Stroll through Scripture for March 16, 2025

Based on Luke 13:1-9, 31-35

We are deep into the Gospel of Luke now.  It feels like a TV series that you are familiar with – where you know what’s going to happen.  Everything is pointing to Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and the crucifixion.  The Narrative Lectionary gives us three sections of Scripture that are full of sadness.  In the first section, we hear about Galileans who were slaughtered by Pontius Pilate.  While there is no secular history recorded of the event, it is in line with other similar events of Pilate killing Galileans, who were under Herod’s rule (remember Pilate and Herod were sworn enemies).  

Regardless of the situation, I can hear the televangelists of the time making outrageous claims about these people – “God kills them because _____” fill in the blank with your favorite scapegoating excuse.  In this passage Jesus turns the situation around to essentially say – forget about trying to judge those people, look in the mirror and see how you need to change.  

Then Jesus tells a parable about a barren fig tree. The fig tree was symbolic of Israel.  Jesus is essentially saying Israel hasn’t produced the fruit that God intended for it.  Time is running out.  Given that the gospel was probably written anywhere from 70-90 AD, the readers and hearers of the Gospel would have a fresh memory of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in mind when they heard these sayings of Jesus.  

Finally, the last section of Scripture – which is informally labeled “the Lament over Jerusalem.”  Here we see the Pharisees warning Jesus.  This is one of the few times that we see the Pharisees trying to protect Jesus rather than test or trap him (which will come later).  Jesus doesn’t run though.  He has a message for Herod, that is really a message meant for the wider community – that his work is not quite done yet.  

Jesus’ language is clear in this – he knows that he’s going to die in Jerusalem.  This is the completion of his work.  And it’s not quite time yet.  

The part that is most striking is Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem.  The next time Jesus will enter Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44) he will weep over Jerusalem as he enters it.  His lament is not for himself, but rather for the loss they will experience.  It reminds me of someone who knows what’s going to happen and doesn’t want to be right about it.  

Questions for further reflection:

• Our society and even the church here in America is not very good at mourning or lament.  Yet we face many loses all the time.  What can we learn from Jesus’ lament in this?
• How is God calling you to grow in lament and mourning?