THE
DANGERS OF STRAYING

Topics: Atonement; Cross; Disobedience; Good Shepherd; Rebellion; Salvation; Sin

References: Isaiah 53:1–6; John 10:11; 1 Peter 2:24–25

It is the nature of sheep to stray and get in harm’s way, whether from hungry wolves or steep canyons. For centuries, shepherds have used various methods—from staff to dog—to keep sheep from straying from the safety of their care.

In recent times shepherds have tried more sophisticated methods. One is a metal, hoof-proof grid that is built into the ground around the sheep’s territory. The animals cannot walk over the grid, which is eight feet wide. This works well in keeping sheep in the protection of the pen.

But in 2006, shepherds in Yorkshire, England, found that their sheep were not only stubbornly prone to stray but also crafty. One of the sheep laid down and rolled over the grid. The other sheep in the herd followed the first, and soon the entire flock had spread over the countryside to neighborhood gardens, where they ate the food and flowers of local residents.

The shepherds eventually gathered up the troublesome sheep and returned them to their pen. But they escaped again and got into trouble. While the escape of this flock of “black” sheep may have seemed like an exciting adventure, it actually placed the animals in harm’s way from cars and unfriendly dogs.

Thankfully, our Good Shepherd found another way to deal with stubborn, straying sheep. As Isaiah 53:6 says, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him [Jesus] the iniquity of us all.”

—Craig Brian Larson, “Straying Sheep Endanger Themselves,” PreachingToday.com; source: Jason Bellows, “The Great Sheep Escape,” BBC online (January 30, 2006)