Wednesday, May 14, 2003
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Wednesday, May 14, 2003 |
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Let's all be 'mother hens' to the world By JOHN HATCHER Jesus never compared himself to a member of the animal kingdom except on one occasion and to only one animal. Others have referred to Jesus as the Lion of Judah and we understand that. But, Jesus only used the metaphor of a mother hen to refer to himself. Calling out to the inhabitants of the Holy City Jerusalem, Jesus commented, "How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings and you would not have it"(Luke 13:34). I think it's interesting that Jesus refers to himself as a chicken and a chicken of the female gender. Of course, the male dominated church is having a bad case of spiritual hiccups right about now, saying, "How dare that man associate our Lord with a female chicken!" Hey, there, I didn't do it. Jesus did it himself. Jesus was reaching out to the confused and oppressed people of Jerusalem offering himself as one who would nurture them if they would come to him. Jesus wanted to nurture folks then and even now. Nurture! Nurture is a highly respected word, but a seldom done word. It's one of the words, when used, that causes social workers to raise their eyebrows and say, "oh yes." But, when it gets down to the plain nurturing of the populace, much goes lacking. Think about that mother hen. She is there on the spot when her little chicks are in danger. When something is heading after her little ones, she is there to gather them, spread her wings over them, and double-dog dare anyone to come close. That's what Jesus wanted to be to the people of Jerusalem: something like a mother hen. He would run after them. Didn't he say if a shepherd had 100 sheep and one went astray, the good shepherd would leave the 99 and go find the one lost sheep? That's the way Jesus operated. One is important to him, then and now. Jesus was a protector. When the whole town wanted to stone to death this woman caught in the very act of adultery by the city's spiritual giants, Jesus was the one to spread his protection over her and dare anyone to throw a single stone. When all was said and almost all done, Jesus allowed himself to be nailed to a cross and endured the death of a criminal. Why? So, his little chicks that's you and me would be free from the fright of death. More than any mother, Jesus was a nurturer. Not only was he the king of kings, but also he was the king of love. And, nobody ever loved or cared for anyone like Jesus. He invited the children to jump into his lap. He laughed and carried on with them. He touched the lepers (it would have been like touching AIDS patients 15 years ago). He was so very genuine in his expressions of joy and kindness. Nobody nurtured anybody like Jesus. So what? What are you trying to say to me, John? What I am saying is that you, too, can be a nurturer like Jesus. Mother Teresa, one of the most famous non-biological mothers of the 20th Century, gave some good advice about getting along in this thing of nurturing. Let's read and heed: Spread love everywhere you go, first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to the next door neighbor ... Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness; in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting. John Hatcher is pastor of Outreach International Center 1091 South Jeff Davis Drive Fayetteville, Georgia 30215 770-719-0303 |
