For some, this verse of scripture will be less familiar from having read it in the Bible, and more recognizable because it constitutes the lyrics of the one of the songs which make up Handle's Messiah. Composed in the mid-eighteenth century, George Frideric Handle borrowed heavily from the King James Version of the Bible, and from the Book of Common Prayer in composing his famed oratorio.

Because the book of Isaiah is often seen as dualistic, many believe that Isaiah's words (in this verse) had reference to the birth of his own son, but also to the future birth of the Messiah, the "King of Israel," Jesus Christ. Reading from the perspective of faith, Isaiah's son is unimportant in understanding this verse. However, Jesus' mission and nature are central to what Isaiah is trying to convey to us.

While there are several metaphors associated with the "government" being on the "shoulder" of Jesus, the meaning is simply that He will and should govern. He will be in charge of His bride-the Church; and believers should submit their lives to Him. One of the great weakness of mortals is their desire to be their own God-their desire to not have the "government" be on Jesus' "shoulder," but squarely on their own.

In the Hebrew, the words "wonderful" and "counselor" are not separated by a comma. Rather, of Jesus, the Hebrew says that He will be a "wonderful counselor"-meaning someone to Whom we can turn for advice and direction in our lives. Indeed, few could be better at guiding us.

Reference to Jesus as the "Mighty God" implies two things about Him. First, that He is indeed divine, and is the God whom we worship. Second, it suggests-as many of the Church Fathers indicated-that it was Jesus whom we see operative throughout the Old Testament. As Irenaeus wrote (in the second century), it was Christ "who sailed in the ark with Noah, and who guided Abraham; who was bound along with Isaac, and was a wanderer with Jacob; was sold with Joseph; with Moses He was leader, and, He preached in the prophets."

Isaiah's declaration that Jesus is the "Everlasting Father" suggests that He is the "father" of our salvation. It is He who worked out the ransom sacrifice. It is He who is our mediator with God the Father. It is He who is the second person of the Holy Trinity. And yet, through Him we are "born again." Through Him we gain eternal "life." Truly, He is the "Father" of our salvation.

Finally, Jesus is the "Prince of peace." Jesus taught peace, He lived peacefully, He advises us to propagate peace, and He brings us peace in the midst of our darkest hours. Peace is central to who He is because He is not distracted by the world's peace-stealing ways and works. When we live as Jesus lived, our lives are filled with peace. When we love as Jesus loved, we have peace in our relationships. When we believe in Jesus as He wishes us to believe, we have peace in death-knowing how this story ends.