Wolves and Sheep ...

The royal line of David is like a tree that has been cut down; but just as new branches sprout from a stump, so a new king will arise from among David’s descendants.

The Spirit of the Lord will give him wisdom,
and the knowledge and skill to rule his people.
He will know the Lord’s will and honour him,
and find pleasure in obeying him.
He will not judge by appearance or hearsay;
he will judge the poor fairly
and defend the rights of the helpless.
At his command the people will be punished,
and evil persons will die.
He will rule his people with justice and integrity.

Wolves and sheep will live together in peace,
and leopards will lie down with young goats.
Calves and lion cubs will feed together,
and little children will take care of them.
Cows and bears will eat together,
and their calves and cubs will lie down in peace.
Even a baby will not be harmed if it plays
near a poisonous snake.
The land will be as full
of the knowledge of the Lord
as the seas are full of water.
Isaiah 11:1-9


It gave me a jolt today to realise that I had not yet given any thought at all to my December reflection leaflet. It had been lurking at the back of my mind, but I had not even got around to thinking of a theme. I therefore turned to the Bible and abandoned myself to Fate by opening it completely at random. Fate chose the book of the prophet Isaiah and my eyes fell upon the words “Wolves and sheep will live together in peace”.

As soon as these words caught my eye, it seemed to me that they are at the very heart of the message of Advent and the coming of Christ: the herald of a new era, an era of peace and reconciliation or, at least, the possibility of peace and reconciliation through the Spirit of God working in our lives. They conjure up in my imagination a beautiful picture of an untamed beast of the wild lying down in complete peace and tranquillity with its normal prey, a vulnerable and helpless lamb.

This image, which is intoxicatingly attractive, is the true message of the birth of Christ: he comes to bring healing and peace, he comes to help humanity, through the gift of his Spirit, to overcome all that is sinful and shameful, he comes to lighten our load and to share our burden. He comes with so many things to give us that the list seems impossibly long, almost as impossible as the image of a wolf and a lamb lying down together. But, nothing is impossible to God, and this month he puts before us the reality of a child conceived divinely, a child who would grow up to carry out feats which seem, to those who saw them at the time and for many who read the gospels now, impossible.

This wonderful passage refers to the new King who will “arise from among David’s descendants”. This new King will be filled with wisdom and knowledge; he will rule his people with everything we wish our world leaders would rule with: honesty, justice, truth and integrity. He will not judge people by the way they look, he will not pass judgement based on hearsay, he will have a special regard for the poor and the rights of the helpless.

Do we feel our own conscience pricking us? …

 He will not judge people by the way they look …
 He will not pass judgement based on gossip and hearsay …
 He will have a special regard for the poor …
 And the rights of the helpless …

Where do we stand on these issues?

As I read this passage, I wanted to be able to curl up with the wolf and the lamb and to enjoy that sense of complete trust, lack of fear and deep, deep peace. I have to then ask myself, what is stopping me? What have I allowed to come between God and me to such a degree that I am not part of this scene? Am I guilty of some of faults which condemn me and keep me from the joy of reconciliation and peace?

That is for me to sort out – no-one else can do that for me.

As in all passages from the Bible, we are in there somehow and we need to ask ourselves:

 Do I trust the knowledge and skill of this new King to rule my life? How far, indeed, do I allow him to rule my life?

 Do I trust this Prince of Peace to help me to find a way of making peace with those around me?

 With whom do I need to make peace? Is there someone in particular with whom I really do need to make peace in order to be able to lie down with the wolf and the lamb this Christmas?

I will hear what the Lord God has to say,
a voice that speaks of peace,
peace for his people.
Mercy and faithfulness have met,
justice and peace have embraced.
Faithfulness shall spring from the earth
and justice look down from heaven.
Justice shall march before him
and peace shall follow his steps.
Ps 84:9-14