Drive by the headquarters of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS) in Independence, Missouri, and you’ll see this group’s logo: a child standing and flanked by a lion and a lamb. Below the trio, you’ll see the word “Peace.” A few years ago, these people changed the name of their church from RLDS (the only church I know of that has ever had two prepositional phrases and an additional adjective in their name) to Community of Christ. In the course of that identity shift, they did not change the essence of the logo. These folks are committed to the idea of peace.
Although some of the RLDS possess a reasonable level of biblical literacy, I’ve encountered several who, when seeing a representation of a lion, lamb, and child, think that it must be a reference to their group. Apparently they haven’t gotten up to the eleventh chapter of Isaiah where an image very much like this is to be found. We have a lamb, living with a wolf; a lion, together with a calf; and a child leading the whole lot.
What a beautiful image this is. Isaiah here envisions a day in which not only all people will live in peace with one another but all creation will be restored to a state of peace. It’s enough to get you wearing tie-dyed clothes and singing old Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young songs. “I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony.” (Okay, that wasn’t a CSNY song, but nobody’s perfect.)
Last week, in Chicago for a composition conference, I encountered a group that I’d never imagined existing: Rhetoricians for Peace. If the pen is indeed mightier than the sword, then perhaps these guys have some hope of accomplishing something more than sitting at a table and passing out leaflets, all the while taking pains to look very earnest. They, I’m sure, embrace this idea of lions and lambs and little children leading them. They might even want to buy the world a Coke. I’m not sure.
Neither the RLDS nor the Rhetoricians for Peace, seem to read this passage in its context. You simply cannot read the peace portion of Isaiah 11 without keeping in mind the peacemaker portion. Why does the whole earth break out in peace in this prophecy? It’s simple. The shoot from the stump of Jesse brought about peace around the world. He will judge all people. He will strike the earth. He will slay the wicked. The peacemaker is not someone to be trifled with. The peacemaker is certainly not a little child cavorting with a lion and a lamb. He’s not an aging hippy sitting behind a table. He’s a fearful thing.
Peace is a noble aspiration, but in the end, we needn’t pursue peace. Jesus will eventually bring peace, and until he does, our efforts toward peace will invariably be partial and short-lived. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try, but let’s not stake our hopes to the lion, the lamb, and the child. Let’s depend instead on him who brought the three together.
Tune My Heart is primarily an aid to the devotional life of its author, Mark Browning, who holds the copyright for this material. It is provided online in hopes that some will find it edifying. All contents, unless otherwise noted, may be redistributed freely provided that you give credit for its origin and do not charge anything.