Are You My Father?

Harry has a lot of favorite stories. A lot of them would be familiar to you, because they are books you read or had read to you, when you were a kid. Harry likes Curious George, Clifford the big red dog, The Hungry Caterpillar, Dr. Seuss, and so on.

One of the books we read is a story called “Are You My Mother?” In the story, a newly born bird wakes up to find that it is all alone. He begins to move through the world asking various animals, and if they are his mother. Eventually, the bird goes so far as to ask a giant crane (machine, not animal) if it is his mother. The bird gets caught in the crane and finds itself in very real danger.

You may wonder why I would start off a blog with a book report on “Are You My Mother?” But I was reading a Bible passage this week that, for the first time, had the feel of folk tale and fable. But, like most folk tales and fables, the underlying message goes much deeper.

The passage begins with a fox. In many cultures, the fox appears in folklore as a symbol of cunning and trickery, or as a familiar animal possessed of magic powers. In Chinese mythology, fox spirits lure men away from their wives. The Chinese word for fox spirit is synonymous with the mistress in an extramarital affair. In Japanese folklore, the fox-like kitsune is a powerful animal spirit known for its highly mischievous and cunning nature. Wikipedia says of foxes that typically, they are solitary, opportunistic feeders that hunt live prey.

In this story, the fox is Herod.

At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, "Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you." He replied, "Go tell that fox, 'I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.' In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!

As he shows up throughout Luke’s history of Jesus, he is every bit the fox, always looking for a chance to pounce, to consume, to seize an opportunity for himself. A new teacher and prophet (an possibly more) with a reputation for miracles and wonders would be just the kind of person Herod would want to meet and, quite probably, harm.

But the Hebrew understanding of the word fox would have been two fold. On the one hand, the fox could be a creature that was deceptive and sly. But the Israelites also used the term fox to imply that a person was weak, inept, or a pretender. The Hebrew use of fox was often in opposition with the lion, the lion being strong and brave, the fox being a pompous pretender and upstart.

This double meaning would have been clear to the Pharisees and should be clear to us. Jesus wasn’t simply accusing Herod of being an opportunist, he was accusing him of being a nobody. When Jesus hears that Herod wants him dead he, in essence, says “go tell that fox to keep chasing his tail. I have work to do.”

And the work that Jesus has to do is the other half of the passage, and introduces the character of the mother hen. This is perhaps one of the most unusual and compelling images Christ could have chosen for himself. Why not the eagle? Why not, if we’re talking about foxes, the lion? Isn’t that the obvious choice? But Jesus stops, looks over Jerusalem, and weeps. He knows what is coming and he says these words:

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord."

What a powerful image. A maternal image. A mother hen that wants nothing but to protect her chicks from prowling foxes. But the chicks are scattered and do not recognize their mother. Many have even gone so far as to look for protection from the fox.

Today the world has changed, but humanity’s predicament is still the same. People move through the world in search for something more, not knowing who their Father is. Out of a desire for safety and security they put their trust in themselves, in their relationships, in their stuff, or in the rulers of this world. As long as they promise to protect us, we will give our allegiance to them. But Jesus cries over us and reminds us that it his job to save us and protect us, often from those who we’ve made our protectors.

Jesus says that anything or anyone who promises to save you or protect you is a pretender. Only He can give us the love and protection we need. Only He can save us.

This week I went online to see what it looks like when a hen gathers her chicks to protect them. The image I had imagined was one of a mother hen hunched over a group of chicks, her wings wrapped around them, hunkered down. But the image I found in photos, again and again was of a mother hen, her wings outstretched, with her chicks gathered behind her. She leaves herself exposed, knowing she will die protecting her children.

That is the image we are left with. Jesus with his arms outstretched, dying so that we can live, calling us to get behind him, so that he might save us.

As we move through this season of Lent and towards a remembrance of Jesus’ death on the cross, we are called to put our faith in Him and not in the foxes we might follow. We are called to seek Him as our only source of protection and salvation. And we are called to bring His message of salvation to a world full of people who don’t know who or what to put their trust in, a world of people who’ve forgotten who their Father is.