As a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.

 

Thursday, November 16, 2023


Psalm 38

2 Kings 17:21-41

Matthew 23:29-39


Observance: Margaret of Scotland, queen, helper of the poor (d. 1093)


As a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.


When Jesus gets the wind under Him, He does not mince words. These hypocrites have been working as hard as they can to try and trap Him in a battle of words – but the Word of God Himself cannot be backed into a corner. Now it is Jesus’ turn to shoot back, and what a verbal salvo He gives.


Woe after curse after woe falls upon His enemies, each one more withering than the last. You can imagine it: gentle Jesus, meek and mild, offended by one thing above all – religious hypocrisy. Standing up from His teaching seat, His voice increases with each denunciation, until the walls of the Temple ring with His words.


But the anger of God is only for a moment; His favour is for a lifetime (Psalm 30:5). And so the moment passes, Jesus having done what He needed to do by giving us this warning and teaching. Just as soon as the outrage against hypocrisy passes, Jesus continues the loving kindness of God in this lament over Jerusalem.


It is loving kindness for God to warn us against doing things that bring destruction – hence the outrage against hypocrisy. But loving kindness does not remain outraged, for outrage is loving only when it is a path back home to peace. And so the temperature of the room drops back down again. The flash in Jesus’ eyes pass, and He turns His gaze from His enemies back to His people. Seeing those whom He loves, He calls on the most tender illustration we can understand: a mother hen and her chicks.


The hen – the gentlest of birds. She pecks, she clucks, she broods on her eggs. There is no greater concern for the chicken than a good feed and a safe perch. The wider animal kingdom is locked in its battle of tooth and claw, while the chicken happily lives out its life in innocent luxury.


This is the image that Jesus draws for us. Jesus, whose concern is to preach repentance and forgiveness – the Kingdom of Heaven – speaks of a mother hen and her chicks. The Christian lives under the protective wing of the Lord Jesus. We do not concern ourselves with great matters, but calm and quiet ourselves. We are content, like a weaned child with its mother (Psalm 131). Following our Mother Hen, we have all we could ever need or want. Our Lord wants to do this for us – and we are happy to live as such.

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