Today, Tomorrow, and the Next Day

I wrote a little bit the other day about the strange sort of behavior going on in Luke 13: 31 – 35.  In the first half of that brief reading we have two sets of Jesus’ “enemies” who are not acting very much at all like enemies – and that’s because they’re not.  Not really.

Many of us have come to perceive the Pharisees (the first of the groups in view here) as the bad guys, as the villains of the story.  They seem to be waiting and watching on all occasions for Jesus to make some sort of mistake or misstep so that they can spring upon him and have him removed.  But this perception might be wrong.  They were not the melodrama villains that our incautious readings of the stories might make them.  While it is true that the Pharisees in Luke’s writings, as in the other gospels, are antagonistic toward Jesus we might need to modify our perception of them somewhat, lest they become caricatures and stereotypes.  Luke provides a couple of stories that might balance our opinion of the Pharisees.

In Luke 7:36 and in 14:1 Jesus was invited to eat at the homes of some of the Pharisees. Granted, it didn’t play out so well for them in these stories, but the invitation was there.  Also in Luke’s writings we read about some Pharisees who became Christians – Luke 15:5.

And in the reading for today it is the Pharisees who come to Jesus with a warning: “Leave this place, go somewhere else. Herod is trying to kill you.”  If they truly wanted to see Jesus done away with, wouldn’t  it have been more prudent to let Herod take care of the problem?  They could have simply allowed Herod Antipas to deal with the trouble maker from Nazareth.  But no.  They came to him with a warning.  ‘Get out while you can.  It’s not safe here.’

Which brings us to the second of Jesus’ enemies in this story: Herod Antipas, who, according to the Pharisees, was planning to kill Jesus.  This may have been in keeping with his character.  He’d already arrested and executed John the Baptizer.  What would have prevented him from dealing with Jesus in the same way? 

But again, we might need to reconsider our perceptions.  Herod Antipas had heard about Jesus and about the crowds that were following him and he was curious and fearful.  In Luke 9:7 – 9 we read that Herod curious about Jesus and wanted to meet with him.  And later in the story, in Luke 23: 6 – 12, when he had the opportunity to kill Jesus (and even the expectation that he would kill Jesus) Herod didn’t.  He demanded that Jesus demonstrate his miracle power, and then mocked him when he refused.  But he didn’t kill him – even when it would have been so easy to do so.

It’s a little difficult to figure out what’s going on here.  We have two groups of Jesus’ enemies, neither of whom are acting very much like enemies.  But, in the end, it doesn’t really matter.  Whether the Pharisees were trying to protect Jesus or trying to stir up trouble between Jesus and the tetrarch, whether Herod Antipas was trying to kill him or merely trying to meet with him, it doesn’t matter.  Jesus ignored both of them.

 Because they were not his enemies.

Over time, these two groups- the Pharisees and Herod Antipas – have come to stand in the debate about who killed Jesus.  Some through the years have argued that “the Jews” were responsible for Jesus’ death.  And the caricature of the Pharisees has become the image of “the Jews” – distorting some aspects of their character, ignoring others.  Others have placed the blame for Jesus’ death on “the Romans” and in this case Herod Antipas (who governed with the blessing and consent and authority of Rome, and who, later, was a “friend” of Rome (Luke 23:12) acts as a stand in for the Roman Empire. 

And the debate goes on.  Who is to blame for Jesus’ death?  Was it “the Jews”?  Was it the Romans?  But the   question is irrelevant. Jesus ignored them both as enemies because they were not his enemies.  He said, “I will keep on casting out demons and healing people today and tomorrow; and the third day I will accomplish my purpose.”

The Pharisees were not his enemies.  Herod Antipas (and the Roman Empire itself) was not his enemy.  They were antagonists, to be sure.  They opposed him, yes.  They stood in his way.  They may have even persecuted him and been involved in bringing him to death – but they were not his enemies.

Which is why he could ignore their threats and their warnings. 

Jesus had only one enemy to face and that was death itself.  Not the Pharisees.  Not that fox, Herod.  Death.  The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:26)

“The real slave master, keeping the human race in bondage, is death itself. Earthly tyrants borrow power from death to boost their rule; that’s why crucifixion was such a symbol of Roman authority.[i]”

But the Pharisees , Herod Antipas – they had nothing on him.  He ignored their threats.  He ignored their warnings and continued to do what he came to do.  He continued to preach the gospel and to heal the sick.  He continued to bring life and the kingdom of God to the people.

If we are to find in this story some contemporary relevance for ourselves, might I suggest that it is in this:  Ignoring the threats and warnings of all those who are not really our enemies.

Atheists are not our enemies.  Homosexual activists are not our enemies.  Creationists are not our enemies.  Conservatives are not our enemies.  Liberals are not our enemies.  Immigrants – not our enemies.  Muslims – not our enemies.  Evolutionists – not our enemies.  Labor Unions – not our enemies.  Etc. Etc. Etc.

We have only one enemy – Death – and it lies trampled beneath the feet of the Risen Jesus.  Ignore those who would threaten us and warn us away from doing good.  Continue to do what we have been called to- bring light and life and the kingdom to those around us. 

Today, tomorrow and the next day.

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[i] N.T. Wright - http://unsettledchristianity.com/2013/02/some-commments-from-nt-wright-on-luke/