Spiritual Difference between the Lamb and the Sheep
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November 14, 2010 |
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 "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth." (Isaiah 53:7)
In John 21:15-17, the Lord asked three similar questions of Simon Peter. The first question the Lord Jesus asked was, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" Peter boldly answered, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." The Lord asked Peter "Tend My lambs." And, the second question of the Lord was given to Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter answered Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Shepherd My sheep." And when the Lord said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved and answered, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." This third time the Lord said to Peter "Tend My sheep."
When Peter professed he loved the Lord, He asked Peter to "tend My lambs" "shepherd My sheep" and "tend My sheep" respectively. What is the difference between the lambs and the sheep?
1. General Meaning of the Sheep
A sheep is the meekest of animals. It has no evil and is very obedient. It has no desire to harm, to hit or fight with any other being, even if it has horns. When shearers shear it, it keeps calm without protesting. Sheep recognize their shepherd's voice so that they never respond when anyone else tries to imitate the call of the real shepherd. They follow only the shepherd's guidance and voice. Sheep are a great benefit to man. Its meat is tender and tastes good. Its coat is used for cloth and it provides us with milk.
People usually mention a sheep in good sense. When we say he is as gentle as a lamb, it means he is gentle in nature. And when we say something is as white as wool, it means it is white, clean and beautiful. A-year-old sheep that is unblemished and has not mated is recorded as a 'lamb' in the Bible.
A lamb that is white and beautiful in brightness gains much favor from people. Wool is so soft and clean that it is widely used to make high-class clothes. In addition to the word 'lamb' there are a couple of other expressions such as ram, sheep and ewe. The Bible sometimes differentiates two words—sheep and lamb. Let's look into the spiritual meaning of both the words and how the two words are differentiated.
2. Biblical and Spiritual Meaning of Sheep and Lamb
In the 12th chapter of the Book of Exodus, God tells the Israelites to take a 'lamb' for each household shortly before they depart from Egypt. There are many other verses referring to a lamb or lambs: Genesis 22:8 reads, "Abraham said, 'God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son'"; Exodus 13:13, "every first offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb"; Numbers 15:5, "you shall prepare wine for the drink offering, one-fourth of a hin, with the burnt offering or for the sacrifice, for each lamb"; Exodus 29:38, "Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two one year old lambs each day, continuously"; Isaiah 53:7, "Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth"; Jeremiah 11:19, "I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; and I did not know that they had devised plots against me."
What then does the 'lamb' in these verses spiritually refer? John 1:29 speaks of Jesus as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" and Revelation 5:6 explains to us that the apostle John saw "between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth." The Lamb clearly refers to Jesus who took the cross and was slain at the age of 33. In addition to these two verses, Jesus Christ is referred to as the Lamb that was the once-and-for-all atoning sacrifice for all men in many other verses including: 1 Peter 1:19, Revelation 5:12-13, 6:1, 7:10, 12:11, 13:8, 14:1, 15:3, 19:7, 21:27, and 22:1.
The Bible likens Jesus to various things. He is likened to 'a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone' Isaiah 28:16; a stone was cut out without hands, Daniel 2:34; the vine, John 15:5; the Lamb, 1 Peter 1:19; the Son of Man, Matthew 20:28; the One who originally existed in the form of God, Philippians 2:6; the Savior, 2 Timothy 1:10; and God and the Creator in John 1:1-3. Some believers say new believers or those who have weak faith can be called a 'lamb' but this is not in accordance with the biblical teaching.
What then does the 'sheep' mean in the Bible? The sheep refer to the people of God as recorded in Psalm 78:52 that reads, "He led forth His own people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock,"; Psalm 79:13, "So we Your people and the sheep of Your pasture Will give thanks to You forever,"; Matthew 10:6, "rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel"; and in Mark 6:34, "He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd." And Hebrews 13:20 speaks of Jesus as the "great Shepherd of the sheep."
3. Spiritual Meaning of the Three Words "Tend My Lambs" "Shepherd My Sheep" and "Tend My Sheep"
To Peter who professed he loved the Lord, He said, "Tend My lambs" "Shepherd My sheep" and "Tend My sheep."
The first word "Tend My lambs" means 'to eat of Jesus Christ and become united with Him'. As recorded in John 6:53-54 it says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." Believers have to eat His flesh and drink His blood. Jesus Christ is the person who is the Word and He became flesh and came to the earth in a human form. His 'flesh' refers to His Word. In brief, eating the Lord means we should listen to and meditate on the Word of truth of God day and night and make our spiritual bread of it.
The second word is "Shepherd My sheep." To shepherd the sheep means to take care of new believers by teaching them the Word of God, praying for them without ceasing, and guiding them to the path to the truth and righteousness. We should realize our God-given duties in the church, established with the holy blood of the Lord, are so valuable that they are not to be exchanged for anything else in the world. We must then diligently preach the gospel and pray for the flock with tears and admonish them with love to lead many souls to the path of eternal life.
The third time the Lord spoke He said, "Tend My sheep". It is a duty in a higher level than to shepherd the sheep. Tending the sheep refers to providing the believers with the bread of life, which means receiving deep interpretations of the Word of God through His revelation by fervent prayer and feeding them with the Word of life. With the Word of life revealed by God, we have to heal the heartbroken and sick flock and make them whole and healthy; guide the lost sheep to the path to truths; and change those who are wandering without standing on the rock of truth into good believers who love God above anything else. This is how to 'tend the sheep'.
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