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Week:08, Season:1,
2013
Posted on Saturday by PCT
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Jesus Knows Everything
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Scripture：《
Luke 13:31-35
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13：31 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 shall be perfected. 33 Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day 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 her brood under her 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 come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
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31 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 and tell that fox, “I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.” 33 In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day – for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! 34 ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who killed the prophets and stoned those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and 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.”’
This Sunday is the second Sunday of Lent, which reminds Christians to wait for Jesus with a repentant, holy and godly mind. The passage we read today is Jesus’ sorrow for Jerusalem. Jesus saw that the hearts of people of Israel had become hard, and that they would not listen or repent. Therefore Jesus predicted the destruction of the city of Jerusalem. This appears similar to the mood expressed by Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu in his poem Spring Prospect (translated by Watson, Burton, The Selected Poems of Du Fu, New York: Columbia University Press, 2002): ‘The nation shattered, mountains and river remain; city in spring, grass and trees burgeoning. Feeling the times, blossoms draw tears; hating separation, birds alarm the heart. Beacon fires three months in succession, a letter from home worth ten thousand in gold. White hairs, fewer for the scratching, soon too few to hold a hairpin up.’ The poet described vividly the scene in which Chang'an Cheng was attacked and fell. He spoke out his experience of being at war where he witnessed lives lost and the nation destroyed.
In the Bible passage, Jesus’ description of Jerusalem was a prophecy of future event. Jesus foresaw that the city of Jerusalem would be destroyed, and he sorrowed for it. The discipline of God often used foreigners to wake the people of Israel. God’s discipline is harsh; his discipline is practiced through wars, invasions, death and the damage of cities and nations. In Luke 19: 41-44, Jesus also described an even more severe scene than that of Cheng’an Cheng . Jesus saw this prophecy with a deep sorrow. But the city of Jerusalem, the stubborn Jews, and the people who denied the Lord remained following their own wills. The ignorant Pharisees and the proud Herod were malicious. Let us reflect on what this Bible passage speaks to us.
Jesus cried for Jerusalem
Jesus was sorrowful because the Jews rejected his grace and salvation, and the ignorant Pharisees refused salvation from God (verses 31-32). They disliked seeing Jesus preach in front of them: they disliked hearing voice of God. These people claimed that they were chosen by God and thought the Law was the highest principle. They thought God would save the Israelis as long as they followed the Law. They thought the Israelis would receive the protection of God from the Law.
Jesus was called the Jewish King when Herod ruled Jerusalem. This title made Herod sleepless. He worried that his throne would be taken by Jesus. He therefore tried to kill Jesus by any means possible. He wanted Jesus to have no place to stay in Jerusalem. Herod wanted to firmly command authority, but he ruled people with violence. He killed John the Baptist because John rebuked his decision to marry Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. After that, Herod killed John at the demand of Herodias daughter (Matthew 14:1-11). Yet in the beginning, when Herod heard of Jesus’ reputation, he wanted to meet him because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead (Luke 9:7-9). This changed when he later wanted to kill Jesus. But when Jesus knew the Herod was trying to kill him, he did not move and said, “I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day – for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!”
At the time Jerusalem was ruled by the Roman Empire. How could a country have dignity and peace under the rule of foreigners? Where does justice and peace come from? Under such circumstances, if people do not repent, the nation must fall. However, no one was aware of Jesus’ calling. People were arrogant, stuck in their own ways; refusing to change and refusing to listen.
Jesus thus sighed, “How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” Honest advice is unpleasant. The Jews treated Jesus’ words as a great problem The Pharisees wanted to drive himaway. Herod tried to kill him. But Jesus knew the end of Jerusalem and that the city would suffer under wars. Jesus was in sorrow for Jerusalem.
Jesus is the Lord and knows everything
The prophecy of Jesus came to pass in the year 66 AD. The Jews resisted the rule of Roman Empire, and the Roman troops attacked Jerusalem. The troops took the outer cities but could not take Jerusalem. Finally the Roman troops laid siege to Jerusalem and took it in 70 AD. They burnt the whole city. At least 600 thousands Jews died under the massacre raised by Roman General Titus.
Jesus predicted that “not one stone here will be left on another” in the Temple of Jerusalem. How could this be possible? After the attack, Roman soldiers took every piece of gold from the walls and knocked out every stone in the Temple, which fulfilled Jesus’ prophecy (Matthew 24:1-2). Since then the Jews began to drift around the world and could not return to Jerusalem. After the Roman’s rule, Palestine was ruled by several Islamic kingdoms until the end of World War II, when it was changed under the trust of the Great Britain. Finally, in 1948, Israel was rebuilt and the Jewish people returned to their homeland. However, the original site of the Holy Temple of Jerusalem is still an Islamic mosque.
Reflection of Lent
Is the passage we read today speaking to you and me? We often ignore the presence of God and the love calling from Jesus because of our own pride. Our heart is as helpless as the Jews ruled by the Romans when they refused to listen. Our mind is occupied by money and materials. Our time is stolen by the Internet. We ignore the Word of God and the time we can spend with God. We even drive Jesus away from our hearts and only follow the world. What could we do if one day we fell like Jerusalem, and our body, mind and soul became sick?
An idiom says, “Something unexpected may happen at any moment.” God never promises us that the sky will always be clear and sunny. As it is said in James 4:14-15, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’” Our life will be turned by getting closer to Jesus, believing in him and receiving his words with a repentant heart.
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For discussion：
1. The fall of Jerusalem indicates a death of a country. What would you do if you were one of the Israelis at that time?
2. What do you think about Jesus’ prophecy? What reflection you have brought from it?
Please pray for：
1. For leaders of our country. May God keep their minds be humble, kind, wise, and give them the justice to lead Taiwan’s economic revival, to decrease the unemployment rate and to protect our sovereignty.
2. Think of Jesus’ words during Lent. May God help us and the church to remember Jesus’ suffering, prophecy and sorrow. Jesus was crucified on the cross to redeem us at a heavy price. We need to be more thankful for God’s mercy and grace.
Prayer：
Merciful God, you always love us with your unlimited love. Whenever we suffer, you remind us the perils through many ways and lead us to pass through them in peace. But ignorant people do not know your love; they mock your warnings and reject you. Please forgive our sins and stubborn hearts. Please protect our country and let those leaders know what their people are suffering, to practice fair and just policies, to allow young people to have jobs, to protect people from slavery, and to lead our nation to prosperity. You are our only salvation Lord. In the name of Christ. Amen.
Something you can do：
1. Pray for our country and leaders every day. May God save Taiwan from economic recession and social insecurity, and achieve political stability.
2. Pray for yourself and family. Build good relationship with Christians. Encourage and rely on each other in times of trouble.
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