Jesus' Black Sheep

Jesus' Black Sheep

"But when Jesus heard that, He said to them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick…For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.'"  (Matthew 9:12, 13b)

Jesus loves "bad people."  This is really brought out in the Christmas story.  To whom did God send His angels to first to invite them to come and worship the newborn Savior and Lord?  The shepherds. 

In those days, shepherds were considered crooks and liars, and in many cases, they were.  They couldn't even be witnesses in court because of their notorious reputations.  But God chose shepherds to be His first witnesses of the Savior, and they were so thrilled when they saw Jesus that they glorified God and went out to tell everybody about the Messiah's birth.

God loves the unrighteous, those who know through and through that they're not good, because they're the ones who see their need for a Savior.  Jesus said, "It's not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." 

You're not going to go to the doctor if you think you're perfectly healthy, and you're not going to go to the Great Physician, Dr. Jesus, if you don't see that you are incomplete, and that you need God's forgiveness and presence in your life.

The fact is, most of us think we're good.  According to a George Barna poll, 83 percent of Americans believe they are basically good—more than four out of five!  The Bible says that God created us very good, and there's still a potential for good, but we fell into sin and rebellion from God.  Without Christ, we're all black sheep in our attitude toward God.  We're not lily white sheep—not one of us—we're not even grey sheep. 

We're black sheep without Jesus, who is "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29b).  God's perfect sacrificial Lamb was crucified for our sins on the cross, and by receiving the risen, living Lord Jesus Christ, we can be forgiven and restored in love to God.

In front of a church in Germany there stands a stone lamb.  As the story goes, a roofer slipped and fell off the roof of the church to the ground.  It was a long way down, so his fellow roofers knew he would be killed, but when they got to the ground, they found him unhurt.  A lamb had been grazing below and the man had fallen squarely on top of it, crushing the lamb to death.  The man was so grateful that he made a stone memorial of the lamb.

I am so thankful that God provided a lamb for me to fall on.  Our fall into sin has been a long way down, but praise God He has given us a lamb to break the fall. 

Have you fallen squarely on the lamb yet?  Your sins have.  Why not put your full weight on Him and trust Him today?

"As it is written: 'Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.'”   (Romans 9:33)

(Sent by permission from Pastor Wayne Taylor; info@calvaryfellowship.org)