Luke 13:31-35
31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to Jesus, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32 He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me,[c] ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. 33 Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ 34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35 See, your house is left to you.[d] And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when[e] you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”
Prayer
God of our ancestors, it is hard for me to imagine our “stained glass Lord” Jesus grumbling, but He did. As He thought about the hard-hearted behavior of the religious leaders in the holy city of Jerusalem, He grumbled. Help me to see through my often over-critical and harsh approach to faith, and to envision Christ himself gathering me and others as Your own children, called and cared for chicks in the brood. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
~ Steve Negley