Extreme Jesus
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. 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.’ 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!’” Luke 13:31-34
Extreme Jesus
Jesus is profoundly complex and that complexity, often hidden by well-meaning church folk, is apparent in these brief verses. In four short verses, Luke reveals “extreme Jesus.”
What do I mean by that? Look at the extremes to which Jesus goes in this simple encounter. First, Jesus argued often with Pharisees. Consequently, we tend to view Pharisees as bad guys who got it all wrong. I think Jesus argued with them because he saw how close to the truth they were. He loved them. And, evidently, they loved him for they warned him about Herod’s murderous threats.
If Jesus were simply minding the corner spiritual store as a good religious man, why would a political ruler clamor for his death? Jesus threatened the established order with God’s good news. That’s extreme.
Upon hearing Herod’s threat, does Jesus turn into the naïve religious leader so often shown in movies? No. His response is extreme. “Go tell that fox” that I’m going to do my work as long as I want to do it. Calling a political leader a fox was not a compliment. Foxes are sneaky, conniving, predatory killers.
Jesus’ ability to confront the Pharisees is done with such love that they warm him of Herod’s death threat. His message of love is painted not in pastel pigments but in bold colors that threatened the established political and social orders. Upon hearing about Herod’s death threat, Jesus stands his ground. “Go tell that fox.”
Jesus then described himself in humble and heart-felt terms. He says of Jerusalem, “How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings!” He imagines himself as a mother hen who wants to wrap her protective wings around her chicks.
The Jesus we follow is extreme. Don’t try to pen him in.
Bruce Yoder is Vice President for Philanthropy at the YMCA of Greater Richmond. He can be reached at yoderb@ymcarichmond.org and on his profile page here.
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