DAY 10: Isaiah 11:6-10

6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.

This picture is such a dramatic reminder of the way in which God works. If we were to rephrase these statements today, it might sound like this: "The Republican will sit down with the Democrat," or "the terrorist will eat dinner with the pacifist." Fill in any two opposites, and then picture them at peace with each other. Sounds ridiculous, right? Sounds impossible, or too good to be true - yet that is precisely what God intends. God uses these apparent oxymorons to give us just a glimpse of what His will was in sending Jesus to our world. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) What greater chasm could there be than the one between a holy God and a sinful human race? If God, through the Incarnation, can make that impossibility possible, what reconciliation is too difficult to achieve? "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28) If we seek "the knowledge of the LORD" with our whole hearts, everything else seems surprisingly small. If Jesus is “a banner for the peoples,” then we can rally to his causes rather than seeking our own selfish desires, or the good of our own political party, or nation. Lord Jesus, may you teach us your peace as we come to your holy mountain. May we let you, the little child in the manger, lead us to true, unfathomable reconciliation.