The Sheep Detectives, in theatres now, is a mystery comedy based on the 2005 German novel Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann.

Case Closed

George Hardy (Hugh Jackman) is a shepherd who claims the key to his happiness is taking care of the kindest creatures on earth: sheep. He feeds them, grooms them, even pushes them in a tire swing. And every night, he enjoys reading murder mysteries aloud to his flock.

“I like to pretend that they follow along, but they’re only sheep,” he says to himself.

But when George retires for the night—to an Airstream trailer in the pasture so he can always be close to his precious charges—the sheep start talking. They have surprisingly intellectual discussions about each book. But in George’s presence, “baa” is all they say.

One morning, a sheep named Lily (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) reveals distressing news to the rest of the herd: George has been found dead. And the sheep are convinced he has been murdered. Tim Derry (Nicholas Braun, Succession), the local police officer assigned to the case, sees nothing suspicious in George’s death. He tells Elliot Matthews (Nicholas Galitzine, Cinderella), a newspaper reporter, that there’s not much of a story here. Natural causes. Case closed.

Officer Tim realizes that every time there’s a break in the case, the sheep are right there. DIANE STARK

Or Is It?

George’s flock is sure that Officer Tim is mistaken and needs their help to solve the case. But how can they investigate when they are afraid to leave the meadow? They summon their courage and cross the road. “For George,” they say, knowing that they must do everything they can for the shepherd who lovingly cared for and protected them.

The plot thickens when George’s lawyer (Emma Thompson) shows up to read his will. It turns out, George was a very wealthy man. The sheep remember from the murder mysteries George read to them that the suspects are always those named in the will. They search for clues and reveal their findings to Officer Tim the only way they can. They steal his hat and lead him right to the evidence. Tim realizes that every time there’s a break in the case, the sheep are right there.

Can George’s flock overcome their fear and solve the mystery? Or will the killer get away with their crime—and inherit George’s life savings?

Sheep = People

Sheep are herd animals, known for being timid and unintelligent. The Bible mentions sheep hundreds of times—more than any other animal. And Jesus compares people to sheep multiple times throughout His ministry. In Matthew 9:35-36, He travels through various towns, sharing the gospel and healing people with compassion. Jesus sees them as harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

While we might not love the comparison, as Christians, we must acknowledge its truth. Like sheep, we are helpless without our Shepherd. In John 10:14-15, Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me—just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father—and I lay down My life for the sheep.”

And our Shepherd, Jesus, laid down His life for us. It wasn’t taken from Him. He gave it willingly because of His great love for His flock.

Without Him, we are sheep without a shepherd—wandering aimlessly and waiting for a wolf to destroy us. But with Him, we are loved, protected and destined for heaven when we die.

It’s a choice each of us must make. The first time we make it, we accept Jesus’ death on our behalf and invite Him into our lives, and this seals our place in heaven. But every day throughout our lives, we must continue to decide to follow the Good Shepherd, to listen for His voice and allow Him to protect us from harm.

Lost and Found

But we’re like sheep. We’re not that smart and we’re easily led astray. We get distracted, and our priorities get mixed up. We make choices that lead us away from His love and protection.

But when we find that we’ve wandered away from our Shepherd—as we all do sometimes—we can rest assured that not only will God actively search for us but He will welcome us back into the flock.

In Luke 15:4-6, Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep. He says, “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.” Jesus goes on to describe how the shepherd rejoices over his lost sheep who has been found, just as there is rejoicing in heaven over every sinner who repents and comes to Jesus.

Every one of us has been that lost sheep. But our Shepherd loves us so much that He won’t give up until we’re found. When we realize that we’ve wandered off, all we have to do is stop running and wait for Jesus to find us, put us on His shoulders and carry us home.

Photos: Amazon MGM Studio