The Lost Sheep

Grumbling in the crowd

Wherever Jesus went, all sorts of people came to listen to Him, including tax collectors and others that the religious leaders of the day looked down on. The Pharisees and teachers of the law didn't like this one bit. They grumbled that Jesus welcomed sinners and even ate meals with them.

Jesus heard their grumbling, and instead of arguing, He told them a story, a simple one about sheep, to help them understand exactly why He spent His time the way He did.

Ninety-nine and one

Jesus asked the crowd to imagine a shepherd with a hundred sheep. One day, the shepherd counts them and realizes one is missing, wandered off somewhere, alone and lost.

The shepherd doesn't shrug and decide ninety-nine is close enough. He leaves the rest safely behind and goes out searching, over hills and through rough country, until he finds the one that wandered away. When he finds it, he doesn't scold it. He gently lifts it onto his shoulders and carries it all the way home.

Joy in heaven

Back home, the shepherd calls his friends and neighbors together to celebrate. He isn't quiet about it. He's thrilled, because something that was lost has been found.

That was Jesus' answer to the grumbling crowd. He wasn't wasting His time with the people others had written off. He was doing exactly what a good shepherd does: going after the one who wandered, because every single sheep matters to Him.