The Prince of Peace

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.  He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.  The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Isaiah 9: 6 – 7

In years past when a school shooting occurred the idea of having either a police officer or a member of the faculty with a gun for protection was kept largely to the radio talk shows, such as Rush Limbaugh or Neal Boortz.  It helped the Arbitron ratings, but little else as politicians tended to stay away from the idea.  With Sandy Hook Elementary that has unfortunately changed.  Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, a politician I have consistently supported with my votes my entire adult life, has suggested that the time may be right for schools to have armed security on site.  It is the first time I can recall where an elected official has made such a statement, one that was normally reserved for the AM dial.  The National Rifle Association has made their statement to that effect, independent of DeWine, and been met with scathing criticism even by some allies.  One the other side, President Obama has, predictably, called for tougher gun control laws.  The NEA and the AFT have issued a joint statement condemning the arming of teachers, calling instead for more focus on mental health and anti-bullying measures.  At this point we have not even completed the burial of the dead, and the focus has been lost in a sea of political rhetoric.  At this rate we run the risk of creating a situation that is worse than the one we already have regardless of which way we go.

I am not really surprised by this state of affairs, only saddened by the fact that instead of looking at human depravity and admitting our capacity to do evil, we instead look at the symptoms and try to change them in order to prove to ourselves that we are not really like that.  Both sides are guilty of this.  The pro-gun side says its time for us to arm and protect ourselves.  The anti-gun side says its time to get rid of them forever and then we will be a better people.  Both sides are wrong and they are wrong for the same reason.  The ownership of a gun, or lack thereof, does not fundamentally change the person.  As my gun owning friends like to say, guns don’t kill people; people kill people.  If that is true, then why do you now call on more people to be armed on the school campus now when it wasn’t right earlier?  Furthermore, who is truly qualified to handle a weapon that so many have used to play God with devastating results?  For the anti-gun side I have this.  If you got rid of all the guns, will that alone stop men from killing each other?  No.  They will just find other weapons with which to do it.  Regardless of which way we go in this question, we will only be cleaning the outside of the proverbial dish.  The inside will still be nasty and poisonous to those who would eat from it.

Which brings me to Isaiah 9: 6 – 7, which often quoted at Christmas.  Isaiah wrote those words about 700 years before the Child would be born in Bethlehem.  The government Isaiah predicted for Jesus comes from a fundamental change in the nature of man, a change so great that when complete will even affect nature itself.

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 11: 6 – 9

Isn’t this what Adam Lanza really needed?  Or Jared Loughner?  Or Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold?  How about me?  I follow Jesus and yet even today I had moments of doubt and anxiety that stopped me in my tracks.  I need to know the peace of Christ more than I currently do.  We need the Prince of Peace now more than ever to give us what we cannot understand and could never achieve on our own.  It is only then we can see both what we are and also what we can be, in a future where guns are not needed and neither are mental health treatments, and anti-bullying campaigns.  We do not need another gun control law, nor do we need an armed sentry in every school building.  We need the Prince of Peace, the “baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:12).  And while it may seem foolish that such a picture of weakness as an infant child would be such a source of strength, let me remind you that we have been trying it our way for several millenia with lousy results.  Maybe it is time we did something “foolish” instead.  In Christ we have the chance to live without fear and without violence, because we can experience real change in our hearts and minds.

He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.  They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.  Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.  Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.

Micah 4: 3 – 4

Grace and peace be with you all.  Merry Christmas.