DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
Saint Luke 13:31-35
(11/11-11/24)
Friday of the Twenty-fifth Week after Pentecost
The Clash of Wills: Saint Luke 13:31-35, especially vs.
34: “...How often I wanted to
gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but
you were not willing.” Men largely
resist the will of God, for our wants often clash with His. God wills to give us Life, but we are
“...not willing,” (vs. 34); worse, we want “...to
kill...” Him (vs. 31). Saint Luke describes three groups who
met the Lord Jesus: 1) the political and religious leaders of the People who
wanted Jesus removed (vs. 31); 2)
the crowds who were ambivalent toward the Lord Jesus, desiring Him to exorcise
their demons and cure their diseases (vs. 32), yet resisting Him, until they
rose up and cried, “...Crucify Him, crucify Him!” (Lk. 23:21). 3)
Also there were His disciples that He gathered to Himself (vs. 34), who hailed
Him as “...He Who comes in the Name of the Lord!” (vs. 35), but
then failed Him; although, at last, most became faithful even unto death.
It is possible to interpret the warning from the Pharisees
as protective when they told Christ to “...Get out and depart from here,
for Herod wants to kill You” (vs. 31). Not all the Pharisees “...were
filled with rage...” nor considered “...what they might do to
Jesus” (Lk. 6:11); but the Gospels suggest that
most of them became His implacable enemies (Lk.
11:54).
Not being able themselves to execute Him legally, the
Pharisees’ warning seems to have been a hostile effort to encourage the
Lord Jesus to flee. This is Saint
Cyril of Alexandria’s view: “...they saw the multitudes already
repenting and receiving with eagerness faith in Him...” and themselves as
“...being likely, therefore, to lose their office of being chiefs of the
people, and as already fallen and expelled from their authority over them, and
deprived of their profits....”
Certainly Herod Antipas was not comforted by the popular teacher
who was attracting large crowds to Himself. Herod liked things socially quiet, well
under his control and supportive of his reign. It is also true that he had “...heard
of all that was done by Him and he was perplexed because it was said by some that
John had risen from the dead” (Lk. 9:7).
Then there were the crowds of people who came to the Lord
Jesus while He was “...journeying toward Jerusalem” (Lk. 13:22).
These came with hope. They
had tangible spiritual, economic, social, personal, and political needs. Their attraction to the Lord had a
healthy side, like the actions of those who go to physicians, pastors, or wise
counselors. They needed cures for
their diseases and release from demonic possession. For them, this Man had proved that power
“...went out from Him and healed them all” (Lk.
6:19).
Christ our God knew well “...what was in man”
(Jn. 2:25), and by this time, having “...steadfastly set His face to go
to Jerusalem” that He might “...be received up...” (Lk. 9:51), He also knew that all the people had a deep,
inner resistance to Him, and would one day demand His crucifixion. Therefore, He grieved for them: “O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are
sent to her...” (Lk. 13:34). The people were spiritually ill, not at
all united to Him in heart, soul, mind, and will. They were “...double
minded...” and “...unstable...” in all their ways (Jas. 1:8).
Finally, consider His own
disciples. Few were healed and not
all were trustworthy (one would betray Him, one deny Him, and the rest flee in
panic). Only after He had revealed
the depth of their sin, the glory of God’s mercy, and the power of the
Resurrection would these few repent, unite themselves to Him, be Baptized and
continue “...steadfastly in the Apostles’ doctrine and fellowship,
in the breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). What of us? He bears patiently with us. Indeed, let us cry out to the Blessed
One and say:
Arise, O compassionate One, and raise us with Thee from the
depths of hades.
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