Luke 13:32 kjv
And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.
Luke 13:32 nkjv
And He said to them, "Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.'
Luke 13:32 niv
He replied, "Go tell that fox, 'I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.'
Luke 13:32 esv
And he said to them, "Go and tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course.
Luke 13:32 nlt
Jesus replied, "Go tell that fox that I will keep on casting out demons and healing people today and tomorrow; and the third day I will accomplish my purpose.
Luke 13 32 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jesus' Sovereign Timeline & Purpose | ||
| Jn 2:4 | Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come." | Jesus' appointed time for divine action. |
| Jn 7:6 | Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always here." | His life governed by a divine schedule. |
| Jn 8:20 | He spoke these words while teaching in the treasury, but no one arrested Him, because His hour had not yet come. | Human power is subject to God's timing. |
| Jn 12:23 | Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified." | The moment for His glorification (passion). |
| Acts 2:23 | this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God... | God's predetermined plan for Christ's suffering. |
| 1 Pt 1:20 | He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for your sake. | Christ's pre-ordained role and timing. |
| Prophetic Declaration of Suffering & Resurrection on the Third Day | ||
| Mt 16:21 | From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things...and on the third day be raised. | First clear prediction of passion & resurrection. |
| Lk 9:22 | saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders...and on the third day be raised." | Necessity of suffering and resurrection. |
| Lk 18:33 | they will flog Him and kill Him, and on the third day He will rise." | Detailed prophecy to His disciples. |
| Lk 24:46 | and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead..." | Scripture fulfilled in His death & resurrection. |
| 1 Cor 15:4 | that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures... | Centrality of third-day resurrection to faith. |
| Jesus' Authority & Ministry (Casting out Demons & Cures) | ||
| Mt 4:23 | And He went throughout all Galilee, teaching...preaching...and healing every disease and every affliction... | Comprehensive scope of His healing ministry. |
| Mt 8:16-17 | That evening they brought to Him many who were oppressed by demons...and He healed all who were sick... | Fulfillment of Isa 53:4; power over sickness & demons. |
| Lk 4:40-41 | ...He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, "You are the Son of God!" | Jesus' compassionate healing and exorcism. |
| Acts 10:38 | how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil... | Jesus' ministry empowered by the Spirit. |
| Confronting Hostile Rulers & Adversaries | ||
| Ps 2:1-4 | Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?...The Lord scoffs at them. | Divine contempt for earthly rulers' opposition. |
| Mt 14:1-12 | Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus... | Context of Herod's knowledge of Jesus' power. |
| Jn 19:10-11 | So Pilate said to Him, "You will not speak to me?...I have authority to release You and authority to crucify You." Jesus answered him, "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above." | Earthly power is ultimately derived from God. |
| Acts 4:27-28 | for truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus...to do whatever Your hand and Your plan had predestined to take place. | Rulers' actions are part of God's sovereign plan. |
| Ps 118:6 | The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? | Confidence in God's protection against human threats. |
| Completion of His Work / Perfection | ||
| Jn 19:30 | When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished," and He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. | His death marks the culmination of His mission. |
| Heb 2:10 | For it was fitting that He, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. | Suffering as the means to Christ's perfection. |
| Heb 5:9 | And being made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him... | His completion brings ultimate salvation. |
Luke 13 verses
Luke 13 32 Meaning
Luke 13:32 presents Jesus' unwavering declaration in response to a warning about Herod Antipas. Jesus defies Herod's authority and threat, asserting His own divine power, continuous ministry, and ultimate destiny. He proclaims that His work of casting out demons and performing cures will continue for a definite, divinely appointed period ("today and tomorrow"), culminating in the "third day" with the completion or perfection of His saving mission through His death, resurrection, and ascension. This statement highlights Jesus' sovereign control over His life, death, and purpose, indicating that His timeline is set by God, not by any earthly ruler's machinations.
Luke 13 32 Context
Luke chapter 13 begins with Jesus teaching on the urgency of repentance, using contemporary events (the Galileans killed by Pilate and the fall of the tower in Siloam) to illustrate that all are vulnerable to perishing if they do not turn to God. He then shares the parable of the barren fig tree, emphasizing God's patience but also the coming judgment. Following this, Jesus performs a miracle, healing a crippled woman on the Sabbath, which draws the criticism of the synagogue ruler. Jesus vehemently defends His action, contrasting religious legalism with true compassion and God's work.This sets the stage for Luke 13:31, where some Pharisees warn Jesus that Herod Antipas seeks to kill Him. Jesus' response in verse 32 directly addresses this threat, showing His complete composure and resolve in the face of political danger. It highlights His absolute determination to fulfill His ministry and destiny according to God's timeline, not Herod's, foreshadowing His passion and Jerusalem's role in it, leading to His lament over Jerusalem in verses 34-35.
Luke 13 32 Word analysis
- Go tell: An imperatival command, "Go tell" (πορεύομαι - poreuomai, and λέγω - legō), issued by Jesus. This isn't a fearful flight, but a bold, defiant message directed through intermediaries, showing His authority and non-submission to earthly powers.
- that fox: The term "fox" (ἀλώπηξ - alōpēx) is a highly significant and derogatory metaphor. In ancient Near Eastern culture and Jewish tradition, the fox was symbolic of cunning, deceit, insidiousness, and also insignificance or futility. It denotes a crafty, cowardly, and destructive individual, contrasting sharply with kingly attributes. By calling Herod Antipas a "fox," Jesus strips him of any claim to royal dignity or significant power, dismissing him as merely a scheming, ineffectual trickster whose threats are of little consequence to God's divine plan.
- Behold: The interjection "Behold!" (ἰδοὺ - idou) serves to draw attention to a weighty and significant declaration. It signals the unveiling of a crucial truth about Jesus' mission and impending actions.
- I cast out demons:
ἐκβάλλω δαιμόνια(ekballō daimonia). This refers to Jesus' fundamental work of spiritual warfare, demonstrating His supreme authority over evil spiritual forces. This was a core aspect of His ministry, validating His divine power and the arrival of God's kingdom. - and perform cures:
καὶ ἰάσεις ἀποτελῶ(kai iaseis apotelō). Alongside casting out demons, healing the sick was another central aspect of Jesus' ministry, proving His compassion and divine power over physical affliction. Together, these two phrases ("cast out demons and perform cures") encapsulate the entirety of His Messianic mission of salvation and restoration. - today and tomorrow:
σήμερον καὶ αὔριον(sēmeron kai aurion). This idiomatic phrase signifies a short, definite period of ongoing activity. It is not an indefinite period but highlights that Jesus' current, miraculous ministry will continue unimpeded for a pre-determined duration, implying it's outside Herod's control. It speaks to the continuation of His visible signs of the kingdom. - the third day:
τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ(tē tritē hēmera). This specific temporal marker directly points to the pivotal culmination of Jesus' mission, undeniably a foreshadowing of His resurrection on the third day after His crucifixion. It evokes a pattern of divine deliverance or significant event in biblical narrative (e.g., Hos 6:2, Jonah's three days in the fish). - I finish my course:
τελειοῦμαι(teleioumai). This is the key verb, meaning "I am perfected," "I am completed," "I reach my goal," or "I am brought to my purpose." It is a divine passive, implying that His "course" or destiny is completed by God. This doesn't merely mean "I die," but signifies the triumphant fulfillment of His entire redemptive mission—including His passion, death, resurrection, and ascension—which perfects His role as the Savior and establishes His ultimate glory and achievement.
Luke 13 32 Bonus section
The passive voice of teleioumai ("I am perfected/finished") implies divine agency – Jesus' completion is not merely His own act but God's work being brought to fruition through Him. This links strongly to the concept of Christ as the ultimate high priest who, through His suffering and obedience, was "made perfect" (Heb 2:10; 5:9) for His role in salvation. It elevates His death and resurrection from a historical event to a cosmic, theological act of perfect consummation. The very idea that earthly rulers like Herod believed they could control Jesus' fate is contrasted with God's meticulously planned schedule, emphasizing the absolute sovereignty of God over all human machinations.
Luke 13 32 Commentary
In Luke 13:32, Jesus' response to the threat from Herod Antipas is not one of fear or deviation from His path but a bold affirmation of His divine mission and ultimate authority. His designation of Herod as "that fox" is a sharp rhetorical device, belittling the ruler's power and intent as petty and futile against God's grand design. Jesus declares that His miraculous ministry of casting out demons and performing cures, evidence of God's Kingdom at work, will continue according to a set, divine timetable, unaffected by human plotting. The phrase "today and tomorrow" indicates His unwavering commitment to His immediate calling. Crucially, "the third day I finish my course" prophesies His redemptive death and triumphant resurrection. The term "finish my course" (teleioumai) transcends simple demise; it speaks of the completion and perfection of His salvific work, making it a powerful declaration of purposeful fulfillment, not a tragic end. This verse underscores Jesus' conscious embrace of His foreordained destiny, sovereignly accomplishing salvation through His suffering and resurrection.