2nd. Sunday of Lent 2021

Based on Luke 13: 31 – 35, this was first given at the Lynnville (IL) UMC on March 7, 2004, and again at the ‘Indian Point Church of Christ’ on March 19, 2017…

        Believe it or not, for most of the years of my childhood we only had one television, which meant, of course, that you could only watch one show at a time! I don’t know how others worked out what to watch, but at our house we all watched whatever dad watched. So it was that I became very familiar with shows like Gunsmoke, Bonanza, My Favorite Martian and Lawrence Welk. (Star Trek aired after my brother and I had gotten our own TV for our room and I could watch it there when needed.) And for many, many years one of everyone’s ‘must see’ each week was the Wonderful World of Disney.

        Every Sunday evening would find us all sitting and watching as Tinkerbelle lit fireworks in different shades of gray over the Magic Kingdom castle. (Most people still just had black-and-white sets back then… I had been married for some years before I got to see the fireworks in color on my own TV!) Soon after ‘Tink’ and the fireworks, Walt himself would come on and tell us about that week’s show. Some would be special one-hour carton segments, some would be one of his movies broken up into a series of one-hour spots, but most often would be a serial story or documentary that could often run a number of months, one hour each week. One of these that I remember well was titled ‘The Swamp Fox.’

In the opening sequence of the first show, Birth of the Swamp Fox, Walt told how in the spring of 1780 Cornwallis’ plan was to cut-off the northern colonies from the south with a line across from Charleston, then defeat each separately. Colonel Francis Marion organized a group of raiders who disrupted British supply lines and antagonized their leaders with a series of lighting-quick raids, always then disappearing back into the South Carolina swamps, earning him the nick-name, the Swamp Fox. (Do you remember the theme song? Swamp Fox, Swamp Fox, tail on his hat… Nobody knows where the Swamp Fox’s at. Swamp Fox, Swamp Fox, Hidin’ in the glen… He’ll run away to fight again!) Walt pointed out that during those years Marion was considered to be one of the greatest American heroes of the Revolutionary War, second only to General Washington. To that end, there are 17 counties and 29 cities scattered throughout the country with the name of Marion, in his honor.

        One definition of a ‘fox’ in Webster’s dictionary is “a clever, crafty person”. Another is to “trick (someone through) ingenuity or cunning… to outwit them.” Both definitions would certainly apply to Colonel Marion. However, in regards to Jesus’ use of the word “fox” in today’s verses, Barnes’ Notes tells us that, “A fox is also an emblem of slyness, of cunning, and of artful mischief.” Barnes goes on to say that, “The word is also used to denote a dissembler. Herod was a wicked man, but the “particular thing” to which Jesus here alludes is not his “vices,” but his “cunning, his artifice,” in endeavoring to remove him out of his territory. He had endeavored to do it by stratagem-by sending these people who pretended great friendship for his life.”

        Indeed, most of the commentaries that I looked at seem to agree that Herod most likely sent these men. Let me read this from The Life Application Commentary… “Jesus was hardly going to run in fear of Herod; in fact, the message he sent to him was filled with contempt, calling Herod that fox. To call someone a “fox” showed that Jesus saw Herod as without honor, without greatness befitting one who was king, filled with slyness mixed with evil. He had clearly shown that in his dealings with John the Baptist. In Jesus’ day, a “fox” was also someone who was considered insignificant. That Jesus told the Pharisees to go and tell Herod this message could point to Jesus’ understanding that they were actually in league with Herod.”

Still quoting from The Life Application Commentary, “Jesus then clearly explained that Herod would have absolutely no control of Jesus’ life and ministry… He would continue casting out demons and performing cures. Jesus also understood, however, that his earthly ministry would not go on forever. There would be an end. “The third day I finish my work” could refer to his plan for leaving Herod’s jurisdiction and moving on, or it could refer to the work of redemption that he would soon accomplish through his death.”

He then noted that in any case, He wasn’t really too worried about it for, “surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!” In 2 Chronicles 24:17-22 we read…

“After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. They abandoned the temple of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God’s anger came upon Judah and Jerusalem. Although the LORD sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen.

“Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey the LORD’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you.'”

“But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the LORD’s temple.”

 This is just one example of one of God’s prophets being put to death in Jerusalem, and there are many others… Jesus knew He would not die outside of Jerusalem. But then He says, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” Here at last is where we get to what I think is the ‘meat and potatoes’ of these particular verses.

There are several places in the Old Testament that refers to God as taking us ‘under His wing’. One that comes to mind is in the 2^nd chapter of the book of Ruth where we read, “May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”

Isn’t that a powerful, beautiful metaphor? I think all of us are familiar with how almost every type of bird protects and shelters its young in this manner… sometimes to the point of giving up their own lives so that their offspring should live. Isn’t it wonderful to know that Jesus feels that way about us? He loves us! And as time would soon tell He loved us enough that He gave His life so that we all might live!

In verse 17 of the third chapter of Philippians, Paul tells us to, “Join with others in following my example … and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.”

Jesus set the ultimate example of love, both in His living and in His dieing. Paul based his life on that example and exhorts us to take our example from him, which we are to pass on to the succeeding generations. I ask you this morning to consider this for a moment … if the next generation is learning how to love using you as an example… what exactly are they learning?

Jesus loves us with all of the protective love of a mother hen… with all of the possessive love of a shepherd for his sheep… and with all of the adoring love of a parent for their offspring. This is the love that we are receiving from Him… this is the love that we are to be emulating to others! So I ask again… if others learn of the love of Christ through you… if they see Christ through your example… what are they seeing?