(This message series is inspired and excerpted from He Loves Me! by Wayne Jacobsen.)
I had totally misunderstood the Christian faith. I came to see that it was in my brokenness, in my powerlessness, in my weakness that Jesus was made strong. It was in the acceptance of my lack of faith that God could give me faith. – Mike Yaconelli quoted in Abba’s Child
The Hen and Her Chicks
“The forest fire had been brought under control, and the firefighters were making sure all the hot spots had been extinguished. As they marched across the blackened landscape between the wisps of smoke still rising from the smoldering remains, a large lump on the trail caught a firefighter’s eye.
As he got closer he noticed it was the charred remains of a large bird. Since birds can so easily fly away from the approaching flames, the firefighter wondered what was wrong with this bird that it could not escape. Had it been sick or injured?
Arriving at the carcass, he decided to kick it off the trail with his boot. As he did, however, he was startled by a flurry of activity around his feet. Four little birds flailed in the dust and ash, then scurried down the hillside.
The bulk of the mother’s body had covered them from the searing flames. Though the heat was enough to consume her, it allowed her babies to find safety underneath. In the face of the rising flames, she had stayed with her young. She was their only hope for safety, and willing to risk her own life she gathered them together and covered them with her own body. Even when the pain reached its most unbearable moment, when she could easily have flown away to start another family on another day, she made herself stay through the raging flames.
Her dead carcass and her fleeing chicks told the story well enough—she gave the ultimate sacrifice to save her young. It also illustrates an even greater story—this one almost incomprehensible. In this story it is the Creator of heaven and earth who does exactly the same thing to rescue his wayward children from their own destruction.” (pg. 109-110)
What did you get out of the story of the hen and her chicks?
Jesus addressed a spiritual and cultural wildfire bearing down on him, the disciples, and his followers with an angry outburst directed at the Pharisees.
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, [2] “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, [3] so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. [4] They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. [5] They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, [6] and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues [7] and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. (Matthew 23:1-7 ESV)
And . . . He’s just getting started!
You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? [34] Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, [35] so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. (Matthew 23:33-35 ESV)
Then . . . He closes with an expression of grief over the heartbreaking state of God’s people.
“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! (Matthew 23:37 ESV)
“Jesus could see the firestorm their own sin had produced approaching Jerusalem. It would devour them utterly. Even though many in that crowd would cry for his crucifixion only a few days later, he still wanted them. Like the hen, he offered them a safe place under his wings, willing to endure the fire to the point of death to rescue whoever wanted to come.” (pg. 112)
What firestorm do you see on your spiritual and cultural horizon? What is more probable for you to do, run under his wing or try to figure out a way to fix things yourself?
“Not all chicks run to their mothers in time of danger. Some, either paralyzed in panic or trying to find a way to save themselves, are devoured. She cannot run around gathering them individually. They have to come to her. That’s all the young chicks in the forest fire had done to be safe. They didn’t have to earn it; all they had to do was run under the mother’s wing and let her cover them. Those who did were rescued; those who didn’t were devoured. It didn’t matter if they thought they had a better idea. It didn’t matter if they thought they could outrun it. All that mattered was their willingness to trust the call of their mother.” (pg. 112)
“God helps those who help themselves” – Ben Franklin True or false?
“Trusting our own wisdom is so easy we find ourselves doing it before we ever realize it. There is only one place where we can learn the trust in God that was shattered in Eden—at the cross of Jesus Christ. His willingness to trade his life for ours stands as unmistakable evidence of his love for you.
When you understand what really happened there, then you will know how much you are loved. When you know how much you’re loved you’ll find trusting him to be as easy as breathing.” (pg. 115)
But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Galatians 6:14 ESV)
For Your Personal Journey:
Where do you try to save yourself using your own ingenuity to survive, rather than trusting Jesus to lead you as he desires? Isn’t his unlimited patience amazing and that even after our worst deeds, he stands ready to cover us with his wings and let us abide safely in him. Ask him to show you what that specifically means for you and to teach you how to live every day and through every circumstance trusting that he loves you.
Leave a Reply