Luke 13:34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”

Humans are social creatures. The occasional loner prefers to be alone. But generally, we like to be together. We gather for parties. We gather for family reunions. We gather for class reunions. We gather to cheer on our favorite team, or celebrate our nation’s birthday, or support our favorite candidate. We want to spend time and interact with those who have things in common.

God made us this way, because he is this way himself. He could have gone through eternity alone. It’s not as though he needs anything. He’s God. But he wanted beings something like himself to love, to enjoy their company. So he made our kind, not just Golden Retrievers to fetch a ball or lick a face, but rational creatures capable of speech and independent thought, a race of beings who could create things, look beyond their own care to the care of others, and have an intelligent conversation about it all with him at the end of the day.

Ever since our first parents decided to abandon God and his plan, to run their lives and their world their own way, he has been eager to win us back. He doesn’t force us as such, but he knows we will never come on our own, either. So he began sending messengers with messages. Eventually he came to live with us himself, to expose our foolishness, make restitution for our offensive behavior and the damage we had done by our rebellion, and lead us home. He planted seeds of love that have the power to change our hearts and win them. To this day his hand is always reaching out, his arms are always open, seeking to gather us back, hoping to gather us back, before it is too late for us to return.

The Jewish people, the city of Jerusalem, had a history. When prophets like Isaiah and Habakkuk confronted King Manasseh’s promotion of gods whose religions involved dirty sex and worship, like Baal and Asherah, or child sacrifice and worship, like Molech, he had the prophets put to death. After Jeremiah’s warnings about Jerusalem falling to the Babylonians came true, and the leading people of the city were taken into exile, the few who remained assassinated him.

Who sent these prophets? Jesus answers the question here. The hearts of these people should have rightfully belonged to him. Everything they had came from him. He gave them their land. He made them a nation. They owed him their lives. As far back as their slavery in Egypt he had spared them from genocide. Was it so much to ask them to acknowledge his gifts and kindnesses? Was it unreasonable to expect them to worship and follow him, the only God who ever gave them anything, who did everything for them?

“You were not willing.” There is this thing about following and believing and worshiping the true God. He is actually God. We live under him, not the other way around. His way prevails. His rules apply. Breaking them may be forgivable, but having them is not negotiable. Over time Jerusalem and its citizens decided, “We like our way better. We like the freedom to live any way we want. We think we will do fine on our own. If you don’t stop sending us those prophets to make us feel guilty, we will get rid of them.” Their own hearts and wills stood in the way.

Maybe we aren’t murdering the clergy like Jerusalem once killed her prophets, but maybe that is just a matter of time. We live in a place and time when the gospel call is not rare, but for many of our fellow citizens, at least, “you were not willing.” Instead of running to Jesus, they are running from him.

And the old false gods also live among us in new, secular form. Baal and Asherah have been repackaged as the sexual revolution, where everything is permissible as long as both parties consent. More and more people their souls to worship at the altar of this god of sexual freedom, and it is a jealous god that can stand no criticism. Woe to the infidel who suggests there might be something wrong with it.

Moloch is the new culture of death. In it even infanticide is being defended, and the solution to terminal disease or old age is so-called “merciful” execution for the invalids.

We must be careful here, lest we forget that all these idolatries live within our own hearts. We feel the pull, the appeal, if we are honest. You and I have visited the temple of “I can do what I want,” or “I can get by on my own.” Still, Jesus wants to gather his people. They may not be willing, but he still is.