11-24-07 Matthew 12:11, 12

Matthew 12:11, 12 (NAS)
And He said to them, "What man shall there be among you, who shall have one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it, and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."
Matthew 12:11, 12 (Philips)
If any of you had a sheep which fen into a ditch on the Sabbath day, would he not take hold of it and pull it out?" replied Jesus. How much more valuable is a man than a sheep? You see, it is right to do good on the Sabbath day.
Matthew 12:11, 12 (NLT)
And he answered, "If you had one sheep, and it fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you get to work and pull it out? Of course you would. And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Yes, it is right to do good on the Sabbath

You have had times when you are walking along, seemingly without a care, and then suddenly, you stumble and fall. Perhaps there was a loose stone under your feet or the pavement was uneven. Through no fault of your own, you find yourself lying on the ground. You could be hurt or just embarrassed. In either case, you could use a hand to get back up.

The Lord Yeshua referred often to His people as sheep. Without a shepherd's guidance, sheep can easily find themselves in trouble. As they walk along, these gentle, but stupid creatures can find themselves falling into a ditch or cast down into a pit. In the cast down position, lying on their backs, sheep are not able to get back up without help. They need their shepherd who has the power and the strength to lift them onto their feet again. He will hold them in his hands until they are stable and able to walk.

As the shepherd values his sheep, so too does the Good Shepherd value you. Therefore, when you find yourself in a pit, cry out to your Shepherd. You can be assured that Jesus will quickly come to your aid. He will raise you up again and set you on your feet, for He always desires be good to you. You are precious to Him and He wants to make your life beautiful and excellent in every way.