Two Christmas Pictures: A Lamb and a Son

Ravi Zacharias gave us a little story to help understand the Christmas story. It seems a shepherd had two mother sheep who were about to give birth. The first successfully birthed her lamb, but then suffered complications and died. The second mother sheep gave birth to a lamb that unfortunately died. So the shepherd had a motherless lamb and lambless mother.

It would seem that the answer would be to put the two together and all will be well. But whenever the little lamb approached the mother, she smelled a foreign entity and refused to nurse the lamb. Finally in desperation the shepherd skinned the dead lamb and fashioned a coat of sorts for the hungry baby. After wrapping the baby in the dead lamb’s skin, the shepherd was able to coax the mother to accept the live one and nurse it.

The little dead lamb became, in essence, a savior for the living lamb. And when “clothed in the skin” of the lamb the new baby was accepted by the mother. We are “foreign” to God because of our sins. He rejects any of our approaches to Him as totally unacceptable.

One verse of “On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand,” goes, “Clothed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.” That is me. And I cannot do it by myself. Isaiah 59:2
But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Isaiah 64:6 (NASB) makes it worse.
For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. 

The answer is in 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 (NASB)
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 

We are hapless, helpless, and hopeless. Then He steps in at Christmas.

Identity Isaiah 9:6 (KJV)
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

The musical, “Messiah” is filled with Old Testament references that refer to the coming Messiah. One of the best known is Isaiah 9:6. Again Ravi Zacharias helps us to plumb the depths of its meaning. “...a child is born.” This affirms His essential humanity. The Messiah was not a spirit being, an apparition, nor an angel. He was literally a man, just as we are.

But... “a son is given.” This refers to His deity. The Son did not have a beginning and will have no end. So the Son was not born, but given. The description continues with, “the government shall be upon His shoulder.” This is referring to the kingship, inherited from David, but that is not all. The government–not of one small portion of the planet–but the government of the entire world is in view. Later on, the Oratorio identifies Him as “King of kings and Lord of lords.” He will be the supreme ruler of the world.

And He is identified by name. “Wonderful.” Some like that name alone, while others add Counsellor (sic KJV). Wonderful is a good name, in and of itself.  Judges 13:18 finds the angel talking to Samson’s parents and saying that his name was “Wonderful.” Other translations expand that to mean beyond understanding or secret. But however it is meant, it is wonderful and can apply to the Counsellor.

The wonderful counsel is that He, the Messiah, is the answer to the age old question of how to acquire peace with God. This One is the answer. He alone can bridge the gap between sinful man and the holy God. There is no other way. And part of the solution is that He, the Messiah, is God Himself. “The Mighty God.”

There is only one live God, and He is not impotent. He is almighty. In Isaiah 43:13 He proclaims that He can act and no one can reverse it. No one can cancel, counteract, or contest His actions. But some can and do counterfeit them. A warning to the wise.

More, is that He is the Everlasting Father. Daniel 7 describes the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man. The Son will be given an everlasting kingdom. (See above) And here Isaiah tells us that this “Son” is the Father, Himself. Hard to understand? It is, but if it were some simple thing, it would not be so “wonderful” or secret, would it?

And last, the "Prince of Peace." Not just some petty cessation of hostilities between countries or even over the entire planet. This Peace is peace with God. Jesus said, (John 14:3)
27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

The world cannot reconcile us to the Father. Jesus did. And it is no wonder that the angels told the shepherds, “Do not be afraid.” The “glad tidings of great joy” that they gave was the message of Jesus. (Luke 2)

Our two pictures have merged into one. The way He could bring peace was by being the substitute lamb whose scent the mother lamb (Father) would accept. It is not too complimentary to think that our natural aroma is repulsive to God. But the stink of sin has infected and infested our lives and we need to be deodorized. Not just a cleanup and new cologne, but a new, recreated, essence that has the sweet odor of sacrifice, as Moses was instructed in the wilderness. (Exodus 29)

The message of Christmas is one of freedom from fear because of the tidings of Joy. We can be redeemed. And the Redeemer has come. Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth, peace to men–who accept His offer. I have. The Christmas gift is offered to you too. Accept it.