Luke 13:31–32: “At that time, some Pharisees came up and said to Jesus, ‘Get away from here, because Herod wants to kill you.’ But He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox, “Look, I am casting out demons and performing healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will complete My work.”’”
This is part of my series exploring what I call the animal analogies of Jesus. Here, He is calling Herod a fox.
Who is Herod? Herod is the same person who first imprisoned John the Baptist and then beheaded him. He took the wife of his brother and had a party where he said to the daughter of his brother’s wife, “Ask me for whatever you want, and I will give it to you” (Mark 6:22–23). The girl said, “I want the head of John the Baptist on a platter” (Mark 6:24–25). That is a mess—complete mess. Complete fox life.
If you want to know who a fox is, that is “that fox.” There is an extreme instinctive drive. Someone is being driven by animal, base instinct when it comes to sexual appetite, when it comes to food, when it comes to anger, when it comes to lashing out at people. That is a fox.
You see no understanding of boundaries, no understanding of limitation. John the Baptist told Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife” (Mark 6:18). That is such a powerful thing. Look at this prophet who has no army. Look at Herod, who has soldiers. And the prophet is speaking against the action of this fox, and he lashed out at him.
There is no calling back the fox. The fox cannot be cautioned. The fox cannot be reasoned with. The fox cannot embrace the finer points of spiritual truth. That is a fox. That is the kind of person who will lash out, who is quick to lash out, quick to fight. It is all about “what I want, and I am going to have it,” and “I am power‑drunk with it.”
Jesus Christ is saying, “Go and tell that fox…” They wanted Him to be afraid of the fox. They wanted Jesus Christ to cower, to be intimidated, to run for His life. Jesus said, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Look, I am casting out demons and performing healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will complete My work.’” He is saying, “You have your lane; I have My lane.” He is not going to bother Himself with Herod.
He is not going to bother Himself with Herod at all. As far as Jesus Christ is concerned, He said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). He spoke to the poor people. He spoke against the Pharisees, the Jews—these are Israelites. He said, “That is whom I am sent to.”
In a way, we would be spared a lot of issues with the foxes if we were clear in our minds whom we are sent to. He did not try to engage Herod. He said, in effect, “I am casting out demons; you are not My jurisdiction. I have not been sent for this.”
Paul also clarified in his mind that he had been sent to the Gentiles (Acts 22:21; Galatians 2:7–9). Even though he suffered grievously at the hands of the Jews—who, in a way, dealt with him as if they were foxes, very instinctive, lashing out in anger, wanting him dead, planning his death in different contexts—the priority was to kill him. In that sense, they related with Paul as foxes.
But I am talking about Jesus: how did Jesus Christ handle the fox? We see that it was clear in His mind what His mission was. And with Paul too, it was clear. He said, “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it… we are turning to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:46). And he directed his energy, writing letter after letter to different churches established in Gentile locations, and we are still benefiting from that now.
I am saying we have those kinds of people who are foxes—instinctive, violent, who cannot be corrected, who cannot be cautioned, who cannot be reasoned with, who are driven by instinct, by the animal instinct to fight, to defend their territory, to think they can do anything they want, to act anyhow without any understanding of boundaries, and who are power‑drunk on top of it.
God bless you.