Advent Perspective: What Should We Do?

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What Should We Do?

The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 11:6-9 (NRSV)

Truly He taught us to love one another

His law is love, and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease

From "O Holy Night" by Placide Cappeau
as translated by John Sullivan Dwight

As I noted in a previous post, just over two thousand years ago, an elderly priest named Zechariah believed that something big was about to happen and that his newborn son John would have a role to play in it all.¹  This child grew up to become a rather peculiar person: he lived in the wilderness, wore weird clothes, and ate weird foods.  He also became a great prophet and a fiery preacher, proclaiming, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."  People came to him in the wilderness to listen to him speak and to be baptized by him as a sign of their repentance.²

One ancient prophet spoke of a voice crying out, "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God."³  The Gospels identify this voice as John.⁴  People began to think that John might be the Messiah who would defeat their oppressors and usher in an age of peace, but John always pointed to someone who was greater who would come after him.⁵

The prophet Isaiah once spoke of a great tree that had been cut down, representing the dynasty of King David.  The prophet said that, from the stump of this great tree, a shoot will grow, representing a future King who will usher in what has been called the "Peaceable Kingdom."  This righteous King will rule justly, defending the poor and the meek.  In His kingdom, animals who had been predator and prey will live together in peace.  Carnivores will become herbivores.  Little children will be safe around once-dangerous animals, even venomous snakes.⁶

Isaiah described a peaceful kingdom.  Hundreds of years later, John the Baptist challenged his audience to repent because the kingdom of heaven had come near.

Are you beginning to see some connections here?

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In the kingdom Isaiah described, children will be able to play around the nests of venomous snakes without the fear of being bitten.

John once called a crowd of people who came to him a "brood of vipers" and then challenged them to "bear fruit worthy of repentance" because judgment was coming.  The people asked, "What then should we do?"⁷

Isaiah said that the King who will usher in the peaceful kingdom will be a righteous judge who will champion the cause of the poor and the meek.

John said to the crowd, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise."⁸

In the kingdom Isaiah described, animals who are currently natural enemies will live together in harmony.  In other words, there will be neither predator nor prey.

John instructed those in the crowd who were in places of authority not to abuse their power.  To the tax collectors, he said, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you."  To the soldiers, he said, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."⁹

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Isaiah and John pointed to the same things, and, during the season of Advent, we remember the words of both of these prophets.  As we anticipate the Kingdom described by Isaiah, we heed the instructions of John.  To prepare ourselves for coming of the Kingdom of God we must strive to know its King and allow Him to rule in our hearts now.  Our King is a King of peace, justice, mercy, and love, so we must strive for the good of all people as we leave behind our destructive tendencies.


Notes:

1. Luke 1:67-79
2. Matthew 3:1-6 (NRSV)
3. Isaiah 40:3 (NRSV)
4. Matthew 3:3, Luke 3:4
5. Luke 3:15-17
6. Isaiah 11:1-9
7. Luke 3:7-10 (NRSV)
8. Luke 3:11 (NRSV)
9. Luke 3:12-14 (NRSV)

Peaceable Kingdom of the Branch was painted by Edward Hicks in the early 1800s.