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!## Introduction - In Plain Language: Jesus laments over Jerusalem — he is deeply grieved that the city has repeatedly rejected and even killed God’s messengers, and he wished to protect its people like a mother hen protecting her chicks, but they refused. - Big idea: Jesus’ heart is full of compassionate longing to gather and protect his people, and yet persistent rejection brings real consequences. - Key points: - This is a sorrowful, personal lament from Jesus over a history of rejecting prophets and God’s messengers. - The image of a hen gathering her brood shows tender, protective love — not anger first, but longing. - The verse pairs compassion with judgment: God seeks reconciliation, but human refusal has consequences. ## Context - Where this verse fits in: Luke 13:34 is part of a short section (Luke 13:31–35) where Jesus responds to warnings about Herod and immediately gives a lament over Jerusalem. It’s a dramatic emotional outburst tucked into teaching and prophetic warning. - Story timeline: Spoken during Jesus’ Galilean/Judean ministry (late first century AD), addressed to the people of Jerusalem and to readers of Luke. The speaker is Jesus, reflecting on the city’s past treatment of prophets and its present attitude toward him. - Surrounding passage: - Verses just before (Luke 13:31–33): Pharisees warn Jesus that Herod wants to kill him; Jesus says he will keep working and compares himself to a prophet. He refuses to be intimidated. - Verses just after (Luke 13:35): Jesus pronounces the coming desolation of Jerusalem and predicts that they will not see him until they recognize the one who comes in God’s name — a note of judgment mixed with a hint of future restoration. ## Explanation - Quick take: This verse is a raw, emotional lament. Jesus grieves over Jerusalem because the city has a history of rejecting and killing God’s messengers. He pictures himself wanting to shelter its people like a hen with her chicks, but they refuse his protection — and that refusal leads to sorrow and judgment. - In Depth: - Historic pattern: Jesus says “which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee,” pointing to a recurring pattern in Israel’s history: prophets were often rejected, persecuted, or killed when their message confronted the community or leadership. - Tender imagery: The hen-and-chicks image is striking because it flips expectations. Instead of a terrifying conqueror, Jesus uses the image of a common domestic bird that draws its chicks under her wings for warmth and safety. That image emphasizes intimacy, protection, and maternal care. - Repeated offers: “How often would I have gathered…” conveys repeated attempts or an ongoing longing. Jesus didn’t want to punish; he wanted to save and shelter. The Greek nuance often emphasizes a desire or repeated wish — God’s perseverance in seeking the people. - Human will and responsibility: “And ye would not!” places responsibility squarely on the people. Their unwillingness to be gathered (to accept the protection and reconciliation offered) makes judgment the sad outcome of their choice. - Tension of compassion and judgment: The verse shows a core biblical tension — God’s persistent mercy and desire to gather people versus the reality that people can and do reject that mercy, which results in consequences (later in Luke, Jesus speaks of Jerusalem’s desolation). - Literary echo: Matthew 23:37 contains a nearly identical lament, indicating that both Gospel writers preserved a traditional saying of Jesus. Luke’s context frames it amid warnings about opposition and impending judgment. ## Key Words - Ιερουσαλήμ (Ierousalem) — Jerusalem: the city as religious, political, and symbolic center of Israel. - ἀποκτείνω (apokteínō) — “to kill”: indicates actual violence against prophets and messengers. - λιθοβολέω (lithoboléō) — “to stone”: a concrete image of how messengers were sometimes treated (public execution by stoning). - συναγάγειν / συλλέγειν (synagagein / sylllegein) — “to gather”: here used in the sense of drawing together protectively (the image of gathering chicks under wings). ## Background - Cultural and historical background: In Israel’s prophetic history, prophets often served as unwelcome critics of kings, priests, and people. Executions or persecutions of real or perceived prophets are attested in both the Old Testament narratives (e.g., instances recorded in Jeremiah, 2 Chronicles) and in early Jewish memory (Stephen’s speech in Acts recalls such persecution). The hen image would have been familiar: farmyard birds were common, and the mother hen’s protective behavior was a vivid, everyday metaphor for protection and shelter. - Literary note: The lament is a prophetic, poetic form — combining indictment with grief. It serves both as emotional testimony and prophetic warning. ## Theology - Theological insights in plain language: - God’s heart is for rescue: Jesus expresses a deep, repeated desire to protect and gather people. - Human freedom matters: God’s offers can be refused; people bear responsibility for rejecting God’s outreach. - Judgment follows refusal: Persistent rejection of God’s messengers and the message leads to sorrowful consequences — not because God wants punishment, but because refusal breaks relationship. ## Application To Your Life - For workers: Lead with protective, not vindictive, concern. If you must confront wrongdoing, do it out of desire to restore, not to control. - For parents: The hen image models a protective, persistent love — keep inviting, protecting, and guiding even when children resist. - For seekers: This verse shows God’s longing to gather you; you are invited into protection and relationship, not a cold list of rules. - For people who feel rejected: Jesus identifies with the rejected and longs to shelter the vulnerable — you are seen and wanted. - Reflection question(s): - When have you refused something good because it felt risky? What kept you from accepting help or protection? - How can you reflect Jesus’ protective, persistent compassion toward someone who resists you? - Short prayer: Lord, open my heart to receive your sheltering love, and give me the courage to gather others with the same tenderness that you show us. ## Translation Comparison - King James Version (KJV): “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!” - New International Version (NIV): “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, and you were not willing.” - English Standard Version (ESV): “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!” - New Living Translation (NLT): “Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have wanted to gather your children together, as a hen protects her chicks under her wings, but you refused.” - Why differences matter: Translation choices change tone. “How often I have longed” (NIV) or “I have wanted” (NLT) highlights Jesus’ desire; “would I have gathered” (KJV, ESV literal feel) can suggest repeated offers. “Ye would not” vs “you were not willing” softens or clarifies human refusal. “Brood,” “chicks,” or “children” vary in warmth and imagery. Paying attention to verbs like “longed/wanted/would have” helps readers see both the persistence of God’s desire and the human reluctance. ## FAQs - Q: Why does Jesus mention killing prophets — isn’t that ancient history? - Short answer: Jesus mentions it to point to a pattern of rejection. He is not only talking about specific past incidents but diagnosing a recurring communal attitude: when God speaks through prophets (or messengers), the message often makes people uncomfortable because it calls for change. By invoking that history, Jesus is warning that the same resistance is happening now toward him. The complaint is both a factual claim — prophets were persecuted — and a moral diagnosis: the city’s response shows unwillingness to accept God’s correction. The verse functions as both lament and indictment: Jesus mourns what his people have done and are doing, and that mourning underscores the seriousness of rejecting God’s rescue. It’s also pastoral — he wants to gather them, but their pattern of hardness has real consequences. - Q: Does this verse mean God gives up on Jerusalem (or people) forever? - Short answer: No, not forever. The verse communicates sorrow and impending consequence for refusal, but it also contains hope. In Luke 13:35 Jesus says they will not see him until they say, “Blessed is he who comes,” pointing to a future recognition and restoration. The lament expresses both the depth of God’s desire to save and the reality that people can reject that desire. Biblical theology often holds both tensions together: God persistently reaches out, but people’s choices can delay or invite judgment; yet God’s purposes of restoration can come later, as history unfolds. So the verse warns but does not close off ultimate hope. ## Cross References - Matthew 23:37 — A near-parallel lament that uses the same hen imagery and the same refrain about killing prophets. - Luke 19:41–44 — Another instance where Jesus weeps over Jerusalem and predicts its coming troubles. - Acts 7:52 — Stephen’s speech recounts Israel’s history of persecuting prophets, echoing the same charge. - Jeremiah 26:20–23 — Records prophets who were persecuted for speaking God’s word; historical background to Jesus’ claim. - Hosea 11:8–9 — Shows God’s conflicting roles of wrath and compassion; resonates with the tension in Jesus’ lament. ## Deeper Study - Commentary synthesis (high-level): Most commentators see Luke 13:34 as a concentrated expression of Jesus’ pastoral sorrow and prophetic indictment. It draws on Israel’s memory of prophets being rejected and points forward to judgment for persistent unbelief. The hen image highlights intimacy and protection; some interpreters emphasize maternal imagery to show tenderness, others stress the repeated “would have” to underline God’s patient initiatives. Parallel passages in Matthew and Luke suggest this was a well-known saying of Jesus. Scholars debate the balance between judgment and future restoration in Luke’s flow, but agree the verse reveals the character of God as both loving and just. - Group study bullets: - Read Luke 13:31–35 aloud and notice emotional shifts; what words show grief vs warning? - Compare Luke 13:34 with Matthew 23:37; what similarities and small differences change emphasis? - Reflect on a time you resisted help: what does “you were not willing” feel like personally and corporately? - Role-play: one person plays the “hen” (voice of Jesus) offering protection; another plays the city refusing — explore feelings and responses. ## Related verses (to compare and contrast — and why) - Matthew 23:37 — Parallel saying; compare wording and context (Jesus’ rebuke of Pharisees vs Luke’s placement among warnings about opposition and desolation). - Luke 19:41–44 — Another lament over Jerusalem that makes the coming consequences more explicit; compare the emotional tone and prophetic outcome. - Jeremiah 26:20–23 — Historical example where prophets were threatened and persecuted; compares the real history behind Jesus’ indictment. ## Talk to the Bible Try the “Talk To The Bible” feature to explore this verse conversationally. Suggested prompts: - “Explain Luke 13:34 in today’s language and give three practical ways I could respond if I feel like I’m being rejected.” - “Compare Luke 13:34 and Matthew 23:37 — what are the important wording differences and why do they matter?” - “How does the image of a hen gathering her chicks help me understand God’s character when I feel distant or judged?”
