{"id":7455,"date":"2023-01-10T13:00:10","date_gmt":"2023-01-10T03:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/?p=7455"},"modified":"2023-01-10T13:00:11","modified_gmt":"2023-01-10T03:00:11","slug":"heart-of-a-lamb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/heart-of-a-lamb\/","title":{"rendered":"Heart of a Lamb"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Heart of a Lamb<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Bethany Kaldas<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

\u2018The\u00a0wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>Isaiah 11:6<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The phrase heart of a lion is used as praise\u2014it means someone demonstrated courage and strength in the face of adversity. That\u2019s fair enough\u2014there is certainly something to be said for those who fight for justice, those who stand up for the helpless and actively defy oppressors. But there is another form of courage and strength in the face of danger that is far more underrated\u2026and is often mistaken for the exact opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018\u2026giving thanks always for all things to God the Father\u00a0in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of\u00a0God<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>Ephesians 5:20-21<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Submission is, in modern use, a term quite strongly associated with weakness and fear and helplessness. The lamb is a common symbol of submission\u2014people even use the label as an insult\u2014you\u2019re a lamb, I\u2019m a lion\u2014I\u2019m bigger and stronger, you\u2019re weak, you have nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But let\u2019s take a look at the story of Abraham and Isaac. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We talk a lot about Abraham\u2019s decision to sacrifice his only and precious son, and throughout the whole ordeal, Isaac almost seems like a prop. We don\u2019t tend to talk about him making any decisions here. But think about it\u2014at this point, Isaac was a strong young man (strong enough to carry wood up a mountain) and his father was very, very old. Isaac also isn\u2019t stupid. He realises that they don\u2019t have a sacrificial animal as they\u2019re going up the mountain. There were very few ways this could go in his favour. By the time he\u2019s being laid on the firewood, he understands exactly what\u2019s happening. He could\u2019ve said something or done something to stop it<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yet, he says nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personally, I\u2019d never given that much thought to Isaac\u2019s silence. I\u2019d always just assumed that since the story seemed primarily about Abraham that Isaac just wasn\u2019t given much of a character arc, if you will. But although Isaac\u2019s silence seems like mere weak character, a lack of personality or opinion, perhaps even stupidity, I believe it is just as much a decision as Abraham\u2019s choice to sacrifice his son in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We don\u2019t seem to make nearly as big a deal about it as we do about Abraham, but in his silence, in his submission, Isaac is showing his willingness to be sacrificed\u2014for God, for his father, for whatever purpose this sacrifice served.  Unlike Abraham, we\u2019re given no indication that Isaac thought he would be resurrected after this. This was it, the final battle\u2014and it was not a battle to save his life, but to lose it. Because submission (of this sort) is not passive, submission is a choice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know I said that Isaac was strong enough to stop this from happening if he chose, but I\u2019d argue that\u2019s not the point. It\u2019s not really about whether he could\u2019ve done otherwise\u2014whether he had the power to resist but decided not to use it. That\u2019s not the question\u2014the important question is: was he willing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can tell he was willing, because he could\u2019ve done otherwise\u2014but that\u2019s merely the external reassurance of is inner condition. He could\u2019ve submitted just as easily if he had been a frail child who really couldn\u2019t have stopped this from happening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is important. Because sometimes, our circumstances are genuinely inescapable. Sometimes, we\u2019re not young and strong and capable of resisting the sacrifice. Sometimes the ropes are too tight and there is nowhere for us to go. The question is not whether we are able to leave or not\u2014the question is whether I will go quietly, with the assurance that our circumstances are in greater hands, or whether I will go kicking and screaming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>C. S. Lewis<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Clearly, Isaac was going willingly. But I could imagine that it wasn\u2019t easy for him. I could imagine he was having wars inside his mind before he made the decision to lay down his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can see this clearly when Christ is in Gethsemane praying not to have to die. Jesus Himself fought a battle against fear and suffering and injustice\u2014but it was not by dominating his oppressors, it was not by defeating those who hurt Him. He didn\u2019t beat fear by removing its source\u2014He won His battle by trusting His Father\u2019s will for Him. And that is no easy thing for any human to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018And He was withdrawn from them about a stone\u2019s throw, and He knelt down and prayed,\u00a0saying,\u00a0\u201cFather, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless\u00a0not My will, but Yours, be done<\/em>.\u201d\u2019<\/p>Luke 22:40-42<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

We think that standing up and taking action against an external enemy is challenging\u2014it is, that is true, and it is often necessary. There are many circumstances where the right thing to do is to stand firm and fight, especially for the wellbeing of others. Jesus turned the other cheek, but He turned over tables too.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this is not always the case. Sometimes, the impulse to fight comes not from a sense of love and justice, but from fear, from pride, from a wounded ego. And in those instances, to submit is to let go. And to let go\u2026is scary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do not underestimate or misinterpret the act of submission\u2014submission to God\u2019s will takes just as much courage and strength as any battle does. And submission is itself a battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We battle all those instincts that tell us to fight or flee, all those self-preservation methods we keep stored up to save us from any kind of peril. When you\u2019re hanging off the edge of a cliff, uncertain of what lies beneath you, it takes a lot of strength to hold on. But it takes more strength\u2014a different kind, but strength nonetheless\u2014to let go. It takes the strength of trust\u2014and even when we\u2019ve seen God save us before, it can still be hard to believe He\u2019ll get us through our present struggles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>C.S. Lewis<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Lambs are different. Lambs are trusting. A lamb will follow their shepherd wherever he takes them, even if it is to places the lamb has never been before. We might think them naive or silly, but they will not follow just anyone. This was a decision they made. The flock follows because they know their shepherd will not lead them astray. It is not weakness that they follow him into the unknown. It is the power to lay down their own fears, their own will, and trust the one who knows the way. And we must remember that although Christ is the Lion of Judah, He is also the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet\u00a0He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>Isaiah 53:7<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Submission and love go hand in hand\u2014and neither is a form of weakness. On the contrary, real submission that comes from love requires more strength and courage than we tend to realise. If Christ had fought the soldiers who came to arrest Him, it probably would\u2019ve been a bit challenging\u2014but I can guarantee that letting them arrest Him\u2014knowing exactly what He was about to go through\u2014that was far harder. In the same way, it might take guts to punch someone who offended you, but it takes a much deeper, quieter strength to let it go. It might take power to take revenge on someone who hurt you, to make sure they never dare do it again, but it takes a much stronger character to forgive, to empathise, and to show compassion on those who have wronged you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These things look like weakness to the world, but this is just one of the many forms that real love takes. Love is indeed a roaring Lion, but Love is also the silent Lamb, willing to give up its life for even those who have wronged Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Then Jesus said,\u00a0\u201cFather,\u00a0forgive them, for\u00a0they do not know what they do.\u201dAnd\u00a0they divided His garments and cast lots<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>Luke 23:34<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Heart of a Lamb By Bethany Kaldas \u2018The\u00a0wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;And a little child shall lead them.\u2019 Isaiah 11:6 The phrase heart of a lion is used as praise\u2014it means someone demonstrated courage and strength … Continue reading “Heart of a Lamb”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7456,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7455"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7457,"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7455\/revisions\/7457"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}