Thirdmill Study Bible

Notes on Luke 13:28-35

Luke 13:28

crying . . . grinding of teeth. Signs of deep grief and mourning in ancient Israel. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. The patriarchs of Israel who received God's covenant promises (Gen. 31:53; 50:24; Exod. 2:24; Matt. 1:2). Their faith in God was an example to others (Heb. 11:8-10, 13-21). prophets. God's servants called to preach to ancient Israel. They trusted God and were obedient to him, even in the face of death (11:50; Rom. 11:4; Heb. 11:35-38). thrown out. One could not depend on being a descendent of Abraham to be part of God's kingdom (see Phil. 3:3-11). Everyone must put their faith in Jesus to be saved (see note on 13:26-27).

Luke 13:31

Pharisees. See note on 5:17. Herod. See note on 3:1. leave. Though many Pharisees were antagonistic toward Jesus (6:7; 7:30; 16:14), others followed him (John 19:38-40). Thus, this could have been a sincere warning. Or, it could have been ploy to get him to leave because of his strong teaching (vv. 22-30).

Luke 13:32

fox. A metaphor in ancient Israel with multiple meanings. It could indicate someone crafty or someone who presumed they were important. They imagined themselves as a lion when they were merely a fox. Look. Though Herod (v. 31) had real political power, Jesus knew God was greater. His supernatural ministry gave evidence that he had greater authority than Herod. Jesus was not intimidated by Herod and was committed to fulfilling his Father's will. today and tomorrow, and the third day. Jesus died for sinners on the cross and was raised by God on the third day (9:22; 24:6-7; Acts 10:39-40; 1 Cor. 15:1-4).

Luke 13:33

kill a prophet. An ironic statement about the history of Israel. Jerusalem was the capital of ancient Israel. Therefore, representing the nation the people of the city should have embraced the message of the prophets. Instead, they mistreated them and killed them (see notes on 11:47-48). necessary. Despite their reputation of violence towards godly prophets, Jesus was committed to going to Jerusalem. He was committed to God's plan for him to die there as the Savior of the world (Mark 10:45; John 8:28; 10:15-18). today, tomorrow, and the following day. See note on v. 32.

Luke 13:34

Jerusalem, Jerusalem. The repetition of the name was a sign of deep affection (see 10:41-42; 2 Sam. 18:33; Matt. 23:37). kills the prophets. See notes on v. 33; 11:47-48. desired to gather. Jesus displayed his compassion on his people, though they sinfully rejected him. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 18:32; 1 Tim. 2:4, 6; 2 Pet. 3:9).

Luke 13:35

house. A metaphor for the people of ancient Israel. They would be rejected by God because they would reject Jesus (vv. 6-9; Jer. 12:7; 22:5; Matt. 23:29; 1 Pet. 2:4-8). until you say. Jesus quoted the priestly blessings from Ps. 118. Jesus was greeted with this phrase by the disciples when he entered Jerusalem (19:38). However, this looks forward to the last day when Jesus returns as judge (Matt. 23:39; Phil. 2:10-11). Though some Jews would be saved, the majority of believers would be Gentile as the church grew (Acts 13:46-47; 18:6; 28:25-26).

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.