In Like A Lamb, Out Like a Lion

Read a devotional this morning from Jonathan Edwards. In it he contrasts Jesus as the Lamb who was slain and the Jesus as the Lion who triumphs.

Made me think how men in our culture tend to either bifurcate into becoming bad-asses (Lions) or good little boys (Lambs).

The modern church tends to cater to not rocking the boat and keeping things effeminate and domestic. In reaction, John Eldredge has made his millions trying to re-manify and he-manify men. Both tendencies are wrong...we can't correct one problem with another problem.

We have to merge opposites...mercy with power, caring with confrontation, anger with peace, etc.

A Love that can say both yes and no.

As Edwards writes, "There is an admirable conjunction of diverse excellencies in Jesus Christ. The lion and the lamb, though very diverse kinds of creatures, yet have each their peculiar excellencies. The lion excels in strength, and in the majesty of his appearance and voice: the lamb excels in meekness and patience, besides the excellent nature of the creature as good for food, and yielding that which is fit for our clothing and being suitable to be offered in sacrifice to God. But we see that Christ is in the text compared to both, because the diverse excellencies of both wonderfully meet in him."

"And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain. -- Rev. 5:5-6

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