Luke 13:32 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.’
The “he” is Jesus. The “fox” is Herod, the ruler in the land who wants to kill Jesus. But what struck me in this verse is the way the threefold repetition parallels Shakespeare’s famous speech in the mouth of Macbeth at the death of his wife:
She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing. — Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 5, lines 17-28)
I came to believe that the primary question of life is whether or not there is an overarching hand purposefully guiding things, as hard as it may be to discern or understand at times. If not, Macbeth was probably right. Jesus taught and lived like there is a hand, a purpose, a reason. In Lent we look at our life and ask if we are more like Jesus or Macbeth.
Logan Memorial Presbyterian Church 