pharisees also wanted Jesus out of the region. In fact, they wanted Him to go to Judea and in particular, Jerusalem. Their influence was greater there than anywhere else and so using Herod’s threat to move Jesus to Jerusalem was certainly in their best interest.
All this political manoeuvring implies that Jesus is some kind of pawn being moved around a chess board. Nothing could be further from the truth and Jesus made this abundantly clear in the remarkable few sentences above. Jesus tells the Pharisees to report back to Herod. This proves that He was aware of the collusion and wasn’t afraid of either party! He goes on to say something even more meaningful. “I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal…I must keep going today, tomorrow and the next day.”
This shows that Jesus is in full control of His time. There is an appointed day for Jesus to go to Jerusalem and no amount of threats or coercion will speed things up. This is all about God’s timetable and He will not be made to change His plan by even a single day. Be assured that our lives are in His hands and His plans for us are perfect. The enemy of our soul does not dictate what God is doing in our lives. It is God’s plan and we can trust in Him to accomplish it.
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