“The wolf and the lamb” (Isaiah 11:1-10)

Isaiah 11:1-10

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Pastor Tom Johnson, December 4, 2016

John the Baptist promises that Jesus comes to baptize—not just with water—but with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Generations before, the prophet Isaiah gives us a very vivid picture of what this Messiah will do. We have a wolf sharing a home with a lamb, a leopard lounging with a baby goat, and a baby cow and bear hanging out together. We see both cows and bears eating grass and lions also eating woody vegetation
with the ox. At first glance, it may seem like a good argument for one to become a vegan or vegetarian. And, I admit, it can be very heartwarming: Who doesn’t like greeting cards or videos with animals snuggling up to one another? But we should not miss the radical and progressive description here. It’s purpose is not to warm the heart but prepare ourselves for the coming of Messiah. Isaiah wants us to be ready for the shoot from the stump of Jesse.

Don't be duped! This is photoshopped! :)

Nature is beautiful. I absolutely love our State and National Parks. God’s creation is a powerful reminder that God made everything we see and calls it good. But nature is also cruel and deadly. Maybe we should watch National Geographic documentaries along with cartoons or movies that have talking animals. We will see how wild animals survive. I can assure you that is not by showing empathy to the weak and the young. Wolves target the very young and weak. Not only are they an easy catch; its meat is far more tender. Wild cats do not play fair either. They will also go after the most vulnerable and try to separate them from the herd and older prey. Did you notice the pattern among the animals in our text? The carnivore is now with the herbivore. The meat eater hangs out with the plant eater. The mature, wild animal is with the young, domesticated animal. Like all prophets in Scripture, Isaiah is using animals to illustrate the truth about humanity. Wild animals are often used to describe foreign nations and domesticated animals the people of God.

This is a sobering reminder that human nature is also devastatingly wild. We too consume one another—we target the weak and young. Consider the young in the crossfire of our city streets—or victims and refugees of war—or human trafficking. Evil preys upon the weak. There is little mercy toward the young. Terrorists and political leaders around the world abuse their power. And they have no problem using the youngest and most vulnerable as collateral damage. But that is what we all do when we do not love one another as we are called to do. Rather than work together, forgive one another, and love each other and dwell together in peace; we prefer to be in competition. That is the deceit of sin. That is our wild nature from birth—ever since our parents’ first sin. We put our own needs before the needs of others. We are consumed by our own desires. And, if we are not careful, it is at the expense of others—even the young and vulnerable. We have become like ravenous wolves—controlled by our own hunger—slaves to our appetite. We are both perpetrators and victims to evil—we are both predators and prey to sin. “Discipline yourselves,” Scripture tells us, “keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour.” This world wants to have us for breakfast.

The good news of our text is what Messiah does when he comes. He is an animal whisperer. He does not come to destroy the threat of wild beasts. He comes to transform them. He comes to change their very animal nature. He comes to domesticate them. And the really amazing thing about Messiah is that he does not come in what appears to be great power and glory. He comes in what we would consider weakness and vulnerability. “A little child shall lead them,” our texts says. Even as an infant, this child will play over a snake nest and not be bitten. This little child will lead both the wild beasts and the domesticated animals. He will rule all nations—foreign and domestic. And he will not do it by force but by the power of the Holy Spirit that transforms lives. He will domesticate all humanity. He will tame the wildest among us. We will no longer hunt each other nor flee one another. We will lose our appetite for violence. We will say our final goodbyes to the fear of evil and death itself. He will gather us into one mountain, make us one people, and feed us with daily bread. It will be as radical a change as a bear grazing with an ox.

There is another beautiful picture in this text that I don’t want us to miss. It is a reversal of Noah’s flood and the violence that caused it. It is no longer two by two of the same species entering a new world. It is now two by two of what we would consider at odds—wolves and lambs, leopards and kids, lions and calves. Rather than water destroying all living things—this is a baptism of the Holy Spirit and refining fire. “The earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” The peace Messiah brings will saturate the world. His grace will reach every corner. His mercy will fill every void. This young babe will domesticate all creatures great and small. And he will make us an eternal home. “And his dwelling shall be glorious.” And so we pray, “Even so, amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”