IT WAS a strange little figure that presented himself at the children’s class. He had a mass of very red hair, a clean but hungry white face; ragged clothes and much worn shoes. A timid voice said, “Sir, could I come here to learn?”
“Of course you can, little man,” answered kind Mr. Dunne. “What is your name and where do you come from?”
“My name is Tim Parkin,” answered the boy. “My grandfather and me just come from the country to live in the big city.” Then very earnestly he added, “I want to learn about the Lord Jesus Christ.”
“Do you know about Him, Tim?” The little fellow shook his head.
“What makes you want to learn about Him?” asked Mr. Dunne.
“Well, Mother took very sick, and they sent her to the big hospital. I got to see her only twice. The first time she told me that she was going to die and she was afraid. The second time, she told me she was worse. But she was quite happy about it, because a lady had been to see her many times, and had told her about One she called the Lord Jesus Christ. I had never heard tell of Him before, but Mother said she had years ago, only she had forgotten about Him. She was sorry, but she said He had been mighty good to her and had forgiven her sins, and she was soon going to live with Him up in heaven. She says to me, ‘Tim, my boy, find out where you can learn all about the Lord Jesus. I do want you to love Him, too.’ Please, sir, could you teach me about Him?”
“To be sure we will, Tim,” answered the good man, as he sent up silent earnest prayer for the help of the Holy Spirit.
Tim came regularly to the children’s class and listened to every word that was said.
His teacher was much struck with the boy for he was so earnest and attentive. But he didn’t know at first that Tim carefully repeated each lesson to his old grandfather.
One evening, a tall gaunt white-haired old man followed small Tim into the class, and spoke to the superintendent: “Pardon me, sir, but could you tell me of any place where the likes of me could be taught? My little Tim here has brought me word of all you learned him here; and oh, sir, I feel I can’t rest, until I knows more about the Good Shepherd.”
Mr. Dunne gladly arranged to visit the old man two or three times a week. He never did forget old Eli Parkin’s earnestness. His one thought was, “Can it be true that the Good Shepherd loves and is seeking me?”
One morning Mr. Dunne heard that the old man was ill, and he went up the long staircase to where he and Tim lived to visit him. The door of the room was just ajar, and he saw old Eli on his knees by the side of an upturned soap box. He heard a low, pleading voice say, “Lord Jesus, Good Shepherd, come near to me, though I am only a poor wandering old sheep. But I do want Thy seeking and finding. I have no hope but in Thee and Thy love; speak to me again as Thou didst yesterday.”
Then, with difficulty, old Eli got back into his humble bed, and his face lighted up with pleasure at the sight of Mr. Dunne. “You might have known how old Eli was longing for you,” he said. “He is just hungering to know about the Good Shepherd. Tim is getting on nicely with his reading, but I never learned to read.”
Again Mr. Dunne, after short prayer, read the story of the lost sheep and part of John 10. Then he turned to Psalm 23 and, after reading it slowly and carefully, said, “The Lord wants you to say this, Eli. He does want you to say, ‘The Lord is my Shepherd.’”
The old man raised himself slowly and said with real conviction, “And blessed be His name, I know it now. It’s been gettin’ lighter this week, and I have been remembering bits of things I have heard about Him in open air preachings years ago. It must be just Himself opening my blind old eyes, and His own voice that keeps telling me He goes after His poor wandering sheep until He finds them.”
“Yes, Eli, the Holy Spirit is bringing these things to you. You believe them, don’t you?”
“Why, sir, I daren’t doubt them, and they bring such comfort to my dark heart. But then, I get so downhearted, thinking what a big sinner I am.”
“Those are the times when you must keep reminding yourself what a great Saviour you have,” said Mr. Dunne.
“Aye, sir,” answered Eli, “that’s what I want to do. On Tuesday, Tim heard me sighing, and he put his hand in mine and said, ‘Grandpa, you listen here. Yesterday the teacher taught us the text, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” You learn that and see if it doesn’t help.’ And it has done, Mr. Dunne. Those words, and His being the Good Shepherd, has led me to Him.”
Old Eli had made his last trip up and down the long staircase. For four months he was a prisoner in that upstairs room; then his happy spirit took flight, and as he would have said, “The poor old sheep went into glory,” where he would always be, with the Good Shepherd, and never grieve Him more. His patience and joy in his Saviour during those months were wonderful. Both he and Tim did, indeed, daily “grow in grace.”
Tim had come to the Saviour about the same time. The Lord helped and blessed him. He got a job in a large warehouse and later became manager of it. He became a happy husband and father, and a regular teacher in the Bible class, where he loved to tell other boys and girls of that precious Saviour, “that great Shepherd of the sheep” (Heb. 13:2020Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, (Hebrews 13:20)), whom to know is indeed life and peace.
ML-03/08/1964