1 Samuel 30-31 | Luke 13:23-35
“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, and you were not willing.” Matthew 23:37
Imagine sinful humanity trying to outwit the Creator of the Universe, the One who formed them in the womb, the One who has known them all their life, the One who knows every hair on their head, the One who knows how the cosmos works, and the One who sustains all things. Yet, Jesus allowed Himself to be verbally attacked and questioned by the very people that He spoke into existence. Even as they tried to trap and undermine Him, Jesus was gentle and full of grace.
What we see of Jesus in Scripture is that He patiently allowed Himself to be questioned by those trying to kill Him. This reached a culmination in Matthew 23, where Jesus pronounced seven woes towards the teachers of the law and Pharisees. In summary, Jesus was basically saying to the religious elite, “You validate yourselves as righteous, but inside, you are full of dead man’s bones. You like to subjugate others and make yourself look better than others, but in the process, you misrepresent God.” He used very strong language in Matthew 23 to convey His message, calling the teachers of the law and Pharisees, “hypocrites, blind guides, blind fools, greedy, snakes and brood of vipers.” We may get the impression that Jesus was saying it with an angry tone, but as we understand the love of God, we can actually sense that He was heartbroken towards them. Some may interpret Jesus doing this to humiliate them, but it was not like Jesus was happy to confront them with their sins; rather; He was seeking to heal them. Peter’s writing confirms this heart of God: “[The Lord] is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
Jesus actually lamented over Jerusalem during Holy Week saying, “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, and you were not willing” (Matthew 23:37). The fact that the religious elite would not recognize God coming to them, but sought to kill Him, broke His heart.
Ultimately, on Good Friday, the religious leaders condemned Jesus to death by nailing Him on a cross. Yet, even as Jesus hung, struggling to breathe, one of His last words was, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). What we will find amazing during Holy Week—and in our world today—is that Jesus meets each person with compassion and grace, longing that they all come to the knowledge of who He is.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your heart of compassion and grace towards every human being. What an amazing love, even when some have their hearts hardened against You, You still desire for them to be saved!