The City at the Center

Sermon 62 in Series

Luke 13:31-35

[31] At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” [32] 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 finish my course. [33] Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ [34] O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! [35] Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.  Why does Jesus have no need to flee Herod? How does this point us to God’s indestructible plan and the need to trust him?
2.  How does Christ’s finished work fuel the Christian life? How do we sometimes lose sight of it?
3.  Why is Jesus heading towards Jerusalem? What is the historical significance of that city?
4.  What is Jerusalem’s sin and consequence? What does the image of the hen with its chicks tell us about the Lord?
5.  How does this passage warn us not to spurn God’s Word and working in our lives? What does that look like in practice?
6.  How does Jesus end on a note of hope for Israel? Why should this humble Gentile believers and reassure us of God’s grace in our lives?

References: Jeremiah 32:26-44 (corporate reading); 2 Peter 1:3; Matthew 14:1-2; Acts 10:38; 1 Corinthians 15:1-2; Luke 9:30-31, 51; 13:22; Deuteronomy 18:15; Acts 7:41; Leviticus 26:14, 18, 21, 27; Psalm 17:8; Matthew 23:38; Luke 19:43-44; 21:24; Psalm 118:26; Romans 11:25-27; Luke 2:38.