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“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” (Matthew 23:37).
In this chapter the Lord Jesus had been calling the Jewish scribes and Pharisees hypocrites, which simply means that they said many right things, and taught them to others, but did not do those things themselves. They found excuses in order to get away with doing wrong things. The scribes and Pharisees needed to hear all this, for it was very serious for them to teach the people the right thing, and yet do all the wrong things themselves.
However, the Lord Jesus also wanted them to know how much He loved them. He did not want to see them come under judgment, and as He says in our verse today, He would gladly have gathered them together and protected them, the way a mother hen protects her chickens whenever there is danger. But they would not let Him do this, and it made Him very sad.
We may sometimes have to speak plainly to people who are not saved, and tell them that they are sinners and need a Savior. However, at the same time we should be sure to tell them how much God loves them and wants to save them.
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