Do you have some Weather sayings or proverbs in your area?
Maybe you’ve heard ones like “April showers bring May flowers,” or “Clear moon, frost soon.”
Perhaps you know this weather proverb: “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailors take warning.”
Here in the northern hemisphere, we say “March comes in like a Lion but goes out like a Lamb.”
This saying might have started out referring to the stars. The beginning of March sees the constellation Leo (the lion) rising in the east. The end of the month features the constellation Aries (the ram or lamb) setting in the west.
Over time, the saying shifted to have more of a weather connotation. The start of March is often cold and stormy, fierce like a lion. By the end of the month, the weather has turned more calm and gentle, almost lamb-like.
This weather proverb doesn’t always hold true, of course; sometimes March starts out like a lamb but ends like a ferocious lion!
There is, however, a Biblical promise about these two animals that you can bank on:
Jesus came to earth first as a lamb, but will return as a lion.
When Christ came to earth 2,000 years ago, His role at that time was to be the lamb of God.
He died on the Cross as an atonement for our sins. Because He was sinless, only He could fulfill the purpose of being a sacrificial lamb.
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’ ” (John 1:29)
He was the Messiah who had been foretold in the Scriptures, but the people at the time had trouble seeing that. They were looking instead for a warrior-king who would overthrow their Roman oppressors.
Jesus didn’t seem to fit the bill, so He was rejected by many of His own.
But the mistake they made was not taking the long view, and not grasping that their Messiah’s triumphant victory would come at a later time.
Jesus will indeed come to earth as a warrior-king one day, as foretold in Revelation.
“Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory.” (Revelation 5:5)
He will come in might and power and glory. Evil will be vanquished, and everything will be made right.
And as for lions and lambs?
Even they will get along in that glorious day!
“In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all.”
Isaiah 11:6
© 2022 Lori J. Cartmell. All rights reserved.
