Rejection

Rejection

At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.” He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! “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, and you were not willing.

Luke 13:31-34

Throughout this week I will meditate on Jesus. In particular, I will think about His journey to the cross where He died for our sins. Today, I am considering the fact that the determination in His heart was not tempered by rejection. His love was not mitigated by an obstinate response. Luke 13 reveals His attitude. Jesus was prepared to “press on”. The word picture begins with a graphic portrayal of “Jerusalem” as murderous. The city is representative of the people. Jerusalem had been guilty of silencing the voice of the prophets in the past and Jesus knew that Jerusalem would be the place of His death. In the midst of this harsh description, His love leaks through. I am thankful for the tender picture painted by His words. As a mother desires to protect her young, Jesus desires to rescue His children. It’s a strange twist of irony. Their unwillingness to receive His love would lead to His death. Their rejection would lead to His death on the cross. Yet, His death on the cross was in fact His greatest delivery of love.