The story is told of a little hen – red or white or unspecified, depending on who’s telling the story – that lived in Yellowstone National Park or Nigeria or at no fixed address – again, depending on who’s telling the story. You might know the story I’m talking about? The one about the hen and the forest fire, or was it a farmhouse fire or a henhouse fire?
Whatever the kind of fire, this little hen was found by forest rangers or a farmer or a Nigerian boy, and seeing the bird petrified in ashes or as a burned lump on the ground or a heap of charred feathers, the person who found this hen knocked the bird over with a stick or kicked her off the trail with his boot or bent down to pick her up with his hands, and to his surprise, out ran three or four or seven chirping baby chicks! Now do you recognise the story?
I have to say I was somewhat disappointed to learn this week that The Little Red Hen as I knew this story isn’t true. All these years I thought the Illustrated Gospel Series from 1945 were true but apparently not so! 
What is obviously true however, is the nature of a hen, for why else would stories about hens who use their wings to protect their young instead of flying to safety be told across cultures? Why else would hens be linked with losing their own life in order to save their chicks across the world?
When Jesus likened Himself to a mother hen, one can only presume the Creator of hens knew what He was doing. This reference is found in Luke 13:24 and reads, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often I have desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing!”
In light of the fact that it is Mother’s Day today, we at Chatswood Church had a discussion about the passage of Scripture this verse comes from yesterday and some of the questions we discussed that you might also like to reflect on are:
- What does this verse tell us about Jesus’ love for the people of Jerusalem and in fact, everyone?
- What does the image of Jesus as a mother hen wanting to protect her chicks mean to you?
- How have you experienced this kind of love?
- Are you already under the protection of Jesus? If not, what would it take to let Him care of you?
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Happy Mother’s Day mums! And again, thank you Jesus.
