“The Recalcitrant Chicks”
Sermon Presented February 28, 2010
Second Sunday of Lent – Year C
Luke 13:31-35
Most of us have offered help to a loved one – a child, a grandchild, an aging parent or friend, and had our offer rebuffed. We honestly believe that what we have to offer is helpful – even saving our loved one from danger or failure – but if our help isn’t wanted or accepted, there’s nothing we can do except to grieve for what might have been. It’s painful to watch our loved ones struggle when we might help.
That’s the way it is for Jesus. He loves Jerusalem! The temple – the spiritual center for the Jews – is there. But Jerusalem is more than just a place! It is people – just as Milwaukee and New York City aren’t just places but people.
It’s only a few days before Jesus’ arrest and trial. He’s on his way to Jerusalem and his teachings do nothing to endear him to the religious leaders. He just told them that God’s kingdom is topsy turvy to worldly kingdoms. It’s a complete reversal! Those who are on top now won’t be on top in God’s kingdom, and those who are on the bottom will be elevated to the top! Then Jesus upsets the apple cart even more. Hear our text from Luke 13:31-35. (As a word of explanation, Herod, the “fox” is Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great and the executioner of John the Baptist.)
The Romans don’t allow Herod Antipas to use the title “King”. He holds the title of tetrarch – ruler of a quarter of the territory, and he serves at the pleasure of the Roman emperor. He is Jewish, but collaborates with Rome. Jesus may be considered a threat or a rival to Antipas because Jesus proclaims another kingdom – the kingdom of God. (Leslie J. Hoppe, Feasting on the Word, Year C Volume 2, p. 69)
Jesus calls Herod a fox! The people of Israel are compared to baby chicks, and we know what a fox does to chickens! You don’t want a fox in the hen house! My grandmother raised chickens on a farm in Gower, MO, and she was diligent in protecting her chicks. I recall seeing her almost knocked down by the force of a shotgun when she tried to kill a chicken hawk that was after her chickens. Grandma was the guardian of her chickens and my image of the mother hen who protects her chicks.
Jesus’ lament over the city of Jerusalem is less a final judgment on the city and more a call to repentance. God wants to protect Jerusalem through Jesus, but you can’t protect those who don’t want to be protected. This is an analogy of salvation and not destruction. (Ibid, p. 73)
Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. This is a sacred journey – his final destination where he will be rejected and killed. In our text, he reflects on how often he desired to gather the people of Jerusalem under his wings but they wouldn’t be gathered. They were oblivious to their need for protection and salvation, so they scattered. Jesus couldn’t force his protection on them. People had to recognize and accept his offer.
I am reading David Wroblewski’s novel The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. It is so absorbing that I mute the sound of the Olympics most of the time so I can read! The story is set in northern Wisconsin and is about a family (3 generations) that breeds and trains service dogs. The pups are bred for intelligence – and these smart pups never miss an opportunity to “do their own thing”. Without firmness from the trainer, they are into mischief. With this text in mind, I have tried to visualize these young pups as the recalcitrant chicks that refuse to settle under the wings of the mother hen. You can train a dog, but not chicks! Chicks venture outside the circle of protection and are soon at the mercy of the fox.
Jesus isn’t naïve. The fox really isn’t in control of the henhouse, even though that’s how it appears. So Jesus tells those who warn him about Herod to tell Herod to stuff it. He will leave when the time is right and not before. This sounds like a death wish and not a wise message to send someone who not only wants you dead, but has the power to do it. However, Jesus’ sense of purpose prevails and he shows no fear. He knows he will die in Jerusalem and he grieves over the city and her people. He knows that the chicks should accept his protection, but they won’t.
Jesus has a vision of how things can be! And like Jesus, those who project a vision or a dream that goes against the grain of the prevailing conditions are at risk. During the time of slavery, slaves sang their dreams of freedom – and many died. The prophets spoke of a new heaven and a new earth, and they were threatened and killed. Moses challenged the pharaoh and almost lost his life. Jesus speaks his dreams and his heartbreak because his people refuse to hear and heed God’s call to draw near and be safe.
God can invite; Jesus can invite; we can invite; but those invited must accept the invitation. And although invitations may be sent on a regular basis – they can be rejected on a regular basis. OR the invitation can be accepted! There is a choice!
Why do you think that so many people reject God’s invitation? Some may be afraid of what might happen to them. Some are afraid to explore or to fly! Others fear they might lose their independence. Maybe God will choose a path that will curtail or change my activities. However, God wants to love, protect, and nurture us, not control us. We can accept God’s invitation without fear.
Jerusalem is a war zone where prophets and peacemakers are killed. It’s filled with baby chicks and at least one fox. The chicks are unprotected and at the mercy of the fox. In the distance the mother hen is clucking for all she’s worth but most of the chicks can’t hear and those who do pay no attention.
Frederick Buechner tells of the time his daughter decided to stop eating. Buechner felt total helplessness as she was hospitalized several thousand miles from home. The doctor said she must be fed against her will or she would die. As tears flowed down Buechner’s face, he knew there was nothing he could do. In spite of his love for her, he was powerless to help. To become well she must freely choose to be well. He couldn’t force her to eat no matter how much he loved her.
Jesus doesn’t come as a Herod and force people to accept his help. He comes as a mother hen who wants to stand between the chicks and whatever will harm them. If harm comes to the chicks, the fox will have to kill her first – which he does, by the way.
We constantly face danger and despair, and no matter who we are, we aren’t immune to it. That’s why we need a God who protects and nurtures us as well as one who forgives and saves us. The mother image of God in our text does both – opening arms to receive the wanderers and protecting them from danger. The picture is one of tenderness and hope.
Jesus says: “I want to love you, but you don’t want my protection and love. You aren’t willing to come under my sheltering wings. You aren’t willing to accept my love.” Loves oozes from his heart as he grieves over what God’s people are losing.
So what if you are secure under God’s wings? What is your responsibility to those who made a different choice? I believe we are called by God to stand in the gap for others as Jesus did for Jerusalem – as my grandmother did for her chicks. The world is filled with rebellious chicks and when we pull in our wings and stand in judgment over them, we may close the window of opportunity they have to see God. We are to be like Jesus and keep our wings outstretched. We are to stay under the sheltering wings of God so that we can be open to accept and help others.
During this Lenten season, let’s ask God to give us direction for our lives. We may need to make changes – both internal and external. However, there can be no good external change unless we allow God to change us internally. Like the chicks in Jesus’ lament, no one can make our choices for us. What will we choose?
02/28/2010
