David at Achish

Saul, the reigning king of Israel, wanted David dead. Fearing for his life, David was on the run. One time, he decided to take shelter at his enemy’s camp. Achish was the king of Gath, a city halfway between modern-day Jerusalem and Gaza, who was seeking to kill Saul and David (1 Sam 21:10–15). To his surprise, Achish’s servants recognized him and reported him to Achish. David, fearing Achish, acted like a madman by scratching on doorposts and letting saliva run down his beard. Achish wasn’t convinced he was the mighty David and let him live.

David’s descendant, Jesus, was doing something similar – he took shelter with his enemy, Herod Antipas, without fearing him (Luke 13:21–33). After all, the lion of Judah didn’t fear the fox of Galilee. More than that, he knew his death would happen in Jerusalem, a place that killed many prophets before him. So, he said,

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem – who killed the prophets and stoned those who were sent to her. How I long [thelo] to gather your children just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you do not long [thelo] for it.” (Luke 13:34)

Scholars identify Jesus’s words here as that of a lamenting prophet like Jeremiah, who grieved over Jerusalem’s unrepentance. But unlike his longing (thelo) to draw them under his wings and God’s wings, they were longing (thelo) to stay away from him, reject him, and even kill him.

So, he proclaimed a temporary abandonment until the day of his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, right before his trial, crucifixion, and death.

“Behold, your house will be left alone. I say to you: you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’” (13:35)

Their house was God’s house, the temple. He would abandon them temporarily and stay in Galilee, in Antipas’s territory, until he was ready to march into Jerusalem and offer himself as the king and sacrifice.

Jesus knew his true enemy to be Jerusalem, not Antipas. He feared neither of them: one was a mere fox, and another was lost – didn’t long for his shelter. Yet, he would stay away from Jerusalem until the appointed time.

Sometimes, it is difficult to know who our real enemy is, and we end up fearing the wrong enemy. The Lord Jesus wasn’t like that. He knew Antipas wasn’t his enemy; neither was Jerusalem. But until the appointed time, he would stay away from Jerusalem. We, too, must seek God’s wisdom, knowledge, and will to know who our true enemy is and fear him/her, not the fake enemies, the foxes!