Calvary Presbyterian Church
The Rev. Debra May Cerra
February 28, 2010

Psalms 127:1-5 (NRSV) Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain. 2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved. 3 Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons of one's youth. 5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Luke 13:31-35 (NRSV) At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, "Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you." 32 He said to them, "Go and tell that fox for me, 'Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. 33 Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.' 34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35 See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

The Tender Side of Jesus

            The four Gospels depict Jesus as someone whose disposition has many qualities. Jesus has a bold side and a quiet side; a daring side and a compassionate side; a forceful side and a gentle side. Jesus speaks out at times and embraces silence in others. He challenges the religious leaders with a vengeance and weeps when his friend Lazarus dies. Jesus commands the wind and the waves and then embraces the people of Jerusalem in the same way a mother cuddles her child.
            Our passage this morning begins with the Pharisees warning Jesus to leave the area for they have heard that Herod is out to kill him. It is unclear as to the intent of this warning. Some think that this report from the Pharisees should be taken at face value; others insist that the Pharisees’ report is a ploy to get Jesus out of their way. In either case, the crux of this first verse in found in the first four words: “At that very hour.”
Just prior to this passage, Jesus defines who will enter through the narrow door to eternal life. Poking at the religious leaders, Jesus says, “Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” (Luke 13:30) It is soon thereafter that the Pharisees warn Jesus of His impending harm by Herod.
            Yet, even with the Pharisees’ warning, Jesus makes known his intentions to continue his work. About Herod he says: “Tell that fox that I've no time for him right now” and then goes on to say, “Today and tomorrow I'm busy clearing out the demons and healing the sick; the third day I'm wrapping things up. Besides, it's not proper for a prophet to come to a bad end outside Jerusalem.” (32-33)
            Not only does Jesus say that He will continue his work, He also claims that His final opposition will not be from either Herod or the Pharisees, but from Jerusalem itself. To seal this prediction, Jesus calls out a word of judgment: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!” (34)
            Immediately after this harsh condemnation of Jerusalem, Jesus speaks with heartfelt compassion. He says, “How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings.” (35) We can almost hear Jesus’ heart breaking for the people as He talks about protecting God’s children. In His compassion, Jesus shows his tender side.
            As Jesus speaks to the people of Jerusalem, His words are also for us. Jesus does not give up on them and Jesus does not give up on us. He extends kindness and care; security and protection. The tender side of Jesus embraces our lives with love and joy, peace and hope.
A story is told of a young mother mallard that hatched her brood along the shore of a lake. It was interesting to watch how she took care of all seven of them. When someone would approach the lake, she became immediately aware and would gather her little brood together, hustling them along to hide in the reeds and brush that surrounded the edge of the lake.
If anyone came too close to get a better look, the mallard would fly away. At first it seemed as if the mother was abandoning her young. But then it became obvious what she was up to: she was offering herself as a decoy. She wanted the intruder to notice and follow her, away from her ducklings. She was willing to sacrifice herself in order to protect her offspring.
This story may help us better understand the lament and passion in Jesus' own voice as He cries: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (35) Jesus’ cry is like a mother who worries about her offspring. Jesus is not only worried about Jerusalem; His concern is for all people – then and now.
Like that mother mallard, Jesus sees far more clearly than we the dangers we face. He knows we tend to over-estimate our powers and are prone to go off on our own. We leave the safety of the brood, so to speak, to seek our own excitement and adventure. And like any mother would do for her child, Jesus chases after us – wanting to call us home, to protect us and even sacrifice for us.
            Do you see the image? Like a mother, Jesus' love is so great that His all-consuming passion is to sweep us up into His protective arms. Although there are others in pursuit of him, namely Herod, Jesus, like a mother, is persistent. He sticks to what His love compels Him to do. He pursues His flock with a passion. His answer to Herod shows that He still has work to do in Galilee. There are still chicks to sweep beneath His wings.
But, once this is done, He knows He is headed to Jerusalem, where He will, in essence, fly off from His chicks alone and draw God's judgment to Himself. He does this so that the jaws of death might sink their teeth into His flesh only, and not into His children whom He loves with a mother-hen's protective passion.
This is not the first time that God is explained as offering shelter under His wings. The psalmist used this metaphor many times: “Guard me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings”; “In the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, until the destroying storms pass by”; “Let me abide in your tent forever, find refuge under the shelter of your wings”; “for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.” Jesus applies to Himself imagery of protection that the Hebrew Bible often applies to God.
Once upon a time there was a Mom, who tried her best to be a good Mom and to be fair with all her children. Her children, like other children, didn't really appreciate this and were always telling her she did more for one or the other of them than she did for all of them. "You love him and her more than you do me", was an often heard refrain. Though the Mom felt bad about her children's reaction, she just continued to do the best she could to keep them all satisfied. She encouraged their individual talents, seeing them as God-given gifts that needed her encouragement. When they reached adulthood and were out on their own, each one doing his or her own thing, she often wondered if she could have done something more to discourage sibling rivalry.
            Imagine her surprise one Mother's Day, when each child told a story about a time when she made them feel so loved that they were able to take the necessary steps to succeed in some project. They said that these memories have been a powerful force in their everyday lives and in how they try to parent their children. They ended their storytelling by singing "A Mother's Love is a Blessing!"
Like this mother’s love for her children, Jesus loves us with an all-encompassing love – a love that yearns for us to be in right relationship with God; a love that desires for us to follow God’s call on our lives. Jesus never gives up on us for, like a mother, he is ever so gently prodding us and poking us; getting our attention and giving us counsel. Jesus wants us to feel so loved that we are able to take the necessary steps to succeed in life.
Friends, when we accept and appreciate the many qualities of Jesus, we come to know his fullness. As we embrace His bold side and His quiet side; His daring side and His compassionate side; His forceful side and His gentle side, we find ourselves enveloped in the majesty and mystery of Jesus. “Like a hen gathers her brood under her wings,” Jesus draws us close so his love shelters us in good time and in the most difficult of times. How soothing it is for us to be embraced by the compassionate and tender side of Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior.
Amen and amen.