13:31 Pharisees warn Jesus that his life is in danger because Herod Antipas (r. 4 BC–AD 39) is threatening to put him to death. This threat is certainly not an idle one, since Antipas had executed John the Baptist (Luke 9:9). The Pharisees advise Jesus to flee for his life. The motive for their advice is not apparent, and we could interpret their words as a friendly warning. But OT antecedents point in another direction. Amaziah the priest told Amos to leave Bethel and to prophesy in Judah, telling Jeroboam that Amos was conspiring against his rule (Amos 7:10–13). Similarly, Shemaiah advised Nehemiah to hide in the temple because enemies were coming to kill him, but Nehemiah realized that such a course of action would show he was fearful and would undermine his leadership (Neh. 6:10–14). So too, here it is probable that the Pharisees as Jesus’ enemies seek to use Jesus’ fleeing from Herod as leverage to show that he lacks courage and is unworthy of esteem as God’s messenger.

13:32–33 Jesus is not deterred for even a moment by their warning. In identifying Herod as a fox, he is not complimenting him. Some think Jesus puts Herod among those who are crafty and wily. It is more likely that “fox” refers, as we see in other texts, to an animal that is insignificant and weightless (e.g., Neh. 4:3).154 Jesus does not pander to political leadership, for it is almost certain that the Pharisees will report to Herod what Jesus says about him, and the news of such words will fly around the country. Still, Jesus does not fear political authorities, because he knows his life is in the hands of God. Thus he knows that Herod will not put him to death, for he is destined to die not under Herod’s jurisdiction but in Jerusalem, which is under Pilate’s rule. Thus Jesus will continue his kingdom ministry of casting out demons and healing the sick until the course of his ministry is finished.

He will “finish” (Gk. teleioumai) his ministry on the third day, which here signifies both his death and his resurrection. An allusion to the resurrection especially seems to be present since Jesus is raised on the third day (Luke 9:22; 18:33; 24:7, 21, 46). Words in Greek that begin with tel- designate the fulfillment of God’s plans and purposes quite often in Luke (1:45; 12:50). Elsewhere Jesus, speaking of his death in Jerusalem, says that all “that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished [telesthēsetai]” (18:31). And, “I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled [telesthēnai] in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment [telos]” (22:37). Jesus does not fear Herod, then, because his confidence is in God’s plan for his life. That plan must be fulfilled, and it will be fulfilled. Thus Jesus speaks of what he “must” (dei) do “today,” “tomorrow,” and “the day following.” The following day refers again to his destination in Jerusalem. Jesus identifies himself as a prophet, predicting that he will perish in Jerusalem (cf. 9:51). The plan of God will not be frustrated but will reach its intended end in the ministry of Jesus. No political leader, no governing authority can hinder God’s purposes. Herod’s threats are inconsequential to Jesus and nothing to fear.

13:34 The repetition of “Jerusalem” conveys Jesus’ intense grief over its destiny. After all, Jerusalem is the city of God, the “city of the Great King” (Ps. 48:1), the place where the Lord resided with his people in the temple. But its history has not matched its calling, since prophets and messengers have been murdered and stoned to death in the city (cf. Luke 11:47–48, 50; 20:10–15; Acts 7:52, 58; 1 Thess. 2:15), and now Jerusalem is on the cusp of the culminating crime, the killing of the greatest Prophet, the Messiah, the King who has come from David’s line—the one they are supposedly waiting for. Jesus does not rejoice over the judgment coming on the city but is full of sadness since he loves its people. He longs to gather the city under his protection like a hen gathers its chicks under her wings. In the OT Yahweh gathers and restores his people (Pss. 106:47; 147:2; Isa. 52:12 LXX; Jer. 31:8–10; Zech. 2:10 LXX; 2 Macc. 1:27; 2:18),155 and here Jesus says he wants to gather and restore Israel, fulfilling the covenant promises made to the nation. He desires to shelter, nourish, and care for the city. Remarkably, he compares himself to Yahweh, because Israel took refuge “under [Yahweh’s] wings” (Ruth 2:12; Ps. 91:4), and now Jesus says they should take refuge under his wings. In Isaiah 31:5 the Lord hovers over Jerusalem and protects it, but here the message is reversed, for Jerusalem will be not protected but judged. But the fault is Jerusalem’s alone. Jesus has offered to protect and nourish the city, but the people are unwilling. They refuse his kind and generous offer (cf. Rom. 10:21).

13:35 Jesus’ generation repeats the sin of previous generations in Israel. Just as the temple was destroyed in 586 BC, so too will it be destroyed again (cf. 1 Kings 9:7–8; Jer. 12:7; Tob. 14:4). Jesus’ prediction about the temple is fulfilled in AD 70 when the Roman army under Titus burns down the temple. All of Israel’s expectations come crashing down, and Israel will not see its Messiah again until the final day, the day of his return. In that day Israel will confess that the one who comes in the Lord’s name is blessed, picking up the words of Psalm 118:26. It seems that this text teaches that Israel in the last generation will confess Jesus as its Messiah and King (cf. Rom. 11:26); the people fail to see who he is now, but they will grasp it in the future.156