Isaiah 11:1-10
Luke 10:21-24
When the Church lays before us texts from the Prophet Isaiah during Advent we are invited into several different thought worlds. Firstly, there is the thought world of the text in its original context. Secondly, there is the thought world of the early Christians who heard these texts as anticipating the Birth of Christ. Thirdly, there is the thought world of the Advent liturgy. And, fourthly there is the thought world of the personal circumstances of our lives. All of these thought worlds can intersect.
In today’s text Isaiah gives us a vision of an ideal king. This is in response to the real threat of Assyria, a super power of the day. Isaiah uses the metaphor of a tree to assure the people of new growth and hope for the future.
‘A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse,
a scion thrusts from his roots:
on him the spirit of the Lord rests,
a spirit of wisdom and insight,
a spirit of counsel and power,
a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.’
The promised king has every virtue prized by the Hebrew people. In mirroring God’s ways of faithfulness and integrity the new King will ensure peace. This is no ordinary peace. Isaiah paints something of a dreamworld where animals seem to change their natures and habits. It’s a vision where all the usual dangers are removed.
We are hardwired to scan for danger. Our cave dwelling ancestors depended on the fight or flight mechanism to avoid the dangers of wild animals. In Isaiah’s poetic vision we have the invitation to imagine a deeper reality for our world and for ourselves. This vision of peace and harmony starts here and now. It starts in our hearts. It doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a daily choosing to do ‘no hurt, no harm’.
How can you live something of Isaiah’s vision today?