IT WAS LOST AND WAS FOUND. REJOICE WITH ME!

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

The Parable of the Lost Sheep is one of Jesus' parables that talks about God's amazing love. This parable is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke (Matthew 18:12-14; Luke 15:4-7). A study of the Parable of the Lost Sheep shows how God himself actively seeks out the sinner and rejoices when he rescues him.

In the Parable of the Lost Sheep Jesus talks about a shepherd who has a hundred sheep. But one of those sheep ends up getting lost. So he leaves the ninety-nine sheep in the wilderness and goes in search of the one lost sheep. He doesn't stop, he doesn't give up until he finds her.

When the shepherd finds the lost sheep he lays it on his shoulders with great joy. Upon arriving home, the shepherd summons his friends and neighbors and tells them to rejoice with him for having found the lost sheep. Jesus ends the parable by saying, “I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.”

(Luke 15:4-7).

Context and Explanation of the Parable of the Lost Sheep

As already stated, the Parable of the Lost Sheep can be found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Basically the two accounts are identical, although it is possible to classify Matthew's text as being an abbreviated parallel compared to Luke's text.

But analyzing the texts of Matthew and Luke, the historical context clearly seems to indicate that Jesus told this parable twice. This means that he used this parable on two different occasions and for different purposes in his earthly ministry. Despite this, the main message of the parable remains the same. Let's take a closer look at the explanation of the Parable of the Lost Sheep in each of the two Gospels.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep in the Gospel of Matthew

In the Gospel of Matthew the context that prepares the introduction of the Parable of the Lost Sheep is Jesus' teaching that God is a loving Father. He takes care of his flock; He places his angels and uses all means necessary to bring about his purposes.

Then in Matthew 18:1 the disciples ask Jesus the following question: “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”. To answer that question, Jesus placed a boy in their midst and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).

Then Jesus warned the disciples about the danger of causing one of the little ones to stumble or even despise them in any way. It is in this sense that Jesus told the Parable of the Lost Sheep. His point was to emphasize that it is not the Father's will that “one of these little ones should perish” (Matthew 18:14).

Although Jesus literally used a child in this context, it served as an illustration of a very important spiritual truth. This means that by using a boy, Jesus was referring to those whose faith maintains the simplicity of children. In view of this purpose, the Parable of the Lost Sheep in Matthew teaches us that God, like a shepherd who takes care of his sheep, also seeks and takes care of those who are his. He will not let any of those who belong to him be lost.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep in the Gospel of Luke

In the Gospel of Luke the context of the Parable of the Lost Sheep shows a situation in which Jesus had been surrounded by publicans and sinners who gathered around him to listen to him. Publicans were Jews who worked for the Roman Empire as tax collectors.

The Jews of the time considered publicans as traitors who extorted their own brothers. The so-called “sinners” were all other morally marginalized and disreputable people. These people did not live up to the norms set by the rabbis; for this reason they ended up excluded from Jewish society by the religious leaders. The Jewish people were advised not to have any contact with these people, let alone eat with them.

However, Jesus was often accompanied by these people; he even sat at table with them (Luke 5:27-29). Jesus even chose Matthew, a tax collector, to be one of his twelve apostles. Such things caused the Pharisees and scribes to be scandalized and to murmur.

They failed to see the true purpose for which the Son of God came into the world, namely, to seek and save the lost. So in order to expose the reproachable and unjust behavior of religionists, and at the same time once again offer them the opportunity to convert from such perversity, Jesus told three parables. They were: the Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Parable of the Lost Drachma and the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

The explanation of the Parable of the Lost Sheep

Watching shepherds grazing sheep was commonplace and familiar at that time. This means that in the Parable of the Lost Sheep Jesus once again used a very common practice to compose his story and convey his teaching.

So Jesus' listeners were very familiar with the scene described by him. Furthermore, all of them, especially the Pharisees and scribes, knew very well the Old Testament passages that show God as the Shepherd of his sheep (cf. Psalms 23:1; Isaiah 40:11; Ezekiel 34:15,16).

Jesus began the Parable of the Lost Sheep by asking, “Which of you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not go in search of the lost sheep?” (Luke 15:4). In this question Jesus teaches that every good and zealous shepherd will necessarily look for the lost sheep. He will do this even if it means leaving the other ninety-nine sheep while he searches for a single stray sheep.

Following the parable, Jesus makes a point of describing the shepherd's joy in finding his lost sheep (Luke 15:5,6). He gathers his friends and neighbors to celebrate together. This scene is what sets up the main lesson of the parable that there is a great feast in heaven when a lost sinner is found (Luke 15:7). This joy is the result of the search and providential care of the Good Shepherd.

About this, Jesus himself with his words and his work revealed the size of this care. In the Gospel of John we read the following declaration of the Lord Jesus: I am the good Shepherd; the good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

Who are the ninety-nine sheep?

In Luke 15:7 the Lord Jesus says, "I tell you that in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance." Scholars find this statement difficult to interpret.

Notice that in Jesus' words the ninety-nine sheep represent righteous people who do not need to repent. So who would these people be? There are different interpretations that try to answer this question. We will mention the two main ones here:

The first interpretation considers that the ninety-nine righteous are those people who truly do God's will and follow His commandments. There is also joy in heaven for the conduct of these people's lives. However, when a sinner repents, then the joy is even greater. It is like a stray sheep that has been recovered, a lost coin that has been found, and a lost child that has returned to its father's house.

The second interpretation considers that the ninety-nine righteous are people who only have the appearance of righteousness. In other words, they are righteous people in their own eyes and therefore they think they don't need to repent. That's because someone who thinks he's righteous obviously shouldn't have anything to regret.

While both interpretations are good and demonstrate truths confirmed by Scripture, the second interpretation is the one that best fits the context of the Parable of the Lost Sheep in the Gospel of Luke. When Jesus told this parable he was with the miserable sinners who surrounded him to hear his words. Meanwhile, there were also some representatives of the religious, who prided themselves on fulfilling the Law. These people considered themselves righteous and murmured in the face of Jesus' attitude.

In this respect it seems clear that Jesus was speaking of the Pharisees and the scribes, along with those who followed them. Therefore, the ninety-nine righteous probably represent the murmurers who trusted in their own works.

Here it is worth remembering that before that Jesus had already been censured by the Pharisees for getting together with reproachable people. But the Lord Jesus always made it clear that He did not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners (Luke 5:30-32). Through a parable, on another occasion Jesus also rebuked some people who thought they were righteous, trusted in themselves and despised others (Luke 18:9).

But regardless of the adopted interpretation, the important thing is to understand that the emphasis of the Parable of the Lost Sheep is precisely on the lost sheep, which was sought, found and celebrated. This means that Jesus' message in this parable demonstrates that if a human shepherd leaves the ninety-nine sheep to look for one that was lost, what can be expected then of the Good Shepherd, who gives his life for the sheep? He will certainly seek and rescue the lost sinner.

Lessons from the Parable of the Lost Sheep

The Parable of the Lost Sheep teaches many lessons of extreme importance for the Christian life. First, the parable teaches that one person is needed. We are often used to situations in which we fatally think that one more or one less makes no difference.

This happens because humanly we are prone to look much more at the ninety-nine sheep than at a single sheep that has gone astray. But fortunately the Good Shepherd does not act that way. For Him, a single sheep is already needed, for none of His sheep can be permanently lost (John 10:28).

Second, the Parable of the Lost Sheep teaches that the shepherd seeks out his sheep. Anyone who has ever seen a flock of sheep and paid attention to their behavior knows how limited they are in every way. Sheep are completely dependent on the shepherd who feeds them. That is why the shepherd is always on the lookout for any problem that may occur with his flock. He undertakes to protect the herd from any unforeseen events.

So Christ, as a Shepherd, goes after the man who is utterly unable to do anything for himself. It is the shepherd that goes after the sheep, not the sheep that goes after the shepherd. Salvation is the work of divine sovereign grace! God is the one who goes in search of man, not man who goes in search of God.

Man alone, even though he thinks he has many skills and capabilities, does not have any condition to find the way to the fold of salvation. Alone the lost sheep would never have been found! Likewise, God finds the sinner who is lost in sin and who alone can never escape falling into the abyss.

Men spend their lives taking comfort in many things. Some look to religions; others in material goods; and others on status and fame or anything else that might satisfy them. However, when the sinner is rescued from his perdition and feels welcomed in the arms of the Good Shepherd, there is nothing left for him but to admit that it was not he who found Christ, but Christ who found him.

Third, the Parable of the Lost Sheep teaches that we should learn from the Good Shepherd's attitude. In front of the lost, we can adopt different attitudes. We can hate them, we can be indifferent to them, we can welcome them if they come to us, or, finally, we can seek them out.

Consequently, the Parable of the Lost Sheep also warns us about the danger of being like the Pharisees and scribes. We must donate ourselves to the task of announcing the Gospel that finds and restores the lost. Christ did not hate publicans and sinners, nor was he indifferent to them. On the contrary, Jesus did even more than just welcome them. Indeed, it is often He Himself who went in search of the lost and despised (Luke 19:10; Matthew 14:14; 18:12-14; John 10:16).

The message of the Parable of the Lost Sheep invites us to an important reflection. We must constantly ask ourselves: What has been our attitude toward the lost?

Source: https://estiloadoracao.com/parabola-da-ovelha-perdida/