LUKE 13:34, C. H. Cayce “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.”
This is the language of the Saviour, and was spoken to Jerusalem, or to national Israel. They were God’s chosen people as a nation. It was not said to any of the Gentile nations around.
We know this language is often quoted and applied to the alien sinner, and the argument made that Christ would save him, but the sinner “would not.” A friend once quoted this text in conversation with us to prove that the sinner had something to do. We asked if he thought the text had a universal application or was applicable to all the race. He said he thought it was to all the race. We then asked if he had ever stoned or killed a prophet, or a preacher. He promptly denied have ever been guilty of doing such a thing.
We then assured him we had already found one to whom the language was not addressed. It says, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee.” The language is plainly addressed to Jerusalem, and they had killed and stoned the prophets.
Elijah certainly realized that they had done this. Read 1 Kings 19:10, “And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” The 14th verse reads the same way.
It is very clear that the Savior was talking to the people who were guilty of killing and stoning the prophets, and that people were Israel. The oracles of God (the law and the prophets) were committed unto the Jews, God’s chosen nation. They often failed to keep the law, and the result was the curses of the law fell upon them, and they perished by the sword. Many times they killed the prophets the Lord had given and sent unto them, and they were slain by their enemies.
But now one has come in the name of the Lord, who is greater than any of the prophets. That one is Christ. Just as many of them had rejected the prophets and had stoned and killed them, even so they rejected Christ, rejected his teachings, and sought to slay Him. They had been seeking his life from His birth.
To this same people the Saviour said, in Matthew 23:34, 35, 36, “Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; and some of them ye shall kill and crucify, and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city; that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily, I say unto you, all these things shall come upon this generation.
Then Matthew records the same expression of the Saviour as is found in Luke 13:34, in nearly the same words, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!”—verse 37.
The Saviour here tells these people that all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from that of Abel unto Zachariah, shall come upon them, for they were doing just as their fathers had done. In the 38th and 39th verses of this same chapter, Matt 23, He says, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”
Luke 13:35 gives the same expression. All the righteous blood shed upon the earth shall come upon these people, that generation to whom the Saviour was talking at that time; and now their house is left unto them desolate. They and their fathers had continued to kill and stone the prophets the Lord had sent unto them, and now their house is left desolate, on account of their rebellion and disobedience.
They had refused to obey the Lord and to keep His commandments, and now they are to receive chastisement for their sins. The prophets foretold some of the misery and desolation of this same people.
The Saviour refers to the prophecy of Daniel concerning these things in Matt 24:15. All this was literally fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem before that generation had passed away. Such abominations and such desolations had never been seen in all the world as were seen at the destruction of Jerusalem. Their house was left desolate in the utter destruction and entire ruin of the city of Jerusalem.
It is true, we think, that there may be an application made of the language now to the church of Christ. “Thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee.
We think a church may sometimes now kill or stone the minister the Lord sends to her. We do not mean that they take his natural life, or that they stone him physically; but they may not regard him and esteem him as God’s gift to them, as they should. They may cast him aside, instead of showing appreciation of him.
And we think the Lord sometimes “removes the candlestick,” because they “stone” His ministers. Their house is left desolate. Just as the prophets were given by the Lord to His people, the Jews, as a nation, so the true minister of the gospel is a gift of the Lord now to His church. See Ephesians 4:11, 12, 13.
The true minister is humble, and he will refrain from advocating things that destroy the peace of the brotherhood, and that confuse and divide the church. We should love and esteem all such ministers as this, as God’s gift to us.
We should not worship them, but we should love and care for them and thank God for His having given them to us. A true minister, one given by the Lord, is not given as a ruler, or to be a ruler. He is a servant, and not a ruler. We should all try to remember this fact, as well as the other. It is not the business of the minister to make laws and regulations to govern the church. There is only one lawgiver. The same one who has given the laws to govern the church, also gives ministers to them to be His and their servants. To be a servant of Christ and His church is the highest calling on earth.
On the other hand, we think it is very shameful for a minister to manifest a spirit of rule or ruin, for him to appear to have a desire to be a ruler and not a servant. When one manifests such a spirit as this, and is advocating things that are causing confusion, and will not cease doing so, the church does not violate the law or commandment of her only law-giver in rejecting that man.
In fact, the Scriptures just as plainly and positively teach us that we should reject one who does this (see Gal 1:6-10), as they teach that we should esteem that one as the gift of God, who is truly occupying the place of a servant.
Let us all, who profess to be the ministers of Christ, manifest that spirit of humility which we feel in our hearts and let us always try to advocate those things, and those only, that make for peace. If we are advocating something that the brethren will not receive, and what is causing division among them, let us cease advocating those things.
Let us remember that the Lord has said, Jeremiah 3:1, “Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” Let us also remember to love and esteem, but not worship, the true humble cross-bearing minister, who manifests a desire to be a servant and not a ruler, who is willing to risk his cause in the hands of his brethren. . C. H. Cayce EDITORIALS Dec. 5, 1905.