Fairhaven Sermon 3-16-2025

At that time, Luke tells us, some Pharisees approached Jesus and said, Go, get away from here because Herod wants to kill you. It'd be helpful, I think, whenever we're starting right here, to rewind a couple minutes and look at what time we're talking about. You know, Luke says, at this time. Well, at what time? Okay, Luke says, at this time.

What's going on in this moment that causes the Pharisees to warn Jesus of King Herod's plotting against him? Well, Jesus has been preaching, and he's been traveling across the entire countryside of Judea, of Galilee. He's been gathering crowds everywhere as he stops and teaches about the kingdom of God. He's preaching and teaching in a new way that is impressing people, that's making an impression. Okay.

But now he's arrived at the place that for the Jewish people is the center of the universe, Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the city that holds the beating heart of both the Jewish religion, because the temple is there, And of Herod's government, which is ostensibly Jewish. Herod is a Jew by birth. But in reality, it's this kind of collaborationist regime under Roman authority.

It's kind of like a Vichy France kind of situation. It's Israel that's run by Israelites, but not really. It's on behalf of Rome. In Jerusalem, that is the seat of two kingdoms, really.

Gods, for one, still centered upon the temple that still stands at the time, worship and sacrifice where the priests are the bridge between earth and heaven, the people and God. And then on the other hand, it's also the seat of Herod's kingdom, this political puppet administration. that exploits and mistreats God's people while still also claiming to be representative of that people. So while teaching with authority about the coming and present kingdom of God is guaranteed to be kind of inflammatory no matter where he is, Now, Jesus is doing it both in the shadow of Herod's palace and of the temple mount.

He's offering this direct challenge both to God's reign, as the religious leaders understood it, and Herod's traitorous, illegitimate kingship. Jesus is in a really threatening place. But what was it he said exactly right before he receives this urgent warning? What motivates the Pharisees to tell Jesus that Herod wants to kill him? Well, let's go back just one verse to verse 30. Jesus says, .

..look, those who are last will be first, and those who are first will be last. Now, that language doesn't really upset anybody anymore, which is probably to the discredit of the church.

Our American presidencies, like the British monarchy, now often begin their administrations in a Christian cathedral, the heart of the capital city. They expect to hear a squishy blessing from the Bible, not to hear any sharp or destabilizing words from the scripture. But, despite the small size of Jesus' movement in Herod's day, it's not like Jesus has an army on standby here. And the truth that Jesus is really just some wandering preacher from Nazareth who's allegedly been going around healing people, King Herod is obviously shaken to the core by what Jesus says.

But Herod hears that Jesus is preaching things like those who are last will be first and those who are first will be last. And he knows quite well what that means. He knows that he's first and that he has no interest in being last. He doesn't hear it either as some kind of aspirational, pious, pie-in-the-sky kind of someday hope.

He hears it as a threat, a threat right now to his throne, to his regime. When the words of Jesus were spoken into the land, the king was afraid. And not only does he not want to be last, after all, he also doesn't want the rabble that are gathering to listen to Jesus to be first. And he acts accordingly.

He responds. Jesus has simply got to be dealt with. This is a problem. And he has to be dealt with the way that all rebels are dealt with.

People can't be allowed to talk like this. People can't be proclaiming God's judgment on the king and on the ruling class. That has to stop. And so as Herod fumes and plots, we see something really strange happen.

there's this apparent alliance that emerges between Jesus and the Pharisees. Did you catch that? It's really kind of weird. It's the Pharisees that come to Jesus to warn him of Herod's scheming. This group of religious leaders that we tend to understand as Jesus' most consistent foes, the Pharisees.

I did some reading on this this week because it stuck out to me, and biblical commentators are really torn on this. Are the Pharisees warning Jesus here because they legitimately want to help him? Are they sympathetic to him? Or is it because they're in cahoots with Herod? They're trying to drive him out of Jerusalem as quickly as possible. And I've got to tell you, maybe I'll feel differently next time I preach this passage, but I feel like we need to give the Pharisees the benefit of the doubt and say that it's because they're trying to be helpful. The Pharisees, after all, despite how we might read Scripture and might assume what it's saying, the Pharisees are not friends of Herod.

They're certainly not friends of Rome. That's not what they were about. much of their day-to-day life, much of why they existed as kind of an order among the Jewish people, is because their practice, their debate, is about trying to live a life of faithfulness and holiness whenever they're under this impure, unholy regime that has no respect for God, no respect for God's laws. So, okay, the state's not going to be Jewish.

We're not going to be existing in a Jewish environment. How can we be faithful even still by ourselves? That's what they were trying to figure out. That was the whole goal of the Pharisees. They despise the king.

They despise the Roman Empire. They keep as separate from these worldly forces as they can. They don't want to be defiled by any of this. It's the Sadducees, not the Pharisees, who are these willing collaborators with Herod and Pilate.

The Sadducees like Rome and Herod. And Luke's gospel in particular, John's worse, but Luke's gospel in particular is really not terribly harsh on the Pharisees. It's a pretty nuanced portrayal. They don't really portray the Pharisees as Jesus' primary enemy in Luke.

So these theological opponents, they do fight with Jesus. I mean, they don't think what he's doing is right. They nonetheless recognize in Jesus a fellow Jew. They're inclined to help him just this once, at least, escape from Herod's clutches.

And I think it's just really profoundly humanizing of this group whose name has almost been used as a slur for people who are legalistic or who misunderstand the spirit of the gospel. You call somebody a Pharisee or the way they're behaving is Pharisaical. But the Pharisees are not these one-dimensional hypocrites. And we might keep that in mind if we're ever tempted to write off any of our siblings in Christ that way.

It's more complicated than it seems. So it's this really poignant moment, really. The Pharisees really seem to see Jesus here. They really seem to even kind of care for him as their brother in some ways.

And he returns that olive branch. And so he comes with this hostile response here, but it's not directed at them. It's directed at Herod. And he says, Go tell that fox, look, I'm throwing out demons and healing people today and tomorrow.

On the third day, I'll complete my work. You hear that foreshadowing there, the third day? The biblical scholar Richard Swanson points out that the Pharisees probably are chuckling at this a little bit. They're probably rightly interpreting some sarcasm here. whenever Jesus says, go tell that old fox, right? Jesus and the Pharisees both know quite well that they're not going to be hanging out with Herod anytime soon.

It's not like they have a standing Friday night poker game. These people's social circles do not cross. And the rest of Jesus' response, too, is just not hostile towards the Pharisees. He's frustrated.

He's in despair. He's in despair. But he's not hostile. He's compassionate.

He's not mad. He's just disappointed. How many of you have said that to your kids? He's not mad. He's just disappointed.

And just listen. You can hear that tone in his voice. Jerusalem, Jerusalem. You who kill the prophets and stone those who were sent to you.

How often have I wanted to gather your people just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you didn't want that. Look, your house is abandoned. I tell you, you won't see me until the time comes when you say blessings on the one who comes in the Lord's name.

foreshadowing again, a reference to Palm Sunday. He'll arrive in Jerusalem again. These adoring crowds will surround him, waving palms, shouting, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. And yet, he tells the Pharisees with a sigh, he's going to be leaving soon, don't worry about it.

Herod's not going to get his hands on him this time around, but he's going to be back before long. And again, just try to hear Jesus' tone here. You can imagine maybe even some tears in his eyes because I believe he's speaking with real love for the Pharisees. Jerusalem, Jerusalem.

How often I have wanted to gather your people just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you didn't want that. Jerusalem. Jesus knows what's coming. He knows these stories that we'll be hearing for the rest of Lent.

And Jesus does not want to go to the cross. Jesus, like his father, has never wanted the people of Israel to wander astray, leading themselves into destruction and suffering by their unwillingness to live into the grace that God has offered them, into the abundant life of love that they were made for. But as our communion liturgy says, we turned away and our love failed, even as God's love remained steadfast. God doesn't want this hostile adversarial relationship with us where he's standing as judge to convict us for our crimes.

That's not ever what God has wanted. God's not looking to smite. God's not looking to condemn. God, speaking to the Pharisees that day and to us every day, wants to gather all people under her wings like a mother hen, protected, nurtured, loved, cared for.

So I wonder, you're all city people for the most part. Have you interacted with chickens much? Have any of you ever owned chickens? Okay, there's one. It's another one of those moments where I recognize I'm a Butler County hillbilly here. But I think it makes a difference in helping us to understand Jesus.

We did have chickens when I was a kid from about third grade onwards. I spent countless winter evenings rounding them up, making sure they were locked up in the safety of the coop for the night under that red light in the hay. And I found that one thing about hens specifically, roosters are terrible, but one thing about hens specifically is that they are just natural carers. In fact, hens have a deep instinct.

Farmers have worked hard to breed this out of them to varying levels of success, but they have an instinct called broodiness. And that's this fierce maternal drive. And it causes them to prioritize sitting on their eggs above doing anything else. Something like comes over them when this instinct hits.

They don't know or care if the eggs are fertilized or viable or not. All that they know is there is nothing more important in the world than protecting and nurturing those eggs. And naturally, that makes it pretty much impossible to collect the eggs when the hens are acting this way. This is like a life or death.

You are not getting that hen off those eggs, which is why breeders hate this instinct. It's kind of inconvenient if you want some eggs. But that's just what hens do. They live their lives for the benefit of their young.

And if you haven't held one in your hands, it's hard to describe the comforting warmth of a hen's pudgy body, right? Right? The feathers on the outside of a chicken, its wings, its back, its tail, its neck, they're sleek, they're cool, they're slippery, they're this outer shell to deflect dirt, dust, wind, insects. But under the wings, if you can somehow get under there without them flapping you in the face, is a totally different feeling. The feathers that are under the wings are this soft plush down. And heat radiates in there like an electric blanket.

I've never been a baby chick, but I can imagine there's no safer feeling in the world than to be tucked under a hen's wing, sheltered from the cold, from every external threat. Okay. And Jesus says this is exactly what he wants for us. He doesn't care if you're a baby or well into old age or an adult who prides yourself on never having to take shelter with anyone else, never having anyone else take care of you.

Jesus wants this for you. He wants to hold you in the warmth and the safety of his wings, concealing you from every threat and storm and trial. He wants you to know that he's got you covered. You're protected from all harm.

That the God of the universe is a shelter just for you. Jesus shakes his head as he reflects to the Pharisees, but you didn't want that, he says. And so often that's true for us now. But we know deep down that we need that.

That's right. For your mother hen, there is nothing more important in the world than protecting and nurturing you. In fact, she would give and has given her life for you. And so in the gathering storm of the journey towards the cross this Lent, and in our own lives, we will face dark moments and threats that we can't face alone.

But we have a shelter now and forever. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.