The good shepherd had an hundred sheep grazing upon an hundred hills. He knew each by its fleece and small bleat.
When one strayed, it was a test: to see whether the ninety and nine would follow or abide beneath the shepherd’s guiding staff. And they abode.
At dusk the shepherd found the wanderer, laid it upon his shoulders, and brought it again unto the fold. There was rejoicing, but it soon faded. The flock regarded the hundredth sheep with wary eyes, and doubt stirred within the shepherd’s heart too.
Then arrived the season of burnt offerings.
Sacrificial lamb.
When one strayed, it was a test: to see whether the ninety and nine would follow or abide beneath the shepherd’s guiding staff. And they abode.
At dusk the shepherd found the wanderer, laid it upon his shoulders, and brought it again unto the fold. There was rejoicing, but it soon faded. The flock regarded the hundredth sheep with wary eyes, and doubt stirred within the shepherd’s heart too.
Then arrived the season of burnt offerings.
Sacrificial lamb.
