A GREAT LESSON FROM A CHICKEN(A Mother’s Day Sermon)11:00 AM Worship Service | Sunday, May 11, 2025 Matthew 23:37b How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Introduction This passage of Scripture is unique in many ways. Jesus uses a figure of speech to describe Himself in a way that is very strange and even awkward for us to repeat. We are used to quoting Him as He said He is the Good Shepherd. We are familiar with Him referring to Himself as the Bread of Life. We know the “I-Am” statements recorded in the Gospel of John. We are comfortable with using John the Baptist’s metaphor of the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world. We all know what our ancestors called Him: a Doctor in a sick room; a Lawyer in a court room – and many more great metaphors. In this pericope, Jesus describes Himself as a mother hen, with a brood of chicks, which she protects. Jesus describes Himself as a chicken. That’s right. Jesus describes Himself as a chicken. Chickens are not the most regal of birds. We admire eagles, peacocks, and swans, but not chickens. When we think of chicken, it is associated with Popeyes, Church’s, KFC, Sunday dinner, or a repast at the church. With the exception of game cocks, which are bred and trained to fight, chickens are seen, and rightly so, as fearful and timid. When we want individuals to be brave, we tell them “Don’t be a chicken.” Moreover, this is a feminine reference. It is a hen not a rooster. This passage hits home to me, because, as you know, I grew up on Rural Route 2, Box 33, outside of the city limits of Abbeville, Alabama. Commercial farming was prevalent, and every family had a vegetable garden and some chickens. Among the chickens, there would periodically be a setting hen. They were also called brooding hens. As you know, a setting hen would sit upon her fertilized eggs to provide warmth to incubate them. During the whole process until the chicks were mature, the mother hen was very protective of the eggs and the chicks once they hatched. Her maternal instincts changed her whole personality. The hen would get aggressive if she thought her eggs or chicks were in danger. It was well-known that the hen’s personality changed when she had chicks. (We called the chicks biddies.) People would not “mess” with a setting hen or a mother hen because she would aggressively peck you to protect her young. Some people were described negatively as “cantankerous as a setting hen.” I have seen this with my own eyes. When a hawk or some other bird of prey would come near, the mother hen would sound a loud unique series of alerting clucks, and all of her chicks would instinctively run toward her and get under her body. Then, she would lower her wings to provide an additional protective barrier. Jesus was alluding to this instinctive behavior of the hen and the chicks in this figure of speech. He was the mother hen sounding the alarm. Unfortunately, the people of Israel, the chicks, did not respond. They did not run for cover. Their lack of response will not be developed in this sermon. (A sermon, like a well-crafted song or poem, is only about one thing.) We shall concentrate on the protective nature of the mother hen. If a mother hen cares that much about her chicks, how much more does a human mother care about her children? Thank God for human mothers, who protect their children much, much better than a mother hen! I know it is hard to see our Savior as a chicken. Two things we must remember. First, these are the exact, quoted words of Jesus. In most paginated Bibles, His exact words are printed in red. In the principles of Biblical hermeneutics, the exact words of Jesus take the highest precedence. Secondly, we must remember 2nd Timothy 3:16, which says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” This Scripture, as awkward as it may seem, reinforces and reminds us how important a mother’s role is. Exposition 1. The Nearest Thing To God’s Love On Earth Is A Mother’s Love. (When Everybody Else Kicks You To The Curb, A Mother Is Still There And Praying For You.) (Her Love Extends From The Womb To The Tomb.) 2. Mothers Sacrifice Much For Their Children. (The Mother Hen Would Allow A Hawk To Get Her Before It Attacked Her Chicks.) (The Mother Hen Would Sacrifice Her Own Body To Protect Her Children.) (Likewise, Human Mothers Put Their Children’s Welfare Before Their Own.) 3. Human Mothers Are Unique In Many Ways.
(Comparative Anatomy And Other Sciences Confirm Psalm 139:14.) (This Favorable Uniqueness Puts More Pressure On Parents, Especially Mothers.) (The Helpless Human Infant And An Extended Nurturing Period.) (Short Intervals Between Consecutive Births.) (The Extreme Pain During Childbirth – The Small Birth Canal.) 4. The First Three Points Should Inspire Us To Have Even More Appreciation For Our Own Mother And All Mothers Everywhere. Closing Thoughts I will close with the lyrics from my hymn, God, Bless Our Dear Mothers. I wrote it in memory of my mother, Viola Amelia Jackson Ward. (It can be sung to the tune of the hymn, Oh, How I Love Jesus.) “Our mothers toil both night and day, With strength from God above. With grace they give themselves away And demonstrate God’s love. A mother’s care, the sweetest known, Upon this sinful earth; A blessing from God’s holy throne, That starts before the birth. A mother’s hands are soft and warm, They guide the whole life through; Protecting from the hurt and harm, With love that’s tried and true. With grateful thanks we clearly sing, For mothers kind and dear. We thank the Lord, our gracious King, For mothers far and near. God, bless our dear mothers, God, bless our dear mothers, God, bless our dear mothers, With favor from above.” Give God Glory! Give God All The Glory! Copyright © 2025 by James C. Ward All Rights Reserved
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