Charles Spurgeon Commentary Luke 13:32

"And he said unto them, Go and say to that fox, Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures to-day and to-morrow, and the third [day] I am perfected." — Luke 13:32 (ASV)

And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox,

Jesus called Herod a fox because he wanted to get Christ out of his territory without the public disgrace of driving him away. So he sent this roundabout message to try to make a coward of the Lord, and to get him to leave of his own accord.

Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

That is, "I shall stay my full time here; while I have work to do, I shall do it, and I am not going away until it is finished. I am not afraid of Herod threatening to kill me, for I am immortal till my work is done." He is not even flurried or troubled by such a message as that. Besides, when men mean to bite, they do not usually bark; and if Herod had meant to kill Christ just then, he would not have told him what he was going to do.