What do you do with a sick animal? The exhortation is given here. Sheep are not mentioned, but it is inferred. The Bible says we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. At our best we are sheep that need to be taken care of and led. We all get down. There has been only one perfect lamb—the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. He was perfect morally, spiritually, and mentally. We are quite imperfect. So what do you do with a lame sheep?
Hebrews 12: 12Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
Many of us were raised on a farm or in and around a farm atmosphere. We learned to work in the garden. Growing up we had a chicken house. We kept hogs with relatives. We had dogs. Daddy knew how to care for them. When an animal got sick, he knew what to do. When you think about vets, you realize how much they have to learn to practice medicine on so many different species of animals. No matter how hard you try though, sometimes you have to put an animal down. Jesus is the great physician. He knows just how to take care of his sheep too. He walked in our shoes. He knows our heart. He knows our weaknesses and strengths. When things look bad, Jesus doesn’t take us out and shoot us. He has the remedy for our spiritual lameness.
Spiritual lameness is tearing lives apart. The devil preys on the sheep. You are a candidate for heaven, for the flock of God. Jesus was the blameless lamb. We are to follow him. The book of Deuteronomy tells us what a suitable sacrifice was. The lamb had to be one year old without spot or blemish. They couldn’t bring a lame lamb to the sacrifice. No matter what we offer, it is unsuitable to God. It took God sending his only begotten son. He became the perfect Lamb of God. He was the only perfect human being. Jesus chose not to sin. He was nailed to the cross of Calvary, and as the perfect Lamb was sacrificed in our place. No matter how lame or diseased we are, we can be healed. The Bible says by his stripes we are healed. The disease of sin can be healed. There is so much that can cripple us, so many paths that can make us stumble. Jesus plotted a path by his sinless life and substitutionary death that leads to heaven. If you’re not on that path, you’re on a crooked, uneven path.
Carefully chose the path you take. The uneven ones break bones and leave you lame. Jesus does not want to turn anyone out of the way. He could shoot us for the lameness of sin in our lives, but he chooses to heal. John 3:16 is the love that motivated him and gave us the path. The book of Hebrews says that if justice was served we’d all fall into hell. Jesus has a “rather.” Paul put it like this: let it rather be healed.
Can he do that? You may not know what end is up, but Jesus does. Turn to him. He knows how to take care of lame sheep. There is a choice for our soul. Jesus doesn’t see us as something that can’t be fixed. He’d rather mend us.
I don’t know what to do about the lameness in your life, but Jesus does. Isaiah 40 says behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
If you die away from the Lord, you’ll do so having had a Shepherd reaching out to heal you. It’s your choice now. You know what you need to do. Jesus waits to heal your spiritual lameness. Do what you need to do.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 