Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Go away, leave 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 reach My goal.’ Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.” (13:31–33)

From His birth the Prince of Peace was the target of murderers. It is, shockingly, a most remarkable reality about Christ’s life that so many wanted to kill Him. After all, Jesus was without sin or evil, perfect, absolutely righteous, holy, compassionate, generous, and benevolent. He offered what everyone desperately needs: mercy and grace in the forgiveness of sin, eternal life, freedom from judgment, deliverance from eternal punishment in hell, and everlasting joy in heaven. Further, He offered those not as things to be earned, achieved, or merited, but as a free gift to be received. Ironically, the one who called for the very best in people brought out the very worst in them.

The attempts on Jesus’ life began long before the outset of His public ministry. When He was still an infant Herod the Great, patriarch of the Herodian dynasty, ruled Judea. As an Idumean (Edomite) in league with Caesar, Herod was viewed with suspicion by the Jews. That heightened the fear that made him constantly anxious that someone would usurp his power. Herod was a sociopath whose paranoia reached a horrific climax when late in his reign magi arrived from the east declaring that the king of the Jews had been born and they were seeking him. Fearing a rival to his throne, Herod determined from the Jewish religious leaders that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2) so he could kill him. Not sure exactly which child was the threat, he irrationally and brutally ordered the slaughter of all the boys two and under in that area in a vain attempt to kill Jesus in the mass murder (Matt. 2:13–18).

At the outset of His ministry the Lord cleansed the temple of the merchants and moneychangers who were corrupting His Father’s house (John 2:13–17). Outraged, the Jewish authorities demanded to know by what authority He had so boldly acted. Knowing that already they desired to kill Him, “Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’” As verse 21 notes, “He was speaking of the temple of His body.”

Even the people of His hometown of Nazareth tried to kill Jesus the first time He spoke in their synagogue. They were outraged when He offended their spiritual pride by describing them as spiritually poor, blind, captive, and oppressed (Luke 4:18). And when He further reinforced that point by reminding them that they were like their ancestors who rejected the word of God, so that Elijah and Elisha went to minister to two humble, penitent Gentile outcasts, it was too much for their nationalistic pride and self-righteousness to bear. Infuriated, they exploded in an emotional effort to murder Him by throwing Him off a cliff (vv. 28–29).

The Jewish religious leaders—Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, scribes, chief priests, and high priests—collectively also sought to murder Jesus, because He violated and condemned their corrupt, apostate, self-righteous religion. Their hatred of Him for cleansing the temple intensified when Jesus affirmed His deity after healing a man on the Sabbath. “For this reason therefore,” the apostle John notes, “the Jews [the religious leaders] were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God” (John 5:18). Throughout Christ’s ministry they sought an opportunity to take His life (Matt. 26:3–4; Mark 3:6; Luke 19:47; John 7:1, 25; 11:53). Eventually, they succeeded in pressuring the Romans into crucifying Him (as He Himself had predicted [Matt. 16:21; 17:23; 21:33–46; Mark 10:32–34]). Following the lead of their rulers, the Jewish crowds too sought Jesus’ death (Matt. 27:20–25).

Pilate, although he pronounced Jesus innocent (Luke 23:13–14, 22), in the end also wanted Him dead. Fearing a riot (Matt. 27:24), and even more that the Jewish leaders would report him to Caesar (John 19:12), Pilate ordered Jesus to be executed (Matt. 27:26). His soldiers gleefully carried out those orders (Matt. 27:27–31).

This passage introduces yet another villainous, would-be killer of Jesus, Herod Antipas. It may be divided into three sections: the Pharisees’ warning, Herod’s threat, and Jesus’ response.

THE PHARISEES’ WARNING

Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Go away, leave here, (13:31a)

At first glance this seems puzzling. Why would the Pharisees, who hated Jesus and wanted to murder Him themselves, warn Him about Herod’s similar intent? Though they hated Herod and resented that this Roman puppet king, who was half Idumean and half Samaritan, reigned over them, would it not accomplish their intent if he killed Jesus? Since they obviously were not motivated by concern for Jesus’ safety, this warning suggests that their ultimate intent was to kill Jesus, but their immediate objective was to intimidate Him into silence—shut down His teaching.

At the time, Jesus was ministering in Perea (cf. Matt. 19:1; Mark 10:1; John 10:40–42), a region located east of the Jordan River opposite Samaria and Judea that, like Galilee, was also ruled by Herod Antipas. The Pharisees may have been trying to force Jesus to leave Perea and go to Judea, where the Sanhedrin had jurisdiction. After His strong words of warning that unbelieving Jews will be shut out of the kingdom (see the discussion of 13:23–30 in the previous chapter of this volume), they were even more determined to silence Him temporarily, and eventually permanently.

HEROD’S THREAT

for Herod wants to kill You. (13:31b)

Herod, as noted above, was Herod Antipas, a son of the long-tenured Herod the Great. After his death, Herod’s kingdom was divided among three of his sons. Archelaus received Judea, Samaria, and Idumea; Philip, Ituraea and Trachonitis (Luke 3:1), northeast of Galilee; and Antipas, Galilee and Perea. Antipas is the Herod referred to in the Gospels’ accounts of Jesus’ ministry. He ruled from his father’s death in 4 B.C. until A.D. 39. In addition to his not being Jewish, the Jews hated Antipas because he built his capital city, Tiberius (located on the west shore of the Sea of Galilee) on the site of a Jewish cemetery, thus defiling it. They were further outraged when he put idols in public places in Tiberius. While Jesus ministered extensively for one year throughout the small, compact area of Galilee, there is no record in the Gospels of Him ever visiting Tiberius.

Antipas, openly immoral, was publicly rebuked by John the Baptist for his illicit affair and marriage to his brother Philip’s wife Herodias (Mark 6:17–18). In a desperate move to silence the bold preacher, the shamed Herod imprisoned John (Luke 3:20). Herodias, not surprisingly, held a bitter grudge against John and wanted him dead (Mark 6:19). Fearing both John (v. 20) and the people, who viewed him as a prophet (Matt. 14:5), Herod refused. Eventually, however, Herodias found a way to manipulate her husband into killing John. At Antipas’s birthday celebration, her daughter (from her marriage to Herod’s brother Philip) performed a lewd dance before Herod and his guests. Captivated sensually by her performance, Herod unwisely “promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked” (Matt. 14:7). Seizing the opportunity, Herodias prompted her daughter to reply, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist” (v. 8). Too proud to break his foolish promise in front of his distinguished guests, Herod reluctantly ordered and executed John’s beheading (Matt. 14:9–10).

Although the text does not say why Herod wanted to kill Jesus, there are several possible reasons. Since he had killed His forerunner and fellow preacher John the Baptist, Herod may have feared that Jesus might take vengeance on him. His guilt stemming from his beheading of John (cf. 9:7–9; Mark 6:14–16) also might have driven Herod to dread for his own life. He was well aware of Jesus’ supernatural power (23:8; Matt. 14:1–2), and may have felt he needed to eliminate Jesus to protect himself. Further, knowing that Rome expected him to keep the peace, Herod may have been uneasy about the huge crowds that followed Jesus. If Jesus instigated a rebellion, Herod’s career and power may have been in jeopardy with Rome, so he may have decided to head off a revolt by a preemptive strike against Him. It is also possible that, like his father, Antipas may have viewed Jesus as a potential rival for his throne. The Lord’s refusal to see him (Luke 9:9; 23:8) could also have added to his uneasiness. Even when Herod eventually did meet Jesus during His mock trials He, unlike His interrogations by Annas, Caiaphas, and Pilate, refused to answer him (v. 9).

JESUS’ RESPONSE

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 reach My goal.’ Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.” (13:32–33)

The Son of God was not in the least intimidated by Herod’s threat to take His life. Disdainfully dismissing him and his threat, Jesus said to the Pharisees, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’” For Jesus to make such a derogatory statement was highly unusual; Herod is the only individual in the New Testament for whom the Lord expressed such contempt. Foxes are wily, cunning, sneaky pests, known for their destructiveness; for example, the Song of Solomon refers to “the little foxes that are ruining the vineyards” (2:15). Thus, to call someone a fox was a demeaning, contemptuous insult, the equivalent in today’s vernacular of calling someone a “varmint.” Herod was not at all a noble, powerful lion but a mere fox; far more a nuisance than a threat. Just as a fox could not kill a man, so also Herod could not kill Jesus. He was powerless to alter the divine timetable.

Some may wonder whether Jesus’ comment was a violation of the Mosaic law, which forbids speaking evil of a ruler (Ex. 22:28; Eccl. 10:20; cf. Acts 23:5). While that was normally the case, there were exceptions. God often directly rebuked Israel’s rulers through the prophets. Speaking through Isaiah God said to Israel, “Your rulers are rebels and companions of thieves; everyone loves a bribe and chases after rewards. They do not defend the orphan, nor does the widow’s plea come before them” (Isa. 1:23). In Ezekiel 22:27 God lamented that Israel’s “princes within her are like wolves tearing the prey, by shedding blood and destroying lives in order to get dishonest gain.” Hosea 7:3–7 records God’s strong rebuke of Israel’s wicked leaders:

The prophets themselves also censured Israel’s rulers. Samuel rebuked King Saul for failing to completely destroy the Amalekites (1 Sam. 15:16–19); Nathan rebuked King David for committing adultery with Bathsheba and then murdering her husband (2 Sam. 12:7–12); Elijah rebuked King Ahab for forsaking God’s commandments and worshiping idols (1 Kings 18:18) and for murdering Naboth and stealing his vineyard (1 Kings 21:17–22). Jesus, not only a prophet, but also God incarnate, had every right to rebuke a “varmint” for thinking he could come into God’s field and kill the Son of God. Jesus would die at God’s appointed time, but not at the hands of Herod.

The message the Lord sent back to Herod through the Pharisees was one of defiance: Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal. He would continue His ministry of freeing people from oppression by the forces of hell, and curing their sicknesses. The phrase today and tomorrow, and the third day is a colloquial saying expressing completion (cf. Ex. 19:10–11). Jesus would continue to do what He had been doing day in and day out for the brief time remaining until His earthly ministry was completed. His goal was to do the Father’s will (John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38) and lay down His life to complete the work of redemption (Matt. 20:28; John 6:51; 10:15, 17–18; Gal. 1:3–4; Eph. 5:2, 25; Titus 2:13–14; 1 John 3:16). Herod’s threat could not and did not change Jesus’ plans in the slightest.

Jesus then declared, Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day. Disregarding Herod’s impotent threat, He would continue moving day by day toward the goal God determined for Him and the completion of His work. Jesus would not die in Perea, for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem. It was necessary that Jesus, the final sacrifice, die in Jerusalem, the location of the temple where all the other sacrifices were made. This proverbial saying reflects the bitterly ironical truth that Jerusalem, the center of Jewish worship, was the scene of the deaths of many of the prophets. The innocent blood spilled by Manasseh (2 Kings 21:16) and Jehoiakim (24:4) included that of the prophets sent to rebuke them (Jer. 26:20–23). According to tradition, one of the prophets martyred under Manasseh’s reign was Isaiah, sawn in two inside a hollow log (cf. Heb. 11:37). Second Chronicles 24:20–22 records the murder of Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the priest:

Jesus told a parable that summarized Israel’s long history of killing God’s prophets, which would culminate in His own death:

Herod did not kill Jesus, so who was responsible for His death? Over the centuries, the Jewish people have borne the brunt of the blame. Misguided zealots have denounced them as “Christ-killers,” and used that charge to justify all sorts of evil, from persecution to hate crimes to pogroms, to mass murder. Sadly, some of that anti-Semitic activity has been carried out in the name of Jesus. But such abhorrent behavior flows from satanic motives, not from true love for Jesus Christ.

There is, however, a sense in which the Jews alive at the time of Christ were responsible for His death, as both the Old Testament and the New Testament attest. Isaiah 49:7 describes Messiah as “the despised One … the One abhorred by the nation.” Isaiah 53 predicted that the Jews at the end of history when they are saved will confess that they despised, forsook, oppressed, afflicted, and led Messiah to His death. This confession will take place when they finally look back on the one they “pierced” and mourn and are saved (Zech. 12:10; 13:1). Psalm 22:6–8 prophetically described His treatment at their hands:

As noted earlier in this chapter, the Jewish leaders sought to kill Jesus from the outset of His ministry. But the final decision to murder Him was made in a council headed by the high priest, Caiaphas:

The people shared the responsibility with their leaders for Jesus’ death. At His trial before Pilate they joined them (Luke 23:13) in screaming, “Crucify, crucify Him!” (vv. 21, 23). They further assumed their share of the blame for Christ’s death when they shouted, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” (Matt. 27:25). Peter affirmed their guilt in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost when he addressed the “men of Israel,” and reminded them that they had “nailed [Jesus] to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death” (Acts 2:22–23). Peter concluded his sermon by declaring, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified” (v. 36; cf. 3:12–15; 4:10).

But the Jewish people by no means bore the sole responsibility for Christ’s death. It was Pilate, a Gentile, in collusion with Herod, also a non-Jew, who sentenced Him to death. And the actual execution was carried out by Roman soldiers. Thus, no one group alone bears the guilt for Jesus’ death. As I wrote in The Murder of Jesus,

A collective prayer offered in one of the earliest assemblies of believers ties together all the guilty parties: “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel” (Acts 4:27).

But their involvement was merely the instrumental means of Christ’s death; the efficient cause was God Himself. The prayer just cited goes on to say, “to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur” (v. 28). Both the Old and New Testaments teach that Christ’s death was ordained by God. Isaiah 53:10 says that “the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief.” Peter said of Jesus that “this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death” (Acts 2:23).

It is a great, providential irony that had the men involved in Christ’s death understood the wisdom of God, “they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:8). They bear eternal guilt for their part in Christ’s death. But God demonstrated His absolute sovereignty by overruling their evil deed for His own purpose: