HOST: Ron House
SPONSOR: Start2Finish
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 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 finish my course. Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’
These Pharisees come to Jesus, not as friends warning Him of danger, but as cunning foes, bringing a message from Herod, trying to coax Jesus to Jerusalem where He would be in more danger from the Jewish leaders. But Jesus would not be taken in by their trickery. He was unafraid of the Jewish leaders or of Herod and was wholly devoted to the plan and purpose for which He had come. The “days” in this passage are not to be understood literally, but rather symbolically, representing a short period of time. Jesus was to continue His work of teaching and ministry for a while longer, and then He would go to Jerusalem to fulfill the purpose for which He came to the earth. He reveals to them that He will go to Jerusalem to die, but that He would go in His own time and by His own will. Despite the fact that the Jews had a burning desire to see Jesus destroyed, this text reiterates the point that Jesus died voluntarily according to God’s will and plan. When the time was right, He would willingly lay down His life and become the sacrificial Lamb of God.
Why do you think the Jewish leaders were so determined to destroy Jesus?
Don’t forget to pray and have a great day!