Gospel in Art: As a hen gathers her brood under her wings

A peacock, peahen, cockerels, hens, ducks, ducklings and chicks in a farmyard, by Adriaen van Utrecht, 1650 © Sotheby's New York, 29.12.20.

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 30 October 2025
Luke 13:31-35

On that day: Some Pharisees came and said to him, 'Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.' And he said to them, 'Go and tell that fox, "Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem." 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! Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" '

Reflection on the painting

Jesus often turns to nature to reveal the heart of his mission. In today's Gospel, he uses a tender image; that of a mother hen gathering her chicks beneath her wings. It is an image of deep care and protection, showing how much he longed to gather the people of Jerusalem close to himself. Yet the tragedy, as Jesus laments, is that they refused to be gathered. They refused to gather under his protective wings.

God has given every human being the freedom to choose: to gather beneath the shelter of Jesus' divine wings, or to walk away. And that is the heartbreak we hear in Jesus' words today: the tragedy of human freedom turning away from Him. Remaining with Jesus' image from nature, if we stray from God, we become like a small chick wandering away from the mother hen... vulnerable, exposed, and lost. How long could such a little creature survive on its own? Not for very long, I would think.

Adriaen van Utrecht was a Flemish Baroque painter from Antwerp who became renowned for his masterful farmyard scenes. Trained in the rich artistic atmosphere of 17th-century Baroque Flanders (the same world that produced Rubens), van Utrecht specialised in painting domestic animals such as hens, cockerels, ducks, and peacocks, often arranged within abundant landscapes. His skill lay not only in the naturalistic detail of feathers and textures, but in his ability to bring energy and harmony to scenes bustling with life. These works appealed to a prosperous clientele who admired both their decorative beauty and their subtle allegorical depth.

These animal scenes were much more than just rustic charm. Each creature carried symbolic weight in the moral imagination of the age. The hen and her chicks, stood for maternal care or divine protection - a visual echo of Christ's lament over Jerusalem in today's reading. The peacock, with its dazzling feathers, symbolised vanity or, alternatively, resurrection and eternal life due to its association with the peacocks flesh taking a very long time to decay. Even the humble farmyard, teeming with creation, could remind viewers of God's providence and the beauty within the natural world that surrounds us.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-13-31-35-2025/