The Parables of Jesus - The Lost Sheep

Introduction

What a joy it is to meditate together on this beautiful parable of Jesus, the Parable of the Lost Sheep.

Many of us have heard it many times before. But do we truly understand its meaning? If we approach it only on the surface, we might simply conclude that Jesus knows His sheep. And that is certainly a biblical truth, for Scripture teaches that He has known His own from before the foundation of the world.

But this parable also reveals something more: He comes to seek them, because they cannot come to Him on their own. He comes to gather His sheep, the ones whom the eternal Father has given to His Son. It is through the sovereign and almighty work of God that the sinner is sought, found, called, and brought to salvation by His grace.

Jesus clearly shows us that God, in His infinite love, compassion, and mercy, is calling His sheep today to come to Him, to hear His voice, and in doing so, to be saved.

And when we repent, when we turn away from the ways that are contrary to God's ways with a humble and sincere heart, God, in His faithfulness, welcomes us and brings us into His Kingdom, carried like a sheep on the shoulders of our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, His one and only Son, who gave His life for all who believe in Him.

This is what God is calling us to today. So let us now read together this wonderful parable, full of love, grace, and truth.

Teaching

Reading of the Parable – “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” v.1-7

We are going to examine this passage verse by verse so that we can better understand what Jesus is teaching us here.

Reading of the context of the Parable – “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” v.1-2

In the religious context of that time, Jesus was recognized as a Rabbi—a Teacher—not only by His disciples but also by the crowds. So, from the perspective of the religious leaders, it was unthinkable that Jesus would draw near to sinners and spend time talking with them. 

These were men and women who likely drank, stole, lived in rebellion, or behaved in ways that society considered shameful.

The tax collectors worked for the Roman Empire, collecting taxes from their own people. They were despised by the Jews, regarded as traitors, and often accused of enriching themselves dishonestly. In the eyes of the religious leaders, they were the kind of people who were worthless, lost, and despised—people they considered unworthy of God's grace and blessings.

Yet these people were drawn to Jesus because He drew near to them. He was approachable and never hesitated to meet them in the darkest places of their lives, though He Himself was fully God and fully man, completely without sin.

The attitude and words of these legalistic religious leaders are not what God desires from us. Instead, He calls us to go to those who are broken and lost—to those who are spiritually sick in their sin—so that we may bring them the light of Christ through His life-giving Word, the gospel of salvation.

As the apostle Paul says: "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." — Romans 10:17 (ESV)

But it is also through our actions that we demonstrate our identity as children of God. To be an ambassador for Christ is to live out what our Master teaches us in the Scriptures. If we do not share the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ, how can we be living witnesses of the grace that God has shown us?

When Jesus ate with them, He was sharing moments of fellowship, closeness, and communion. He drew near to these lost sheep—to sinners who needed to hear and see the love of God displayed through His Word.

This reminds us that whenever we go where people are spiritually or physically broken, God glorifies Himself through Christ. In turn, He calls us to do the same. Jesus laid the foundation through His entire earthly ministry, and His disciples continued that work by faithfully proclaiming and living out the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And if you are here today, it is not by mere chance. Perhaps God is calling you to come near to Jesus and to understand who He truly is.

Do you hear His call? Do not harden your heart, but listen to His voice, for even today the Good Shepherd is calling His sheep to come to Him.

Reading of the Parable – "So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?" v.3-4

Here, Jesus asks the people around Him a question by using the example of a man who owns a flock of sheep. In that region, sheep were a common part of everyday life, making this a simple and familiar picture that everyone could understand.

Our Lord deliberately uses the image of a shepherd with a flock of one hundred sheep to reveal a heavenly reality that was unfolding before their very eyes. They were standing in the presence of Jesus Himself—the Good Shepherd of Israel.

Through this picture, Jesus reveals the love and mercy of God. Even though ninety-nine sheep are safely accounted for, the absence of just one is enough for the shepherd to immediately go in search of it.

Jesus wants us to see how precious that one sheep is in His sight. It is not because the ninety-nine are unimportant, but because they are already safe within the flock. It is the lost sheep that the Good Shepherd comes to seek, so that He may bring it back into His fold with the rest of His sheep.

Several verbs in this passage deserve our attention: having, losing, leaving, going, and finding.

Having: The word having reminds us that the flock belongs to a shepherd. The sheep belong to the Father, and the Father has given them to His Son. 

The apostle John records these words of Jesus: "I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. » — John 10:14–16 (ESV)

Losing: From a human perspective, a sheep that wanders away is truly lost. Yet the true sheep of the Good Shepherd can never be lost forever, because God knows His sheep and will bring every one of them home. 

Jesus also says in the Gospel of Matthew: "So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. » — Matthew 18:14 (ESV)

Leaving: The shepherd does not abandon the ninety-nine sheep. Rather, he leaves them in safety while he goes to search for the one that is lost.

Going: This verb points us to the very mission of Jesus, who came to seek the lost sheep of the house of Israel. By extension, it also shows us the path we are called to follow as disciples of Jesus Christ—to go to the ends of the earth proclaiming the gospel of salvation.

This is the command our Lord has given us: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." — Matthew 28:19–20 (ESV)

Finding: Finally, the shepherd finds the sheep that had wandered away. This reminds us that God does everything necessary to seek and save lost sinners through Jesus Christ. Though He Himself was without sin, Christ endured death so that sinners might be reconciled to God and brought into His flock.

As Isaiah declares: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. " — Isaiah 53:6 (ESV)

"And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’" v.5-6

Notice that the text does not say, "If he finds it," but rather, "When he has found it." There is no uncertainty. The shepherd finds his sheep. In the same way, it is certain that the Lord calls His sheep. He has been doing so throughout the centuries, He continues to do so today, and He will continue until He returns.

The picture of the shepherd placing the sheep on his shoulders with joy is a beautiful one. He carries the sheep because it has gone astray, so that it will not become even more exhausted. 

A sheep can grow weary from wandering. It may lose its way among the mountains and valleys, searching for the right path but never finding it, until all its strength is gone.

When Jesus declares that He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep, He once again confirms both who He is and what He came to accomplish among the people of God. And He is still accomplishing that saving work today.

Then the shepherd returns home, where there is great rejoicing. Friends and neighbors gather to celebrate because the lost sheep has been found. 

This home points us to the kingdom of heaven, where the redeemed and the angels rejoice together in the glory of God, where Jesus reigns as King. Those whom He calls His friends become fellow heirs with Him and will share in that heavenly inheritance forever.

The shepherd's joy in finding his sheep also reminds us that salvation is never the result of chance. It rests upon the eternal purpose of God.

Before the foundation of the world, God chose in Christ those whom He would save by His grace."Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ... even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world... In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace." — Ephesians 1:3–6 (ESV)

Likewise, Paul writes: "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son... And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified." — Romans 8:29–30 (ESV)

And again: "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience." — Colossians 3:12 (ESV)

So when the Good Shepherd finds one of His sheep, He is perfectly fulfilling the sovereign plan that God established from all eternity. That is why heaven rejoices.

"Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." v.7

When Jesus says, "I tell you," we can sense that He is speaking directly to them with authority.

When He speaks of "the ninety-nine who need no repentance," there are two main interpretations of this verse.

The first interpretation understands Jesus to be speaking ironically to His audience, referring to the Pharisees and scribes who believed they had no need of repentance. In contrast, He goes to seek the lost sheep of Israel—the convicted sinner who recognizes his need and repents without resistance.

The second interpretation understands Jesus to be referring to those who already belong to the flock of the Good Shepherd. They have already experienced the repentance that leads to salvation and now live in fellowship with Him.

This interpretation best fits the broader teaching of Scripture, which consistently describes Christ's sheep as those who have already repented and now belong to Him.

So yes, again, this joy in heaven marks the fulfillment of God's saving work. Whenever a soul is saved by grace according to God's sovereign purpose, heaven and the angels rejoice.

It is the moment when the lost sheep is brought back into God's flock, of which Jesus is both the Door and the Shepherd. He is the Door through whom we enter, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and He is the Shepherd who watches over His sheep from His throne at the right hand of the Father.

Yet there is one thing God calls us to do: repent, for there is no salvation without repentance.

At this point, we might ask, If repentance is necessary for salvation and entrance into the kingdom of God, why does Scripture also say that we are saved by grace and not by works?

If we return to the picture of the lost sheep, the answer becomes clear. When Jesus calls His sheep, they hear His voice and return to Him because they know they cannot save themselves. They are exhausted from wandering.

Repentance is not a work that earns salvation; it is the heartfelt response of the one whom God is calling back to Himself.

To repent is to leave our own path and return to God's. 

It is to turn away from sinful ways and walk in His holy and righteous ways. It is to acknowledge our weakness, confess that we have gone astray, and sincerely seek God's forgiveness because we have lived like rebellious children before our Creator—the Almighty God, who is holy, holy, holy, and who is opposed to sin.

The apostle Paul reminds us of the importance of repentance toward God. It is an attitude of the heart that leads us to acknowledge and confess our sin so that we may turn away from it through the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

"I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." — Acts 20:20–21 (ESV)

Repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ are the two responses God produces in the heart of the sinner so that he may be reconciled to Him and receive the forgiveness of his sins.

In our daily lives, when we realize that we have wronged someone we love, it is natural to ask for forgiveness. How much more should that be true when we have sinned against God?

To return to the foot of the Cross, to lay everything before Christ, and to ask His forgiveness for a life lived apart from Him should fill us with even greater joy, because through Christ we are restored to fellowship with our heavenly Father.

But this does not mean that believers no longer need to repent. Repentance remains a daily part of the Christian life. It is how we continually submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit, and therefore to God and His holy sovereignty over our lives. Each day we acknowledge our sins, confess them, and return to our Lord—not in order to be saved again, but because we are already His children and desire to walk in holiness.

Conclusion

Today, the Lord Jesus Christ is calling His sheep and desires that they come to Him without delay. So let me ask you this question in the name of Jesus: Where are you?

Will you hear His voice? Will you turn away from your rebellious ways and return to the ways of the living God?

Let us not neglect this gracious invitation from God. Let us not refuse the blessing of the eternal rest that is freely offered to us in Jesus Christ—a gift of grace that will last forever, yet one that was purchased at the priceless cost of Christ's blood shed on the cross of Calvary.

At the same time, this parable is also a message of encouragement for those of us who already belong to Jesus Christ—to His Church.

There may be times when, for various reasons, we drift away from our Good Shepherd. We may lose sight of His ways and expose ourselves to real spiritual danger, to the attacks of the enemy—that roaring lion who seeks to devour and destroy.

We may also become discouraged or face many different temptations and, at times, even fall into them.

Yet our God, in His infinite love, provides a gracious solution filled with mercy and compassion: repentance. He calls us back to the sheepfold, back to His ways, so that we may leave the darkness and walk again in His marvelous light.

Let us close by listening to these words from the apostle Peter: "For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." — 1 Peter 2:21–25 (ESV)