(Based on Daniel Zine Chapter 8: Ram + Goat)
Juliette Alvey
Dear Grown-ups,
If you act out chapter eight of the Daniel Zine with your children or students, it is sure to be entertaining. “Mister Ram” and “Mister Goat” battle it out for power! At first, the ram is unbeatable, but then the GOAT lives up to its name (“Greatest Of All Time”) and defeats the ram. These animals represent kingdoms on earth fighting for power, and unfortunately, this scene is not as entertaining to witness in real life.
We do not need to look too far to see nations clamoring for more control in the world. But before we are too critical of world leaders, we should consider how this fight for power shows up in our own relationships as well. Intentions might start out innocently enough, but so many times our pride and desire for acceptance can lead us to put ourselves first and bump others out of the way. We are dying to be seen as the “greatest” by means of our work, our children, our homes… you name it. We want to be the best and still appear cool and in control.
This gets exhausting…
The constant struggle of building ourselves up and subtly (or not so subtly) butting other people out of the picture wears us out, until we have no choice but to surrender. When we fall on the ground exhausted from our striving to be the greatest, we may find ourselves finally looking up and asking God what it’s all for.
Here’s the thing, when we feel like we are trying and trying but never winning, our comfort is that God’s kingdom is the reverse of what the world looks for. God’s kingdom comes to earth not in strength and power as the world expects, but in the weakest form imaginable: a Lamb.
John the Baptist’s first declaration of the Messiah was, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29)! From the very beginning of Jesus’s ministry, he is labeled with this not-so-impressive title. But “God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong” (1 Cor 1:27).
And the only thing less powerful than a sweet baby lamb is a dying lamb.
In the book of Revelation, John loves the title of the “Lamb” to describe his vision of the glorified Christ. He says, “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne” (Revelation 5:6). And about those surrounding the Lamb he says, “In a loud voice they were saying: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise” (Revelation 5:12)!
The paradox is that Jesus established his throne by laying down his life. What appears to be defeat—a slaughtered lamb—is actually the defeat of the battle for power.
If God has placed a slaughtered lamb on the throne, who can fathom what he will do with our weaknesses in his everlasting kingdom? At Jesus’s feet, we lay down our thrones and join the chorus singing, “Worthy is the Lamb!”
