Lost Shepherd

By Michael I. Judson

Just who were the shepherds that were singled out from among earth's inhabitants to hear the angelic announcement of Christ's birth? What made them so special, or what uniquely qualified them to be His first witnesses? The Bible tells us very little about them. Now there is an answer!

Eleazar grows up awash in a culture of shepherding, but not among ordinary sheep. No, the flocks he and his companions tend are destined for sacrifice on the altar of the great temple at Jerusalem. Like his fathers before him, his life's work fuels the faith of a nation that tirelessly awaits the signs of their long-foretold Messiah. But unforeseen circumstances lead Eleazar away from his purposeful existence and onto a path of doubt and life-altering decisions that threaten to destroy both his faith and his future. Only the miraculous power of the Christ Child can reclaim him and restore to him to a life of hope and peace—and to an understanding of his importance as a shepherd in Israel.

Lost Shepherd is a tale of real hope and redemption, of faith lost and reclaimed. Let the story transport you back in time as you discover anew the timeless healing power found only in the Savior Jesus Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: M. Ivan Judson
• Release date: Dec 5, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393572336

Book preview

A Novel By

Michael I. Judson

All we like sheep have gone astray—we have turned every one to his own way—and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:6

© 2019 Michael Ivan Judson - All Rights Reserved

Preface

Christmas has always captivated me. My reasons for celebrating, like other Christians, are largely spiritual, yet Christmas is also embraced by many who know nothing of its purpose or central character, the precious Babe of Bethlehem. Even those who derive only secular or material pleasure from the holiday are hard-pressed to escape its power to fill eyes with wonder and hearts with kindness, and to draw families and strangers together. Truly, the magic of Christmas is unlike anything else in the human experience.

My fascination with the Christmas story has never been fully satisfied by the relatively few verses in our modern New Testament. As a boy I would peer endlessly into my mother’s creche exhibit and wonder about the scene before me. I wanted to know more about humble Joseph and Mary, the Wise Men from the East and their valuable gifts, and the shepherds who were somehow selected to receive the angelic pronouncement. For years, the secret wish of my personal Christmas celebration has been to see what they saw and feel what they felt on that long-ago night in Bethlehem. It is a quest that went largely unfulfilled, until I turned to my imagination.

I started with the scant verses from Matthew and Luke, reading and re-reading to try and extract additional meaning from between the lines. It was an invigorating exercise that, over time, yielded not only answers, but more and better questions than I had previously been asking. Unlike those from my youth, these were questions in search of deeper meaning. Why were sheep and shepherds featured so prominently in the Christmas narrative? Why was animal sacrifice such an important part of the religious tradition of the day, and how was its connection to the Promised Messiah so completely missed by its adherents? What made sheep such an appropriate surrogate leading up to the Ultimate Sacrifice? Why was God’s Son referred to as both the Lamb of God and The Good Shepherd? Why was it so important that Christ be born in the very humblest of circumstances, that He be wrapped in swaddling clothes, and that his first witnesses be those from the lowliest of occupations?

The questions were endless and as I discovered more clues, the beautiful symbolism that lies at the heart of the Christmas story began to unfold before me. It is this symbolism that I decided to weave into the narrative you now see before you.

I don’t claim Lost Shepherd to be an entirely accurate retelling of the shepherd story, but I believe it could be. At least it should not run counter to what little is known about these remarkable people. Discovering this story, the parts that are real and those I pulled from my imagination, has been one of the highlights of my life, for I now have an image of Christmas in my mind and heart that is so much richer than I had even hoped for.

It is my fond hope that those who read this story will see in it many of the symbols surrounding Christ’s birth that will not only enrich their understanding of this most important event, but will yield for them a more firm conviction that Christ’s coming was foretold many millennia before His birth, and that He is exactly who the Christian world claims Him to be—the very Son of God and THE ANSWER to all that this world needs. 

A Son is Born

E leazar, wake up! Your father needs you now!

Is it time already? asked the sleepy boy.

Yes. He’s already in the cave. Didn’t have time to get you up. From the noise that ewe is making I’d say it’s only a matter of minutes.

Eleazar threw off his blanket and stumbled past his mother toward the door.

Here, put your sandals on, she said, and throw this robe around your shoulders, it’s chilly out there tonight.

Eleazar put on the robe and fumbled to tie the sash. As he passed through the kitchen and reached for the latch on the door, Miriam pressed something warm and soft into his hands.

Here, you’ll need this to wrap the new lamb in. I made it from the last set of clothes that Old Simeon delivered. Now go! Your father will be anxious.

Eleazar tucked the small blanket under his robe, slipped out the door and excitedly raced across the yard to the nearby caves. Though not yet eight years old, he had witnessed dozens of births. Yet each one still filled him with wonder. He specifically pleaded with his father not to let him sleep through this one, should it happen in the night. After all, this was his lamb, now a fully-grown ewe, giving birth for the first time.

Arriving at the entrance of the dusty cave he was immediately thrown into action. With no time for a greeting, Jacob called to the boy to quickly ask his mother to bring water, and on the way back retrieve the vessel of olive oil that was hanging just inside the cave entrance. Taking only a momentary glance, Eleazar could see the water sack had burst and there was a good deal of swelling but there were no feet and no little nose protruding as usual. It wasn’t until he returned with Miriam and the oil, and saw the concern on his father’s face, that he realized the gravity of the situation. The lamb was breech.  

No stranger to difficult births, Jacob took the water from Miriam and quickly washed the sheep’s backside, followed by his hands and forearms. As Eleazar approached he could see sweat forming on his father’s forehead in the dim light of the olive oil lamp.

The ewe all this time had been lying down and keeping up the most pitiful bawling, which, to the trained ear of a shepherd was easily discernable as a plea for help as much as it was an expression of pain. The sheep’s heavy panting between bleats only added to the boy’s anxiety.

Eleazar, Jacob said in his calmest voice possible, I need you to get her on her feet so we can relax the pressure on the lamb, then I need you and your mother to hold her so she doesn’t move around while I try to find the lamb’s legs.

The boy had seen this technique before and understood immediately what to do. Getting the animal to her feet proved more difficult than he had expected, but the sheep finally yielded to the trusted voice of her master and the arms he wrapped around her wooly neck. As he did so, Eleazar noticed that the familiar scent from the perspiring sheep was especially strong and he could feel an unusual warmth emanating from her body. 

Miriam grasped the wooly coat to give an added anchor should the sheep try to bolt from the pain. Jacob then poured oil over his right hand for lubrication and gently reached inside to lubricate around the lamb’s small rump and back. Between contractions he slowly applied gentle pressure to the lamb to encourage it back into the womb. As he felt the body retreating, he reached under the lamb’s belly to grasp a little folded rear leg and extend it toward the birth canal. Then he did the same thing with the second leg until both limbs were pointed directly rearward.

Time was of the essence at this point since the thin umbilical cord was sometimes compromised or even severed by this procedure and the lamb would need to breathe quickly on its own if it was to survive. Fortunately, the breech position of the lamb had fully stretched the birth canal and the extra lubricant and gentle encouragement from the practiced shepherd, working with the sheep’s natural birth rhythms, allowed the lamb to slide almost effortlessly to the straw-lined floor of the cave.

Jacob quickly cleared the mucous from the little lamb’s nose and mouth and soon it was squirming and breathing on its own. Eleazar and Miriam released their grasp on the shaggy animal and the ewe, still breathing heavily, instinctively turned and began licking the steaming little body. Eleazar watched in amazement as his favorite former lamb suddenly transformed into a mature mother sheep. Putting all care for herself aside, the ewe now turned her full attention to the newborn infant.

Mesmerized by the miracle he had just witnessed, Eleazar was suddenly jerked back to reality by his father’s declaration: It’s a little ram.

The words were cause for celebration. But for the boy they were also laced with sadness, for he knew that this little lamb’s destiny was already determined.

Are you sure it’s a boy? the lad questioned hopefully.

See for yourself.

Sure enough, the newborn bore all the telltale signs of a young ram. Satisfied but chagrined, Eleazar said, I don’t want to talk about it right now.

Alright, but you know that’s why we raise these sheep, said the father with firm compassion.

The boy was silent.

After a moment, Miriam tried to lighten the mood saying, Don’t worry, she’ll have lots of time to watch her little boy grow and play with the other lambs.

Just then, the tiny newborn raised up on its shaky front legs making its first feeble attempt to stand.

Look there, said Jacob, he’s already trying to stand. By the end of the day he’ll be running around the stable.

For the impatient boy, the thought of his newest lamb being so active so quickly made him smile.

Can I name him? he asked.

If you’d like, sure, Jacob replied.

Good. I think I’ll call him Swift, because he will be the fastest lamb born this spring, the boy predicted.

If he is, that will be good. He’s going to need that speed to stay safe. Let’s hope he’s also blessed with the sense to stay with the flock and not wander off. Goodness knows how many fleet-footed lambs have been lost because they didn’t have the sense to stay with the others.

Seeing she was no longer needed, Miriam excused herself and returned to the house and her warm bed. The ewe continued grooming her infant as the father and son resumed talking, never taking their gaze from the wondrous scene before them. In the flickering lamplight they could see the tiny body was pure white without a single dark spot. As the mother licked the last of the moisture from her son’s body, the little lamb finally succeeded in rising to its feet. Wobbly and shivering in the cool Adar (twelfth month) air, the newly named Swift finally let out a mournful baaaahhh to tell his mother he was ready for his first meal.

The mother readily accommodated the lamb by opening her stance and positioning herself over the lamb’s head. Jacob helped to squeeze out the first of the milk, spraying it onto the lamb’s snout so it could get a good whiff. After clumsily bobbing its head around in search of the source, the lamb finally succeeded in latching on, taking in its first swallows of the warm, rich, life-giving liquid. After a minute or two of nursing, the exhausted lamb lay down for its first nap. Soon the pair were nestled together, both resting from a long and physically taxing night.

Well, it looks like our work here is done, Jacob said quietly. Mother and child are well, the lamb has stood and eaten, and both are now sleeping. That makes this birth just about perfect. If only they all could turn out so well.

Standing to leave the stable, Jacob continued, "Come on boy, let’s get back to bed and see if we can get some sleep before dawn. As Eleazar stood to join him, the small blanket he had been concealing slipped from beneath his robe to the floor.

Ah, I see your mother has been getting creative again with Old Simeon’s temple castoffs, Jacob observed. I keep telling Simeon that sheep are made to be born in the cool of the year, yet he insists that we need to do more to keep the new lambs safe and comfortable.

After pausing for effect, Jacob continued: I guess if the priests don’t mind it can’t hurt to swaddle the lambs in their old robes. Go on, wrap him up.

With that, the smiling boy eagerly unfolded the blanket and laid it over the sleeping lamb. Whether needed or not, it made Eleazar feel as if he had done something personal and kind for the new arrival and his mother.

Truth be told, it made Jacob feel just a little kinder too.

Nathanael

Early the next morning , Eleazar was the first up and the first to check on the new little ram. For his part, Swift was already exceeding expectations. Active and lively, though still a bit unsteady, the cottony little creature was already setting the pace for his mother. The ewe, on the other hand, clearly wanted nothing more than to rest from the night’s labors. But yielding to the lamb’s urgings, Eleazar’s favorite sheep, the aptly named Beauty, rose to suckle her newborn.

Eleazar had named the ewe the night she was born, two seasons earlier. She had enormous soft eyes, but in addition to her physical beauty, the boy perceived in her a native, gentle nature. And true to her name, and the boy’s acuity, Beauty was calm and cooperative as could be, able to convey an inner confidence that drew the other sheep to her and made her a natural leader within the flock.

Eleazar could see off to the side of the stall the remains of the placental sac which the ewe had passed in the night. Often sheep would instinctively eat the placenta, but Beauty apparently had been too tired to manage this duty. Eleazar knew tradition and common sense dictated that it would need to be burned. Tradition because it was revered for its role in safely bearing an important symbol of Israel’s faith; common sense, because any lingering scent from the birth could attract predators. Such incursions were rare in the confines of the temple shepherds’ central headquarters, but hunger is a relentless master that emboldens its subjects, so the shepherds knew to be cautious and wary.

As Eleazar sat on a small stool, admiring Beauty’s handiwork, a familiar voice asked, What are you looking at? Then, answering his own question, the voice said, Hey, she had her baby!

It was Nathanael, Eleazar’s best friend and the only son of Jacob’s assistant and close friend, Benjamin. Like Eleazar, Nathanael descended from a long line of shepherds and was training to follow in his father’s footsteps. But unlike Eleazar who was of average build, private, and prone to introspection, Nathanael was large and loud, living every minute in full public view. Even at his tender age, his jovial nature made him a favorite of nearly everyone he met. The duo’s inseparability prompted the shepherds to nickname Eleazar and Nathanael The Twins, but any similarity between them ended there. Still, they were the perfect complement to one another with each providing everything the other needed in a friend.

What’s his name? Nathanael inquired.

Swift, Eleazar replied.

Why Swift?

Because he practically walked out of his mother’s womb, a voice from behind Nathanael replied. It was Jacob, coming to check on the newest member of the flock.

It’s true, Eleazar added. Swift was walking before we left the cave last night and now look, he’s starting to run!

He’d better not use those swift legs to run off alone, said Nathanael, reading Jacob’s mind.

Don’t worry, said Eleazar. Beauty is the smartest ewe in the flock. She knows how to keep him safe. A point none of the others felt to argue.

Just then a voice called, Nathanael! It’s time to start your chores

The call was from Benjamin whose wife, Rachel, along with Nathanael and three younger daughters, Naomi, Lydia and Rebekah, lived a short walk from the birthing caves. As usual, he knew he would find Nathanael somewhere near Eleazar. He arrived at the cave just as Jacob was reciting Eleazar’s list of chores for the day.

Say, that’s a good-looking little ram. He’ll make Old Simeon happy, Benjamin said, referring to the temple’s priestly inspector and the Law’s preference for white rams without blemish.

He’s the finest I’ve seen this season, said Jacob. Born late last night, but not before trying to enter the world backwards.

Well, you had an eventful night, then. How can I help? Benjamin asked empathetically.

Two of Philip’s ewes are showing signs of dropping sometime today over in the middle cave. I’ve got my hands full getting ready for the drive to the upper meadows in a few days so if you and your boy could handle those births, I’d be most grateful.

Sure thing...but where’s Philip? Benjamin inquired.

Did you forget that he and Phebe are expecting a birth of their own at any time? Jacob reminded.

Oh, that’s right. How could I forget? Benjamin wondered out loud. Me and Nathanael are on it, aren’t we son?

Nathanael nodded his enthusiastic reply.

So how many does this make for the season? Benjamin inquired.

That’s 78 rams and 67 ewes so far, Jacob replied, minus the one ram we lost last week to the weather. Strange thing, the mother just ignoring it through that cold spell and all.

I suppose you’ll be sending her to the market before long?

Yes. I don’t want to do it, but we can’t have mothers that won’t take care of their own lambs.

Jacob’s regret was more than academic. The double loss of the lamb and a productive ewe would hurt the shepherding operation, no question, but the shepherds’ natural affection for their sheep made every loss personal as well. Despite their stubborn stupidity and talent for getting into mischief, sheep were lovable creatures whose charm and dependence on their human caretakers was hard to resist.

Eleazar

Affection for the flock came as naturally to the shepherd as the rising of the sun on a new day. True shepherds seemed to possess a unique gift for understanding and communicating with their sheep. Each animal had a name and each one knew they had a name, or at least a recognized signal from their shepherd that they knew to listen for. Individual personality traits, likes and dislikes, and likely reactions in certain situations, were all part of the shepherd’s mental catalog for each of his sheep.

Sacrificial sheep, those the shepherds would tend only for a season, were less known to the shepherds, but those whose lives endured from season to season developed trusting bonds with their masters that could not be broken.

Eleazar was the recipient of a double dose of this shepherdly affection. His loving parents doted on him not just because he was an only child, but because both were natural, attentive nurturers. It could be accurately said that Eleazar was indulged, but only to a point. In their maturity his parents also emphasized discipline and proper training so their son would develop a strong and independent character.

As chief shepherd over the temple flock Jacob was frequently away so much of Eleazar’s early development was shaped by his mother, a kind and gentle woman possessed of a keen intellect and strong intuition. As Jacob liked to say, Miriam can feel the wind before it blows. Like his mother, Eleazar was blessed with a native kindness and an active conscience, but it was his father’s strength, stamina, and determination that most defined the boy’s genetic inheritance. 

Taken together, this combination of traits pointed Eleazar toward a life of solid citizenship, but his parents weren’t content simply with stellar secularism for a boy who descended from the great Fathers of their Race: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. His was a heritage built on the foundation laid by Moses and Aaron and blessed by all the Patriarchs and priestly kings who had been the anointed stewards of Israel’s sacred faith. Indeed, Adonai Himself, the Very God of Heaven and Earth, claimed their people as His own and Jacob and Miriam would settle for nothing less than a child who was equally wed as they were to this rich heritage.

So Eleazar was schooled in all things Jewish. At eight days he was circumcised and named for the son of the Patriarch Aaron, a revered figure in Israelite history. His name also had a literal meaning, My God has helped, which Miriam rather liked for the way it reminded her of the boy’s birth after years of prayerful pleading to not be left barren.

As prescribed by Jewish law, Eleazar began learning passages from the Torah at an early age, almost as soon as he could speak. His first reading lessons were from the Law and the Writings of the Prophets contained therein. On Shabbat, the weekly day of rest, he attended synagogue, where he received reminders of his blessings and heritage including the creation of the heavens and the earth, the Exodus of his forefathers from Egypt, and, most importantly, the promised coming of the Jewish Messiah. Mid-week he and his mother would visit the Rabbi in Bethlehem from whom the boys and girls in the small village would receive instruction in keeping the commandments, commonly described as living Mitzvah.

But his parents were perhaps most intent on instilling in their son a profound loyalty and abiding affection for the Great Temple at Jerusalem. Built over the traditional location of Mount Moriah, the holy mountaintop where Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac two thousand years before, the temple played a central role in the lives of all faithful Jews. Though constructed by men it was generally regarded as the holiest place on earth, where the gulf between Heaven and earth was bridged. Standing spiritually alongside the most hallowed sites known to God’s faithful, such as the Garden of Eden and Mount Sinai, the temple was understood to be the likely place where God would next make His presence known to man, if and when He choose to do so.

As such, the temple was also the place where one prepared to meet God, where sins were given up and purged from the soul, and where the covenant between God and His Chosen People was renewed and strengthened. At least that was the ideal. In practice the temple experience generally yielded spiritual renewal commensurate with the piety and sincerity the patron brought with him or her through its gates. As some Rabbis were fond of saying, One can go through the temple without having the temple go through him.

It was this need for piety and preparation that Eleazar’s parents tried diligently to impress on his soul. Naming him after the priestly son of Aaron was meant as a constant reminder that his life had been dedicated to serving the temple—even if only through his work as a humble shepherd.

So Eleazar’s tutoring was constant, beginning with his parents and the local Rabbi, and enhanced through interactions with others connected to the temple administration, known otherwise as his father’s employers. Beyond this, the requirements of his father’s job to interact periodically with the Jewish hierarchy gave the boy unique insights, some firsthand, into the thoughts and deeds of some of the leading Jews of his day.

All told, the boy stood no chance at all of growing up ignorant of the things that his fellow Jews held most dear.

But knowing about something is not the same as loving it. And while it was their love for their Jewish heritage, and more particularly for the temple and all that it stood for, that Eleazar’s parents hoped to instill in the boy, his enduring impression, what he truly understood of the temple from actual childhood experience, was that it was the place where old men killed little lambs—his little lambs. It was a dubious foundation on which to build an abiding testimony of his faith and his parents recognized the fact. But they were patient and wise enough to wait for his childish understanding to mature until he could appreciate the finer and deeper purpose and meaning behind their faith’s outward symbols.

Granted, it was a formative, even pivotal time, but he was just a boy and his parents had every reason to assume that he, like generations of Jewish youth before him, would find his way onto the pathway of conviction and devotion. For now, time was on their side and there was no cause for concern. All they had to do was continue to provide him with righteous examples and opportunities to learn and they could rest assured that all would be well.

Teaching Moments

On the eve of Eleazar’s eighth birthday, Jacob surprised him with an announcement, one cautious Miriam dreaded.

My son, tomorrow you will join me for an overnight trip to the base camp. What do you think about that? Jacob’s words were music to the boy’s ears and answered at long-last the boy’s most frequent and fervent question.

In typical fashion, the eager boy squealed with delight and shouted Yes! Yes! Yes! while he twirled and jumped around the room. Then, after a moment spent processing the unexpected news, he excitedly asked, Can I go and tell Nathanael?

No! his parents responded in unison, and Miriam was quick to explain how Nathanael’s parents were at that moment sharing the same news with him. It won’t be long, and you will be able to celebrate together, Miriam said, so let’s not spoil his surprise.

Predictably, it was only moments later until a boy’s raspy voice could be heard across the compound shouting, we’re going to the camp! We’re going to the camp! Tomorrow!

Now you can tell him, Miriam said with a chuckle, and with that the boy was out the door to revel with his friend for the rest of the afternoon.

The next morning Eleazar was the first up. Though a habitual early riser, Jacob was no match for his eager son on this long-awaited day.

When do we leave? the eager boy asked his still rousing father.

Soon, came the reply. "Let’s get