LENT 2
February 28/March 1, 2010
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Luke 13:31-35

“WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE PUSHING JESUS AWAY…”
1. Think about why He came.
2. Think about His great love.
3. Think about the consequences.
Luke 13:31-35 (NIV) “At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, "Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you." 32He replied, "Go tell that fox, 'I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.' 33In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! 34"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 35Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
Why would anyone want Jesus to leave, to go away, to be out of their life? As we gather together as believers in Jesus to worship Him and listen to His word that question can seem a little strange to our ears. Yet the fact remains that there are people who want Jesus to leave, to go away. You heard about some of them a minute ago. They were Pharisees who lived in the area known as Perea, north and west of Judea where Jerusalem was. Herod was ruling that area. They came and told Jesus to leave, to go away. They wanted to push Him away. Why? Well one reason may have been that Herod really did want to kill Jesus. He saw Jesus as a threat and so sinfully wanted to kill Him. It’s also possible that the Pharisees did not want Jesus in the area of Perea where He was popular and thought to drive Him to Jerusalem so plots could sinfully be hatched to get rid of Jesus. Perhaps they sinfully resented Jesus’ popularity. The exact reason we are not told. But all the possible reasons have one thing in common. Did you pick it out? Sin. Sin is the reason people want Jesus to leave them, to go away.
Sin is the reason we sometimes want Jesus to leave us, to go away to be absent in our lives. Sometimes it’s because we want to sin. When you are about to pull up the porn on the computer you don’t want Jesus there. When you are in a huddle of ladies gossiping you don’t want Jesus there. When the teens go to drinking parties or climb into bed you don’t want Jesus there. So you push Him away. Pretend He is not. So you can sin. And then it’s sin on the other side that leads you to push Jesus away. When the Devil leaves you after tempting you and laughs at your fall and you realize your disloyalty, your betrayal of Jesus, there too you want Jesus away. When you feel like pushing Jesus away there are some things you need to think about. God’s Word in Luke helps us talk about them.
When you feel like pushing Jesus away think about why He came. The Pharisees found out about that. “At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, "Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you." 32He replied, "Go tell that fox, 'I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.' 33In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!” Think about why Jesus came. He stated His firm conviction to march on to Jerusalem. His reply to Herod, “Go tell that fox,” indicates Jesus would not be pushed or bullied into anything. He was going to Jerusalem on His own terms to accomplish His own mission. He would die on the cross. He would lay down His life of His own accord. No one would take it from Him. Jesus came to take care of sin, to take it away, to pay for it all.
Think about that when you feel like pushing Jesus away. If you want Jesus gone because you are planning on sinning, meeting someone for an affair, heading out to get drunk or indulging your sinful desire for the latest juicy gossip, think about why Jesus came. It was to pay for your sin, to be punished instead of you. Do you really want to indulge in sin? Do you really want to tell the one who took your hell that sin is no big deal, just go away? If you want Jesus gone because you are ashamed of your sins, disappointed with yourself for what you have done, think about why Jesus came. It was to take away your sins and He did not fail. They are gone. There’s no need to drag them along with you. When you feel like pushing Jesus away think about why He came.
Think about His great love. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” Here Jesus expresses His great love for the people of Jerusalem. They had a pretty bad track record of rebellion against God. They killed the prophets of God who faithfully spoke God’s Word to them. They stoned those God sent to warn them. These were the people, the fickle people, Jesus knew, He knew, were going to hail Him as the Son of David on Palm Sunday and then cry out for His blood on Good Friday. Crucify Him! Crucify Him. Who would blame Jesus if He had said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Good bye and Good riddance. And getting to heaven, yeah, good luck with that.” But that’s not Jesus. Look at His great love. He wanted those people close to Him. He wanted to protect them and save them like a mother hen with her chicks. His love is so great that He paid in full on the cross even for the sins of those who rejected Him. That’s great love.
When you feel like pushing Jesus away think about His great love. It’s His great love for us that compels us to want to obey Him. We love Him because He loved us. Jesus once said, “If you love me, obey my commandments.” Since that’s true what do we have to say is true about our willing disobedience? If you don’t love me, if you hate me, disobey my commandments. When your desire to sin is urging you to push Jesus away, to set Him aside for awhile, think about His great love. Is it really your desire to respond to it with hatred? Is underage drinking worth saying “I hate you, Jesus.” Think about His great love!
Think about His great love when it’s guilt and shame over your sins that is your reason to push Jesus away. He loves you in spite of your sin. There’s no waiting period for running to Jesus to say, “I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry!” There’s no probation period. He doesn’t want you away from Him but clinging to Him in repentant faith. He loves you! Think about that love when you feel like pushing Jesus away.
Think about the consequences of pushing Jesus away. There were consequences for Jerusalem. “Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'" Your house is left desolate. It’s hard to pin down exactly what Jesus meant here. He could be referring to the fact that spiritually Jerusalem was desolate. Temple worship with no Messiah is meaningless and leads to Hell. He could be referring to the time when Jerusalem the city was totally destroyed. In any case, it’s bad to have your house desolate. It’s just as hard to figure out exactly what Jesus meant by “You will not see me again.” Did that mean until He rode triumphantly in on Palm Sunday? Does it refer to His coming again at the end of the world? If so, those who won’t see Him again are the ones in Hell. There are consequences for pushing Jesus away. You have no Savior.
Think about that when you feel like pushing Jesus away. The kids were right that if your house is burning you do not push the fireman away. You run to him. If someone is trying to kill you, don’t push the policemen away. Run to them. When it comes to sin, don’t push Jesus away, run to Him. When you feel like you want to sin, when you are tempted, run to Him in prayer and meditation. He will give you strength. When you are ashamed of your sin and you feel like you let Him down, run to Him. He will forgive you always. He has already paid for your sins and wants you to know that.
It’s clear that Jesus wants to be actively a part of every sinner’s life. He wants us as close to Him as possible. Sadly the history for the people Jesus spoke to in our text is already written and it is not pretty. Those who kept pushing Jesus away are suffering now in Hell. Your history is not done. This word was written that you may believe in Jesus and have life in His name. May the history of this people be one that records a people who know why Jesus came, recognize His great love, properly fear a life without Jesus and so cling to Him forever. Amen.