The tender heart of God (Isaiah 4-6; Matthew 23)

Two pictures stand out today, a loved plant and a hen with her chicks. If you’re not a gardener then you won’t understand being upset over a plant! But a gardener will invest so much in a plant, that they may be upset if it doesn’t flower or produce fruit. They have weeded, put in good soil, pruned it, watered it (perhaps even talked to it!) and it hasn’t responded.

The Lord God said that is what his people are like (Isaiah 5). The Lord graciously cared for them, but they didn’t produce any good fruit. The Lord planted a vine, but it produced, literally stinking fruit rather than good fruit (Isaiah 5:4).

So what will the Lord do? He will remove all its protection, and they will go off to exile. He had warned them time and again but they would not listen. And yet, this wasn’t the end of the story, thankfully! Where Israel failed, Jesus Christ, the new Israel, didn’t. He described himself as the true vine. He always went God’s way, he taught “greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” He went on not just to lay down His life for His friends but for His enemies. He offers that if we abide in him, we will bear fruit for Him.

Why would you refuse Him? People do, because to abide in Jesus means doing what He says – “if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.” (John 15:10) Sadly, like the people in Isaiah’s day, we are often “wise in our own eyes” and think we know best.

The second picture brings out a similar message. Jesus says He is like a hen longing to gather her chicks in to safety (Matthew 23:37). What a tender picture. Jesus longs to gather people into safety. He sees the mess we make when we go our own way, He warns of the coming judgment for refusing to go God’s way, He urges us to come to Him. He is the true vine who will make is fruitful. And yet Jesus says “you were not willing.” It is so sad when people reject Jesus. Please don’t make that mistake. Today, look at the Father’s heart, caring for a beloved plant, longing to see it bear fruit. See the heart of Jesus, longing to gather you to safety. Come to Him, look at His love for His people “as the Father has loved me, so have I loved you” (John 15:9). See to it that you don’t refuse such a great salvation.