Key Text: Luke 13: 31 – 35
Additional Texts: Luke 13: 1 – 30; Zechariah 9: 9; Song of Solomon 2: 15; Matthew 16: 21; Hosea 11: 10; Revelation 5: 5-6; John 1: 29; Mark 6: 14 – 29; Matthew 7: 5 – 7
Summer is here in full force! I hope you’ve been enjoying it! The month of June is slipping away and a half of the year is gone! For anyone who I’ve spoken to recently about your writing journey that God has called you to, keep working at it, and do as much as you can when there is time. This entry was written over the Easter break as I knew June had other massive projects that would demand my time. Pace yourself too – it’s all about balance. I moved to fortnightly entries for the same reason. Don’t overwhelm yourself but more importantly, don’t dim the light of your gift and quench the Spirit, even if you are not (yet) in an environment that supports it. God will take you to where He has planned for you! Thank God for using His gift on loan to me to activate yours out of dormancy. He will use whoever or whatever He chooses to – any of us He created, void of man’s approval! Rest assured that His plans for your life and promises spoken over you take precedence over any words spoken against you. If God calls you to minister for His Church/Kingdom (it’s His Church!), you are likely to feel incompetent and anxious. Instead of allowing those feelings to deter you, depend on God. If He has called you be obedient, seek Him continually and the rest will follow; none of the individuals in the Bible who He truly called ever had to fight against others for His will to be done. As I mentioned in the last entry, God will not fight God’s work! Anxiety will subside with prayer but never stop depending on Him. Keep working at it. He is with you.
There are several Scriptures attached to this entry. As always, it is helpful to read them first, but also possible to understand the messages if you are unable to do so immediately.
This series is an exploration of a few of the many ways in which Jesus shows and tells His disciples (followers) how to live, approach conflict, manage our God-given gifts and prioritise the Kingdom. We have considered that He is gentle and kind, and humbled Himself to provide us with a path to salvation (the sacrificial lamb), but when He lived on earth there were also instances when He was rather candid in challenging His opponents or anyone with a distorted viewpoint on serving God (the lion). He is both a metaphorical lamb and a lion!
In the key text, Jesus had been teaching His disciples/followers pertinent truths about the Kingdom. He had challenged them to consider repentance, the irrelevance and hypocrisy in mere ceremonial activities (done with no true concern for God) , His value and care for the suffering through healing, specifications of the Kingdom He came to establish, and the importance of living righteously. It is no surprise that after such meaty sermons, the Pharisees, ultimately inspired by hate, envy and legalism and known to oppose Him, approached Him with a distraction.
As if suddenly concerned for His wellbeing, they vehemently cautioned Him to leave because Herod Antipas wanted to kill Him. Herod Antipas was previously internally disturbed whenever John the Baptist spoke to him (Mark 6: 20), but he allowed social and family pressures to lead to poor choices such as ultimately executing him (which also troubled him). In Mark 6, Herod, on hearing about Jesus and the varied reactions to Him (including the erroneous beliefs that He was a reincarnated John or Elijah), was equally troubled about Him and feared that John the Baptist had returned. (Sometimes as followers of Jesus our mere presence and values will disturb the insecure!). For this, and reasons such as his weaknesses as a leader, the Pharisees’ claim that he may have wanted to kill Jesus may have been plausible. Herod had previously revealed his selfish and murderous leadership, and even (later) played a role in Jesus’ execution (Luke 23: 5 – 12). If he was fearful of losing favour with his wife and others, he may likewise have feared Jesus’ growing popularity; ironically, underlying insecurity will cause people who should know better to panic at the sight of someone else’s God-given success, which glorifies Him. Yet, in the key text, Jesus does not waste time debating the reason for the Pharisees’ ‘warning’ about Herod.
Instead of having a heart attack (panicking), or falling into a swoon because He was opposed (that was their ultimate motivation), Jesus, fixed on His purpose, also gave them a caution – in summary, His retort was also a blunt caution: Go tell that fox I will continue to minister to people and head to Jerusalem to accomplish my purpose (to die and arise after three days). He alluded to His continued progression to the cross in Jerusalem, as prophesied about the Messiah (Zechariah 9: 9). Not only did He reply, but He labelled Herod a ‘fox’! Foxes are often used as symbolism to depict craftiness, deception and destructiveness. Additionally, Jews considered foxes to be unclean. Regardless, Jesus’ use of the metaphor indicated His message – His purpose will continue regardless of opposition, whether it was from Herod or others.
Though Herod was a prominent leader, and though Jesus knew that the Pharisees weren’t actually delivering a message from him, His blunt reply was the same – Go tell that fox (whoever was at the root of their distraction – them or Herod), that He would not be deterred from His ministry and purpose! The Pharisees wanted Him to think He should change His plans and not head to Jerusalem. That’s no wonder, as the enemy inspired many to seek to hinder Him from going to the cross. The enemy wanted Him to be cowardly and lose focus – if He did, people would have ceased witnessing His glory through miracles and believing His identity. Almost every step of the way to Calvary, the enemy tried (and grossly failed!) to prevent Jesus from going to the cross through opposition from those who envied His authority and ability to minister to the people He created. To reiterate, God does not oppose His people or His work through them. Of course, it would prefer mankind to lose what it once had – a relationship with God and hope!
Jesus’ curt reply was not rude, even if the Pharisees took His reply back to Herod – He has all authority! The Pharisees seemed to be typical gossips too – (you’ve probably encountered the type) – masterful and intent on misinterpreting, twisting someone’s words (typically to build their self esteem and bond with like-minded folks), and sowing discord when they realise the destiny of those they oppose is ultimately in the sovereign hands of God. Regardless of what is said, they are so heavily invested in discrediting God’s deposit in someone who they simply have no means of hindering from fulfilling their purpose, that they will collaborate to seek to malign or discourage them. Typicality. I love Jesus – He knew their character and expected them to be typical! Perhaps we should be equally discerning.
In the key text, He showed us how to respond to hate, opposition and fear-based rivalry. I’ll use the reliable Oxford dictionary’s definition of rivalry for clarity; it is ‘competition for the same objective or for superiority in the same field’. Malicious actions to try to control people’s responses to you. A strange point to prove. Sneaky actions when it is perceived that God isn’t looking. Spears. Embarking on performance based projects to try to outdo others in gifts that they had no choice about, or in my case, even begged God to defer! Resentment on realising that God doesn’t choose according to the world’s standards. Anger that God could use you. Frustration because no plots have stopped God’s plans for you. Confusion that God overstepped the norms and revealed His ability to do exceedingly above what we think, using whoever He chooses. How could He! A complete missing of the mark! Sigh. A rival is indeed a competitor! Esther had them. So did Joseph. David. Moses. Jesus.
Jesus in His wisdom firstly teaches us how to handle strange rivalry by showing us what focus requires. Read the entry about Flint-faced Jesus – He had His one goal and itinerary on His mind at all times – to establish and teach about His Kingdom (not the one they expected), die to save mankind, and rise from death to cement His believers’ hope. Everything else was dismissed! Jesus’ statement reminds us of our need to focus too, and to be discerning to detect insincerity. He knew immediately that their ‘concerns’ were not legitimate. For His critics who sought every opportunity to trap Him and twist what He said and did (ironically for the glory of God!), He was candid. Jesus was not overly critical – His attention was sought and He responded with authority and dismissed them.
The Pharisees reappeared several times during Jesus’ ministry in their bid to trap Him (Matthew 12: 14), and felt quite justified and supported in doing so as they were a part of the religious establishment. It is interesting and ironic that sometimes those who oppose us are not critiqued or rebuked (by those in who should be discerning), yet if we respond to their opposition, we are somehow in the firing line! If you are faced with many critics and experience hate like Jesus, rejoice, knowing you must close to your destiny and growing in semblance to Him to attract such attitudes. You must be carrying potential to do work for God’s Kingdom that threatens the enemy. Life is filled with paradoxes. Since the beginning of my writing journey (publishing), God has been preparing me for the inevitable – in every attempt to do what He commands, there will be those who receive the gift and are blessed, but also those who don’t care (they are entitled to being
indifferent!), those who are offended at God’s choice, and sadly, those who are on assignment to kill, steal and destroy. Their sole agenda is to oppose. I shared this truth when I launched my (debut) book in 2022, already realising that everyone who I expected to, will not necessarily celebrate what God is using me to do, and that’s perfectly normal. Handling direct opposition (from unexpected sources) requires another level of strength but God knew this in advance, and orchestrated circumstances that eventually this season of trials became a guide and an expert teacher instead of a hindrance! Praise God! As Joseph declared in Genesis 50, what the enemy intended for evil, God has used for good!
Whether we respond verbally or simply ignore opponents similar to the Pharisees in the text, if we are called to do any form of ministry, it is pertinent that we do what Jesus did when the inevitable opposition appears – fix our eyes on our purpose. How excellent it would be for the Church at large (internationally), if religious leaders and teachers of the gospel all took that approach – Jesus dismissed them and continued to represent His heavenly Father and Kingdom well. His teaching on that day and on subsequent ones was not misappropriated, but was rather, as it was before, the truth about Him and His purpose. Imagine how fulfilling and encouraging it would be if all those around the world gifted with the serious responsibility of accountability for God’s followers did the same. How refreshing it would be if every time we cease other activities to listen for a Word from God, we were always guaranteed to hear from messengers (like Jesus) whose sole goal is to fulfil their (God-given) purpose of sharing the gospel with those who are open to it, or encouraging those who are already on the journey of a relationship with God! Jesus always knew the foxes’ thoughts (Matthew 12: 25) and knew that God had already triumphed as Creator, Deliverer and Saviour: He had nothing to prove but His love for us (Colossians 1; John 16: 33). Admirable. Sovereign.
In teaching us to focus on our purpose and trust Him to handle those who oppose our calling, the brevity of Jesus’ frank response also reminds us that our breath, energy and time are valuable, and should not be wasted on futile arguments. He knew who would reject Him and who would receive Him. He could have continued in a long debate with them for another ten chapters (He is the omnipotent and omniscient God), but He did not invest time in them. We are encouraged in Jesus’ brief response, that our metaphorical pearls (of revelations of Him, faith, peace, eternal hope and God-ordained callings) are not to be thrown to swine (metaphorically – anything or anyone intent on only devouring us or failing to appreciate who we are called to be). Though it’s challenging, let’s aspire to be like Jesus, refusing to invest energy in that which profits nothing – those intent on opposing us and believing what they choose will still do so even after we have ‘won’ the battles they initiate. As difficult as it is to resist the urge to challenge them (a true learning process for me!), leave the situation to God. Pray that they will get to know Him deeply – only He can change their hearts from knowing of Him to knowing Him.
It is always astounding to see that all Jesus did was good and for the good of the people He came to save, yet He was constantly disturbed and opposed. ‘Leave town Jesus! Pharoah is gonna get you!’ If He was fearful, I’m sure Jesus would have quelled His ministry in fear. His response was quite the contrary! Knowing that He was in the Father’s Will and being the embodiment of God Himself, He was bold! What does that teach us? Don’t be afraid. Do not fear. Fear not the opposition. If you are confident that God is for you, be confident too that He is indeed more than the world against you (Psalm 18:2; Romans 8: 31 – 39). Your identity and confidence are in Him (Philippians 3).
Are there some ‘foxes’ that have distracted you from your calling? Tell those ‘foxes’ (verbally or in your actions), that you will continue to do what God has called you to do. Don’t entertain them. Keep moving forward. This applies whether the ‘foxes’ arise from religious circles like it did for Jesus, in your secular encounters, or in your thoughts, relationships or anywhere your calling takes you. Let those ‘foxes’ know that God will give you grace you to finish what He called you to do when He chose you. Jesus’ confidence and dismissive approach to the Pharisees teaches us that a calling from God cannot be manipulated, defeated by opposition, or silenced by tricks, hypocrisy or schemes. After the short exchange, Jesus grieved about Jerusalem – the place where He was destined to die and rise. He also grieved about His own people’s rejection of the very truth they needed to save them, as they did with His forerunners. He did not lose sight of His purpose, and immediately focused on the people He loved after the short exhange, realising that the distraction was intended to keep Him from His destiny. That level of focus is admittedly difficult for us, but not impossible. There are other instances in Scripture where Jesus did not even dignify His critics with a response (Matthew 27: 11 – 14 for example). I pray we will all grow in this area, and resist the urge to waste time on the enemy’s employees. Tell those ‘foxes’ that your calling remains, through your actions and if necessary, your words. Dismiss them. Pray for their souls if the ‘foxes’ are people. God’s purpose for you will prevail.
Heartfelt Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for sending to show us how to live for You in our world which is often hostile towards us. Dismissing the opponents and critics is often a challenge. Help me to focus on You – not those in opposition to Your work in me. Likewise, help me to discern ‘foxes’ and dismiss them, (without dismissing the responsibility to pray for them), with a quick return to purpose as You demonstrated through Your Son. I ask these mercies in Your Son’s – Jesus’ name. Amen.
