The Parable of the Lost Sheep

"See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father. What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost." Matthew 18:10-14

"The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Him, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." So to them He addressed this parable. What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance." Luke 15: 1-7

Jesus used His parables in His teachings to explain His vision of God's rule. His parables were handed down in the oral tradition until they were written and put into collections. The Gospel writers seemed to have used such collections. Each of the Gospels is written and directed toward different audiences; consequently, the parables are told in a different light, depending on the message of the evangelist.

When looking at the parables, one must first look at Jesus' use of the short stories. Through the use of parables, Jesus challenges us to redefine and reshape our view of the world; moreover, of God's rule. Many of His parables challenge the values and traditions of His day, and continue to challenge the values found in our present day.

Before interpreting the parable of The Lost Sheep, one must first be familiar with the shepherd's role in Judea. The shepherd's role in Judea was to watch over and protect every sheep in his flock. This was a very dangerous task, as pasture was scarce and there were only a few miles of narrow plateau. The shepherd was personally responsible for his sheep, and if one died, he must bring home the fleece to show how it had met its fate. Many times, the flocks were communal; if a sheep was lost, one shepherd would search and another would return to the village with both flocks. The townspeople would often wait and watch for the shepherd to return, rejoicing when the shepherd came home with the lost sheep across his shoulders.

The parable of The Lost Sheep, which is found in both Matthew and Luke, not only shows the compassion and love of God, but it also shows God's divine mercy toward sinners. Matthew emphasizes the seeking out of the lost and bringing them back to the church, while Luke emphasizes the joy of finding and the welcoming of sinners back into the community.

Allegorically, the shepherd represents Jesus, while the ninety-nine sheep represent the righteous and the lost sheep represents a sinner. Jesus says many times in John's Gospel that He is the Good Shepherd and the Sheepgate. This leads me to believe that Jesus is indeed the shepherd and we are the sheep in this parable.

In Matthew, the discourse directly before the parable has Jesus talking to the disciples about becoming like children when He is asked, "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?" Matthew therefore directs the parable to the disciples in order that they will seek out the lost members and bring them back to the church. In Matthew, Jesus uses "little ones", which directly correlates with the preceding discourse. Matthew's God is depicted as an active God, who seeks for those who have gone astray. The ninety-nine righteous, by contrast, have no need for such seeking, and God loves them as much as He loves the sinners; yet, God rejoices when the lost return to the Kingdom. God already has joy because the righteous are in His Kingdom. He wants us all to be included and therefore seeks out the lost members of the community. It is not the will of the Father that even one should perish (Mt 18:14).

In Luke's version, Jesus tells the parable to defend his asociation with sinners and tax collectors. The context in which Luke sets the parable is very different from that in which Matthew sets the parable. His version, being directed to the Pharisees and self-righteous, has more of a moral overtone. Although Matthew does talk of rejoicing over the lost returning, Luke emphasizes much more the joy of the Father when the lost return. By Jesus telling the parable in the context of Luke, He is calling the righteous to embrace the sinners and accept them into the community. Luke also states that the righteous have no need for repentance, whereas Matthew simply states that it is not God's will that even one of us is lost.

In both Matthew and Luke, one can see God's love and mercy for every one of us. Jesus' message is to seek and find the lost and accept them back into the community. Jesus' God is a God of love and mercy, who is an active God, seeking and reaching out. He is also a God who knows the joy of finding something that was once lost --- and who of us has not experienced the joy of finding?

We have all sinned; then should we not accept those who have strayed as God has accepted us? We can be comforted to know that we have an active God who searches for us when we are lost and rejoices when we return.