March 4, 2007 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.” 32 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.’ 33 In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! 34 “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! 35 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.’”

Some of you may remember fable of the fox who offered to help the gingerbread man across cross the river. At first, the gingerbread man was hesitant. Yet the fox still managed to coax him onto jumping onto his tail. Once on the river however, the fox said, “the water is getting too deep; you need to jump onto my back.” You know the rest of the story. Little by little, the fox convinced the gingerbread man to jump onto his nose - only an inch away from his mouth. In the blink of an eye, the gingerbread man was lunch. The moral of the story was that gingerbread men should never trust in foxes, no matter how friendly they may seem.

Today’s text talks about a fox named Herod - who was wanting Jesus dead. This specific Herod was Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, who had John the Baptist put to dead for preaching against his adulterous affair he was having with his brother Philip’s wife. He was definitely a threat to Jesus - who was thought to be in Galilee at this time. Yet what is surprising is WHO comes to warn Jesus’ of the threat of Herod - it’s the PHARISEES! These are the same ones whom Jesus had said were full of wickedness on the inside. (Luke 11:39) So for them to now come and warn Jesus of Herod - it is like a pack of snakes warning of a coming fox - wanting him to leave the region! Jesus - wiser than the gingerbread man - would have none of it.

Here you have two completely different entities in opposition to one another - with completely different wills. Herod wanted Jesus dead. The Pharisees wanted Jesus gone. But Jesus wanted to heal the sick and drive out demons. The simple question is - “Who would win?”

The Will of Man and the Will of God: Which One Wins?

I. God does what He wants in spite of the will of man

Usually it takes quite a bit for someone to want to kill you. I mean, if someone cuts in front of me in traffic, I temporarily might want to punch him in the nose - but I don’t think I would want to murder him because of it. This is usually even more so in the government. In today’s world you can be a child molester and a kidnapper - even a murderer - and still not be put to death. Yet Herod wanted Jesus dead!

Why was this? If you think about it - Jesus wasn’t doing anything to really harm him. All he was doing was healing his sick people and chasing out demons. What is the crime in this? I mean, if you were a ruler - wouldn’t you want demon possessed people out of your kingdom? Wouldn’t you want your subjects to be healthy - so they could perform an honest days wages and pay more taxes? Yet the sinful mind does not think from a practical point of view. It only thinks from a selfish point of view. After Herod had put John to death - the superstitious and misinformed people of his court thought that Jesus was actually John the Baptist raised from the dead. Again, his adulterous affair was haunting him. So perhaps Herod imagined, “if I killed John once, I can kill him twice - and I can once again quiet these pietistic Jews and also my conscience.” So he declared war on Jesus and wanted him dead.

Was Herod some kind of unnaturally demented man? Jesus’ response shows this not to be the case. He shows that Herod’s response to Him was a PATTERN that had happened in Jerusalem from ancient times. 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! Jesus was one in a long line of prophets who had been targeted. Jeremiah had a price on his head, as well as Isaiah. Elijah was another prophet who had to run for his life from wicked Jezebel. Herod was not some anomaly in human history. He was following a pattern of sinful and corrupted leaders who could not stand to be in the same country or earth as the Light.

Again, you and I can look at Herod and say, “oh, wicked, wicked man. I am glad that I am not so corrupted as you. I would never try to put my LORD to death.” Yet the actions of Herod come down to one common thread that runs through the heart of every man, woman and child. In the end, every person born has been corrupted with this thirst for power - this thirst to be the author of his own fate - to have his conscience quieted no matter what the price - to be his own god. The more He recognizes the power of Jesus - and contemplates the idea that he may have to answer to Jesus on Judgment Day - the more he wants to put the whole concept of Jesus to death. The more that man is told that Jesus demands his life and his all - that means he has to give up some of what he likes - and man doesn’t like that.

Think about how irritating it is to be told that you need to pray more, read your Bible more, come to church more, or to listen to your parents and teachers. One child responded by saying, “I hate Jesus - because he makes me do my chores.” This is natural to sinners. Think about how angry and defensive you get when you are told that you are nothing but a filthy sinner in your core. Feel how your sinful flesh bristles at such descriptions - how it wants to have dignity and power and ability - how it wants to feel like IT is in charge. Your sinful nature does not want Jesus coming in our heart and ruling there. Your sinful nature does not want Jesus making you feel guilty and sinful. It would rather have Jesus dead than to shine His light in there. So it lashes out at Jesus - calls him and His religion unloving - judgmental - divisive. It’s little Pharisaical voice tells Him to get out of your mind and your heart - if He wants to live another day.

Does Jesus then back down from such threats? Does he say to the Pharisees, “oh, hey - thanks for the heads up! I’ll get out of here ASAP! Just give me a few more minutes to wrap things up here!”? No. Not at all. Why would the Lion of the tribe of Judah be afraid of a fox? The will of man has no bearing on what HE does. 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! Jesus knew what the Word of the Lord prophesied. He knew what the plan was. God had made a covenant with Himself that was scheduled to take place in this sinful world. The Father would send His Son to the cross - and both were agreed on it. No matter what Herod planned - no matter how powerful or evil he was - he could do NOTHING to change that eternal plan. (Revelation 13:8) Jesus was going to go to the cross and die on that cross - and suffer for the sins of the world. Jesus was dead set on going through hell in Jerusalem. There was nothing Herod could do about it; nothing Peter could do about it; nothing even Satan himself could do about it - no matter what they wanted. It would be like a man trying to step in front of a tank to quit it from going forward. His message to Herod basically was, “I don’t care what you want. This is where I am going - and this is what I am going to do - and you can’t stop me! Go ahead and try!”

Isn’t this a wonderful thing? In the end, nobody is born wanting Christ in his heart. But this doesn’t stop God. None of this makes God change His mind. His will is set - He is bound and determined to save the demon possessed. He has declared that the sins of the world were paid for on the cross. His will was that Jesus’ righteousness would be given to us in baptism - no matter how sinful we are at birth. His will was that we could continually be reminded of this sacrifice through the offering of His body and blood in the Lord’s Supper. Nobody can change these promises. Nobody can change these eternal covenants - no matter how much they try to reexplain God’s Word. God says to those who try to get to heaven a different way, “I don’t care what you want. This is I want. I want you to be bathed in my Son’s righteousness. I want you to get this through faith. There is nothing you can say or do that will change My will in this.” Isn’t this a wonderful thing? If God were to change His mind - to have us be saved by works - we would all be damned. For we all know that God is holy - and the only thing a holy God would demand would be holiness. But God’s will cannot be changed in this. He says - my will is that you be saved from sin, hell and Satan by grace, through faith in Christ’s sacrifice for you.

II. God does not get what He wants because of the will of man

When we look at Jesus’ response to Herod the ruler, it shows us that God is in charge - in spite of our will. Even Psalm 135:6 says, “The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths.” Isn’t it a shocking thing then to hear what Jesus says in regards to His - God’s will - when it came to 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! This is quite a picture, isn’t it? Imagine a mother hen running around the farm yard, trying to get her quick little hens under her wings - for safety from the predators! What a frustrating thing that would be! Those little chicks would be so full of an unbridled energy - running from this piece of corn to the next - oblivious to the dangers lurking. Yet these are no innocent little chicks that Jesus is describing. They are murderous chicks, who turn to kill the very hen that is trying to protect them! This is a good picture of our world yet today - isn’t it? The little chicks are feverishly running from football games to American Idol to the next promotion - oblivious to the sexual diseases, car wrecks, or Satanic addictions that come with it all - ready to throw Jesus and His religion under the nearest bus if He tries to interfere.

No matter how hard he tried to gather them in - Jesus - who is much greater than a mother hen - finally said, “YOU WERE NOT WILLING!” Isn’t that the shocking thing - that the LORD who could throw Satan out of heaven, create a world out of nothing, and make a sun rise - would allow Himself to be resisted by the mere children of Jerusalem - by no more than chicks! Isn’t it shocking that this severely saddens Jesus - to the point of tears. Yet He speaks and acts as if there is nothing that He can do about it. Here is a shocking truth - that God in His Almighty power - allows man to be man - in all of his rebellion. The almighty allows sinful man to act like an idiotic little chick and run around all over the yard - to his own endangerment and even his own death and destruction.

This doesn’t mean that the Almighty does nothing, however. The mother Hen calls out with His voice. He cries out in tears - warning us of the pending danger. He tells us about how safe it is under His loving arms. He does it not just once, or even a few times - but OFTEN. All day long he holds his hands out to all of His chicks - calling them to come into His fold! (Isaiah 62) Throughout the ages He sends His prophets. Throughout creation He also sends warnings through the powerful storms and earthquakes. Yet He limits His action and testimony to creation and the power of His Word - the Law and the Gospel. His will was that there would only be one way of conversion - through the gentle whispering of the Word. If they rebel against His Word - if they run away from His promising and enticing calls - He does not resort to conversions at the end of a physical sword.

I suppose you could try to blame God for this mess. Why doesn’t God use more powerful measures? Why doesn’t He make people believe by other means? Why doesn’t he just rip heaven open or even give a glimpse of hell? It ignores the fact that God says His Word is POWERFUL and ACTIVE - stronger than a double edged sword. (Hebrews 4:12) The Word hammers against the heart and says, “God is real!” It lays out a free salvation for all sinners - no matter how naughty and rebellious theyy’ve been. Through Jesus’ outstretched arms God says that ALL SINNERS are welcome to repent and have faith in Him. Could you say that a God who crucified His own Son for you didn’t care about you? Is it God’s fault that someone would resist this? Is it God’s fault that man doesn’t want His righteousness - His Son?

Perhaps a human illustration would work well. Imagine that you were raising your daughter, and from early on she proved herself to have absolutely no sense about her when it came to sexuality. Noticing this, you went through every manner you could to talk about proper respect of her body. You warned her of sexual disease. You told her about the way to properly dress. You provided a wonderful example for her and beautiful clothing to wear free of charge. Yet the older she got - she kept on wanting to dress in a provocative manner and present herself in an immoral manner. As a parent - you could decide that “in her best interest” you are going to lock her in her bedroom until she “comes around.” You could terrify her with your threats and physically beat her into a type of behavior that would make her terrified of wearing sleazy outfits and makeup. Those on the outside would maybe be impressed when they saw the young lady you raised. Yet would this behavior really be something she liked doing? Would it really be her behavior or only a conditioned response - no greater than that of a trained parrot? Instead of forcing us into Christianity with threats, God sweetens us into Christianity with promises and forgiveness in Christ. He gives us a beautiful robe of righteousness in Jesus’ blood. We come to follow Christ because His wonderful promises of forgiveness and resurrection in Christ make us want to follow. Paul writes, “the Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16) This is the way the Holy Spirit wills to work - through the powerful Word.

III. Pray to God your will doesn’t win

Powerful as God’s Word was - it had no effect on those Pharisees. Even tough Jesus had given them powerful words and performed mighty miracles - freeing demon possessed people - the Pharisees wanted Jesus gone - and they used Herod as their excuse to get Him out of there. As a result Jesus said to the Pharisees, “ Look, your house is left to you desolate.” All that was left of the spiritual house of Israel was an empty shell. There was no spiritual life left there.

So Jesus had one final warning for them. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” For those Pharisees who failed to see Jesus as the Son of God on earth - they would see it when He came again in glory - but only then. Paul writes it this way,

Philippians 2:9‑11 God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

For some this will be voluntary kneeling - but for many others they will have no choice. Jesus warned that these same Pharisees who decried him as a phony would have no choice but to acknowledge that He - Jesus - was blessed in the name of the Lord - right prior to their being sent into hell.

This is a final call to repentance for the Pharisees - for Herod - and for us. Jesus has encroached on your territory. He wants ownership of your possessions, your hands, your money, your heart and your soul. He doesn’t want to just be a Sunday date. He wants to be your righteousness, your perfection, your life and your all. This will feel threatening and demeaning to you - if you feel like you are the tetrarch of your body and soul - and you will want Jesus to leave along with his prophets. Pray to God your will doesn’t win.

Whether you want it or not - Jesus died for the sins of the world. Like it or not Jesus rose from the dead. Like it or not, Jesus was in your baptism. Like it or not, Jesus is in the Lord’s Supper. Like it or not, Jesus offers you a free salvation through His blood and righteousness. Jesus is now ruling in the heavens. Like it or not, Jesus wants you. He is going to keep on preaching the Word. He is going to keep on ruling in this world. He is going to continue to save people and cleanse them of their sins through faith in Him. Whether you like it or not - this loving Savior will come on Judgment Day - and you will say, “blessed is He.” The only thing is - if you don’t like this - if you would rather have none of this Jesus in your life - you will live without Him eternally. Now, you don’t want to go there, do you?

Frank Sinatra once sang a song called “My Way.” Here’s the lyrics.

And now, the end is here And so I face the final curtain

My friend, I'll say it clear I'll state my case, of which I'm certain

I've lived a life that's full I traveled each and ev'ry highway

And more, much more than this, I did it my way

Regrets, I've had a few But then again, too few to mention

I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption

I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway

And more, much more than this, I did it my way

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew When I bit off more than I could chew

But through it all, when there was doubt I ate it up and spit it out

I faced it all and I stood tall and did it my way

I've loved, I've laughed and cried I've had my fill, my share of losing

And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing To think I did all that

And may I say, not in a shy way, "Oh, no, oh, no, not me, I did it my way"

For what is a man, what has he got? If not himself, then he has naught

To say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneels

The record shows I took the blows and did it my way!

Yes, it was my way

Isn’t that a sad confession? “What is man? What has he got? If not himself, then he has naught!” All he has is himself. This is the way America lives. “Forget about you or God or anyone else. Mistakes and all - I’ll do it my way! This is what I want!” Yet he thinks this is worth bragging about!

God’s way was different. His way was to heal the sick. Chase out the demon possessed. Die in Jerusalem - for the sins of the world. It was a gracious way. A forgiving way. A loving way. A generous way. A saving way. This was God’s will - this was God’s way to save the world. It is in complete contrast to man’s.

The Will of Man and the Will of God: Which One Wins? In the end, both wills will “win.” Man’s will will win many to hell. In comparison, God’s will - to save people through faith in Christ - will win few yet innumerable souls to heaven. May God’s will - the will of grace - be done in us through His powerful Word. Amen.