Mary Had a Little Lamb

Mary had a Little Lamb whose fleece was white as snow...

Sarah Josepha Hale

It was in some of David's most fearful, hopeless, dread filled, and shameful moments that we see the most courage, hope, anticipation, and restoration. Psalms 23 shows our humanity and need for a Great Shepherd. Verse one says it all! The Lord is my Shepherd. If you cannot say that verse one is true for you then stop reading the 23rd Psalm. Unless you can say that you are in His fold, you do not have access to the provisions found throughout the rest of this chapter.


 
David was a shepherd himself. A shepherd's life was lonesome. Their only companions were their hirelings and the sheep (1 Samuel 17:20). They spoke to them and the sheep knew their voices. They walked among them daily paying close attention to the new lambs. By night, they slept near their flocks in tents (Song of Solomon 1:8, Isaiah 38:12). As the shepherds tended their flocks, they knew the Passover was just around the corner. They kept their eyes open for that one lamb. The most valuable. The most prized. As they watched this lamb, surely, they would grow to love this lamb, because this lamb was set apart and cared for more than the others.


 
As was the custom, they would select the lamb (a one-year-old male) four days before the Passover. The lamb stayed in their homes for four days. The little lamb was fed in the home (and probably left evidence on the floor). It was petted and held. I'm sure preparations were made prior to the lamb being brought into their homes. After all, the lamb was the honored guest. Now, I know there were children in these homes that played with the little lamb. The parents knew, as did the older children, that this lamb was to be slaughtered in four days... In three days... In two days. On that last day, can you imagine the children that understood what was about to happen and how heavy their little hearts must have been? Can you imagine the horror and dismay the small children must have felt when their little lamb was slaughtered and they had to eat it. The instructions were not only to cover the doorpost with the blood of the lamb, but also to roast the lamb and eat it all. For our Western mindset, this is mortifying.


 
Fast forward with me to the year 4 BC. Joseph and Mary have just had their first born. His name was foretold to His father, Joseph. His name was to be called Jesus. Oh the joy of a newborn baby. No, the circumstances surrounding His birth were not ideal in our modern, sterile terms, but once they held Him for the first time all of the inconveniences were forgotten. Mary coddled to her breast the Lamb of God. Mary had a little Lamb.


 
He came into this world to live that He may die. He was the spotless, sinless Passover Lamb for the ages to come. No longer would there be need to sacrifice little lambs. Jesus atoned once and for all. The Great and Mighty Shepherd came as the Passover Lamb so that you and I no longer need to make atonement for our sins on a year-to-year basis. Jesus atoned for our sins once and for ALL. Yes, Mary's Little Lamb was indeed white as snow.
*EDITED AND TRANSFERRED 3-16-19