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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 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! ~ Luke 13:31-33
From His birth, the Lord Jesus was the target for death. In fact, by the end of His earthly life, it seems like almost everybody wanted Him dead.
It began with Herod the Great, who ruled Israel during the time of Christ. So threatened by anyone who might take his throne, Herod slaughtered any threat, even his own family members. He was so paranoid that when he heard from the wise men that there was a child born in Bethlehem that was the king, his paranoia led him to massacre every male child two and under in the whole area.
After the Lord Jesus became a Rabbi, He began teaching the people. The response of the people was mixed, some love it and others, well , they were so angry. In fact, in one city they took Him out to the edge of a cliff and tried to throw Him off.
The religious wanted the Lord Jesus dead. In John 2, He went into the temple during the Passover. After observing the religious and greedy behavior of all, He made a whip out of three cords. He then drove all in the temple out. He emptied the place of thousands of people. Poured out the coins of the money changers, overturned the tables. Then said, "Take these things away. Stop making my Father's house a house of merchandise."
In John 5, after He had healed a man at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath day, the Jews were furious that He had healed the man on that day. As a result, the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him.
It is also true that in the end Pilate wanted Him dead because Pilate needed Him dead or he would have a revolution on his hands. The people wanted Him dead, but Pilate found no fault in Him. He wanted to wash His hands of innocent blood, but finally intimidated by the Jews who would report Him to Rome and he would lose His job if another bad decision was made with regard to the way He was treating the Jews and discharging His responsibility on behalf of Rome. So, in fear of losing his job, he acquiesces and orders Him to be put to death.
The Roman soldiers wanted Him dead and here we are introduced to Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great. This is the son of Herod the Great, and his hatred for the Lord Jesus was equal to that of his father.
In v.31 we read, "At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you."
This Herod, Herod Antipas, the Jews hated for he was a puppet of Rome. He had murdered John the Baptist. Trying to intimidate Him, the Pharisees tell the Lord Jesus that Herod wants Him dead. They tried everything to get rid of Him.
Right after Jesus' tough words about the Jews missing out on God's salvation, the Jews were even more offended. They want to silence the Lord Jesus. And the way they chose was to threaten Him or intimidate Him with the biggest stick that existed, Herod Antipas.
In v.32 we read, "Go 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." In the ancient times, the fox was viewed as an insignificant third-rate nuisance. To call somebody a fox would be demeaning and contemptuous. Antipas was just a nuisance, neither great nor powerful. He doesn't have the strength to kill.
In v.33 we read, "In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem." The Lord Jesus lived on the divine timetable. I often think of the fact that nothing can thwart the will of God. In this passage the Lord Jesus hints at the final three days of His life. And, oh yeah, we delay God's will, in accordance with His permissible will, but in the end His will will prevail.
I think of the many times when something monumental has happened in my life, the timing was always key. The key is following the Lord's lead. And, if we are not being prepared to follow by being in His word, we are in danger of missing the ability to follow Him and His lead. Of course, His will is sovereign, but I wonder how often I've missed being a part of something significant. Living on the divine timetable is made possible by having our world framed up by His word. When we read His word, we must make it our goal to meet with Him. This is what enables us more and more to follow Him in our daily lives.
