The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Tax collectors and sinners were gathering around to hear Jesus, and the Pharisees and teachers of the law muttered, 'This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.' They couldn't understand why a holy teacher would associate with such obviously unrighteous people. In response, Jesus told three parables about lost things—a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. Each illustrated God's heart for those who have strayed and the joy of finding them.

Jesus began with a question: '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?' A hundred sheep represented significant wealth for a shepherd, and losing even one was a serious loss. But the question reveals priorities—does the shepherd write off the one that wandered as acceptable loss and focus on the ninety-nine, or does he go after the one?

The answer was obvious to Jesus' audience: any good shepherd would search for the missing sheep. But Jesus added a detail that elevates the parable: the shepherd doesn't give up until he finds it. He doesn't search for a while and then quit. He doesn't say, 'Well, I tried.' He persists in searching until the lost sheep is found. This speaks to God's relentless, pursuing love—He doesn't casually glance around for us and then move on. He searches until He finds us.

When the shepherd finds the lost sheep, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders. The image is tender—the sheep that wandered off and got into trouble is now being carried by the one who searched for it. The sheep doesn't have to find its own way back; the shepherd carries it home. This is grace—we don't save ourselves or even help in our salvation. We are found by the seeking Shepherd and carried to safety.

Then the shepherd calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' Jesus emphasizes the joy of finding what was lost. It's not grim duty or reluctant acceptance—it's pure, exuberant joy. The shepherd who owns ninety-nine other sheep rejoices more over finding the one that was lost than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. This doesn't mean God loves the lost more than the faithful, but that there is special joy in restoration and redemption.

Jesus then applied the parable directly: 'I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.' The Pharisees saw themselves as the ninety-nine righteous who had no need of repentance—they were already in the fold, following the rules. But they completely missed the Father's heart that seeks the lost. They were angered by Jesus welcoming sinners; heaven was rejoicing.

In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus frames this parable in the context of not looking down on 'little ones' and emphasizes that it is not the Father's will that any of these little ones should perish. The shepherd actively seeks the lost because the owner doesn't want to lose any. God's will is not passive tolerance but active pursuit of those who have wandered away. This parable assures everyone who has strayed that God is seeking them, not to condemn but to restore, not to punish but to celebrate their return.