Luke 13:31–35

³¹At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, "Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you." ³²And 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. ³³Nevertheless, 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.' ³⁴O 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! ³⁵Behold, 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!'"

Outside the city he weeps. Overcome by sorrow. Grieved to the heart, his compassion pours out in a flood of tears. His love exudes with empathy. In a small town a widow's son was carried out on a bier and he was filled with gut wrenching compassion. At the death of a friend he wept. The creator of the universe; the father of all men; the one who established marriage as a reflection of his love, puts on the sackcloth and ashes of grief as he looks out over the Holy City, the dwelling place of God, at the people of God, for he wants to gather them unto himself. He wants to shelter and protect them as a hen gathers her chicks when she perceives danger or a predator. The people he had created were lost, separated from him. He cried out in the garden, "Adam, where art thou?" with the agony of a father whose son had run away from home. Now on his journey to find and bring his son home, the son refused to come home.

What pain pierced his heart! What gut wrenching agony filled his being. For the rejected Father is a Father of love. Oh, the agony of rejection; being rejected by his own child whom he loves; whom he loves so much he would give his life for him. Jesus came to give his life for Jerusalem, he came to gather them unto himself as a hen gathers her chicks, but they refused. They rejected him. They spurned his love. And Jesus lamented over Jerusalem because he knew what was going to happen there. His love for the very people who would betray him was so great that he was willing to offer himself as their protection. To lay down is very life for them. To be the sacrifice for their sin.

But who is this Jerusalem who would not be gathered unto him? It is the Holy City, the City of God, the people of God. It is you and me, those who claim the name of Jesus as our own. It is not the avowed enemies of Christ who slay him. It is not the atheists or agnostics. Not the Muslims or Buddhists. Not the publicans and sinners. It is those who claim his name and appear to be Christians. It is those of his church who are lukewarm and apathetic about God's word, who begin to take him for granted or get bored. It is those who like to think they are a little better than the others in the congregation or are more important. It is those who like to be in charge and claim for themselves the right to control and make the decisions. It is those who refuse to forgive others when offended; those who close their hearts to the needs of others, to the poor and the needy; those who want the church to be just for the members and not reach out to God's people outside the walls. It is those who say that since they are baptized and confirmed they can do as they please, that they have a free ticket out of jail and won't be held accountable for their actions and deeds. These are the ones who slay Christ. Luther says those who persecute Christ and slay him are "...our brethren, who bear the Christian name and claim to be Christians...and they do this under the guise and pretext of rendering God a favor. Thus it must be, as it always has been, that those who profess to be the holiest and the best are, in fact, the ones who do the most damage to Christ, his Word, and his church. Christ himself bears this out when he says, 'It cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.' This means he must be slain by his own; they must needs hate Christ and persecute him and his preachers."

It is not the non-believer, but those who think that all is right with them and God who will stand at the door of his kingdom on the last day and say, "Open to us. We ate and drank in your presence. We cast out demons and healed the sick in your name," and he will say, "Depart from me, for I never knew you." Jesus came to bring release to the captives of sin; he came to open the doors of heaven to all, but many refuse to enter in. He laments for he wants no one to be lost. He came to save. He came to gather people from all the world unto himself. For a single lost soul he mourns and sorrows. Such great love! Such great compassion! He came and gave his life for us!

Lord, Against you, and only you, have I sinned. Deliver me from my own pride and desire to be above others, when I am in reality the least of the saints. I confess I have not held others in high honor and esteem but have put them down and tried to exalt myself. Look not upon my pride, but humble my spirit and cleanse my soul, O Lord, for you have come to give your life for sinners.

By his death on a cross he gathers us unto himself. By his death on a cross he shows his love for us who have killed him. The cross is the foundation of his grace. The cross is the atoning source of his blessing. Upon the cross hangs our salvation. By means of his cross your sins are paid for and you are forgiven. His death and resurrection once and for all are the basis for all his healings, all his exorcisms, for the forgiveness of your sins, for all the mercy and compassion he shows on us, for all the mercy and compassion we pour out on others.

For Jesus came to assume the world's bondage to sin. That sin which holds us in its chains, perhaps its pornography. Maybe its sexual lust. Maybe outbursts of anger. It may be the joy of gossiping, or love of power and control. Perhaps it's the love of money or desire to be someone important. Or is there someone you can't seem to forget and forgive? Is it addiction to strong drink or dependence on drugs? Is it addiction to gambling? Whatever sin is holding you captive, Jesus came to take that sin from you and carry it to the cross in Jerusalem. He came to Jerusalem to free you from bondage to your sin. There it was crucified and buried in the tomb. On the basis of his cross; on the strength of his resurrection, your sin is exorcized from you. You have been forgiven. You have been set free from its power and on the last day you shall be raised from the dead free from all sin, sickness and disease.

Jesus came to be the substitute for all humanity on the cross. The wrath of God which you deserve he took away. The punishment you deserve, he suffered. The death which you deserve, he died. As your substitute and representative he has accomplished salvation for all mankind, so that all who repent of their sins and are baptized into Christ in faith shall be saved. Jesus has removed the barrier that once stood between you and God. He has taken it down and opened the doors of heaven to all believers in Christ. Once you were separated from God, but Jesus has gathered you in baptism and brought you near again. He has adopted you into the family of God.

It is by his death and resurrection that he gathers us under his wings for protection and safety. "Be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by." Ps 57:1. "How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings." Ps. 36:7.

Dear Jesus, By the blood you poured out on the cross, our sins are forgiven. By your glorious resurrection from the dead, our lives and souls are renewed. In baptism we are born again as people for God and are freed from the shackles of sin and free to walk in the ways of the Lord.

You said, "You shall not see me until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'" On Palm Sunday we cried out, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," as you rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. For that day you came to die for us. That day you came to be crowned as our king. That day you ushered in your kingdom. That day you gathered us under your wings and carried us into your kingdom.

But by saying that, you foreshadowed your coming to us today. For as we come to your altar today and receive your body and blood, you once again come to us and gather us in; as we sing, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," in the Preface.

Here at this altar he comes to us and we cry, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." He comes to gather us under his wings and shelter us from the storm. He is our refuge from danger; protection from the enemy. Here at this altar he frees us from the lusts that dwell in our flesh and releases us from the bondage of temptation and sin and death. He frees us from our adulteries. He releases us from our addictions. He brings down the proud old man who lives in our hearts. He sets us from the power of addictions, pornography, strong drink, a gossiping tongue, hardness of heart and the like.

But His work is not completed in us yet. He continues to gather us under his wing and continues to free us from the sinful lust of our flesh. We must continue to hear his word and receive his body and blood for that is where he performs his work on us and transforms our lives and seals us in faith. Until that day when once again we shout, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," on the day he returns for us. On that day our bodies will be raised incorruptible. On that day all sinful lust and desires will be wiped away. On that day "under his wings we will safely abide, though the night deepens and tempests are wild, still I can trust him; I know he will keep me. He has redeemed me and I am his child. Under his wings, who from his love can sever?" Under his wings your soul shall abide safely forever. Amen.