At home I have an 18th century commentary on the Gospels. I turned to the place which mentions the story of the lost sheep and it says “A sheep, once it has strayed away, is a creature remarkably stupid and heedless; it goes wandering on without any power or inclination to return back, though each moment it is in danger of becoming a sacrifice to every beast of prey that it meets.”
The Life of Christ by the Revd Thomas Stackhouse.