The hen and her chicks: an image of God's tender love

Certain images slip by our attention until we discover their depth. One such image might be the parable of the hen and her chickens in the Gospel of Matthew – but only until we realise the extraordinary nature of the hen’s care for her brood.

“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, and you were not willing.” (Matthew 23:37)

The verse above is likely familiar to many, but surely few take a moment to reflect on the deeply loving and heart-wrenching picture it paints of the hen and her chicks.
When these words were spoken, ethology as a concept did not yet exist, yet the chickens, of course, were unaware of any such thing, and their behaviour was no different from what we observe today.

It is therefore worth looking at what we can learn about bird behaviour through the lens of ethology.

The greatest difference between the parenting behaviours of chickens and mammals lies in the fact that while mammalian parents and their offspring undergo a process known as imprinting, in birds, it is usually only the offspring that imprints on the parent. I admit, this might seem irrelevant as stated, so let’s take a closer look at what this means in reality!

In mammals, a mutual bond forms between parent and offspring, so in many species, the mother will care exclusively for her own young.

With birds, however, the situation is quite different! Typically, the chicks imprint on the parent, not the other way around. A classic example of this is when a cuckoo chick’s unsuspecting foster parents feed the imposter with the same enthusiasm they show toward their own chicks.

Protecting all who run to her

The hen, however, is special even among birds. Not only is she willing to accept chicks of other hens, but she will also care for chicks of different species, whether they are ducklings, goslings, or even poults. Some farmers take advantage of this and use hens to incubate eggs from other birds.

What I find truly moving about the hen’s care is her selflessness, extended to all the tiny ones – the way she spreads her wings wide and fiercely protects those who run to her for shelter, without pausing to wonder whether they are her own chicks or not.

I am convinced that the image of the hen and her chicks was not placed in Scripture by chance, but chosen as a powerful metaphor through which we can deeply feel the heavenly care extended to us.

During His time on earth, Jesus repeatedly demonstrated this same kind of devoted, unconditional love through His actions. He never turned away those who came to Him because of who they had once been. Instead, to those who believed in Him, He offered the assurance of His love — perhaps in a way not unlike a hen who opens her wings to shelter any chick that sees her as its mother.

Anita is part of the Passion for Evangelism network. PfE exists to empower, encourage, and equip women to share the good news of Jesus with God-given confidence and creativity.