Share the Word
Ways to present Luke 13.31-35
Activities marked with an asterisk 
next to the activity title are in addition to the resources in the Ready to go sessions. Suggested timings for these activities are also shown. NB The inclusion of additional activities varies from week to week.
A version of the story for very young children
Prepare a bag with the following objects (or pictures of them) and invite the children to pull them out as you tell the story: an arrow, a fox, a bandage or plaster and a hen.
One day, some Pharisees came to Jesus and warned him:
‘Get away from here! Herod wants to kill you.’
But Jesus said, ‘Herod is a fox, I will carry on with my work,
healing the sick. I will go to Jerusalem.
I wanted to keep you safe, like a hen protects her young
but you did not want me.
You won’t see me now until you see who I am.’
FOR CHILDREN
Read the story and pause at the 
to share these points with the children (see Stop and share below). Then use the activity to explore the passage together. (10 mins)
Click on the image to view a PDF.
Stop and share
- The Pharisees were a group of people who tried to keep every part of the Jewish law very strictly. Most of them felt that Jesus was not strict enough.
- This Herod was not a king, but he was the ruler of the area of Galilee.
- It was thought that people who were very disturbed or distressed had a demon inside them, changing their behaviour. We understand the causes of mental illness very much better now.
Spot the values W E
-
As you read, stop and ask the children what value is being shown by the characters in the story (see below - values are in brackets). If you have space, ask the children to move to different areas of the room to ‘vote with their feet’ as you ask each ‘value’ question in turn, e.g. Were the Pharisees kind or devious? – stand at the front of the room for ‘kind’, and at the back of the room for ‘devious’.
Bible passage
A group of Pharisees came to Jesus saying, ‘You must go! You must get away from here immediately! Herod is looking for you. He is going to kill you.’ (kind or devious?)
But Jesus responded, ‘Go and tell him – tell that fox, that I will not stop what I am doing. (brave or scared?) I will carry on driving out demons and healing people, today and tomorrow. (giving up or determined?) On the third day I will finish my work. But I must carry on my way today, tomorrow and the next day, for a prophet can only die in Jerusalem.’
Jesus was sad (honest or truthful?) as he continued to talk about Jerusalem. ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem,’ he said, ‘you are the city that kills the prophets and God’s messengers. So many times I have wanted to gather your people together – gather and protect them, like a mother hen keeps her chicks safe under her wings. (caring or cold-hearted?) But you wouldn’t let me. You turned away from me. And now it is too late. (strong or weak?) You won’t see me again until the day you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”’
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Gathered together 5 mins E S
- Create a comfortable space in which to share the passage, to provide a sense of safety and security as a hen would do by gathering her brood.
Play the track ‘Build My Life’, Pat Barrett (feat. Chris Tomlin) on Build My Life EP, as you read the passage.