OU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT the 99 sheep who stayed in the fold would all have been ecstatic about the lost sheep who had been rescued. You would have thought that they would have thrown a party, that they would have embraced him, that they would have introduced him to the areas of the fold where he could find the choicest grass to eat, that they would have made him feel right at home.

After all, they knew that the shepherd had followed this particular sheep out into the wilderness where fierce weather and wild animals had threatened his very life. The shepherd had braved precipitous cliffs, howling storms, and a desert of choking dust. The story was so familiar that for them it had become a cliché. Familiarity sometimes breeds distemper!

To be sure, there was quite a flurry of excitement when the shepherd first returned, carrying the lost sheep on his drooping shoulders. The flock gathered around the shepherd, bleating their happiness that he had rescued another lost one. They misunderstood the shepherd's weary smile as only a sign that he was glad to be back in the fold, which, of course, he certainly was. But as much as he loved his flock, the greater reason for the smile on his face this day was the restoration of one of his lost sheep.

A Divided Flock
The problems began when the shepherd had to leave the fold for a while--probably in search of another straying member. The sheep immediately broke up into their little groups again, some to the far end of the meadow, where the trees offered shade. Others gathered around the calm pool in the nearby stream and resumed their ruminations. Yet others simply dozed contentedly in the sunshine, blissfully unaware of anything going on around them. They were comfortable. Only a few took any personal interest in the returned sheep. And, unfortunately, it was a negative interest.

Some objected to the smell of the returned sheep--the wild, alarming odor of the great wilderness from which he had come. To animals with so keen a sense of smell, there was something sinister about it. It made them uneasy. In fact, some even chased their lambs away from him when, in their innocent curiosity, they ventured too close. It wouldn't do to have that awful odor rub off on the young.

When the weather turned bitter and cold and driving rain soaked them to the bone, they huddled pitifully together in small groups, but not a one offered warmth to the restored sheep. He thought it a bit odd that cold weather didn't cause them to draw together into one large group for warmth, but they seemed to prefer smaller groups.

Cautious About Contamination
Among a few there was quite a bit of concern over his appearance, too. His wool bristled with foxtails and cockleburs. Matted and dingy, it crawled with nits and lice and who knows what else. And everyone knows that these things cause disease.

To their credit, the sheep in the fold were not consciously trying to be cruel. It isn't as though they all got together and decided democratically to ostracize the returned sheep. If the truth were told, they were deathly afraid of being lost themselves. They had heard about the wilderness experience and wanted no part of it.

Questions for Reflection 1. What were you like in your unregenerate days? What about your looks or your behavior would have offended others? 2. Do you know someone whose spirit was crushed by the apathy or critical nature of some of the other "sheep"? 3. How do you personally cultivate the spirit of concern and compassion demonstrated by the Shepherd? 4. What elements are essential for the care and feeding of the Shepherd's "lost sheep"? With what are you especially gifted?

Because of this they were concerned about the influence of the lost sheep. There was a clear assumption among some that he would surely stray again. He did have some very peculiar ideas, and they felt safest just to leave him to himself. After all, if he strayed again, this time he could influence others to go with him.