Jesus’ Compassion for Sinners (Luke 13:31-34)

We see Jesus’ compassion for sinners when He said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Luke 13:34). The Jews murdered the prophets, apostles, and Jesus, yet Jesus still wanted to gather them under his wings to love and protect them. Table of ContentsFamily Worship Guide for Jesus' Compassion for SinnersSermon Notes for Jesus' Compassion for SinnersLesson One: God has a course for our lives.Lesson Two: The Jews murdered the prophets, apostles, and Jesus.Lesson Three: The Jews’ sins reveal Jesus’ compassion for sinners. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPXbmx4nbxU We see Jesus Christ’s compassion for sinners when He wanted to, “gather the Jews as a hen gathers her brood under her wings” (Luke 13:34). Family Worship Guide for Jesus' Compassion for Sinners Directions: Read the verses and then answer the questions: Day 1: Luke 13:1-34, Romans 11:22—What does it mean that Jesus prevents us from viewing him one dimensionally? What are the different “dimensions” of Jesus we see just in Luke 13? In other words, what characteristics of Christ can we see in this chapter as we come to the end of it? Day 2: Luke 13:31-32, Acts 2:23, 3:13, Psalm 37:23, Proverbs 16:9, 20:24, Jeremiah 10:23, Ephesians 2:10—why do you think Herod wanted to kill Jesus? Why wasn’t Jesus afraid of Herod? How can we reconcile our free moral agency with the verses about God directing our steps? Describe some ways you have seen the Lord orchestrate the course of your life. Day 3: Luke 11:47-50, 13:33, 20:9-16, 22:22-23, 23:20-21, Matthew 22:2-7, Acts 7:52Luke 13:34, Romans 5:20—Why do you think the Jews murdered the prophets, apostles, and Christ? Why do you think Jesus was still so compassionate toward the Jews? How does the Jews’ wickedness serve as the “black velvet background”? What are some other examples in Scripture of God’s compassion for sinners? Sermon Notes for Jesus' Compassion for Sinners The title this morning’s sermon is, “Jesus’ Compassion for Sinners.” On Sunday mornings we’re working our way through Luke’s gospel verse by verse and we find ourselves at chapter 13, verses 31-35. Please stand with me for the reading of God’s Word. Luke 13: 31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32 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. 33 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.’ 34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35 Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’” Let’s pray. Along with looking at commentaries on the verses that I will be preaching on, I might also try to listen to a sermon or two. Any guesses how many sermons John MacArthur had on these five verses? Six! That’s more than one sermon per verse! I will be able to cover these verses in two sermons, but I will tell you it was not easy. There is so much about the compassionate heart of Christ toward sinners that I think I would be shortchanging you to try to pack it into one sermon. And apparently John MacArthur thought he would be shortchanging his congregation if he tried to pack it into five sermons. I think we generally view people one dimensionally. For example, we say: He’s friendly or he’s hard to get to know She’s introverted or she’s extroverted He’s funny or he’s serious Jesus made it near impossible to view him one dimensionally. Right when it seems like we are starting to pin him down, we encounter verses that make him look completely different. For example, how did Jesus look in the previous verses we looked at last week about shutting the door in people’s faces and sending them to hell for eternity where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth? He looked very severe! Then we reach this morning’s verses and Jesus compared himself to – of all things – a hen that would like to gather her chicks under her wings. And how does this make Jesus look? Very compassionate! It reminds me of Romans 11:22 which says to consider the kindness and the severity of God. We definitely get to see both as we move through the Gospels. With this in mind, let’s get into this morning’s verses. Jesus was busy with His ministry when He was warned of a death threat against Him… Luke 13:31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” This shows that not all Pharisees opposed Jesus. There were a few sympathetic ones like Nicodemus, and these ones who wanted to protect Him from Herod. There are lots of Herods in the Gospels. This is Herod Antipas the king of Judea, who killed Jesus’s cousin, John the Baptist, and would eventually play a part in Jesus’s death. So, Jesus knew that Herod was capable of murder. Let’s see how he responds… Luke 13:32 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. Not the response you’d expect from someone who’s afraid of dying. That’s because Jesus was going to continue his mission, and he knew nobody could stop him, not even Herod. And apparently Jesus wanted Herod to know that. He could have simply disregarded the Pharisees’ counsel and quietly continued on his way, but he wanted Herod to know that he wasn’t afraid of him and he couldn’t stop him, so he told the messengers to go back and deliver that message to him. When Jesus says he will finish his course on the third day, he doesn’t mean he only has three days journey left. Instead, he’s talking about his resurrection from the dead on the third day. It is as though Jesus said… “I am going to continue doing what I’m doing until the third day when I’m resurrected and that’s when my journey is complete. Nobody is going to stop me from going to the cross, dying, being buried, and resurrected.” Jesus was not afraid of any danger, because He followed a divine timeline and nothing could harm him until he reached the cross. Not even Herod Antipas, one of the most powerful men in the world, posed any threat to Jesus. Let me ask you a question that should be very easy… Who crucified Christ? Jews? Romans? Us because of our sins? Isaiah 53:10 It pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, This verse goes to great lengths to make sure we see who was in charge. The Father is shown to be completely responsible for what happened to His Son: The Lord bruised Him He put Him to grief He made His soul an offering for sin The verse says the exact opposite of what we’d expect. We’d expect it to say: It GRIEVED the Lord to bruise Him It PAINED the Lord to bruise Him It BROKE the Father’s heart to bruise His Son So how could it please Him? It pleased God because it accomplished our redemption If the Father punished His Son, He wouldn’t have to punish us. If the Father punished His Son, we could become the Father’s sons and daughters. Our sins made us God’s enemies: Romans 5:10 We were enemies of God Colossians 1:21 You, who once were alienated and enemies…by wicked works. Ephesians 2:3 [We] were by nature children of wrath The only way Jesus could save us, is: He had to become God’s enemy. He had to become the object of God’s wrath. God had to treat His Son like His enemy, so He could treat us as His sons and daughters. So not only did men like Herod not pose any threat to Jesus. They helped fulfill God’s will. Acts 4:27 is an interesting verse describing everyone involved with Jesus’ crucifixion… “Truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together. You’ve got Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles and the Jews gathered together to see Christ crucified. But then it says something wonderful… [They] were gathered together 28 to do whatever YOUR HAND AND YOUR PURPOSE determined before to be done. No matter how things looked, it all unfolded according to God’s plan: Luke 22:22 Truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined. Acts 2:23 [Jesus was] delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God. Revelation  13:8 even calls Jesus the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. This is what’s known as Prophetic Perfect. The idea is when God has determined something, it is so certain it’s as if it’s already happened. From before time began God set in motion a plan to see His Son take the punishment we deserve, and it was so certain it could be spoken of as though it had already happened. So Jesus knew He wouldn’t die until His Father sacrificed Him. He knew He was on a course set by His Father. And the same can be said of us…and this brings us to lesson one… Lesson One: God has a course for our lives. Just as the Father had a plan for Christ, He has a plan for us. Consider these verses so you recognize just how much of a theme this is in Scripture: Psalm 37:23 THE STEPS OF A MAN ARE ESTABLISHED BY THE LORD, when he delights in his way. Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but THE LORD ESTABLISHES HIS STEPS. Proverbs 20:24 A MAN’S STEPS ARE FROM THE LORD; how then can man understand his way?