One of the most common verses used to argue against Calvinism is Matthew 23:37, where Jesus laments over Jerusalem:
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”
At first glance, some claim this proves that God desires to save everyone without exception but is frustrated by man’s free will. But when we examine the verse carefully in context, it actually supports the Calvinist understanding of God’s sovereignty and man’s inability.
Notice first who Jesus is addressing. He speaks directly to Jerusalem — that is, the leaders of the nation, those responsible for killing the prophets and rejecting God’s messengers. Yet when He speaks of gathering, He says, “how often would I have gathered your children together.” Christ is not lamenting that He tried and failed to save the leaders themselves, but that their rejection of Him had led to the people under their care being hardened and scattered. The “you” refers to the leaders, while the “children” refers to those they influenced.
This is not a statement about God’s eternal decree of salvation being resisted, but about Israel’s historical pattern of rejecting the covenant messengers sent to her. The religious rulers continually hardened their hearts, leading the people astray, and as a result, judgment was coming upon the nation.
Second, this verse cannot be read in isolation from the rest of Scripture. The same Jesus who speaks these words also declares in John 6:37, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” He does not fail in His saving mission. Those whom the Father has chosen will be effectually drawn (John 6:44). Christ is not a frustrated Savior wringing His hands over human free will, but the sovereign Lord who saves His people without fail (Matthew 1:21).
Finally, the lament of Matthew 23:37 is consistent with God’s revealed will — He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11) and calls all people everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). But His secret will — His eternal decree — ensures that only those chosen in Christ will come in saving faith (Ephesians 1:4–5). The leaders of Jerusalem resisted God’s messengers, and judgment fell on the nation, but the elect within Israel, and later among the Gentiles, were and are gathered to Christ by His sovereign grace.
Rather than refuting Calvinism, Matthew 23:37 highlights the tragic hardness of man’s heart and the reality of judgment, while leaving intact the truth that God’s saving purposes never fail. The elect will come to Christ, because it is not of him who wills or runs, but of God who shows mercy (Romans 9:16).