Chickens Eight, Nine, and Ten

“Take ten chickens. Any ten. Put them in a pen together, and spread a little chicken feed. In short order, you will witness an amazing phenomenon. In a matter of minutes, the chickens, previously strangers, will… establish a Pecking Order. Instinctively, they will determine, through a series of skirmishes, who the Number One Chicken will be; then the Number Two…all the way down to the unlucky Number Ten Chicken.”

So writes Bill Hybels in his excellent book, Descending Into Greatness. And he goes on to observe that more often than not, Jesus’ focus was on Chickens Eight, Nine, and Ten. I even think it’s safe to say that more often than not, Jesus allowed Himself to become Chicken Eight, Nine, or Ten.

Sunday’s sermon pointed to the chicken pens of our lives, asking, What about us? Where’s our position in the pecking order of daily life? What’s yours? What’s mine?

I’ve often puzzled over Philippians 2:3. “In humility consider others better than yourselves” (NIV). What exactly does it mean? That the calloused criminal is superior to me, or that the caustic atheist is above me? But I love God and they don’t! How can that be?

I think I’m working too hard, like the expert in Mosaic law who wanted to justify himself and asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Perhaps the most profound theological interpretation of Phil. 2:3 is: Consider everyone you meet to be Chicken # 1.

How freeing to be done with sizing each other up and estimating another’s strength and establishing our rightful territory. How peaceful to experience community without skirmishes (not to mention the fact that we will lose fewer tail feathers). Besides, we don’t know what handicaps hamper our fellow chickens, both inside and out. We don’t know their tremendous potential, or the unbelievable plans God may have for them just around the corner. And we don’t know what roadblocks our superior attitude and actions may put in their way.

Need a visual? It’s Holy Week. See Jesus choose to become Chicken Number Ten in this world. See our Savior suffer and die for sinners – many of whom (as He already knows) will never turn to Him and make His sacrifice worthwhile in their lives. See Him choose the Ten slot anyway, considering each created soul worth the sacrifice of His life.

And see Him identify with the scrawniest, least lovable chickens in our pen today, leaving us with the same question His disciples were forced to consider: Will we flee or will we stay? Will we race off to fight for chicken feed, or stay with Chickens Eight, Nine, and Ten… and Jesus Himself?

We mourn for our Lord because His disciples fled. Let’s not do the same.