Lectio: Sometimes tyrants are nbd

A Thought on the Gospel for the Second Sunday in Lent, Year C

Earth in 2025 is fraught with political extremes and a general feeling of uncertainty. Accusations (and evidence) of tyranny, authoritarianism, and warnings of the subtle (and obvious) heresies of nationalism overwhelm social media accounts as would-be disciples try to navigate their allegiance to Jesus and His Kingdom in competition with the calls of taxation, citizenship, and national security.

In Luke 13:31-35, there’s another side to the equation. The Pharisees, themselves conservative activists with an uneasy relationship to governing authorities, come to warn Jesus away from the machinations of Herod, who had murdered his cousin John. It’s a charitable and compassionate act, but it’s not received with any of the gratitude that they no doubt expected.

Instead, Jesus sends them with a direct message for Herod, “Go tell that fox!” Faced with the prospect of execution, not only persecution, Jesus is not even a little bit deterred. In fact, he defies the fear that Herod sought to rule with. Jesus not only is aware of the physical risks, but activiely accepts that death is most likely for him. But being God’s messenger, he knows he must and should be present in the city, and that no amount of Herod’s idle claims to godlike power can stop Him in his mission.