As Luke recounts, eventually Mary and Joseph "found him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when they saw him they were astonished..." (Luke 2:48)
Here Luke gives us a glimpse of how Jesus learned to teach and how he will sound when he is a full-fledged rabbi: "And I tell you, 'Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.'"(Luke 11:9) What did Jesus do when he stayed behind in the Temple? He stepped in, sat, listened, asked, understood, and shared his thoughts in the communal conversation. We too are invited to do such things--to enter into this kind of sacred and down to earth spiritual practice--which is exciting and unpredictable, as all who are present contribute to the sharing of wisdom, and travel together into exploring perspectives and possibilities that we cannot imagine from where we are now.
As Professor Ruth Anne Reese reveals in her reflections on Jesus’ longing in this portion of Luke, "Jesus is headed towards the historic seat of Jewish power where both kings and priests have their home. Prophetic ministry in the face of power is a dangerous activity that jeopardizes the lives of those who would speak the truth of God’s kingdom to the powers that be."
As Dr. Reese emphasizes, "Jesus is no exception. But what is surprising is Jesus’ reaction. He characterizes the city as killing prophets and apostles (“those who are sent,” Luke 13:34), but his response is the compassion of a mother. Jesus longs to gather Jerusalem under his wings (v. 34). Jesus longs to comfort those who would reject him. He envisions Jerusalem as a brood of vulnerable chicks in need of their mother’s protection and longs to offer the same protection, salvation, to the very city where he will die. Unfortunately, Jerusalem also has a longing. The city does not want to be gathered under the salvation of Jesus."
She continues: "In this passage, we see three examples of longing. “Want” (the word θ?λω, thelo, may be translated as “wish,” “will,” “would,” or “desire” depending on the English translation) is used three times in this text. First, the Pharisees report that Herod wants to kill Jesus (v. 31). Next, Jesus tells us that he wanted to gather Jerusalem under his wings (v. 34). Finally, Jerusalem is described as a city that did not want to be gathered (v. 34).
Professor Reese trusts us enough to leave us with vital questions: "During this season of Lent, we might ask ourselves what it is that we long for and desire. Do we want to experience the ministry of Jesus even if it is uncomfortable or challenging? Or, are we tempted to respond with murderous anger (Herod) or perhaps rejection (Jerusalem)? Do we long to be like Jesus, to be able to find compassion for our enemies, even those who want to put us to death? In this world of religious and political violence, what does it mean to long for our enemies to experience Jesus’ compassion even as we ourselves have?"
Dr. Ruth Anne Reese is Professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary and holds the Beeson Chair of Biblical Studies. She joined Asbury Theological Seminary in 2000. Her teaching interests include hermeneutics, wealth and poverty in the Bible, theological interpretation of the Bible, narrative approaches to Scripture, and the General Epistles. Her fuller reflections on Luke 13:31-35 can be found on workingpreacher.org