At that time some Pharisees came to him and said, “Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you.” 32 He replied, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose. 33 Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day, for it is impossible that a prophet should die outside of Jerusalem.’
34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were unwilling! 35 Behold, your house will be abandoned. [But] I tell you, you will not see me until [the time comes when] you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
In today's Gospel, some Pharisees warn Jesus that Herod Antipas wants to kill Him. Herod governs Galilee and Perea, territories where Jesus has carried out much of His ministry. He is also responsible for the death of John the Baptist (Luke 9:7–9). The warning reveals the danger Jesus faces as He continues His journey toward Jerusalem. It also shows that some Pharisees are concerned for His safety, even though others have opposed His teaching.
Jesus responds by calling Herod “that fox” (v. 32), an image suggesting cunning and deceit. He then declares that He will continue casting out demons and healing the sick. These works reveal the presence of God's Kingdom, where the power of evil is overcome and God's mercy restores those who suffer. Herod may threaten Jesus, but he cannot determine the course of His mission.
Jesus speaks of continuing His work “today and tomorrow,” and accomplishing His purpose “on the third day” (v. 32). These expressions convey both the certainty of His mission and its fulfillment according to the Father's plan. The reference to the third day also anticipates His Resurrection, through which His saving mission reaches its decisive fulfillment. Jesus knows that suffering and death await Him, yet He freely continues toward them. As He later explains, “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own” (John 10:18).
Jesus then declares that He must continue His journey because “it is impossible that a prophet should die outside of Jerusalem” (v. 33). His words express the tragic history of resistance to God's messengers in the holy city. Jerusalem is the center of Israel's worship and the destination toward which Jesus has been traveling since He resolved to go there (Luke 9:51). His statement is not a rule that every prophet must die in Jerusalem. Rather, it emphasizes that His own mission will reach its fulfillment there, through His Passion, death, and Resurrection.
The Gospel then turns from Jesus' determination to fulfill His mission to His sorrow over Jerusalem. He cries, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem,” recalling the prophets who were rejected and killed by those to whom God had sent them (v. 34). Yet His words express more than a warning. They reveal His deep love for the people of the city and His desire to bring them into the salvation He offers.
Jesus compares His love to that of a hen gathering her young beneath her wings. The image recalls the Old Testament's description of God's protective care. Moses describes the Lord watching over Israel as an eagle protects its young and carries them upon its wings (Deuteronomy 32:11). Similarly, Psalm 91:4 speaks of finding refuge beneath God's wings. By using this familiar image, Jesus reveals His desire to gather His people into the security of God's love.
The tenderness of this invitation makes the next words especially sorrowful: “but you were unwilling!” (v. 34). Jesus desires to gather Jerusalem's children, yet His invitation encounters resistance. His lament reveals both the generosity of divine mercy and the seriousness of the human response. God offers His love and protection, while human beings remain responsible for accepting or rejecting His invitation.
Jesus then warns, “Behold, your house will be abandoned” (v. 35). The image recalls the warnings of the Old Testament prophets, particularly Jeremiah, who announced judgment upon Jerusalem because its people had repeatedly rejected God's word (Jeremiah 7:4–15). The house can refer to Jerusalem and its Temple, while also directing attention to those responsible for leading the people. Jesus' words anticipate the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple by the Romans in AD 70, a tragedy He will again foretell as He approaches the city (Luke 19:41–44).
This warning must be understood alongside Jesus' lament. He announces the consequences of continued resistance while expressing His desire to protect and gather His people. His sorrow reveals that judgment is never a matter of indifference to God. Nor does the destruction of Jerusalem mean that God has abandoned His covenant promises to Israel. As St. Paul later teaches, “the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29).
Jesus concludes with a promise that looks beyond the immediate warning: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (v. 35). These words come from Psalm 118:26, a blessing associated with welcoming one who comes in the Lord's name. In Luke's Gospel, they anticipate Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, when a multitude of His disciples joyfully welcomes Him as King (Luke 19:38). Their praise recognizes in Jesus the One sent by God, even as opposition to Him continues.
Thus, the Gospel ends with both sorrow and hope. Jesus continues toward Jerusalem, fully aware of the suffering awaiting Him. He remains faithful to the Father's will and continues to offer the mercy that Jerusalem has resisted. His determination and compassion reveal the purpose of His journey: to accomplish God's saving plan and gather humanity into communion with Him.
Lord Jesus, You faithfully fulfilled the Father's will and revealed His mercy even to those who rejected You. Open our hearts to Your love, strengthen our trust in Your saving work, and help us remain faithful to You. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Luke 13:31–35 and accompanying notes; Deuteronomy 32:11; Psalm 91:4; Psalm 118:26; Jeremiah 7:4–15; Luke 9:7–9; Luke 9:51; 19:38, 41–44; John 10:18; Romans 11:29.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. 135.
- Casciaro, Jose Maria, general editor. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. 309–310.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, editors. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. 706, §141(b).
- Gadenz, Pablo T. The Gospel of Luke. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2018. 260–262.
- Aguilar Chiu, Jose Enrique, et al., editors. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. 1073–1074.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid, OP, and Donald Senior, CP, editors. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. London: T&T Clark, 2022. 1332–1333.
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