Essentals for Peace 2

Isaiah 11:1-10

By Donald M. Tuttle

First Christian Church, Corpus Christi, Texas

Preached December 9, 2001

It has been nearly three months since four planes were hijacked, two destroyed the World Trade Center, another part of the Pentagon and the fourth crashed in Pennsylvania. We all know the story well. It has become a key day in our lives, comparable to one generation’s experience of Pearl Harbor and another generation’s experience of the assassinations of Kennedy and King.

Yet despite all that has been said and written about the events of September 11, we still find ourselves asking the question that always arises in the face of tragedy. That question is ‘why?’ Why did it happen? What brought such a horrible event into being?

Pundits, politicians, preachers and the general public have offered explanations. Some have suggested, as you know, that it was God’s judgment on the moral decline in this country. Others have suggested that it was the result of men so possessed by evil that they could not realize what they were doing. Yet it is another response that I want to bring to your attention today. Many in the Arab world and even a few in the United States have suggested the attacks were the result of America’s foreign policy. They have argued that the support our country gives Israel at the expense of Arab nations and that the imposition of Western culture on the Islamic world drove the hijackers to these horrible acts. In short, they have blamed the United States for what happened in New York City and in Washington, D.C.

Of course, we are offended by that suggestion. As patriotic people, we have trusted the policies of our own country. But the larger reason we take offense is because we know that no matter what the United States might be accused of, nothing can justify the heartless murder of thousands of innocent civilians--of businessmen and women, restaurant workers and custodians. Certainly we reject such an argument.

Yet we shouldn’t be surprised that such an argument was made. It is natural to do so because we have come to realize that violence often emerges in the face of both real and perceived inequality.

A week or so ago, I was reading an account of the continuing violence between the Palestinians and the Israelis. The Palestinians claim more than a half-century of Israeli oppression. They have often been denied access to their jobs and have witnessed their homes and hopes being destroyed. In response, they have turned to violence—as we have seen over the last 14 months. Feeling as if they have been relegated to second-class citizens, some throw stones at Israeli soldiers while others pack up cars with explosives and nails and head off to Jerusalem.

Closer to home, we have witnessed it in our inner cities. When four Anglo police officers were acquitted in the beating of Rodney King, many Americans, particularly African-Americans, felt the legal system had let them down, that they were not treated with the same respect and dignity as others. Feeling that equality had been denied, they rioted, destroying a part of South Central L.A.

What all of this points toward is the second essential for peace. Just as peace cannot be realized without knowledge of and obedience to God’s word—specifically, Jesus Christ—it cannot be realized without justice. Peace, that wholeness and well being we seek for ourselves and the world, cannot come to pass without equality and justice for all people. It is essential.

That is a reality the prophet Isaiah recognized.

When we read or hear the prophecy at which we are looking today, we tend to focus on the latter half. We like that picture of the peaceable kingdom, the one so wonderfully articulated in our anthem and so beautifully portrayed in Edward Hicks’ famous painting. We like the idea of the wolf and the lamb, the leopard and the kid all dwelling in peace.

While the vision of peace is central to Isaiah’s prophecy, the heart of this passage comes earlier, in the opening verses. There Isaiah promises the people of Israel that a ruler would come, a ruler from the line of King David, a ruler filled with the Spirit of God.

And what was that ruler to do?

He was to rule with integrity.

This new leader would not look upon appearances or be swayed by fancy arguments. Instead he would be able to discern the inner motives of those before him and rule based on what was in their hearts. He would not ignore the genuine grievances of the poor and oppressed. He would not favor the rich against them. Instead, he would rule with equity, regardless of the social or economic class of those seeking help. The promise that Isaiah holds forth is for a day in which the one who rules will do so with justice and righteousness, with integrity and equality. It is the reality of justice that makes the peaceable kingdom possible.

Since the earliest days of the church, we have recognized Jesus as the embodiment of that one which Isaiah envisioned. We do so because he lived out the call to justice and righteousness in the way he dealt with people.

Read through the Gospels and you soon discover that Jesus was not one who judged by appearances. He saw the great piety of the religious leaders. He saw their detailed devotion to the Laws of Moses. He saw the obedience to the traditions. Yet again and again he sided with their critics. He called them "hypocrites" and suggested that they were like "white-washed tombs," pretty on the outside but rotten inside. He was not impressed by what he saw because he knew they were not what they appeared to be. Instead of measuring people by appearances, Jesus measured people by what was in their hearts. That is what led him to call mere fishermen and tax-collectors as disciples. It is what allowed him to offer prostitutes, women caught in adultery and lepers grace. It allowed him to bless the poor and promise the meek nothing less than the earth. The kingdom that Jesus came proclaiming was a kingdom of equality and justice--and thus peace.

That call to equality and justice remains a vital part of the Christian vision of peace. A few months ago, an Anglo police officer shot and killed an unarmed African-American in the Over-the-Rhine section of Cincinnati. It was the latest in a series of perceived injustices experienced by African-Americans there and ignited a riot.

On the second day of rioting, a group of angry protesters marched toward a section of downtown that had been vandalized and looted the day before. More destruction and violence was about to take place. But African-American clergy stepped in. They blocked the group’s path. And although the protesters vilified them as tools of the establishment, the ministers held true to the biblical vision of peace. They proclaimed to both the protesters and city leaders the fact that justice and equality were essential for peace.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we have not always lived up to the example of our Lord. Too often we have judged by appearances. Too often we have sided with the rich and powerful against the poor and powerless. Too often we have ignored the injustices that build frustrations. Too often we have turned a blind eye to the inequalities that destroy hopes and lives. And then we have wondered why there is so little peace.

As followers of the Prince of Peace, we are called to be active participants in the pursuit of equality and justice. Such participation takes many forms. It can be as quiet as monitoring the actions of the city council and writing a letter to urge those on it to be mindful of the poor. It can be as visible as campaigning for those who you believe will best seek equality for all. It can be as simple as making sure that you treat the people who cut your grass with the same dignity as you do you doctor, the clerk at HEB with the same respect you give your CPA.

By pursuing and practicing equality and justice, we can show the world that they are essential to peace. We can help the world glimpse the The Peaceable Kingdom that Isaiah envisioned and Christ made possible.