The Lion and the Lamb

Many sentimental Christian paintings portray a cuddly lamb nestled against a benevolent-looking lion. These paintings draw inspiration for the scene from the prophecies of Isaiah that one day the ferocious beasts will fraternize with the gentle creatures, eating and sleeping in harmony (see Isaiah 11:6 and 65:25). In his masterful book Orthodoxy, G. K. Chesterton finds fault with the way many have interpreted this scene. He writes:

“It is constantly assured… that when the lion lies down with
the lamb the lion becomes lamb-like. But that is brutal
annexation and imperialism on the part of the lamb. The real
problem is — Can the lion lie down with the lamb and still retain
his royal ferocity?”

If you ask someone to describe adjectives associated with innocence, very few will think of “ferocious” or “powerful.” But we gravely misunderstand innocence when we mistake it for naiveté, weakness, or a lack of willpower. When the Scriptures speak of “the Lamb who was slain,” we may be tempted to picture someone who has been defeated. But the Lamb who was slain has not been conquered; he has conquered. He is alive, and the very fact that he was slain testifies that he has conquered death. He is lion-like in the sense that he has nothing left to fear.

I’m afraid that we are often guilty of associating strength and power with that which is evil. But in reality, innocence needs no defense because it has done nothing wrong. Innocence has no hole in its armor because it has nothing to hide. Innocence has a sort of strength that evil never can claim. Some have rejected the Gospel because they do not want to serve a tame God. On the day when lambs become lion-like, these will see just how fearsome is the God they have rejected. In that day, the innocent will not fear the wicked; instead the wicked will bow with the rest of creation before the Lamb who was slain.

In the Scriptures, we are told again and again that if we want to live wise lives, we must begin with the fear of the Lord. This kind of fear does not belong in the category of other fears, fears that assault us in the night in nightmares and anxieties. The fear of the Lord is a fear that is birthed in the daylight, when all our other fears are revealed in all of their impotence. Death, disease, shame, or any other evil pales in comparison to the formidability of the Righteous One who has put all these things under his feet.

But we do not need to cower in the presence of the Lamb who was slain. He still bears the wounds that he bore for us. Our fear of him should compel us to place ourselves under his protection, knowing that we are utterly lost without him, but cherished and protected in him. He is the Lamb who is the Lion, and he will be the focus of our praise for all eternity.

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