One bright evening as the sun was sinking on a glorious world a wise old Hen flew into a tree to roost. Before she composed herself to rest, she flapped her wings three times and crowed loudly. But just as she was about to put her head under her wing, her beady eyes caught a flash of red and a glimpse of a long pointed nose, and there just below her stood Master Fox. “Have you heard the wonderful news?” cried the Fox in a very joyful and excited manner.
“What news?” asked the hen very calmly. But she had a queer, fluttery feeling inside her, for, you know, she was very much afraid of the Fox.
“Your family and mine and all other animals have agreed to forget their differences and live in peace and friendship from now on forever. Just think of it! I simply cannot wait to embrace you! Do come down, dear friend, and let us go into the forest together to celebrate the joyful event.”
“How grand!” said the Hen. “I certainly am delighted at the news.” But she spoke in an absent way, and stretching up on tiptoes, seemed to be looking at something afar off.
“What is it you see?” asked the Fox a little anxiously.
“Why, it looks to me like a couple of Dogs coming this way. They must have heard the good news and—”
But the Fox did not wait to hear more. Off he started on a run.
“Wait,” cried the Hen. “Why do you run? The Dogs are friends of yours now!”
“Yes,” answered the Fox. “But they might not have heard the news. Besides, I have a very important errand that I had almost forgotten about.”
The Hen smiled as she buried her head in her feathers and went to sleep, for she had succeeded in outfoxing the fox.
The Fox and the Hen is one of my favorites of Aesop’s Fables! As with all of his fables, this one has a moral. It is this: The trickster is easily tricked, which is a good life lesson to remember for the ages.
Most of you probably don’t know this, but the Bible has its own fox and hen story, and it is found right here in Luke 13:31-35. Let’s take a look!
The Hen Outfoxes the Fox (31-33)
As Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem during the last weeks of his life, he prepared his disciples for ministry and taught the crowds about the kingdom of God. Just as he was finishing his teaching about heaven’s narrow door, a brood of Pharisees approached him with the warning, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” On the surface, this advice is seemingly compassionate, but remember who the Pharisees were; they were the religious leaders of the day and they hated Jesus because his teachings, miracles, and popularity threatened their authority. Even though their words appear to have Jesus’ best interest in mind, they were really using this as a threat to scare Jesus away. This was really a clever ploy on their part to rid themselves of Jesus and his calls for repentance without doing anything that would place culpability at their feet. In essence, these Pharisees were trying to outfox Jesus!
But the Pharisees did not understand who they were dealing with—they did not know that Jesus is God in human flesh and that he saw right through their pathetic ploy. They didn’t realize that intimidation tactics don’t work on Jesus! They didn’t recognize that it is impossible to trick, manipulate, or outfox the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Jesus exposed their scheme with the command “go and tell that fox ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow and the day following, and the third day I finish my course. Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.”
Nothing could stop him from completing his ministry or mission on earth. No obstacle could delay him, no enemy deter him, no threat defeat him. His mission was more important than life itself. With unwavering courage, he was determined to do the work he was called to do. Like an athlete running a race, a champion completing a course, he would keep going to the end.
Dick Hoyt is a man who knows what it takes to finish a course. He completed more than 80 marathons and more than 200 triathlons. That in itself is an accomplishment that few people can match. But Dick Hoyt did all of this while carrying his son with him: pushing him down the street while he runs, pulling him through the water on a dinghy while he swims, hauling him on a bicycle as he pedals. Dick Hoyt’s son was born disabled, unable to control his limbs. But ever since he said, “Dad, when we are running it felt like I wasn’t disabled anymore,” Dick Hoyt has worked hard to finish every race.
This story reminds us of the commitment Jesus had to finish his course, and carry us all the way to salvation. Jesus was telling Herod that he would keep on healing, keep preaching, keep casting out demons, and keep bearing the burden of our sins until his saving work was done. He had to continue along the road to Jerusalem, where he would meet the same fate of the prophets that went before him. (Ryken 55)
Jesus’ commitment to his mission serves as an inspiration for us to remain committed to his mission in this world. Jesus has called all of us to preach the good news of the kingdom, feed the hungry, care for the poor and needy, and to promote justice and ethics wherever we go. But sometimes the devil tries to deceive us into walking away—we get distracted, intimidated, frustrated, or just weary in our work for the Lord. Sometimes we just feel like running away! But just as Jesus remained focused on his task, so should we remained committed to ours! May we continue to journey together with Jesus and labor for the redemption of souls in this sinful world!
The Hen Cares for Her Chicks (34-35)
Well, Jesus knew what awaited him in Jerusalem. And as he pondered it, sorrow welled up in his soul and he whispered the words, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it.” The emotion and pain of his declaration comes from acknowledging Jerusalem’s reputation for rejecting and murdering prophets. Of all cities, Jerusalem, because of its privileged position in Israelite history, should have recognized God’s messengers, but it was blinded by selfish ambition.
Jesus speaks in the first person for God, as is typical of a prophet, and explained how he longed to care for and protect Jerusalem as a hen cares for her chicks. Is there a more tender image than this? Jesus yearned to gather all of the lost and broken people into his loving arms. However, the chicks did not want to stay in the nest, an image of Israel’s unwillingness to receive God’s salvation. The tragic result of this is isolation from God and his protective care. One of the consequences of rejecting God’s will is that people get what they ask for. In this case, “the house” which represents the city of Jerusalem would be forsaken. This consequence eventually came to pass when Jerusalem was demolished by the Romans in A.D. 70. (Bock 382)
What happened to Jerusalem will happen to any nation, city, church, of individual who refuses to find safety in Christ. If we will not come to him, we will be forsaken by God, and eventually be destroyed. Jesus extends his tender wings and offers us salvation, but many people today, just like the city of Jerusalem, reject him. People reject him for all sorts of reasons. Some believe that they can get to heaven their own way or by being a good person. Others reject him because they are skeptics; they refuse to believe in anything they cannot see with their own eyes. But in my experience, the primary reason why people reject Jesus is because they don’t want to repent and give up their sin.
I recall a conversation that I had with a woman a number of years ago. She was devastated by the death of her husband, and in her grief, she found comfort and peace in Jesus Christ. She started attending church regularly and experienced significant spiritual growth for a few years. But eventually, she stopped coming to church and she wouldn’t return any of my calls. When I finally tracked her down, she told me that she had a new boyfriend and that they started shacking up together. And then she said rather bluntly, “I’m not coming to church anymore because I don’t want to be a hypocrite. I know what the Bible says—I know what I am doing is wrong, but this is what I want to do! Church has been great, but I want to live my life my way!”
This was precisely Jerusalem’s problem! The people wanted to live their lives their own way, and they didn’t want God or anyone else telling them what they could and could not do. They were simply not willing to repent—they would rather wallow in their sin than take the Savior’s offer of salvation!
Look at the final words of verse 34 again—“and they were not willing!” So, what about you? Are you willing to repent from your sin and embrace salvation and shelter in the tender wings of the Savior? Are you willing to commit your life to the one who stretched out his hands and hung on the tree for you?
Allow me to conclude this sermon where Jesus concluded his. He said, “You will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” He was speaking here about his second coming at the end of history. On that great day everyone will know that Jesus is the Savior, including everyone who rejected him. Every eye will see him, every knee will bow before him, and every tongue will confess his name as Lord. His second coming will mean salvation for many, but damnation for those who never received Jesus by faith. He invites us to come under his sheltering wing before it is too late? Have you done it? Will you do it? (Ryken 62)
I pray that Jesus will not have to make the same lament for you that he made for Jerusalem. Rather, I pray that you will say “Blessed be the name of the Lord!”