By: Gen. Jim – 5/12/26
“Gen. Jim, you ought not to call people names. That is not Christlike.” How many times have I heard this over the years?
Back in the day (early 1980’s) I taught several lessons called “The Other Side of Jesus” in which I went thru the N.T., e.g. Matt., Mk., Luke & John painting out the Scriptures where Jesus was not so kind with His Words & actions. I’ll start with the conversation between Jesus & the Pharisees:
“On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, ‘Get out & depart from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’” Lk. 13:31, NKJV.
Well, we know that the religious Pharisees also wanted Jesus DEAD! Search out all those N.T. texts where the “religious” sought to MURDER Jesus. But back to Luke 13. Verse 32 says, “And He (Jesus) said to them, ‘Go tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons & perform cures today & tomorrow & the third day I shall be perfected.’” Why did Jesus call Herod a “fox”? According to the Greek, “fox” “alōpex” used figuratively, means a cunning person was Jesus being snide? Were His words meant to be cutting and malicious and derisive? I believe so.
Another question arises here. Why did the Pharisees warn Jesus as to Herod’s intent, seeing they were enemies themselves? Why not assume that they came as friends? They were the “puritans” of that time. It was not hard to guess why Herod wanted Jesus DEAD: in his eyes Jesus was a revolutionary, a friend of that crazy prophet John the Baptist.
As to Jesus’ answer, it is wise to adopt some such emendation as is suggested by some N.T. scholars.
“Fox” doubtless implies slyness, but I believe it was more a term of stern contempt. What? Am I saying that Jesus had another side to Him other than the loving, gentle, smiling Jesus, many believe Him to be – or want Him to be!
Over and over both Gen. Deborah and I are criticized for being just too harsh, too unloving, too judgmental. In their minds we are not Christians but devils.
Possibly the fact that the word “fox” is in the feminine gender may have implications: Herod’s immorality was notorious. Herod HATED The Baptist for his rude & crude prelamination of the Gospel. Matt. 11 gives us insight into John’s life: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft (effeminate) garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in king’s houses,” vv. 7, 8. Jesus no doubt took a jab at King Herod. He continues: “But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, & more than a prophet.” vs. 9.
I never find where Jesus rebuked John for his rebuking of Herod. Herod was sexually immoral & John told him so. This is why Herod had John beheaded! Hey, this “murderous” spirit is with us today. We have both “Christians” & non-Christians calling for our death because we DARE to tell those guilty of LGBTQ+ sins & those of the heterosexual camp that sex-sins unrepented of will condemn them to Hell. The Word of God tell us this.
Jesus as well as Greeks could use “fox” as a metaphor for a cunning person, but it occurs more often in rabbinical lit. To mean an unimportant individual – at least some believe this. Some, as I have said, believe “fox” to be a term of contempt.
One N.T. scholar writes: “All serious exegetical difficulties would disappear if the saying originally was as follows: ‘Go & tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons & perform cures today & tomorrow. Nevertheless, I must go on my way the day following…’” (Julius Wellhausen, Das Evangelium Lucae [Berlin: Georg Reimer, 1904], pp. 75, 76).
That “Fox”, Herod
Herod was a vicious person & lived in public incest with his sister-in-law (Mk. 6:17).
It should be noted, if Jesus meant him to be like a fox, cunning, to hide evil intentions, who never seemed studious to conceal his vices, esp., sexual vice, fox in the mind of Jesus was different. A fox among the Jews appears to have been the emblem of a wicked ruler, who united cunning with cruelty, & was always plotting how he might aggrandize himself by spoiling the people. What we do know is that this wicked ruler had John beheaded!
Q. Do you think there are rulers in the land like Herod today?
In Song of Solomon 2:15 we read: “Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes.” Ezekiel 13:4 says, “O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts” (read vv. 5-10).
There are many foxes among God’s people today – cunning & cruel. Time to discern who is a true Shepherd & who is not.