Listen to these great hymns that were sung during Jesus’ day in the Synagogues and Temple worship in Jerusalem.

• Hide me in the shadow of thy wings. 17:8.
• In the shadow of thy wings I will take refuge till the storms of destruction pass by. 57:1
• Oh to be safe under the shelter of thy wings. 61:4
• In the shadow of thy wings I sing for joy. 63:7
• Under his wings you will find refuge. 91:4

How do we know these songs were sung? They are the songs found in the book Psalms. Psalm 17, 36, 57, 61, 63, and 91 speak of the protective wings of God. So when Jesus expressed his desire to comfort Jerusalem he used an image widely understood, “I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gather’s her chicks under her wings.” But Jesus’ desires go unfulfilled for Jerusalem was “unwilling,” Jesus said, to receive the shelter he offered.

But let us not miss a significant point being advanced here: In the Psalms it is Yahweh who longs to gather Israel under his protective wings. Here in the Gospel of Luke it is Jesus. An equation is being drawn. Jesus equals God. How very sad then that Israel refused.