Luke 13:35Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

For the twice repeated word betokens compassion or very great love. For the Lord speaks, if we may say it, as a lover would to his mistress who despised him, and was therefore about to be punished.

Or your house, (that is, temple,) as if He says, As long as there was virtue in you, it was my temple, but after that you made it a den of thieves, it was no more my house but yours. Or by house He meant the whole Jewish nation, according to the Psalm, O house of Jacob, bless ye the Lord, (Psalm 135:20.) by which he shews that it was He Himself who governed them, and took them out of the hand of their enemies. It follows, And verily I say unto you, &c.

The preceding words of our Lord roused the Pharisees to anger. For they perceived that the people were now smitten in their hearts, and eagerly receiving His faith. For fear then of losing their office as rulers of the people, and lacking their gains, with pretended love for Him, they persuade Him to depart from hence, as it is said, The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out and depart hence, for Herod will kill thee: but Christ, who searcheth the heart and the reins, answers them meekly and under figure. Hence it follows, And he said unto them, Go ye and tell that fox.

Or these things are understood to have been spoken mystically by Him, so as to refer to His body, which is the Church. For devils are cast out when the Gentiles having forsaken their superstition, believe in Him. And cures are perfected when according to His commands, after having renounced the devil and this world until the end of the resurrection, (by which as it were the third day will be completed,) the Church shall be perfected in angelical fulness by the immortality also of the body.

He compared also the sons of Jerusalem to birds in the net, as if He said, Birds who are used to fly in the air are caught by the treacherous devices of the catchers, but thou shalt be as a chicken in want of another’s protection; when thy mother then has fled away, thou art taken from thy nest as too weak to defend thyself, too feeble to fly; as it follows, Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

Your house is left desolate to you, as Matthew notes. This statement can be further understood in that context. I assure you, you will not witness me again until the moment arrives when you declare, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” This will be the time when you make such a declaration. You will also discover the explanation of this in the same chapter.

But the repetition of the name also shews the rebuke to be severe. For she who knew God, how does she persecute God’s ministers?

Now He who aptly had called Herod a fox, who was plotting His death, compares Himself to a bird, for foxes are ever lying in wait for birds.

"Look, your dwelling is left in ruins," declared the Lord concerning Jerusalem. This reveals a facet of God’s patience. God's mercy is poised to endure indefinitely, anticipating goodness; however, what can be done when we arrive at such disorder that we feel powerless? Thus, they abandon us. This will also be true in eternity. Many assert that God’s mercy will not allow for eternal separation. It does not desire this; yet, what becomes of those who are consumed by evil yet refuse to change? They distance themselves from the grace of God and remain there because they do not wish to be freed. Spiritual thinkers have proposed numerous rebirths as a way to cleanse sinners. But one tainted by sin in a single life may remain so in numerous others and continue infinitely.

The Pharisees could no longer tolerate such implications. Seizing upon the rumors, whether true or false, that Herod, the governor of Galilee, was plotting to eliminate Jesus, they proposed that Jesus would be wise to leave Herod’s territory. In His response to this suggestion, the Lord made it clear to the Pharisees that 1) there was nothing in His deeds warranting Herod's animosity: He only performs good; 2) a specific time has been ordained for His work, which cannot be altered by anyone; 3) if the Son of Man were to fall victim to human hostility, it would be in Jerusalem—the city that the Pharisees and others hold sacred, where the blood of all former prophets was shed. ‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem!’ the Lord lamented.

The somber irony of Jerusalem, the heart of the spiritual life of God's people, being responsible for the death of the prophets, deeply grieves the soul of Jesus Christ, prompting Him to lament, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem." O you who remain ensnared in your transgressions, gather your children. This reflects the many occasions Jesus traveled to Jerusalem throughout His ministry prior to the Passion. However, these words may also resonate on a grander scale, emphasizing the salvific work of Jesus Christ in human form and His particular concern for this people, as shown throughout the history of Israel, particularly through the messages delivered by the prophets.

Certain scholars of the Gospel maintain that Jesus Christ confronted the scribes and Pharisees with wrath. However, this interpretation is misguided; His denouncement of these deceitful and hypocritical leaders was not rooted in anger but in profound sorrow—an anguish that we may struggle to comprehend. This sorrow was evident during His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, when, despite the joyful celebration of all the people, He wept over the destiny of the holy city and its chosen ones. This deep compassion drove Him, just days later, to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane for the delay of God's will. To assert that Christ experienced anger towards the scribes and Pharisees is to wrongly transfer their failings onto Him.

However, this voice, which had previously resonated with righteous indignation, was suddenly filled with profound, compassionate sorrow for the afflicted city: ‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who strike down the prophets and condemn those sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! Look, your house is left desolate. For I say to you, you will not see Me until you declare, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,’’ meaning you will shout in the same way as the crowd did upon My entrance into Jerusalem, but it will be too late. This prophecy, in all its somber precision, came to pass during the siege and fall of Jerusalem, when indeed ‘the house of the Jews was left to let’ and lay in ruins surrounded by decaying corpses.

This perspective on the city that has slain the prophets, along with the ominous anticipation of His impending suffering and demise, leads the Lord to reveal profound anguish for that sacred city: ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem,’ etc. See note on Matthew 23:37-39. In this context, the Lord’s expression is likely reiterated (or possibly initially stated with slight variation), but Luke records it as proclaimed by the Lord in Jerusalem, probably within one of the temple porticoes. This version, as documented by Matthew, carries a particular poignancy.

The Pharisees found it challenging to accept the direct prediction of their impending rejection. Despite the authoritative influence of Jesus Christ's words, they struggled to dismiss their formidable accuser. This time, they aimed to use news regarding the malicious intent of Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, who had already distinguished himself by the murder of the holy Forerunner, John the Baptist. It remains unclear whether this news was fabricated by the Pharisees or if it stemmed from the treacherous Herod, who sought to eliminate the Lord from Galilee. Regardless, it served as a means to silence the Divine Teacher and cause Him to consider His safety.