"He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot from the parched earth; there was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him." (Isaiah 52:19-20)

 

First impressions are sometimes completely incorrect. Just as Jesus was misjudged and eventually crucified for it, judging a book by its cover can have consequences. Jesus was put to death because his people would not take the time to listen, to witness the miracles he could make happen, and realize that he was in fact the Child of God. In the first reading, Jesus is compared to a sheep being sheared, an act that humans would relate to as humiliating and full of embarrassment. To further the shame, when the soldiers crucified Jesus, they stripped him of his clothes, fulfilling the Scripture passage that says, "They divided my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots" (Psalm 22:18). Jesus is also compared to a lamb being led to slaughter, submitting and not speaking out. In Isaiah (11:6), it is said that the wolf shall lay down with the lamb. Jesus could be the figurative lamb and the people the wolf. In this situation, the wolf did not lay with the lamb, but did in fact lead it to slaughter. This does not mean that in the future, however, the wolf and lamb will not lie together...

 

To read the entire reflection, click here.