Soma Spokane Sermons

As Jesus travels to Jerusalem, with a clear vision of what the next part of his mission is, his confrontation with the religious elites increases. He frequently comes toe-to-toe with them, maneuvering through their traps with wisdom, calling out their hypocrisy with boldness, and avoiding their distractions with clarity. The Gospel of Luke uses the word “repent” nine times, and all of those times are in this travel narrative, while Jesus’ focus is on Jerusalem. The pride, arrogance, exclusivity, and entitlement of the religious warrants God’s judgment. Although Jesus would rather accept and welcome Jerusalem and her leaders - as a hen cares for her chicks - he can not. He can not turn a blind eye toward their relentless sin while they cling to their assumption that they are good with God. They are not! And in this section, Jesus calls them to repentance and weeps because he knows they will ultimately reject his offer. Repentance shows up as a warning (to those that may reject it), but to those that receive it