"At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me, Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work'" (Luke 13:31-32 NRSV). The religious leaders want to motivate Jesus through fear, but he disregards the death threat because he is wholly motivated by something else.
Luke tells us that some Pharisees came to warn Jesus saying, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” Now it’s a bit of a mystery as to why the Pharisees tell him this. Are they warning him because they care about him and want to protect him? That could be the case. We know from the other passages that some of the Pharisees became followers of Jesus. Maybe this is a group of Pharisees who were sympathetic to him. Or, maybe these are some of those Pharisees who were hostile to Jesus. And so, maybe they tell him this just to get rid of him? It’s really hard to tell.
But, whatever the case, the claim that Herod wants to kill Jesus has one single intention: to create enough fear in Jesus that he will leave. The Pharisees are trying to motivate Jesus through fear. So, notice how Jesus responds. The Pharisees tell Jesus, “Get out of here because Herod wants to kill you.” Jesus responds by saying essentially, "No, you go and you tell Herod, I am doing the good work I was sent to do today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work" Notice that hint towards the resurrection-"...on the third day I finish my work." And then he says, “Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way.”
That phrase “I must be on my way” captures not only his determination, but also the fact that he is determined by God’s will. Not only does he want to go to Jerusalem and accomplish the work he was sent to do, but it is God’s will that he accomplish this work. Also, notice how Jesus appears fearless. He seems not at all motivated by this death threat. I say, he "appears" fearless. There’s no way to know what Jesus felt or what he was thinking at that moment. We're not privy to his private thoughts and emotions. But what is clear is that he disregards this death threat and then says he must be on his way. Fear-whether he was experiencing fear or not at that moment-plays absolutely no role in his decision making. So, in this sense, he is fearless.
There are two ways to be fearless. One way is to simply not experience the feeling of fear. That’s a hard one to pull off, because we don’t always have control over the feelings we experience. But, I assume there are some folks, like rock climbers and tight rope walkers, who may not experience the feeling of fear. But for the rest of us, who experience the full range of emotions, there is another way to be fearless. And that is to experience the feeling of fear, but to go forward anyway.
Fear does not have to be a determining factor in our decision making. Don't get me wrong, fear has its place. Fear keeps us from doing stupid things. Fear turns us away from the danger. But, sometimes, we have to ignore the fear and do what we know we have to do. Clearly, the Pharisee’s ploy to use fear to get rid of Jesus doesn’t work. And why is it that fear plays no role in his decision making? It’s not just that he is determined. He is that, but what is it that allows him to be so determined?
We might say it is his faith. If you need an example of faith, look to Jesus. Regardless of the fearful circumstances that he often encounters, he always trusts the Father. And so, he goes forward regardless of the fearful circumstances he is confronted with. So, part of what gives him this determination is his faith in the Father. Like us, Jesus trusts the One who brings things into existence and raises the dead. But there’s something else here, too. Not only is his determination the result of his faith, but it is also the result of his faithfulness. And in particular, his faithfulness to the goal.
In the first couple verses of the 12th chapter of Hebrews we are encouraged to “run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfector of our faith, who for the sake of the joy set before him endured the cross." Why did Christ endure the cross? He endured the cross because of the joy set before him. Joy is always the result of perceiving something that is good, something that is very good. When we see the goodness of a beautiful day, or the goodness of a job well done, or the goodness of a newborn baby we experience joy. As Jesus perceived the goodness of the goal, the incomparable goodness of the redemption of humanity, he was willing to do whatever it took to achieve that goal.
Again, as the writer of Hebrews tells us, it is because of the joy set before him that he endures the cross. It is because of his love for us and because of the goodness of the goal set before him that he basically ignores the threatening circumstances he encounters. It is as if he said, "Herod can do whatever he wants to me, I’m going to do this supremely good thing I have been given to do. I’m going to stay the course because it is good." The goal of redeeming humanity was so good, so supremely good, that nothing could turn his face from it.
The writer of Hebrews tells us to look to Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of our faith. He is our model. So, what is it that motivates you? Is it fear? Or, is it faith and faithfulness?
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