The Lion and the Lamb

The Lion and the Lamb

by Troy Cady

The Bible doesn’t actually say the lion will lay with the lamb, but the spirit of the sentiment is certainly present. The misquote is taken from a conglomeration of verses, chief of which are found in Isaiah 11 and Isaiah 65.

In 11:6-9 we read:

“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.
The cow will feed with the bear,
    their young will lie down together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
    and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy
    on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.”

Isaiah 65:25 condenses 11:6 and 9:

“The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
    and dust will be the serpent’s food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
    on all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord.

The images in these texts have been interpreted historically in at least two ways:

1. They have been taken as images of Jesus, and

2. They have been interpreted as images of peace.

The image of the lion and lamb, in fact, does appear in Revelation where we read in chapter 5 about the Lion of Judah who is extolled as king while the Lamb is shown to be the only one in all creation who is worthy to open the sacred scrolls. In that text, the lion and lamb are one and the same as both images are joined in the person of Jesus. The qualities of the Lamb (humility and sacrifice) are cause for exaltation, ascribing power and glory to the Lion-who-is-the-Lamb.

Love, shown in supreme acts of humble service, is enthroned. And love brings together what would normally be torn apart.

…………………..

I’m thinking of these texts right now (this image of the Lion and the Lamb) because of a friend of mine. His name is Leo, which means “lion” in Latin.

One of the things I love about our friendship is how different we are from each other: he’s Greek and I’m American; he has earned a PhD and I’m still working on my Master of Arts. He’s licensed to fly small planes and I get airsick. He’s a scientist and I write bad poetry. I’m a pastor and he’s an atheist. In some ways, he’s a lion and I’m more like a lamb.

You’d think with all our differences there is no way we could be friends, but Leo is one of the most cherished friends I have these days. He’s both thoughtful and generous. I’ve been privileged to go flying with him and we’ve shared lots of good conversation and food with each other. We keep an eye out for each other.

But some weeks ago, Leo did something that was especially kind: he took me to a prayer room. He didn’t have to go with me; he could have just said, “Troy, you should go visit the Art Institute. They have an exhibit on prayer right now that you should see.” Instead of just telling me about it, though, he took the time to go with me.

It meant a lot to me and, thinking back on it now, I’m still touched by it. How thoughtful and kind!

I appreciate Leo because I can be my real self with him and he accepts me for who I am: a person of faith. To be sure, I see faith in Leo, too. He has faith in people and he’s always searching for truth. I love those qualities in him.

Now that I think of it, I guess there’s a little lion and lamb in both of us.

Thanks, Leo, for our unlikely friendship. Thanks for helping me see the old writings of Isaiah come to life. I appreciate you.