Have you ever felt pushed to the sidelines by a threat—told to be quieter, safer, less visible—when you most needed to speak or act? Luke 13:31–33 gives us a picture of Jesus facing political intimidation and refusing to let fear rewrite his calling. That tension—between danger and duty, safety and faithful risk—speaks to the deep human longing to live courageously for what matters, even when the cost is real.
In Luke’s brief scene some people warn Jesus that Herod wants to kill him. Jesus replies sharply, calling Herod “that fox,” and says he will keep doing what he’s been doing—casting out demons and healing—today and tomorrow, and “on the third day” he will finish his course. He insists he must go on toward Jerusalem, because “it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.” This exchange (recorded only in Luke) highlights Jesus’ refusal to be diverted by threats and his steady commitment to the timetable and place of God’s redemptive work.
This passage reveals Jesus’ single-mindedness about God’s mission. He names the enemy with honesty—fox conjures craftiness, not omnipotence—and yet he’s not consumed by retaliation or avoidance. Instead he continues acts of healing and exorcism: the work itself is the answer to intimidation. There’s also a somber clarity here about cost and resolve—Jesus knows suffering awaits (the “third day” hints at fulfillment beyond immediate threat), yet he presses toward Jerusalem because prophecy and covenantal reckoning demand it. Don’t miss the weight: the kingdom advances not by cleverness or evasion but by faithful presence in the places that most need mercy, even when danger lurks.
Practically today, identify one “fox” in your life—a fear, a bully, an anxious voice—that tries to sidetrack your calling. Then do one concrete act of kingdom courage: make a healing phone call, speak a hard truth in love, visit the lonely, or keep showing up where you’ve been tempted to leave. Let your answer to intimidation be faithful presence and mercy; trust that staying true to God’s course, even in small, daily ways, participates in the greater unfolding of grace.
In Luke’s brief scene some people warn Jesus that Herod wants to kill him. Jesus replies sharply, calling Herod “that fox,” and says he will keep doing what he’s been doing—casting out demons and healing—today and tomorrow, and “on the third day” he will finish his course. He insists he must go on toward Jerusalem, because “it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.” This exchange (recorded only in Luke) highlights Jesus’ refusal to be diverted by threats and his steady commitment to the timetable and place of God’s redemptive work.
This passage reveals Jesus’ single-mindedness about God’s mission. He names the enemy with honesty—fox conjures craftiness, not omnipotence—and yet he’s not consumed by retaliation or avoidance. Instead he continues acts of healing and exorcism: the work itself is the answer to intimidation. There’s also a somber clarity here about cost and resolve—Jesus knows suffering awaits (the “third day” hints at fulfillment beyond immediate threat), yet he presses toward Jerusalem because prophecy and covenantal reckoning demand it. Don’t miss the weight: the kingdom advances not by cleverness or evasion but by faithful presence in the places that most need mercy, even when danger lurks.
Practically today, identify one “fox” in your life—a fear, a bully, an anxious voice—that tries to sidetrack your calling. Then do one concrete act of kingdom courage: make a healing phone call, speak a hard truth in love, visit the lonely, or keep showing up where you’ve been tempted to leave. Let your answer to intimidation be faithful presence and mercy; trust that staying true to God’s course, even in small, daily ways, participates in the greater unfolding of grace.
Luke: 13:31-33
When warned that Herod intends to kill him, Jesus dismisses the warning and calls Herod "that fox." He refuses to flee, insists on continuing his healing and exorcisms, and presses on toward Jerusalem, acknowledging that prophets often face persecution and death there.
Open Verse