ON THE EASTER ROAD (2) "FOXES, HENS AND CHICKENS"

Readings: Genesis 15:1-18, Psalm 27, Phillipians 3:17-4:1, Luke 13:31-35
Preached at Baldwin Presbyterian Church on February 28th 2010

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 that wants to gather her brood 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 mothers 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, The Hen and the Chickens.

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, so long as 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. 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 a church 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 families journey to Jerusalem, he told His parents, "Did you not know that I must be in my Fathers 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 suffering, 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 God 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 ones heart to someone only to have it broken. That is what happened to Jesus in Jerusalem.; and still he comes to (people), and still (people) 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's 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 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 Saviors 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