Hen & chicken

A hen gathering her chicks under her wings at the first sign of danger was a familiar farmyard sight to any first-century listener, and Jesus reached for it to describe his own longing to protect Jerusalem. It’s one of the most tender, maternal images he ever used for himself.

• “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!”

  Matthew 23:37

Christ’s protective longing for his people — ‘how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings’ (Matthew 23:37).

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• Pigeon

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