Luke 13:18-35: “Kingdom Parables / The Narrow Door / Jesus
Warned Herod Wants To Kill Him”
By
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
In our last study, we looked
at the first 17 verses of chapter 13.
1.1.1. We saw that Jesus took an opportunity to discuss why bad things happen
to some people as well as the importance of every person repenting and getting
their life right with the Lord.
1.1.2. Jesus spoke about the unfruitful fig tree.
1.1.3. Jesus healed a woman on the Sabbath which caused much controversy when
the synagogue leader was angry because he believed Jesus broke the Sabbath Law
by healing. Jesus rebuked this leader
and the Jews in general for their callous attitudes and for hypocrisy.
1.2.
In this story, we will look
at verses 18-35 of chapter 13.
1.2.1. In this passage we will see that Jesus teaches His disciples two of
what are referred to as “kingdom parables.”
1.2.2. Then, when asked if many or few will be saved Jesus will teach that in
order to enter into God’s kingdom that one must enter through the narrow door.
1.2.3. Finally, Jesus will be warned that Herod is out to kill Him, but Jesus
will reply by affirming that He will not be dissuaded from His mission. Then, Jesus will pronounce a lament over
2. VS 13:18-19 - “18 So He was saying, “What is the
2.1.
As was often His teaching
style, Jesus begins this teaching by asking a question, stimulating the
thoughts of His disciples. Jesus asks
what the
2.2.
The ‘
2.3.
The setting for this
teaching could possibly still be the synagogue where Jesus had just
taught. We saw in our last study that
this was the very last time in the gospels where it is written that Jesus
taught in a synagogue.
2.4.
We have seen already that
ever since heading with His disciples towards Jerusalem, and knowing that this would
be His last Passover Feast with His disciples before He is crucified for the
sins of the world, Jesus has been attempting to teach His disciples as much as
He can in order to prepare them for that time when He has been raised up from
the dead and the church has been inaugurated.
2.5.
Who that you believe that
Jesus is primarily addressing in this parable can affect what it is that you
believe that Jesus is teaching through these kingdom parables. Is Jesus trying to teach His disciples more
truths to further prepare them? Or, is
Jesus speaking to those who are lost and trying to encourage them of the fact
that His kingdom is going to grow? I
believe that it is more natural to consider that Jesus is continuing to
instruct His disciples here.
2.6.
Jesus’ parables have been
described as the most difficult portions of the Bible to interpret. Of Jesus’ parables, I would say that there
are none more difficult to understand than His kingdom parables.
2.7.
From Matthew chapter 13, we
see that Jesus actually taught a total of six kingdom parables. Luke only includes two of these parables, and
Luke’s parables are a bit more abbreviated.
2.8.
The interesting thing about
these kingdom parables in the gospels is that there is given nowhere an
interpretation of them. Therefore, the
reader must do his best to attempt to interpret them with the Lord’s help and
in light of the rest of scripture.
2.9.
I believe that the kingdom
parables are one portion of scripture that has been more misunderstood than
perhaps any other in the scripture. I
believe also that many otherwise good Bible commentators miss the point in
interpreting these parables.
2.10.
The major key to
interpreting Jesus’ parables has to do with interpreting the symbols in the
parable in the light of scripture. What
is central in doing this is comparing scripture to scripture for consistency
and looking for consistency of symbols.
“Expositional Constancy” is the term that theologians have used
to express the fact that there should be consistency between scriptures. This is expected if we believe that God does
not contradict Himself. If something is
a symbol of good in one scripture we would expect it to be a symbol of good
everywhere. Likewise, if something is a
symbol of evil in one scripture we would expect it to be a symbol of evil
everywhere. Etc., etc. We will see this concept come into play when
we consider the symbol of the ‘birds’ in this parable and the “leaven”
in the next kingdom parable.
2.11.
Note here in this parable
that Jesus’ compares the kingdom of God with a ‘mustard seed.’ We know from another parable of Jesus’ that
the mustard seed is the smallest of the seeds and that if a person has the
faith as of a ‘mustard seed’ that he can say to a mountain to be removed
into the sea and it will be removed.
This ‘mustard seed’ however is a very unusual one because it
grows up into a ‘tree.’ Now, many
read this parable and conclude that it symbolizes that the kingdom of God will
initially be a very small movement (right now it consists of an inner core of
12 and an outer core of 70) but that it will grow up into large tree,
indicating that the kingdom of God is going to spread all over the world and
have dominance, so much so that ‘birds’ rest in its branches. However, this is odd because “mustard
is a shrub not a tree.” In other
words, I believe that the growth of this small seed into a large tree
symbolizes that the church will grow up but eventually it will become something
that it was not intended to be.
2.12.
Now, lets consider the
symbol of ‘birds’ that is used.
They will rest in the branches of the tree. Many think that the ‘birds’ symbolize
simply the peace that will extend over the earth when Christ’s kingdom
eventually grows up into dominance on the earth. However, ‘birds’ are a metaphor for
evil by Jesus in His parables. In fact,
from Matthew 13 and Matthew’s account of this parable, prior to teaching this
parable Jesus had just taught the Parable of The Sower, and in that parable the
‘birds’ that eat the seed that the sower spread by the wayside symbolize
“demons.” It would be highly
unlikely that Jesus would immediately begin to speak of ‘birds’ in His
very next teaching as being a good thing.
Rather, it must be that the birds symbolize the fact that as the kingdom
of God grows that spurious unbelievers will come into the church, many in high
places in government, and that they will compromise the work and testimony of
the church greatly. I believe that in
many ways this describes the history of the church. Many have gone out in Christ’s Name and done
things not at all representative of the Lord’s will.
2.12.1.
In 2 Peter 2:1-3, Peter
tells us that there will always be false brethren who will come in amongst
God’s people in the church, “2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people,
just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly
introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them,
bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 And many will follow their
sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3 and in
their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long
ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep”
2.12.2.
This has been the history of
the church since Christ’s resurrection.
Gnosticism crept into the church in the first generation after
Christ. This was followed by other
aberrations. In the third century when
Constantine made Christianity the world religion following three hundred years
of intense persecution of the church, many came into the church of pagan origin
and many pagan practices were incorporated into the church and given Christian
names and symbols. Many have even done
horrible atrocities in the Name of the Lord.
3. VS 13:20-21 - “20 And again He said, “To what shall
I compare the kingdom of God? 21 “It is like leaven, which a woman
took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.”” – Kingdom Parable #2- Jesus teaches that the kingdom of God is like
leaven which a woman hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened
3.1.
Jesus again compares the
kingdom of God to something here, leaven in a bowl of flour. This parable then is supposed to describe
another characteristic of Christ’s kingdom that He was ushering in, and which
we experience in the church today.
3.2.
Again, many read this
parable and believe that it teaches a wonderful principle. They believe that it shows that the church is
going to grow and grow until finally it permeates the whole world and all are
Christianized. This view is also driven
to some extent by what some believe will happen eschatologically. Those in the Postmillennial Camp of theology,
for instance, believe that Christ is going to come when everyone on earth has become
a Christian. However, as wonderful of a
thought as this may be this view has some problems:
3.2.1. ‘Leaven’ is consistently used throughout the scripture in a
negative context, referring to something that is sinful, morally corrupt, false
teaching, and hypocrisy, for instance:
3.2.1.1. Each year in celebration of
the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Israelites were to have no leaven in their
houses for seven days in Ex. 23:18; 34:25 which
reminded them of their exodus out of Egypt and of the importance of always
making sure that their life was free from any sin and impurity.
3.2.1.2. In Matt. 16:12, Jesus explains to the disciples that what He was
referring to when He told them to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees” is to
beware of “their teaching.”
3.2.1.3. In Mark 8:15 Jesus told His disciples to beware of the leaven of the
Pharisees.
3.2.1.4. In Luke 12:1 Jesus told them to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees”
which was hypocrisy.
3.2.1.5. In 1 Cor. 5:6–8, Paul spoke
of leaven as a type of sin telling the church to purify itself because a little
leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.
3.2.2. Why is this ‘leaven’ found in meal?
3.2.2.1. This Greek word “aleuron” translated ‘flour’ here is
actually the word for “meal.” It is not into ‘meal’ that leaven
is normally to be placed, but rather “flour.” It would be very unnatural
to find leaven placed into meal.
3.2.3. It fails the common sense test.
3.2.3.1. We do not see the kingdom of God gradually taking over the world, and
throughout history this has never been the trend. If anything, we see an ever greater
percentage of people dying to spend an eternity in hell apart from the Lord.
3.2.4. Several New Testament scriptures teach that in the last days there will
be an “apostasy” or “falling away” that will occur in the church
prior to the Lord’s return, including:
3.2.5. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, “1
Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2 that you not be
quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a
message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has
come. 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless
the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of
destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called
god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God,
displaying himself as being God.”
3.2.6. 1 Timothy 4:1-5, “1 But
the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the
faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 by
means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a
branding iron, 3 men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining
from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who
believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good,
and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; 5 for
it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.”
3.2.7. 2 Timothy 3:1-5, “1 But
realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For
men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers,
disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving,
irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of
good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather
than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they
have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.”.
4. VS 13:22-28 - “22 And He was passing through from one
city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. 23
And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being
saved?” And He said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow
door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 “Once
the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand
outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will
answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ 26 “Then
you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in
our streets’; 27 and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where
you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers.’” - Someone asks Jesus if a few
people are going to be saved or many
4.1.
Here we see that Jesus and
His disciples are still passing from village to village on their way to
Jerusalem when the person in these verses asks Jesus this question.
4.2.
Evidently, the scribes often
debated if there would be many who would be saved on the last day or if it
would be few. This question evidently
comes from someone in the crowd in this village on this day who senses that
Jesus’ teaching includes descriptions of judgment by the Lord and that salvation
has to do with making a decision to be for or against Jesus.
4.3.
Jesus tells this person that
in order to go to heaven (to be saved) that one has to ‘enter through the
narrow door.’ This is very close to
what Jesus said in Matthew
7:13, “3 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and
the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter
through it.” The broad path of
Jesus’ discourse recorded by Matthew is one that the great majority of people
are traveling on and the entrance onto that path is as easy as just not doing
anything. If you just live your life
however you like apart from the Lord then you are on the path to destruction.
4.4.
The Greek word translated ‘strive’
here is “agonizai” and is the word from which we get our English word “agonize.” It means to “take pains with or strive to
accomplish” something. The point of
using this word is that coming to have genuine “saving faith” in Christ
is not an easy feat. One must enter into
this faith by the means that the Lord Himself has determined and provided, and
no other way will get a person in. A
person must repent of his life of sin and commit his way completely to the Lord
and doing the Lord’s will in his life.
He must also trust only in the completed work of Jesus upon the cross to
atone for his sin. No other path to God
will get a person into heaven.
4.5.
Jesus implies here also that
there will not always be opportunity to come to saving faith in Christ. At a certain point the Lord ‘shuts the
door’ and it is too late to come to saving faith. At that point, Jesus says that ‘many’
will want to enter in but will not be able to do so.
4.6.
To those who are wanting to
enter into salvation through Christ but who have come too late, the Lord says
that the door is closed and they cannot enter in, and then He tells them why
this is so, ‘I do not
know where you are from.’
Then the Lord calls these ones unable to enter in, ‘EVIL DOERS.’
4.7.
Jesus is telling His
disciples here that there is a difference between knowing about Jesus and
knowing Jesus. Many on that day, after
the door has been closed and they will not be able to be saved, will tell the
Lord that He knows them because they ‘ate and drank in Your presence.’ However, this statement will carry no weight
with the Lord. These ones had no
personal relationship with Christ though they may know of Hm.
4.8.
Jesus speaks very similarly
in Matt. 7:21-23 about how that only those people who have truly repented and
turned their lives over to the Lord to do His will shall be saved, “21 “Not everyone who says to Me,
‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My
Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me
on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast
out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I
will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart
from Me, you who practice
lawlessness.’”
5. VS 13:28-29 - “28 “In that place there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all
the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. 29 “And they will come from east
and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the
kingdom of God.” - Jesus tells His disciples that there will be
horrible weeping and gnashing of teeth in hell
5.1.
The tragic and horrible
reality of eternal suffering is described by Jesus in these verses.
5.2.
We see in these verses that some
of the agony that people will experience in hell has to do with the regrets
that they will have that they didn’t take advantage of the opportunities they
were afforded. Jesus tells us that those
being sent to hell will see the saints and patriarchs of old in the kingdom yet
themselves being thrown out and that there will be ‘weeping and gnashing of
teeth.’
5.3.
People are coming from all
quadrants of the earth to eat a meal in the kingdom of God.
5.4.
Verse 29 reveals to us that
there will be people from all quadrants of the earth and people groups who will
be saved. This revelation by Jesus must
have been shocking to this group of Jews with Jesus on this day for they did
not embrace the idea of people coming to salvation from all people groups and
parts of the earth. They thought that
the Jews alone would be the people of God.
6. VS 13:30 - “30 “And behold, some are last
who will be first and some are first who will be last.”” - Jesus tells His disciples
that there are some last who will be first and some first who will be last
6.1.
The Jews thought that they
had the franchise on God yet in this verse Jesus is telling His disciples that
there is no favoritism with God. All
come to the Lord in the same manner and all enjoy God’s blessings by going with
His program and plans for their lives.
6.2.
Rewards in God’s kingdom
will be received not based upon who we are as people but rather solely upon
what we have done with what we know, upon how good of a steward we have been.
6.3.
Likewise, rewards in God’s
kingdom are not based upon gifts we have received, leadership positions we have
filled, ministries we have been involved in, our racial or national heritage,
or our station or financial position in life.
It is only going to be based upon our faithfulness with what we have
been entrusted by the Lord.
6.4.
This verse reveals that
there will be many surprises when we get to heaven, many first will be last and
many last will be first. There will be
many people that you thought will be at the front of the line receiving rewards
who will be at the back of the line, and visa versa. There will be many unknown saints who were
more faithful than others in a ministry that really had no visibility in the
church. Some will not be in heaven that
you thought would be there, and some you thought would not be in heaven will be
there.
7. VS 13:31-32 - “ 31 Just at that time some
Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Go away, leave 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
reach My goal.’” - Some Pharisees tell Jesus that Herod Antipas
is wanting to kill Him
7.1.
We have seen previously in
our study that Herod was very curious about Jesus and that at one point He
wanted to meet Jesus and possibly see Jesus perform some miracle. Herod had previous to this also been
initially curious about John the Baptist as well, however he eventually had
John beheaded.
7.2.
Now, Herod’s heart has
hardened even more and he now is wanting to kill Jesus. It could be just that Herod felt threatened
by or jealous of Jesus.
7.3.
The motives for these
Pharisees may not have been pure in telling Jesus about Herod’s
intentions. Herod Antipas was the king
over Perea and perhaps they told this to Jesus because they wanted Him to leave
Perea and go to Jerusalem where they could keep a better eye on Him and find a
way and an opportunity to have Jesus put to death.
7.4.
In Jesus’ reply, He
expresses that He will be undaunted in fulfilling His mission of going to Jerusalem
where He will suffer for the nation and pay the debt for the sins of mankind.
7.5.
Jesus calls Herod a ‘fox’
here which speaks of a couple of things about Herod:
7.5.1. Foxes were unclean animals and not regarded highly by the Jews.
7.5.2. Foxes were considered to be very cunning animals and this truly
described Herod. He was a man who was
very cunning in consolidating and maintaining his power base.
7.6.
Jesus has a message for
these Pharisees to give to Herod, ‘I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day
I reach My goal.’ This
phrase speaks of Jesus’ mission and His determination to fulfill it.
7.6.1. Jesus will continue to ‘cast out demons and perform cures.’
7.6.2. This saying that on the third day that Jesus will fulfill His goal is
interesting and has been interpreted primarily a couple of ways.
7.6.2.1. Those who have contended that Jesus is speaking of a period of time
that will transpire until Jesus’ goes to the cross have taken the position that
the ‘three days’ here is not a literal three days because we know that
Jesus’ crucifixion occurred a week and a half or two weeks later. To them ‘three days’ means “in a
while.”
7.6.2.2. It is possible that Jesus is referring to His raising from the dead
after three days, a theme that He has already referred to on a couple of
different occasions. This interpretation
is more likely true.
8. VS 13:33-35 - “33 “Nevertheless I must journey on
today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would
perish outside of Jerusalem. 34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city
that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to
gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her
wings, and you would not have it! 35 “Behold, your house is
left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me until the
time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is
He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”” - Jesus mourns and laments for the city of
Jerusalem
8.1.
Jesus speaks of Jerusalem and
states that the prophets perish in Jerusalem.
Being the capital of Israel and the city where God was to establish His
eternal capitol, this was the city that most had persecuted God’s people.
8.2.
Notice that Jesus is
referring to Himself as fulfilling the role of a ‘prophet’ in saying
these things.
8.3.
Jesus speaks of Jerusalem
with a broken heart of grief for He greatly loved the people of Jerusalem and
wanted to bring them into His kingdom, however to do this they would have to
accept His Lordship over their lives and trust in Him with their lives and for
their salvation.
8.4.
This is a very moving
picture here of a hen gathering up her chicks under her wings so that she can
protect them. This illustrates God’s
love for His people. Likewise, many Old Testament
scriptures speak of the Lord sheltering His people under His wings..
8.5.
Because the “House of
Israel” had rejected Jesus and will continue to reject Him, judgment is coming
to them. Jesus tells them that their ‘house’
is left to them ‘desolate.’ Just
forty years in the future of these events the nation will be overthrown by Rome
and the nation dispersed and cease to be a nation.
8.6.
Jesus states that their ‘house’
will be left to them desolate until that period of time when they say, ‘‘Blessed
is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ In saying this, Jesus is quoting a Messianic
passage found in Psalm 118:26. Though
this was the phrase that the crowd will chant when Jesus makes His triumphal
entry into Jerusalem, the actual fulfillment of this passage will not occur
until that period of time prophesied in Rom. 11:26 which states, “26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.””
During the seven year Tribulation of the book of Revelation the nation
of Israel will finally repent towards the Lord and acknowledge Jesus as their
Messiah. Then, Jesus shall restore them
to Himself and begin His Millennial Reign upon the earth.
8.7.
The ‘house’ that is
left desolate refers to the city of Jerusalem and the temple.
9. CONCLUSIONS:
10.
As we consider this study,
we need to personalize these lessons to ourselves. Jesus said that the entrance into His kingdom
was a narrow one and that we ought to strive to enter through that door.
10.1.
Have you turned over the
complete control of your life to Jesus to walk in faith and obedience to Him?
10.2.
Have you given up hope of
ever being righteous based upon your own good works and are you now trusting in
Jesus’ completed sacrifice upon the cross to be your only hope for
salvation?