O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which kills the prophets, and stones them that are sent unto you; how often would I have gathered your children together, as a hen does gather her brood under her wings, and you would not!
All Commentaries on Luke 13:34 Go To Luke 13
Cyril of Alexandria
AD 444
He shows that Jerusalem is guilty of the blood of many saints, declaring that it is not possible for a prophet to perish away from it. From this it follows that its people were about to fall from being members of God’s spiritual family, that they were about to be rejected from the hope of the saints and entirely deprived of the inheritance of those blessings which are in store for those who have been saved by faith. He showed them that they were forgetful of God’s gifts, and stubborn, and slothful to everything that might have profited them, saying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is forsaken.” He taught them through the most wise Moses, and ordained for them the law to direct them in their conduct, and to be their ruler and guide in a life worthy of admiration. Though this law was but as yet in shadows, it nevertheless possessed the type of the true worship. He admonished them by the holy prophets. He would have had them under his wings, that is, under the protection of his power, but they lost the valuable blessings by being disposed to evil, ungrateful and scornful. Commentary on Luke, Homily
