THE FOX AND THE HEN

Jesus heads to Jerusalem, not because of the threat of Herod but because of the purpose of God that burns within his heart. He is a prophet; he will reach his goal; and he will not die outside Jerusalem. Jesus is not running from Herod, but rather is running to the Cross!

It is to Jerusalem that Jesus makes his impassioned appeal, describing himself as a “hen” seeking to gather her chicks under her wings (34). Contrast this with his description of Herod as a “fox” (32), who has used his power not to protect, but to harm. It is interesting later in Luke, when Herod and Jesus meet, that Jesus refuses to speak to him (Luke 23:9). Herod the “king” is described as a fox because his agenda is selfish; he has little love for the people, who have even less for him. Ultimately he will do anything to keep his Roman-bestowed power. Jesus, the King, is described as a hen, prepared to put her life on the line for the chicks, gathering them under her wings at the onslaught of destruction in an attempt to save them. Jesus goes to Jerusalem not with his own agenda but with God’s—and he goes to save the people by surrendering his own life.

The contrast between kings and kingdoms could not be more obvious. If Jerusalem follows men and their ways, the ultimate end will be destruction—chicks won’t survive long in the company of foxes—but if the people of God will have the courage to run from the fox and all he represents to the shelter of the Hen, then they will enter a kingdom that will survive the destruction and outlive the kingdoms of men.

Think of the kingdoms that have risen and disappeared since the life of Jesus, yet his kingdom is relentlessly advancing.