The Savior’s Heart
Luke 13:31-35
November 3, 2019
Often times we have talked about the realities of God’s sovereignty,
Even as it pertains to things like salvation.
We have examined words like “predestined” or “foreknown” or “election”
There is not a doubt in our minds that the Scripture clearly teaches
That salvation is purely a matter of God’s sovereign grace
Through His sovereign election.
We discuss it a lot.
And as you know, many balk at such doctrines
As though God were cruel and wrong to do such a thing.
Instead of seeing the grace
That God determined to save those who were certainly headed to hell,
They distort the reality and pretend that God
Is somehow keeping people out who want in.
And they imagine all these people wanting to be saved, but God in cruel sovereignty saying, “I’m sorry, but you aren’t elect”.
That has never once happened and it never will.
The only reason anyone comes to Christ is because God chooses them.
But none the less, people blame God for the lostness of man.
Even last week we talked about the extreme DIFFICULTY OF SALVATION.
• We listened as Jesus clearly taught that salvation is hard to enter,
• In fact one must “strive” or literally “fight” to enter the kingdom.
• And even at that, only a few will be successful
• As many are shut outside where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
But we heard Jesus use words like “hard” or “few” or “narrow” or “impossible” to describe salvation.
And many at this point would also balk saying that
If this is true then God is far too demanding and rigid.
And again, if what Jesus said was true (and certainly it is)
Then people would once again blame the lostness of man
On the fact that God is just too rigid.
I don’t know if you’ve ever been tempted to think of God in that way.
• I don’t know if you’ve ever pondered that God is cruel because of His sovereign election.
• I don’t know if you’ve ever pondered that Jesus is cruel for keeping the door to salvation so narrow.
This morning I would encourage you not to fall prey to such a distortion.
No matter how the world might respond to the truth,
One thing I must remind you of is that in no way
Is man ever lost due to the cruelty of God.
I must remind you again of a very profound truth.
Hebrews 1:1-2 “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son…”
• All throughout the Old Testament we have God revealing Himself as the writer of Hebrews says “in many portions and in many ways”
• There are both verbal descriptions of God given and there are symbolic pictures of God revealed.
• We hear God spoken about and we see God typified throughout the Old Testament.
• But when God wanted to make Himself known through His most accurate and detailed revelation God came to us “in His Son”.
John told us:
John 1:18 “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”
Never was there a better revelation of who God is than in Jesus Christ.
• He revealed God.
• He explained God.
• He shows us the very heart of God.
And so we are reminded of a very important and profound truth. Namely that when God chose to make Himself known to mankind, He came in the form of a Savior.
• Not as a Tyrant…
• Not as a Warrior…
• Not as a Politician…
• He came as a Savior.
We see who God is in the person of Jesus Christ.
And of Him we read:
Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
John’s gospel even reminded us that
Had it been the intention of God to see man condemned,
Then all He had to do was nothing.
But if man was to be saved then He would have to come and save them.
John 3:17-18 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
And so I just remind you that,
Even though we read passages about salvation being hard,
Do not allow that to cause you to think
That somehow God is trying to keep men out.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Especially last week we learned how hard salvation was for Israel.
(That’s actually who Jesus was talking to)
He even said:
Luke 13:28-29 “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. “And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.”
Jesus said that many Jews would not be saved.
But that wasn’t because He didn’t want them to be.
And that is why passages like the one this morning
Are so important to remind us of the heart of our Savior.
• The calling of God is high.
• Salvation is a costly calling.
• It is a narrow gate, it is a narrow way.
• It does bid you lose everything to obtain it.
But that is not because God is trying to keep people from being saved.
At His very core He is a Savior.
And we see that so clearly here in Jesus in our text this morning.
There are two main points I want you to see about our Lord’s heart.
#1 HIS DEVOTION
Luke 13:31-33
We begin by recognizing again that this text is directly linked to the previous one.
(31) “Just at that time some Pharisees approached…”
These types of little clues are so important to our understanding of context
And what the gospel writer is trying to get across to us.
And here we understand that this text is sort of a reactionary one
To the statements Jesus just made.
If you will remember,
Based upon the routine preaching of Jesus someone asked Jesus if only a few were being saved.
It’s not hard to figure why someone would ask that.
• Jesus’ sermons are filled with calls for repentance.
• Jesus’ sermons are filled with warnings of judgment.
• Jesus’ sermons are filled with offers of salvation.
Jesus’ messages aren’t the type
You’d figure He’d preach to a group of saved people.
And so He is asked if only a few are being saved.
His response was a difficult one.
He spoke about how salvation has AN UNACCOMMODATING ENTRANCE.
• He actually said you have to strive to enter.
• He actually said you have to fight to enter.
Of course, He is the door and THE REASON FOR THE STRUGGLE
Is because His calling is in direct opposition to the will of the flesh.
You don’t have to fight Jesus to get in, you have to fight yourself.
Your flesh won’t want it.
But even in the struggle, don’t look for God to widen the door.
Denial of self is a non-negotiable requirement.
He spoke about salvation have UNCOMPROMISING REQUIREMENTS
• Namely it is righteousness.
• Jesus revealed that the “evildoers” where shut outside and kept outside.
• Despite their begging, despite their knocking, He did not let them in.
If you aren’t righteous you don’t enter.
This is why we must deny self and squeeze through that narrow door,
Because only in Jesus do we find the righteousness that God demands.
Jesus also spoke about salvation having UNEXPECTED RECIPIENTS
• Jesus certainly spoke of the Fathers being saved,
• But also, to the shock of many, He spoke of Gentiles being saved.
They are saved of course because of their humility.
They are saved because they knew they couldn’t earn it,
They knew they were sinful, and they run to Christ.
It was a sobering message on salvation.
In order to be saved and to enter the kingdom,
A man must deny himself, humble himself, and run to Christ
Who alone provides the righteousness God demands.
That was the message.
What is clear now is that the message DIDN’T GO OVER WELL.
After the statement Jesus is confronted by some Pharisees.
“Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.”
IT IS A LITTLE BIT OF A PECULIAR STATEMENT
Because it almost sounds like the Pharisees are trying to give him
A friendly heads up in order to save His life.
(We certainly know that is not the case since they also were out to kill Him.)
Probably what they wanted more than anything was just to silence Him.
They make Him aware of Herod’s wicked plot
In hopes that He will tone it down a notch and quit preaching.
It would be even better if He would just leave the region altogether.
And so they basically approach Him
And tell Him to leave town for His own good.
His answer will tell you a great deal about His heart.
(32-33) “And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’ “Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.”
• Here Jesus pulls no punches.
• He actually calls Herod “that fox” which was NOT a term of endearment.
Herod here is Herod Antipas.
• Herod the Great was the Herod who tried to kill Jesus as a baby, and it was
after he died that Joseph brought Mary and Jesus back to Judea.
• After Herod the Great’s death, his kingdom was split among his 3 sons.
• Archelaus received Judea, Samaria, and Idumea
• Philip received Ituraea and Trachonitis
• And Antipas received Galilee and Perea
Herod Antipas was the one who beheaded John the Baptist,
And he is the one who will try and host a trial of Jesus
Here Jesus calls him “that fox” which was not a term of endearment.
Foxes were destructive pests in Israel.
Today it would be akin to calling someone “that varmint”
(MacArthur, John [Luke 11-17; The MacArthur New Testament Commentary; Moody Press; Chicago, IL; 2013] pg. 228)
The main point being here was that to Jesus
Herod wasn’t a threat, Herod was a pest.
Jesus didn’t fear Herod and He wasn’t concerned about Herod’s plans.
And Jesus was not about to let Herod shape His ministry plans.
“Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach my goal.’”
You do need to know that the Greek word behind the phrase
“reach my goal” is TELEOO
It is a form of the same word our Lord utters from the cross.
It means “perfected” or “completed” or as Jesus said it “finished”
So when the Pharisees tell Jesus that He had better run for His life because Herod wants to kill Him
Jesus says, “Nope, I’m not finished”
In short, He was totally devoted to making sure He hit every village, every synagogue, every city that He was called to hit.
He came to proclaim the gospel throughout this region
And He wasn’t leaving until He finished proclaiming it
And delivering those who lived there.
THAT IS DEVOTION.
What makes the devotion even more impressive is what He says next.
(33) “Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.”
There is a bit of a play on words here.
• In verse 31 the Pharisees told Jesus to “leave”
• In verse 33 Jesus said I must “journey on”
• Those are the same word in the Greek
THEY TOLD JESUS TO LEAVE, He said, once I’m finished I will, but only because I must go to Jerusalem to suffer.
What that means is that Jesus is well aware of that fact
That while Herod may be an enemy,
The truest threat He faces is from Israel.
He won’t die in Galilee
He’ll die in Jerusalem.
And here is the remarkable thing to me.
• Jesus won’t leave Galilee until He has finished the work He came to do.
• And the only reason He’s leaving is because He’s headed to Jerusalem where He is going to die.
SO ANALYZE THIS SITUATION
• You have Jesus threatened by Herod,
• But He won’t leave because He is committed to offering salvation to the Jews.
• But all the while He knows the Jews won’t receive His offer of salvation.
• And ultimately they will kill Him for it.
Now can we talk about our Savior’s devotion?
John 1:11 “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.”
The Jews didn’t want Him there. (The Pharisees were trying to run Him off)
The Gentiles didn’t want Him there. (Herod wanted to kill Him)
At what point, if you are Jesus, do you just throw in the towel and say, “You know what, forget it. I’m out of here, you people aren’t worth it.”?
But that wasn’t His answer.
His answer was “I’m not finished”
That puts so much more weight into that statement on the cross:
John 19:30 “Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”
Jesus wouldn’t quit because He wasn’t finished.
• He never stopped early.
• He never overlooked His task.
• He came to preach
• He came to heal
• He came to die
And it didn’t matter how much they hated Him.
It didn’t matter how much they rejected Him.
He wouldn’t quit until He was finished.
JESUS CAME TO SAVE.
And He wasn’t leaving until the work was finished.
Does that sound like a cruel Savior?
Does that sound like someone disinterested in the salvation of sinners?
Does that sound like someone eager to condemn men?
NOT AT ALL.
Just because Jesus reveals that salvation is hard
And many fail to enter it
Does not mean that that is what He wants.
Jesus came to save, and He took that mission seriously.
It didn’t matter if He was HATED – It didn’t matter if He was THREATENED.
It didn’t matter if He was REJECTED.
HE WOULDN’T STOP UNTIL HE WAS FINISHED
That is the heart of our Savior.
You see His devotion.
#2 HIS DISTRESS
Luke 13:34-35
And perhaps these two verses are even more remarkable.
• The Pharisees are there telling Him to leave…
• Herod is out there wanting to kill Him…
• He’s headed to Jerusalem where they will kill Him…
You’d think at this point He might be a little angry (or frustrated).
BUT INSTEAD HE IS GRIEVED.
And the remarkable thing?
• He ISN’T grieved about His coming suffering.
• He IS grieved about Israel’s coming suffering.
He is in distress; He is lamenting;
Because of what THEY are going to face.
Let’s take these 2 verses and break them down a little further.
This is too significant a statement to just breeze through it.
1) DISAPPOINTMENT (34a)
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her!”
I’ve never been to Jerusalem, but that would be a nice billboard to post outside the city.
That would be a good banner for the city of Jerusalem website.
We are talking here about the city
• Where God caused His name to dwell.
• It is the city that housed the very glory of God.
• It is the holy city
And yet according to Jesus it isn’t known for any of those things.
Jesus says the defining characteristic of this city
Is its rejection of truth.
It is the city that “kills the prophets and stones those sent to her”
It is the city that rejects salvation.
It is the city that rejects God’s correction.
AND JESUS LAMENTS THAT REALITY
This grieves Him.
In fact a little later Jesus will finally reach the city.
Luke 19:41-44 “When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. “For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”
Jesus is broken-hearted over this city.
He is grieved.
He has come to save them, and they aren’t interested.
Disappointment
2) DESIRE (34b)
“How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,”
Now we understand that Jerusalem is an analogy for all the Jews.
Israel was the children Jesus speaks of.
He came in order that He might save them.
When you read the book of Ezekiel you come across that chapter which speaks of the horrible atrocities that Israel had suffered under her false shepherds.
Ezekiel 34:1-6 “Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? “You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. “Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them. “They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered. “My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to search or seek for them.”‘”
Because of this, not only did God promise to annihilate those false shepherds, but we also read:
Ezekiel 34:11-12 “For thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. “As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day.”
And ultimately:
Ezekiel 34:23-24 “Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd. “And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I the LORD have spoken.”
Isaiah 40:9-11 “Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” Behold, the Lord GOD will come with might, With His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him And His recompense before Him. Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.”
And this of course was why Jesus came.
Matthew 9:36 “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.”
In John 10 we are reminded that He is “the Good Shepherd”.
Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
He came to save.
He wanted to gather them.
He wanted to save them.
He wanted to protect them.
Here He said like “a hen gathers her brood under he wings”
This is an often used Old Testament reference.
Psalms 91:4 “He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.”
Deuteronomy 32:10-11 “He found him in a desert land, And in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye. “Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, That hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions.”
It is a picture of total salvation and deliverance.
It is a picture of safety from judgment.
Jesus wanted to do that.
• He wanted to save them
• That was His desire.
DON’T MISS THAT ABOUT OUR SAVIOR.
HE DIDN’T COME LONGING TO JUDGE THEM.
Our God is not One who delights in the judgment of sinners.
Ezekiel 18:23 “Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares the Lord GOD, “rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?”
Ezekiel 18:32 “For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord GOD. “Therefore, repent and live.”
Ezekiel 33:11 “Say to them, ‘ As I live!’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’”
And even while they were crucifying our Lord:
Luke 23:34 “But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.”
Do you see His heart?
His desire is for salvation.
He does not delight in the judgment of sinners.
He was disappointed in Jerusalem because He desired to save them.
3) DEFIANCE (34c)
“and you would not have it!”
That was always true.
• Every time God sent them a prophet…
• Every time God tried to correct their sin…
• They said, “No!”
The Old Testament is littered with the rebellion of Jerusalem.
The entire books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel are dedicated to that very fact.
And certainly that stubbornness remained with the ministry of Jesus.
Do you remember John 5
• When He healed that cripple that couldn’t get in the pool?
• He did it on the Sabbath.
• When the questioned it, He said, “I’m just doing what My Father is doing”
• And for that the Scripture says they wanted to kill Him.
AND LOOK, I REALIZE THERE IS A TENSION HERE
When we talk about the sovereignty of God and election
And then a passage here that clearly says Jerusalem “would not have it”
And we could spend a lot of time working through that balance of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility.
But regardless of that debate, what you have to see here is:
THE JUDGEMENT OF JERUSALEM WAS NO GOD’S FAULT.
Can you see that?
You can moan all day about the “unfairness” of election.
You can moan all day about Jesus saying that salvation is hard.
But at the end of the day what is clear is that
It wasn’t God who rejected man, it was man who rejected God.
It wasn’t God who told man to get lost,
It was man who told God to get lost.
God is not the villain.
Jesus is not the villain.
HE IS THE SAVIOR
It is Israel, that despite all here opportunities,
Refused to accept the salvation Jesus offered.
They were the defiant ones.
4) DESOLATION (35a)
“Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me…”
Jerusalem will finally get what they want.
The Pharisees wanted Him gone, and they would eventually get their wish.
And the rejection of Christ would be the desolation of Israel.
ON ONE HAND A SPIRITUAL DESOLATION – Israel would be broken off.
Romans 11:7-10 “What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened; just as it is written, “GOD GAVE THEM A SPIRIT OF STUPOR, EYES TO SEE NOT AND EARS TO HEAR NOT, DOWN TO THIS VERY DAY.” And David says, “LET THEIR TABLE BECOME A SNARE AND A TRAP, AND A STUMBLING BLOCK AND A RETRIBUTION TO THEM. “LET THEIR EYES BE DARKENED TO SEE NOT, AND BEND THEIR BACKS FOREVER.”
ON THE OTHER HAND A PHYSICAL DESOLATION – In AD 70 Jerusalem would be burned to the ground.
And not only that, but since that day no people on earth
Have been more persecuted than the Jewish people.
It was Israel that wanted no Savior, and that is what they have received.
Their very history is the tragedy of a people
Who have told their Savior to get lost.
THEIR HOUSE HAS BEEN LEFT DESOLATE.
And there is a lot more we could say there.
But there is one more beautiful reality.
• Despite all that.
• Despite all the hatred.
• Despite all the rejection.
• Despite all the stubbornness.
Jesus has not forgotten what He came to do for them.
He came to save them.
And He will yet save them.
5) DELIVERANCE (35b)
A HUGE WORD in verse 35 is the word “until”
“you will not see Me UNTIL the time comes when you say, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’”
The Lord has indeed handed them over to desolation.
The Lord has indeed broken them off.
BUT HE HAS DONE SO TEMPORARILY.
He currently waits until they finally repent
And cry out for this Savior they have for 2,000 years rejected.
He currently waits for them to genuinely say, “BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!”
Peter preached it clearly in Jerusalem.
Acts 3:18-21 “But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.”
That verse gets often quoted in evangelistic efforts,
But the application of that verse is for Israel.
• When they repent and they return and they “look on Him whom they have pierced” as Zechariah says.
• Then their sins will be wiped away and times of refreshing will come (millennial reign) because Jesus will return.
HE ISN’T FINISHED WITH THEM.
He has never decided not to save them.
He is still a Savior.
Romans 11:25-29 “For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery — so that you will not be wise in your own estimation — that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.” “THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.” From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
I find it to be the most merciful promise in the Bible.
• That God has not forsaken His people.
• That God will not let them go.
• That still He is intent on saving them.
And the point we take from this is a clear one.
We can talk about election and God choosing to save some,
• But if that causes you to think then that He is gladly choosing to destroy others
then you do not know the heart of God.
We can talk about salvation being narrow or hard or impossible or how only a few are being saved
• But if that causes you to think that Jesus is somehow trying to keep people out,
then you do not know the heart of Jesus.
• Whenever you see lost people…
• Whenever you see people rejecting Christ…
• One that last day when men are consigned to eternal hell…
It won’t be God’s fault that they are there.
God’s heart is clearly seen.
Jesus’ heart is clearly seen.
• He finished His work despite being hated and threatened and ultimately condemned.
• And He has maintained His purpose despite the stubborn rejection He has continually endured from those He came to save.
• And on the day that they finally turn from their sin, there He will be with open arms, and quickly He will come to deliver them from their enemy.
This is the Savior. This is our Savior.
He does not rejoice in the destruction of the wicked, He weeps over it.
He does not rejoice in everlasting torment, He came to save men from it.
AND FRIEND THAT IS TRUE FOR YOU.
• God desires to save.
• God is willing to save.
• Christ came to save.
NOW NO,
• He’s not going to widen the gate in order to save.
• He’s not going to abolish righteousness in order to save.
• He still requires repentance, He still requires humility, He still requires
righteousness.
But at the same time,
All that He has required He has provided it through His Son.
And His call to you is in fact a universal call to all men.
• Come, be saved!
• Deny yourself and be saved!
• Turn from your sin and be saved!
• Reject your own religious works and efforts and be saved!
• Enter through the narrow gate and be saved!
• Walk the narrow way and be saved!
That is why He came, and it is a valid offer to you.
Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
