Humble as a Hen

Of all the names Jesus called Himself, the most disarming was a Hen. I don't know about you, but I would be quite hesitant to call the second Person of the Godhead a Hen. A Lion, sure. But a Hen. Whoa!

There are other terms that Jesus used for Himself like door and water and bread that reveal a deep humility, an inclination to incarnate Himself in common things. However, Hen in particular reveals His willingness to be vulnerable, a confession of His hurt at how the people He was sent to save chirped "why bother?" Their hardness of heart existed as a contrast to Christ's deep desire to save them. Wandering chicks on their own don't stand much of a chance of survival without the careful maternal eye of their mother. The Hen is willing,  the chicks are not.

As Calvin writes, "Dreadful vengeance awaits us if we do not quietly hide ourselves under His wings, by which He is ready to receive and shelter us." He is more than a Hen but surely not less. "Because under His wings we have an impregnable refuge."

Matthew 23:37

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.