"Mary had a Little Lamb, his fleece was white as snow, and everywhere that Mary went the Lamb was sure to go."
Hebrews 4:14-15
"14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin."
Mary’s Lamb went where we were. He was in heaven and we were on earth - and so he came down. He was surrounded by perfection and glory while we were surrounded by the effects of sin - and so he joined us. But the Lamb of God did not just come down to be among us or to simply be with us; the Lamb of God came down to actually be one of us. And he was one of us in every way. The immortal God became a mortal man. And Jesus did not place a protective barrier around himself so that he couldn’t be touched by the pains and evils of this world. Nor did he separate himself from the “normal” human beings in this life so that he would not have to experience any of the temptations. No, we do not have a Savior “who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin.” When Jesus came to this earth he didn’t just cautiously wade out into the pool; he jumped into the deep end. He didn’t just dabble in humanity, he didn’t just taste it; he immersed himself in it. Anything that we suffer, he suffered. Any pain that we feel, he felt. Any temptation we fight, he fought. Jesus was just as human as you are and as I am. Even though he was still true God the entire time, he did not exempt himself from any misfortune that a human being would naturally experience living among sinful people in a sinful world. Everywhere that human beings went the Lamb was sure to go.
And that should be extremely comforting for you to know. Your God who watches over you and cares for you and looks out for you on his throne in heaven is the same God who knows exactly what you’re going through on this earth. He knows what it’s like because he’s been here personally! And he knows what it’s going to take to get you through any situation because he has already made it through every situation himself. Everywhere that you have gone the Lamb has already been.
And so when you pray to him about a problem that you are forced to deal with, he understands. He doesn’t just empathize with your situation; he truly understands exactly what you are facing and he is able to help you. When you go to him because the pain you are experiencing is too much to bear, he understands. He doesn’t just feel sorry for you; he truly understands how much it hurts and he is able to help you. When you cry out to him because life is hard, he understands. He doesn’t just nod his head sympathetically and pat you on the back; he truly understands how difficult this life can be and he is able and he is willing and he is always available to help you. You can go to the Lord at any time with any problem with complete confidence that he is the foremost expert on the subject and he has an answer for you before you ever ask the question.
Mary’s Little Lamb went where we were because that’s where we needed him to be. He went where Satan attacked him every single day. He went where his enemies plotted his death as soon as they knew he existed. He went where everything was sinful in every way all the time. But the Lamb himself remained pure. He remained holy. He remained perfect. Not just so that he could prove he could do it, but because he wanted to give that perfection to you. And through faith in Jesus as your Savior the Lamb’s perfection is all yours. As far as God the Father is concerned, you are sinless because the Lamb of God is sinless. You have been given credit for what the Lamb did! There is no easier way to heaven than that! There is no other way to heaven than through the work of the Lamb of God on this earth in your behalf.
1 Peter 1:18-20
"18For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake."
Mary’s Lamb went where we deserved to go. It wasn’t enough for the Lamb of God to come down to this earth and take the form of a human being and undergo all of the temptations that human beings have to experience. The Lamb’s perfection wasn’t even enough because there was still a punishment that was hanging over our heads. And it wasn’t about to go away.
Long ago we were guilty. Long ago the sin we were conceived with and the sins we personally committed condemned us. We were saturated with sin from the very beginning. We were dripping with it. And it’s only gotten worse over the years because the stain of sin doesn’t just go away on its own. The stain gets deeper and more imbedded the longer we live. We have managed to compile an impressive assortment of sin upon sin upon sin in our lives, haven’t we? But the problem is that God himself has promised that just one of those sins deserves eternal punishment in hell itself.
That’s why the Lamb went where we deserved to go. Someone had to do it! Someone had to take the punishment that God promised for sin. Because it’s not as if God could change his mind. God couldn’t simply say, “Oh, I guess I was just kidding about this whole punishment for sin deal.” And he couldn’t decide to make an exception in our case either. Because the Lord cannot break his promises. The Lord is perfect; he is incapable of going back on any promise he has ever made. And so he was bound to the promise of punishment for sin just like he is bound to every other promise that he makes to us. Sin had to be punished; there was no way around it.
And so the Lamb stepped in to take our place. He took the bullet for us, so to speak. He said to his Father, “I know they deserve it. I know they have rightfully earned eternal punishment in hell for all they have done and for who they are. But I want to take the penalty. Punish me. Treat me as if I were the sinner. Turn your back on me. Show your wrath to me. Abandon me. Carry out the punishment as you have promised, but let me suffer so that they don’t have to. I will take it all. I will swallow every last drop of your righteous anger so that there is none left to give to them. I am willing to be their sacrifice. I am willing to spill my own blood.” And that’s exactly what the Lamb did. He spilled his blood for you. And so now you are saved “through the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or defect.”
Way back in the early beginnings of the Israelite nation, you might remember that they were enslaved in the land of Egypt. When Pharaoh refused to let God’s people leave, the Lord sent 10 plagues to convince him otherwise. The tenth and final plague was the death of the first born son of every family in the entire country. The one exception was that if any family slaughtered a young male lamb without blemish or defect and spread its blood over the doorframe of their house, the angel sent to kill all of the first born sons would pass over that home and their child would be spared. This event became known as The Passover and the Israelites were to celebrate it every year. Scripture clearly calls Christ our Passover Lamb because the precious blood of our unblemished Lamb has saved us. He has taken the punishment in our place. Eternal death has passed us by. The Lamb went where we deserved to go so that we never have to.
Revelation 7:9-17
9After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." 11All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" 13Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?"
14I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. 16Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. 17For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Mary’s Lamb went where we will always be. He had come down to this earth and lived a life as a human being because that’s where we were. He had gone down to hell too, suffering an eternity of pain while he still hung on the cross because that’s where we deserved to be. But then Mary’s Lamb went where she and we will one day go. He went back to heaven. And now he sits on his throne. He rules all people. He continues to welcome a new group of believers into his mansion every day. And there the Lamb is waiting for the rest of us. And when we arrive we will be wearing the white robes of the saints that are washed in the blood of the Lamb and we will be joining in this song of praise with those already there: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And we will sing this verse of this song because the Lamb at the center of the throne will be our Shepherd. He will lead us to springs of living water. And every tear will forever be wiped away from our eyes.
This isn’t something we normally think about during the Christmas season. Heaven doesn’t always cross our minds when we look into a manger scene and see a little baby Jesus lying on a pile of straw. But Mary’s Lamb who is lying in that stable is the same Lamb of God who is sitting on the throne. And so do not mistake this Lamb in Bethlehem as being completely vulnerable. He is the same Lamb to whom the angels in heaven sing: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever.” And do not simply look at this little Lamb surrounded by shepherds and their sheep only as a child of peace. He certainly gives us peace through salvation, but this is also the same Lamb of God who came to do battle against our enemies and to wash his sheep clean with his blood on the cross. This Lamb is more than a sweet little child. He is your mighty God. He is your Savior. And one day you will join him in the place that he has died to win and that he is preparing for you right now as we speak.
Mary had a Little Lamb, his fleece was white as snow. And now the place where this Lamb went, his sheep are sure to go.
Posts
