“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” Matthew 23:37
July 10, 2026
It was only a few days before Jesus would be tried and crucified. The deep feelings of Israel’s Messiah for Israel are evident. How often the nation had rejected God’s grace. Blatant idolatry in times past had yielded empty ritualism and legalism. Jesus was not the kind of Messiah Israel wanted. Oh, how different things could have been. God’s tender care and desire to protect and gather His people had been forfeited. Have you seen how a broody hen is such a protector. Go online for videos to see how a mother hen fluffs her feathers and calls her chicks to duck safely under her wings. She will aggressively fight off predators, to keep her babies safe. Jesus had no doubt witnessed this many times. Have you thought of how committed the Savior is to you if you belong to Him? Only eternity will reveal how our Lord’s protective feathers have fluffed around us in dangerous times. The Second Coming of Jesus, Israel’s Messiah, promised the judgment of those bully nations who have sought to destroy His people when out of Zion the Deliverer would come (Rom. 11:25-27).
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Reflections:
Thank God for the ways He has protected you that you know of and His tender mercies to you.