Over
the years since we moved to the United States one of the things I have greatly enjoyed is observing the wildlife. Whilst in Wales you see rabbits, an occasional fox or a weasel, a squirrel if you were in the woods, maybe
even at night a badger, but animal life was far less prevalent. It has been a new experience see chipmunks, possums, groundhogs,
skunk, raccoon, and of course deer roaming free.
On the Easter road this morning, our Bible reading makes reference to
two animals that are well known throughout the world. The fox and the hen. Jesus describes Herod as a fox . He then goes on
to picture God's love as being like that of a Mother hen who wants to gather her offspring under her wings.
Then he brings us into the picture. And it's not a flattering image.
We, like the people of Jerusalem, are the stupid chickens who break the mother’s heart because, rather than shelter
under her wings, we run off and play with the fox! "Jerusalem, Jerusalem" speaks Jesus in great anguish, "How often I wanted
to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under wings, and you would not have it!"
THE FOX
One of my favorite cartoons doesn't have a fox, a hen, or a chicken in
it but rather a coyote and a roadrunner. "Mi-Mi Vrooom" the road runner speeds by, whilst the Coyote unpacks yet another device
from "Acme" to try and get that bird for his dinner. No matter what he does,
the roadrunner escapes, and the coyote ends up going over the side of the canyon and into the dust.
In our scripture Jesus is the one forging ahead that can not be stopped.
He will preach. He will cast out demons. He will heal. And He will see his mission through to its conclusion. He proclaims
"I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day" (Luke 13:33). And nobody
can stop Him. So a message is sent to Herod, the fox (or Coyote if you prefer), that is along the lines of "Tell him (and
all who think like him) that all their devices and plans can not hold back the work of the Kingdom."
Every person that has ever truly sought to follow Jesus soon discovers
a simple truth. There are a lot of foxes out there. There are a whole host of
things that will try and prevent us from walking the Easter Road. There are many
things trying to crowd in on our lives and cause us to falter in our commitment, put a drain on our faith and which clamor
for our time. And no matter how hard we may say "Mi-Mi" or "Vroom" we are not the roadrunner and often times get bogged down
on the journey.
The Bible consistently depicts evil as something dangerous and predatory
– nothing to flirt with, but a vicious animal. In Genesis 3:1, Satan is
pictured as a serpent, a snake. In Genesis 4:7, evil is said to be crouching at the door, waiting to pounce. 1 Peter 5:8,
tell us that the devil prowls around, like a lion, looking for those he can devour. Matthew's and John's gospels talk about
the wolf that comes to snatch away God's sheep. (Matthew 7:15, John 10:12).
In Revelation, evil is described as a plague of locusts or scorpions and the Devil as being like a "Great Red Dragon with seven heads and ten horns" seeking to devour God's children. (Revelation 9:1-11 &12:3). Herod is pictured as a sly, cunning, and destructive fox.
So take care as you walk down the Easter Road. It's a jungle out there.
But don't be afraid. The purposes of Jesus can not be stopped. The Herods’,
the foxes’, and the coyotes’ destiny is down in the canyon biting the dust. Those things God is seeking to bring
about in your life will come to pass if you keep your eyes fixed on Him. When temptation comes, saddle up the Roadrunner and
get out of there! When discouragement or disaster strikes, focus your anger on the problem, not on God who can get you through
the situation. Set your heart on following Jesus. But take care; there are foxes out there.
THE HEN
Of the many images the Bible gives us of God, here is one of the tenderest. Jesus speaks of the compassion of God in this way. "How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings" (Luke 13:34). When wanting to speak of the ability of God to nurture and protect, Jesus uses an
image of motherhood.
I saw someone wearing an apron in the kitchen that had the message, "Hug
a Presbyterian today" written on it. This "mother hen" image pictures God as the one who wants to throw loving arms around
us and give us a big hug. A God who knows of the dangers out on the road and wants us to travel through life under wings of
protection and compassion. A God who seeks our growth in the things of the Kingdom.
One of the characteristics of the mother hen is that when her chicks
are threatened by a fox, she will protect them, even if it means giving up her own life to do so. Jesus was going to Jerusalem with a purpose in mind. To finish
the work that was His destiny. To die on the cross of Calvary.
"I must journey on" He declares. Back when He was a child and went missing on the family’s journey
to Jerusalem, he told His parents, "Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house." (Luke 2:49).
Near the commencement of his ministry He said, "I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God... for
I was sent for this purpose (Luke 4:43). He taught His disciples, on a number of occasions, "The son of man must undergo great sufferin, and be rejected
by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised." (Luke 9:22, 17:25, 24:7,26).
Jesus must complete His work. Otherwise the New Covenant would
never happen. A new relationship with God would not be possible. People would be stuck for ever with the idea that God is
one to be appeased with blood and sacrifices, rather than a God of motherly compassion who wants to get the Kingdom children
together and give them a big hug!
The desire of God for God’s children is like that of a mother hen
towards her chicks. But that's not the whole picture this passage gives us. There are also...
THE CHICKENS
Maybe you've seen the "Back to the Future" movies with Michael J. Fox.
The one thing that gets him mad in those films is if his opponent calls him "Chicken". Our passage this morning calls us "Chicken".
Not in the sense of being cowardly, but in the sense of being stupid. We're the sort of chickens who, when they see the fox
coming, instead of running to mother hen we go running to the fox! Mother hen
is there waiting to shield us and protect us and comfort us, but we go off in a different and dangerous direction.
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, I would
gather you together... but you will not have it"
Jerusalem was a lot more than a geographical location. It was the heart
and soul of God's people. So often in the past God's people had rejected those He sent to bring His love. It would be no different
when Jesus walked through the gates.
God's messenger has come and showed us life in His teachings, in His
death the way to peace and to salvation, but the message is still being rejected. And the results are still the same - our
house is left empty, we feel we are on our own to face life’s choices, we face life’s problems alone and bear
the consequence of rejection.
As people of God, we are all 'Jerusalem'. We are all those whom God wants
to offer a big hug, but we push loving arms aside and go off on our own. William Barclay writes, “Nothing hurts so much
as to go to someone and offer love and have that love spurned. It is life’s bitterest tragedy, to give one’s heart
to someone only to have it broken. That is what happened to Jesus in Jerusalem.; and still he comes to men, and still men
reject him. But the fact remains that to reject God's love is in the end to be in peril of his wrath.” To reject God's love is to be a stupid chicken running for the fox.
When life hits hard, there is something in us that runs from God rather
than to Him. It is partly due to us blaming God for the things that happen to us. "Why did You let this happen to me?"…"Why
didn't You stop this coming my way?" Christianity isn't about avoidance. It's about taking all the garbage life throws at
us and creating something beautiful out of it. It has to do with finding the
strength to go on. No one had to deal with more undeserved suffering than Jesus. And no one except God knows how to take death and turn it into resurrection, to take
defeat and make it into a victory.
The fox and the hen. Two very different images. If you are a chicken
it's a bad thing to get those pictures confused in your mind. May God grant us
the gift of discernment, so that we can know what are the wrong choices and know which are the right paths to follow. When we're hurting, may we have the sense not to go chasing after solutions that will
ultimately cause us more harm than good; but to become like Jesus suggested, a little child, climb up onto the Savior’s
knee, let Him give us a big mother hen hug, and then get on with our lives.
Let us move down the Easter Road, maybe not
quite as speedy as the Roadrunner,
but with confidence, that as we seek to live
as children of His Kingdom,
He will, through the empowering of His Holy
Spirit,
grant us the strength to see the journey through
to its joyful destination.
Rev. Adrian J. Pratt
