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"Until You Say..." The Herod the Pharisees mention in this passage is Antipas, the son of Herod the Great. When Herod the Great died, his Will divided the Roman client Kingdom of Israel into four parts, with one son to rule over each part. Herod Antipas, the son of King Herod the Great, had been left to rule over Galilee. Though by this time, the final authority was Rome and the Emperor. No doubt, the Pharisees want to scare Jesus then, coming out to the regions of Galilee to tell him that Herod is after him, indeed, wants to kill him. After all, Herod had ordered the death of another Galilean prophet and good man, John the Baptist. The Pharisees had had their own confrontations with Jesus, and would just as soon he move on out of the Galilean region. Perhaps it was to motivate Jesus to “get on out of Dodge” that they came with their warning. "Herod wants to kill you. You need to get out of here." Jesus turns and tells them: “You tell that fox for me…” It's interesting that Jesus compares Herod with a fox, an unclean animal in the Jewish law. Herod made public his own practice of the Jewish faith, yet he continually exhibited behavior that made his piety an hypocrisy. To call a Jewish man a fox was no better than calling him a pig. Except to say that a fox was known as a small scavenging dog. “You tell that fox for me…I have work to do. I’ll be here for a while; there are demons to defeat and illness to cure. But I am making my way to Jerusalem. Tell him that.” Then Jesus begins his lament over Jerusalem, and his own certain fate when he arrives in that city. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!” The Pharisees no doubt would have been incensed by such words. This would make sure they carried their news back to Herod. Its not just about getting Jesus out of Galilee anymore. He’s headed for Jerusalem, the Holy City of the Jews. This brief encounter makes the violent opposition to Jesus very clear. Herod wants him dead. Jerusalem has a history of not tolerating prophets with news from God. Jesus knows there is resistance—even deadly resistance to him and his ministry. Yet, in response to the violent resistance he is but sure to confront, Jesus expresses his dramatic longing to gather Jerusalem as a hen gathers her chicks, to the safety and warmth of the hen’s protective wings. This is an important image, — the longing of Jesus for those who oppose him and most resist him and seek to take his life. You understand, this isn't the response we are used to in the Bible when the people of God are threatened. When their enemies are after them. In fact, the psalms are filled with songs of God’s people who called upon God to vanquish their enemies and to defeat those who opposed God’s people. “The Lord will shatter the kings on the day of his wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations and fill them with corpses; he will shatter heads over the wide earth.” (Ps. 110:5-7) And “the Lord has become my stronghold, and My God the rock of my refuge. He will repay them for their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the Lord our God will wipe them out.” (Ps. 94:22-23) This is what the Bible has shown us is the usual response of God’s people as they react to opposition and resistance. They call on God to fight the fight, to smite their enemies, to scatter the proud and the wicked. But not Jesus does not call upon God to vanquish Herod, or the Pharisees, or anyone that is violently opposed to him. He responds to those who want him dead with a longing that they might understand the true nature of God. Not a blood thirsty God. Not a wrath-filled vengeful God. But a God that longs to draw near, and gather and protect them as though they were a brood of baby chicks. Rather than taking delight in their coming devastation, he offers to take part in their rescue. In words both poetic and poignant he describes God’s incredible offer. Perhaps you remember this story from a few years back. There was a great brush fire, and the fire fighters worked through the night and into the dawn getting it under control. After doing so, fire fighters marched across the blackened land to catch hot spots. Between the wisps of smoke still rising from the smoldering remains, a large lump on the trail caught one firefighter's eye. As he got closer he noticed it was the charred remains of a large bird, that had burned nearly half way through. It was an unusual sight, since birds can so easily fly away from the approaching flames, The firefighter wondered why this bird had been unable to escape. Arriving at the charred carcass, he nudged it with his boot. As soon as he did, however, he was startled by a flurry of activity as several little birds flailed in the dust and ash then scurried away down the hillside.
The bulk of the mother's body had covered them from the searing flames. Though the heat was enough to consume her, it allowed her babies to remain safe underneath her. In the face of the rising flames, she had stayed with her young. She was their only hope for safety, and willing to risk her own life she gathered them under her body and covered them with herself. Even when the pain reached its most unbearable moment she remained through the raging flames. "Jerusalem, Jerusalem. Oh, how I long to gather your children as a mother hen gathers her brood." Jesus longs for those who resist him and his ministry, who resist the mercy and grace God has to offer, to draw them close for safety. “But still, they are unwilling,” Jesus says. “You choose to dwell not with the Mother Hen-like embrace of God,” Jesus tells them, “but in your own house.” “You will not see me,” Jesus says, “until the time comes for you to say “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” We immediately think of the triumphant entry into Jerusalem, palms waving, the people shouting “Hosannah! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” But in this context, Jesus was giving the Pharisees a clue. A clue they could take back to Herod. The words, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” come from the 118th Psalm, and was part of the liturgy sung or chanted during the Holy Feasts. The next time the Psalm would be used by the people in worship? Passover. Jesus let’s them know. I will be in Jerusalem for Passover. Later, we’ll learn that Herod himself conveniently travels to Jerusalem for the Passover...perhaps also in hopes of finally meeting up with this Jesus from Galilee there. For us, the church established in Jesus the Christ, the words also have great significance. “Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord.” When do we say or sing those words? Not at Passover, or the high days of our worship. No. When do we say or sing them? In the formal liturgy when we prepare to gather at this table. When we remember the sacrifice of the One who came. When we invoke the very presence of Jesus as we eat, drink and are unified into the body of Christ once again.
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of power and
might May Christ be here. As we say the words. “You will see me when you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” We will be in his presence, the presence of the one who longs to heal us and deliver us, who longs to gather and protect us, even those of us who are most resistant to receiving God's love. As we say “Blessed is the One” it is at the appearing of Christ in our midst, his presence experienced in the cup and the loaf. Let us prepare ourselves, as we sing our hymn of invitation to Christ's table: Thanks for dropping by: Guest # |
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