Psalm 16:11 NKJ “You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forever more.”
The little lamb knew better.
Most people think that lambs are stupid little creatures, and they are, but this one definitely knew that what he was about to do was wrong.
He looked back at the other sheep, following the shepherd as he guided them home, and saw his mother, distracted by his siblings, who were always getting into trouble for nipping at each other and quarreling among themselves. But they had never dared to attempt what he was about to do.
The little lamb hesitated. Was the grass over there greener than the grass would be at home? He didn’t know. He had never been to the home pasture. He had only been at temporary pastures, including the pasture where he had been born.
He looked to the woods. They looked dark and foreboding. But the grass seemed so much greener, and if only he could get to that grass he would be happy and satisfied… He argued with himself for a few minutes, and then, against his better judgement, but tempted by the green grass, headed into the woods.
You see, he was not even a yearling yet, and his mother had not wanted to scare him by telling him of the big, bad coyote that lived in the woods, ready to devour every sheep that came his way. The coyote lurked in the part of the woods where the sheep passed on their journey home, and where grass seemed greener to sheep, although it really wasn’t. He knew their weakness. Many had fallen for this same temptation over and over. They had since the dawn of time. “Those dense sheep!” he always thought to himself with a malicious grin as he stood over the sheep that he had just killed.
The little lamb slipped into the woods. He thought that he had gotten away without being noticed, but his departure had been taken note of by the shepherd, who knew everything. “Yes,” the shepherd decided. He would wait until the little lamb cried out for him, and then he would go to rescue the little lamb from whatever scrape he had gotten himself into.
The little lamb went deeper into the woods, for he did not want the sheep dog to come after him to bring him back to the flock. He tried to hide himself from view, so that no one could see him from the road. Of course, the sheepdog could smell the little lamb’s scent, for the wind was blowing through the trees and out to the path. But the shepherd held up his hand to stop the sheepdog from going to get the little lamb, and the sheepdog obeyed, even though she was puzzled. But the shepherd knew best, so they continued on.
The little lamb went even further into the woods, until he came to a clearing where the grass was lush and green (although no more lush or green than any of his other pastures). He dug in with a ravenous appetite. When he at last raised his head, he had an overly-full belly. It began to hurt. He groaned. He couldn’t understand it! He had thought that he would be full of joy and perfectly happy if only he could get to the green grass. But he was wrong.
The little lamb was all by himself. He looked around, but could not see or hear or smell his flock, or his shepherd.
He realized that he had made a grave mistake. That mistake almost did lead him to the grave.
The little lamb heard a growl and a snarl coming from the wooded area away from the clearing. The little lamb had never before in his life heard that sound, but he knew instantly that he was in danger. So he did the only thing he could think to do: he ran. He ran and ran and ran, away from the clearing, away from the growly, snarly thing, and farther away from the path of life, until he was hopelessly lost.
Now, the coyote quite enjoyed this game of chase, although not as much as eating his prey once he caught it. The coyote decided that he could wait to eat, and stood very still, so that the sheep would think that he was safe from the coyote, even though the coyote was within earshot.
But the sheep did not think he was safe. Indeed, he was in great danger. He was trapped. He had fallen into a hole, covered with branches of thorns and briars. He was hurt and bleeding. So, not knowing what else to do, he cried out to the shepherd to come and get him.
Now, the shepherd had been waiting to hear this, and the second the sound reached his ears, he stood up, ordered his sheepdog to stay and guard the flock, and went to find his little lost lamb.
The shepherd searched and searched, and finally came to the place where the sheep had fallen. The shepherd reached deep down into that black hole, his hands and arms being scratched and pierced and torn. The shepherd reached down and pulled the little lost lamb out of the hole that he had fallen into, and rescued him.
The shepherd carried the little lamb back to the flock, out of the woods. It was slow going, but they pressed on, until they got out of the woods and finally arrived back with the flock.
The shepherd and his sheepdog rejoiced, for their little lost lamb had come back.
The little lamb was very grateful to the shepherd, and licked his hands, for that was all he could do to thank him. Then he went to his mother, got an awful scolding, and drifted off to sleep, for that is the way things work with little lost lambs.
The next day the shepherd continued to lead his flock toward home. They stopped for a temporary stay in a little pasture, so close to home that they could see it, just up the hill. The shepherd went to the pasture on the top of the hill, promising to take his flock home soon. And that is where our next story picks up.
This is the epilogue: The Little Lame Lamb It’s not as good, though.
This story is an analogy, based on the analogy Jesus made in John 10. Look it up and read it! It’s really good.
