My bother, Brian, first spotted the thief as we followed a blue car to the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of South Africa. He was sitting on the side of the road eating a sandwich as we drove by. After parking in a spot by the ocean, three of the four members of a French-speaking family climbed out of the blue car, leaving a young lady in the back seat. We parked beside them and my daughter, Kinsey, and our friend, Sherill, hopped out of our car, leaving the back door open. In an instant there was chaos. The thief appeared between the two cars, just a few feet from Kinsey and Sherill. I’ve never seen such quickness as the two girls dove into our car. All the doors of the blue car were closed, but the thief was not deterred. He opened the front door and hopped in. The lady in the back seat screamed as she found herself alone in the car with a baboon! As quickly as the ape jumped in the back seat, the woman climbed out the back door. The father approached the car to confront the imposter, but when the baboon bared his teeth and growled, he quickly retreated.
The monkey grabbed a leather purse out of the back seat and leapt out of the car. Realizing her purse was being stolen, the mother and her son yelled some words I did not understand (and probably should not repeat) and ran after the baboon. The humans had no chance catching the thief as he headed for his familiar hills, but it was good they gave chase. As the monkey ran, he unzipped the purse and started tossing things out. Finding no food, he finally dropped the purse and ran away. We applauded the two chasers as they walked back to their car with the recovered goods.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…”
So what would have happened if the mean baboon jumped into the back seat of my brother’s car? There would have been no retreat! My brother, all 5’6” 150 pounds of him, would have made that monkey wish he had never been born! I am not bragging about the strength of my little brother… I’m describing the heart of a father. His four-year-old son, Noah, was in the back seat… something far more precious than any leather purse. My brother would have fought that enemy to the death in order to rescue his little boy… and Uncle Dana would have helped!
“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away…”
‘Know that I still fight for those that follow Me. I live to intercede for you! Yes, you live in an evil world, but take hope, I have overcome the world! Yes, the devil roams around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour, but you belong to the Good Shepherd who never sleeps and never runs away. Listen to My words and believe what I say.’
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:27-30