I EXPECT all of you know the lines beginning,
"Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow."
It was in our school-books when I was a boy, and I see it is in some of them still.
My story is not about that Mary, but about another little Mary, in whose schoolbook the story of "Mary and her Pet Lamb" was. She was able at a very early age to repeat the whole of it, and one day when her uncle, who was a farmer, came to see them, she jumped up on his knee, and repeated it to him. He was so pleased with this, that kissing the child, he said,
"Would THIS Mary like to have a pet lamb of her own, such as THAT Mary had?"
"Yes, yes, O yes," shouted the child, and before Uncle William had time to say any more about it, off she ran to tell her mother, that she was to have a pet lamb given her by her kind uncle.
Faithful to his promise, Uncle William sent Mary her lamb, a pretty creature with snow-white fleece, and Mary was to see that it was kept white. She was greatly pleased with her little pet, and it seemed to be happy in its new surroundings. But little lambs, like little boys and girls, are very foolish, and not content with their home, they like to rove in dangerous places.
One day when Mary was in the house, a man passing with a lot of sheep picked it up and carried it off, far from its owner and its peaceful home. When Mary missed her pet, her sorrow was very great, and she sobbed herself to sleep. Everybody searched for the lamb, but no lamb could be found. At last a neighbor told her father that he saw a man carrying a lamb into the town, which seemed very much like it.
Mary's father set off to town in search of the lost lamb, but it being market day, there were a great many lambs there, so that it was not so easy to trace where it had gone. After a full hour's searching, he found it, huddled with a lot of others in a dirty enclosure, its white fleece all soiled, looking very miserable in its new surroundings. It had been sold and was about to be hurried away to be killed. Mary's father found the man who had bought it, and offered him a good sum for it, more than he had paid, which was accepted, and the redeemed lamb was soon handed back to its rightful owner.
There was great rejoicing that night, when Mary's pet lamb was brought home; and ever after, if she saw anyone coming along the road, whom she did not know, she would run with her lamb and hide until they had passed.
The story of "Mary's Pet Lamb" illustrates something more interesting still. That silly wandering creature is just a picture of you. The thief who stole it, is like Satan. The enclosure where it was herded with filthy companions, is like the world where Satan keeps his victims, until they are led down to eternal death.
The father who sought, found, redeemed, and brought back Mary's lost lamb, is like Jesus the Good Shepherd, who sought, redeemed by His blood, and now stands ready to deliver the lost one, and lead him back to God and heaven.
Are you one of the lambs of His flock, redeemed, converted, and brought to God: or marked for death and judgment, lost to God?
Messages of God’s Love 6/22/1930