First Thoughts
These were the thoughts that came to me as I pondered Luke 13:31-35. Jesus does not seem bothered by the news that Herod is after him. Don't take Jesus as naive. He is simply working from a different timetable--God's. I love the way Jesus talks about what he's doing the next few days--like he didn't even hear what the Pharisees told him. He had a plan and that's what he was following until the third day. Jesus did not give into fear that Herod was plotting Jesus' death. Following that exchange, Jesus goes into a lament for Jerusalem and how they have missed the opportunity to let God protect them and hold them. Sundays and Seasons explains the imagery in this way: "Jesus’ desire to gather God’s people together in safety, love, and protection is reflected in the feminine image of a hen gathering her chicks under her wing. This motherly, passionate desire—rather than the resistance we or others may show toward it—lies at the heart of the gospel message i...