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The Peaceable Kingdom |
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When Isaiah spoke of predator and prey dwelling in peace together, it was a way to symbolize the kingdom of God. But animals also have some things to teach us about living in the world this side of the kingdom ― matters of interconnection, stewardship and the goal of a world at peace. The Peaceable Kingdom Question: What specific animals were present when Jesus was born? You may have immediately thought of the Nativity scenes that are displayed every Christmas. Almost without exception, these depictions include a few animals ― usually a donkey and cow, a lamb or two, and, when the Wise Men are included, often camels as well. But now another question: Which animals does the Bible tell us were present? Actually, the Bible mentions none at all. Neither of the biblical Christmas accounts we have, those from Matthew and Luke, refers to any animals, except for sheep in Luke, and those apparently are left in the field when the shepherds set off to find Jesus. Even the traditional picture of Mary riding a donkey to Bethlehem with Joseph walking beside her is our imaginative filling in of the details. The one thing the scripture does tell us, however, is that when Jesus was born, Mary laid him in a manger because there was no room in the inn. A manger is a feeding trough for animals, so it must have been in some sort of structure where animals were housed ― a stable or barn or even a cave. So it’s likely that some animals were there, and that they were witnesses to the birth of Christ. As best we know, however, it was Saint Francis of Assisi, that great lover of animals, who added the ox, donkey and sheep to the manger scene when, back in 1224, he created the first living Nativity. The lion and the lamb ... Nonetheless, when we read the Isaiah passage for this Sunday in Advent, we find animals in a central role. Speaking during a dark time when the people of Judah were being oppressed by Babylon, the prophet envisioned a new day when peace would be so widespread that even animals that are normally predators and prey would coexist without threat. “The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with kid, the calf and the lion ... together. And a little child shall lead them.” In the early 1800s, this passage of scripture inspired the American painter Edward Hicks to render the imagery of Isaiah’s words into a series of paintings collectively called the “Peaceable Kingdom.” In the most well known of these paintings, the foreground shows wild animals and children at peace together, while the background portrays a meeting between some Indians and colonists. That’s a representation of William Penn’s treaty with the Indians in Pennsylvania, a peaceful agreement that was kept by both parties. Thus, in the reading for today, animals that are normally natural enemies come together with children to symbolize the kingdom of God. Symbolism, yes, but people who have animals in their lives sometimes wonder what actual role animals will have in the life to come. Hollywood tried to answer that, at least regarding one species, a few years ago with a cartoon movie titled All Dogs Go to Heaven. In the movie, the main character, a dog named Charlie, arrives in heaven suddenly. Startled, he asks an angel dog, “Where am I?” “This is the great hall of judgment,” the angel dog says. “Judgment!” “Not to worry, Charlie. You’ll get in. All dogs go to heaven.” What we can learn The centrality of animals in our reading for today suggests that there may be some things we can learn from the natural world as it intersects with the Incarnation. For one thing, it’s a reminder that all life is interconnected. We see the negative effects of that interconnectedness when we eliminate the natural predators in an area. Pretty soon, we find ourselves overrun by creatures that are normally part of the food chain for other animals. But we see that interconnectedness in positive ways as well. We have discovered, for example, that putting prodigal teens to work caring for rescued animals often brings healing to both species. Letting a friendly dog or cat wander the halls of a nursing home often has beneficial effects on the residents and the pets. Unquestionably, God’s love sometimes comes through the companionship of God’s other creatures. What’s more, with their radical dependence on us for care, animals challenge us to think beyond our own desires. Second, the presence of the animals reminds us that though God gave humankind the power over the lives of his other creatures, something the Bible calls “dominion,” that means that like God’s other good gifts to us, animals are for our wise use. In other words, we’re talking about stewardship. The animals don’t belong to us; they belong to God, and he gives us use of them. But don’t forget that they have a place in his heart as well. And so we have an obligation to treat them decently and humanely. The great naturalist John Muir, who was born in 1838, was brought up on a farm with domestic animals and later spent a lot of time in the wilderness viewing wild creatures. In his day, some religious leaders insisted that animals had no minds and no souls, and so therefore had no rights. Some people took that to mean that they were essentially machines in fur and feathers. Muir denounced the attitude he found among some people that as so-called “lords of creation,” humans have no responsibility for the other, less-intelligent species on earth. He was one of the first to make the case that animals have individualities, uniquenesses that distinguish them one from another. Thankfully that attitude has changed some, but that means that the question, Do dogs go to heaven? is a serious one. For what we are really asking is, do animals have a place in God’s scheme of things. I don’t know if they go to heaven, but I know they have a place in God’s heart. For the third thing we can learn from the vision of Isaiah, understand that the prophet was talking about a future time when peace would be so tangible that it would extend even into the animal world, where a wolf and a lamb could lie side by side, with no threat coming from the wolf and no anxiety coming from the lamb. In that vision of things, animals become symbolic of the peacefulness of God’s kingdom. That’s the same message the angels brought to the shepherds in the field on Christmas night: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” In our day, especially in view of the terrorism and warfare afflicting our planet, anything like peace on earth seems pretty far removed. Yet Christmas comes, reminding us that peace ― real, lasting, tangible peace, a peace that is so widespread it includes even the animal kingdom ― is the promise of God and is the thing that we should be working toward in our attitudes and behaviors right now. Most of us who have pets or domestic animals treat them pretty well. The challenge is to treat our fellow human beings as well. This is not to say we disband our armies yet. But the dream should not be lost. And part of why we celebrate Christmas year after year is to remind ourselves that the peaceable kingdom is the destination. An advance glimmer We get advance glimmers of that kingdom now and then. One happened in 1914, during WW I on a European battlefield. On Christmas Eve, German troops began to put up small Christmas trees, lit with candles, outside their trenches, and they sang Christmas carols. From the other side of the “no man’s land,” British and French troops responded with carols of their own. Soon the German soldiers proposed a Christmas truce, and the British and French units agreed. This was nothing formal, nothing worked out by generals, just a spontaneous concurrence between common soldiers in the front-line trenches. Handmade signs popped up with messages like, “You no fight, we no fight” and “Merry Christmas.” Soon soldiers from both sides left their trenches and shook hands. Next, they began to bury their dead who had been lying unreachable in no man’s land. Then they even began to share gifts ― foodstuffs that had been sent to the front lines for the holiday. In some sectors, the two sides put down their rifles and played soccer. Of course, it couldn’t last beyond a couple of days. The generals didn’t like it, and they soon commanded the troops to began firing at each other again. For a few days, both sets of troops tried to keep the spirit of peace going, by firing into the air instead of at each other, but the generals soon made them aim. But still, the truce happened, inspired by Christmas. And it tells us that peace on earth is not an impossible dream, just a difficult one. Oh, and there’s one more part of this story I haven’t told you yet. As the troops from the German side in one section of the line were trying to figure out how to communicate about the gift exchange across the no man’s land, the solution they hit upon was this: They used a specially trained messenger to carry the proposal to the enemy. Who was this ad hoc ambassador of peace? We don’t know his name, but we’re pretty sure about what division he belonged to. He was a four-legged member of the canine corps. |
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