20260513 Lost Sheep

The lambs did not get lost, we lost the lambs; I lost the lambs

4“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!”

— Luke 15:4-7

Of course the lost sheep Jesus is talking about is a sinner who repents and returns to God, but he is using this parable because the real world shepherds of the day would clearly understand the point he was trying to make. Now I am not nearly as close to my sheep as a shepherd on open range would be, but regardless, the loss of even one is a blow, pragmatically and emotionally, perhaps especially so when the flock is as small as ours.

14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.

John 10:14-16

In recent weeks we have lost two of the four lambs born to our ewes this spring; one was not allowed to suckle, and the second was lost to predation. In both cases it could be argued that the deaths were due to poor shepherding, and while that assertion has merit, it is not the point I am trying to make.

Colostrom from the mother within the first two hours of life is all-important, we intervened too late

The point is that we are of God’s flock, and losing a member of the flock is heartbreaking, be that for the shepherd of sheep, or for the shepherd of people. We are all sinners, but many of us are also “lost,” which is to say that we are not turning to God and repenting of our sins. The distinction, lost versus having found the way, is crucial.

A predator, likely a coyote, dug under the south fence line and made off with a lamb

Looking back, I was lost for most of my life, but more importantly, I can see now how hard God was working to guide me back to the way. Let’s just say that it took a lot of persuasion. It’s easy to believe that there is no God, or that if there is He just doesn’t care, but fortunately it just ain’t so, as the Parable of the Lost Sheep teaches.

Followup

In the case of the lamb that was not allowed to suckle, I learned a lesson; I have to watch the new lambs closely, using magnified optics if necessary, to ensure that they are in fact getting milk from mama. And if not, the lamb needs to be bottle-fed colostrum replacer for so long as necessary.

For the lamb that was taken off by a coyote (no hide nor hair was found), I spent three days following his disappearance putting a strand of tensioned barbed wire, 1,300 feet in total, at ground level, all the way around the pasture, to prevent digging.

Concrete block and, look closely, barbed wire on the ground, under the woven wire, to prevent re-entry

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny, and not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father?

Matthew 10:29

See my prior post:

And if you want learn more about shepherding sheep, of the four-legged variety, and how that relates to shepherding the two-legged kind spiritually, as in Psalm 23, you can do no better than, A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23, by Phillip Keller. Or just stop by, I keep a few on-hand.

All the best, and may God bless you and keep you,

John