[Propertalk] Gospel sermon tips - Luke 13:31-5 Part 3

[Joe Parrish]

 Sometime ago there was a TV show where they interviewed a doctor who was treating people with AIDS. To paraphrase one of his comments: There are other doctors in this town who give lectures to dying AIDS victims rather than helping them. "You are just getting what you deserved," is what some doctors have said. Who is in more need of a sign of love and care than a person who has been informed that they are going to die within a short time? The TV program showed the helpful doctor hugging a person with AIDS.

A related image: The image we are given is of 
God/Jesus as a hen gathering a whole bunch of chickens under her wings. What might that imply about our relationship with those other chickens? It requires a physical closeness to be packed together under those wings. It implies a learning to get along with one another if we wish to stay packed together under those wings. How do we balance our own comfort level of space with this image of physically gathered together under God's loving wings? being packed together in a pew? rubbing shoulders with others on the way out of church? sharing the peace by touching others with a handshake -- or an embrace (when appropriate) -- or even a kiss between spouses?

http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/luke13x31.htm

Brian P. Stoffregen 
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All told, Luke mentions Jerusalem 90 times in his Gospel, while all the other New Testament writers combined mention it only 49 times. It is hard to avoid the conclusion that Luke loves the place -- so rich in history and symbol, so dense with expectation and fear. Jerusalem is the dwelling place of God, the place where God's glory shall be revealed (Isa. 24:23). 

http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=638

Barbara Brown Taylor, 1998
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In 14:1-4, Jesus eats at the table of a Pharisee; and although a controversy arises and Jesus criticizes some lawyers and Pharisees who are present, he does not criticize the host himself. In Acts, moreover, we find Pharisees playing positive roles. In Acts 22:3, Gamaliel persuades the council not to interfere with the apostles' preaching; and in 23:9-10 some Pharisees take Paul's side against the Sadducees. If we read Luke 13:31-35, along with the other passages noted in light of the "second-chance" motif of Luke-Acts (Paul is preaching to non-Christian Jews right up to the end of Acts), we can interpret the instances of positive portrayal of the Pharisees as another aspect of the theme of inclusiveness that pervades the narrative. Even those who bitterly rejected Jesus are potentially included in the circle of his followers. [Russell Pregeant]

Thus, although nothing prior to 13:31-35 prepares the reader for a positive view of the Pharisees, this passage may serve as preparation for the hints at their possible inclusion that emerge in Acts.

http://www.goodpreacher.com/shareit/readreviews.php?cat=28

James C. Howell 
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Jerusalem will not see Jesus properly until they recognize him as the one sent from God.  Tannehill argues that Jesus is speaking for God in verses 35.  Jerusalem's divine protection will depart--their house is left to them--and that protection will not return until Jerusalem blesses the true Messiah.

This is a flicker of good news.  The possibility is left open that such recognition may yet occur.  Jerusalem is being given clear warning, yet the invitation is still open.  Yet, while Jesus clearly "desires" that Jerusalem change its ways, he does not expect it to do so, and indeed, it did not.
http://www.progressiveinvolvement.com/progressive_involvement/2010/02/lectionary-blogging-luke-13-3135.html

John Petty, 2010
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A thought experiment: read through the gospel text substituting the name of your town for "Jerusalem" wherever it appears. (You could try "Washington" too, but the US government feels so distant from most of us that it might not have the desired effect.) Does anything about that reading ring true? 
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This is one time when we are not hearing the story correctly if we hear in it only someone else's problem.

http://maryhinkle.typepad.com/pilgrim_preaching/2004/03/wide_open_are_y.html

Mary Hinkle Shore
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