Christmas and sheep in Ethiopia!

Today, it is Christmas in Ethiopia. While western Christmas is mostly related with Santa Clause, Christmas tree and gifts, I can say Ethiopian Christmas is more related with sheep.  People start to get ready to buy sheep a week before Christmas. Almost in every house hold, there will be bleats of sheep. ‘Baaaaa’ will be heard more than jingle bell or any other Christmas songs. Markets will be flooded with sheep. Streets start to smell like sheep feces; no one hates the smell, for that is odor of a holiday. Some organizations even give sheep to their employees as a holiday bonus.

Early Christmas morning, people slaughter sheep in every household, to prepare the Christmas dishes. People, who can’t afford sheep, get chicken. Slaughtering these animals in people’s house is part of the culture. What strike me most is seeing the reaction of these animals before and during slaughter. It scares me to see how chickens fight for their life; they fly here and there crazy after being slaughtered. They fight till their last breath. Sheep do the opposite.

Have you ever noticed that sheep are so stubborn, when you try to move them, it could be like pushing a brick wall. However, try to move a sheep to a place where it will be slaughtered, it moves so obediently. It seems like they don’t differentiate the knives from the grass. They just walk so passively to be slaughtered. No reaction, no fighting for their life, so foolish!

I believe sheep are the most foolish animals ever. The only smart sheep I ever saw is in the movie, ‘Shaun the sheep.’ Even if sheep are not smart, I wish they would just make it up by being attractive, but they are not. They are ugly and dirty.

If you ever see a sheep to be slaughtered, or even just a sheep herded by their shepherd, I guess you already knew what I am talking about. It is interesting though how this is a perfect metaphor to Christmas. God of the universe choose to come like a lamp to save humans. Our Lord was born in a manger and died like a sheep. “Yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” Isaiah 53:7 Jesus was born to be slaughtered for our sins like our holiday sheep.

Why do we need a ‘slaughtered sheep’?

Most of us often consider ourselves to be good people. Conscious being the judge, we do our best to do right. However, living in flesh it is easy to fall for what is wrong. It could be a simple lie, blasphemy, lust of the eye or something else. The Bible tells us that, “for whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” James 2:10. All of us surely stumble at one point. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23.  And the payment of sin is death. God being a just God, this leaves us with punishment of being burned in hell.  Romans 6:23. So either we or somebody else got to pay the consequence.  Therefore God made Jesus, who knew no sin to be sin for us ... the lamp that carry our sins and transgressions. 2 Corinthians 5:21. Therefore, we only need to do two simple things to earn salvation, “if we confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Romans 10:9-10. These are all  we need to do to gain salvation, believe it is paid for us!!