How does God protect His children?
What does "gather your children together" teach about God's protective nature?

Verse in Focus

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!” (Matthew 23:37)


A Picture from Everyday Life

• Jesus chooses the image of a mother hen—familiar, vivid, tender.

• Chicks instinctively flee to the hen’s wings at any hint of danger.

• Under those wings they find warmth, safety, and belonging.

• The scene carries a sense of urgency: the hen stretches out her wings before the threat arrives.


Layers of Meaning in “Gather”

• Initiative: The hen doesn’t wait for the chicks to come; she draws them in.

• Intimacy: Protection happens “under” the wings—close to the heart.

• Completeness: “Gather” aims to include every chick, not merely a few.

• Continual Desire: “How often I have longed” points to repeated, persistent care.


Protection in the Heart of God

• God pursues, shelters, and nurtures His people with unfailing resolve.

• His protection is both physical (Psalm 91:4 — “He will cover you with His feathers...”) and spiritual (John 10:28 — “No one will snatch them out of My hand”).

• The refusal of Jerusalem highlights that divine protection is offered, not forced; safety is entered by willing trust.


Old Testament Echoes

Deuteronomy 32:11 — “Like an eagle that stirs up its nest… He spreads His wings to catch them.”

Ruth 2:12 — “...a full reward be given you by the LORD... under whose wings you have come for refuge.”

Psalm 36:7 — “...the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.”

Across centuries, the same metaphor underscores God’s consistent character.


Promises Still True Today

Hebrews 13:8 affirms Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Romans 8:38-39 guarantees that nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

• Therefore, His longing to gather and guard remains active for believers now.


Responding to the Invitation

• Recognize danger outside His covering—sin, deception, judgment.

• Run to the shelter Christ provides through faith and obedience.

• Rest in the warmth of His covenant love, confident He never abandons His own.

How does Luke 13:34 reveal Jesus' compassion for Jerusalem's people?
Top of Page
Top of Page