Many have family traditions around the Easter season. We try to find a lamb roast for our get-together, and I like a little mint jelly with it, a nod to my Old Country ancestors.
A week ago, my wife set out the Little Lamb. It’s been around for years, a cute ceramic creature, endearing pink on its cheeks.
Oh, did I mention the other family tradition – that every year one of my many little grandchildren innocently plays with it just long enough to break one of its legs?
That’s when super-grandpa (with his super glue) swoops in to the rescue. I have extensive experience in reattaching such lambie limbs.
They say there are two kinds of stories heard from church pulpits – true stories and preacher’s stories. Well, there’s a preacher’s story that has traveled the circuit for decades.
It claims that Middle Eastern shepherds will break one leg of a wayward sheep to cure it of its tendency to wander. The sheep must then be carried and cared for by the shepherd so that it bonds in such a way that it never wants to leave his side.
Here’s the problem: The shepherd who does this has yet to be found. And the thought that the Good Shepherd does this horrifies most hearers.
Whether the tale of the shepherd who breaks legs is true, I leave to others. But the Bible does quote God’s people saying, “Come, let’s go back to the Lord. He has hurt us, but He will heal us” (Hosea 6:1).
And David, after his moral collapse, appealed to the Lord: “Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice” (Psalm 51:7-8).
Why do we entrust our bodies to dentists, surgeons and personal trainers? We think the pain is worth the gain. Will we not leave God with the same option in restoring our souls? (Psalm 23:3).
Of course, if we listen to God’s whispers, He won’t have to shout. But as C.S. Lewis explained, “Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world. … No doubt pain as God’s megaphone is a terrible instrument; it may lead to final and unrepented rebellion. But it gives the only opportunity the bad man can have for amendment. … It plants the flag of truth within the fortress of the rebel soul.”
Has God allowed suffering in your life? What is its purpose? Perhaps the suffering of God’s own Lamb provides the clue.
Remarkably, not one of Jesus’ bones was broken in spite of the torture of crucifixion. This marked Him out as God’s Passover Lamb (Exodus 12:46; Psalm 34:20; John 19:31-37).
But His heart was broken for us (Psalm 22:14; 69:20). When we discover this, accepting Him as Savior makes us one of His lambs. Then it isn’t our brokenness that keeps us close to the Shepherd, but grasping His brokenness for us.
The Little Lamb and its severed leg lie on my desk, awaiting surgery. But in it I see a parable of all who need the One who knows how to mend our sin-broken hearts.
“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
Jabe Nicholson of Starkville, an author and publisher, loves to engage with people on life’s key issues. Reach him at [email protected] or visit www.uplook.tv.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 30 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 30 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
