Luke 13:34
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus expresses a deep longing to gather Jerusalem's people, comparing himself to a mother hen protecting her chicks, but the text highlights their refusal, not his inability. This imagery reveals that beneath the pronouncement of judgment lies a heartbroken desire for their well-being that was persistently rejected.
Jesus is speaking in Galilee, shortly after encountering some Pharisees who warn him about Herod. He uses this moment to lament the spiritual blindness of Jerusalem, the very city where prophets have been killed and where Herod now seeks to harm him. He expresses his deep desire to protect its people, likening himself to a mother hen gathering her chicks, but highlights their persistent refusal to accept his protection.
Jesus looks at Jerusalem with a profound sadness, comparing Himself to a mother hen. What does this tender image reveal about God's desire for His people?
Jesus' lament over Jerusalem in Luke 13:34 is a powerful expression of divine love and grief. He uses the imagery of a hen gathering her chicks under her wings – a symbol of tender protection, nurturing, and safety.
God's Protective Love
This metaphor highlights God's deep desire to shield His people from harm and to bring them into the security of His care. It's a picture of intimate, maternal protection.
The Tragedy of Rejection
Despite this loving offer, Jesus laments, "you were not willing!" This points to a fundamental principle: God extends His grace and protection, but His love requires a willing response. Jerusalem, and by extension, those who reject Him, actively turn away from this offered shelter, choosing instead a path of destruction.
Jesus calls Jerusalem 'the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it.' What does this harsh indictment reveal about Jerusalem's spiritual condition?
Jesus doesn't just express sorrow; He also states a stark reality about Jerusalem. He identifies it as a city with a violent history against God's messengers.
A Pattern of Violence
'The city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it' points to a deep-seated rejection of divine truth. Throughout Israel's history, prophets were sent by God to call the people back to faithfulness, and many faced persecution, stoning, and death in Jerusalem.
Rejection of God's Messengers
This pattern wasn't just historical; it was continuing in Jesus' own time. Those sent by God, including Jesus Himself, were met with hostility rather than welcome. This rejection of God's messengers was a rejection of God Himself and sealed the city's tragic fate.
Understand the original words
Hierousalēm · Greek Noun
The holy city of Israel, the site of the Temple, and the center of Jewish worship. It serves as a symbol of the covenant relationship between God and His people, yet also as a place of historical rejection of God's messengers.
This lament highlights Jerusalem's tragic history of rejecting God's messengers, a pattern Jesus saw culminating in his own rejection and the city's eventual destruction.
c. 28 AD— this verse
Jesus' Ministry in Jerusalem
During Jesus' earthly ministry, he made several trips to Jerusalem for the major Jewish festivals, engaging with crowds and religious leaders.
Various points during Jesus' ministry
Prophets Rejected in Jerusalem
Throughout Israel's history, and particularly in Jerusalem, prophets sent by God were often rejected, persecuted, and even killed by city leaders.
c. 30 AD
Jesus' Final Entry into Jerusalem
Jesus made a triumphant entry into Jerusalem, which was a significant public declaration that was closely followed by his arrest and crucifixion.
c. 30 AD
Jesus' Crucifixion
Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem, an event he foresaw and spoke of as a fulfillment of his mission, despite the city's rejection.
This passage contains Jesus' identical lament over Jerusalem, providing the primary parallel and expanding on the themes of rejection and judgment with the imagery of a hen gathering her chicks.
This Old Testament passage expresses a similar sorrow and sense of betrayal from God towards His chosen people, portraying them as a lion's prey and His beloved flock turned against Him.
2 Chronicles 24:20-22This narrative details the stoning of the prophet Zechariah by the people of Jerusalem, illustrating the very act of killing prophets that Jesus laments in Luke 13:34.
Matthew 11:20-24Here, Jesus pronounces woes on other Galilean cities that rejected His message, mirroring the judgment He predicts for Jerusalem and highlighting the consequence of rejecting God's messengers.
barnesLuke 13:34: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!"
See the notes at Matthew 23:37-39 . From the message which Jesus sent to Herod we may learn: 1. That our lives are safe in the hands of God, and that wicked people can do no more to injure us than he shall permit. Compare John 19:11. 2. That we "should" go on fearlessly…
gillLuke 13:34: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!"
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets,.... These words, with what follow, as they stand in Matthew 23:37 were delivered by Christ, when he was in the temple at Jerusalem; but here they were spoken by him when in Galilee, in Herod's jurisdiction; so that it…
Jesus expresses a deep longing to gather Jerusalem's people, comparing himself to a mother hen protecting her chicks, but the text highlights their refusal, not his inability. This imagery reveals that beneath the pronouncement of judgment lies a heartbroken desire for their well-being that was persistently rejected.
Jesus is speaking in Galilee, shortly after encountering some Pharisees who warn him about Herod. He uses this moment to lament the spiritual blindness of Jerusalem, the very city where prophets have been killed and where Herod now seeks to harm him. He expresses his deep desire to protect its people, likening himself to a mother hen gathering her chicks, but highlights their persistent refusal to accept his protection.
Jesus is speaking in Galilee, shortly after encountering some Pharisees who warn him about Herod. He uses this moment to lament the spiritual blindness of Jerusalem, the very city where prophets have been killed and where Herod now seeks to harm him. He expresses his deep desire to protect its people, likening himself to a mother hen gathering her chicks, but highlights their persistent refusal to accept his protection.
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c. 40s-60s AD
Early Church Growth and Persecution
Following Jesus' ascension, the early church began to grow, but faced significant opposition and persecution, much of which originated from Jerusalem.
AD 70
Destruction of Jerusalem
The Roman army besieged and destroyed Jerusalem, a catastrophic event that fulfilled Jesus' prophecies of judgment on the city.
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!" — Jesus expresses a deep longing to gather Jerusalem's people, comparing himself to a mother hen protecting her chicks, but the text highlights their refusal, not his inability. This imagery reveals…
