The Parable of the Lost Sheep is one of the

parables of Jesus The parables of Jesus are found in the Synoptic Gospels and some of the non-canonical gospels. They form approximately one third of his recorded teachings. Christians place great emphasis on these parables, which they generally regard as the wo ...

. It appears in the

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

s of Matthew () and Luke (). It is about a shepherd who leaves his flock of ninety-nine sheep in order to find the one which is lost. It is the first member of a trilogy about redemption that Jesus tells after the Pharisees and religious leaders accuse him of welcoming and eating with "sinners." Richard N. Longenecker,
The Challenge of Jesus' Parables
', Eerdmans, 2000, , pp. 201–204.

Narrative

In the Gospel of Luke, the parable is as follows:

Interpretation

The Parable of the Lost Sheep is followed by those of the Lost Coin and the Prodigal Son, in Luke's Gospel. The Parable of the Lost Sheep shares themes of loss, searching, and rejoicing with the Parable of the Lost Coin. The lost sheep or coin represents a lost human being. As in the analogy of the

Good Shepherd The Good Shepherd ( el, ποιμὴν ὁ καλός, ''poimḗn ho kalós'') is an image used in the pericope of , in which Jesus Christ is depicted as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. Similar imagery is used in Psalm 23 ...

, Jesus is the shepherd, thus identifying himself with the image of God as a shepherd searching for stray sheep in Ezekiel . Joel B. Green writes that "these parables are fundamentally about God, ... their aim is to lay bare the nature of the divine response to the recovery of the lost." Joel B. Green,
The Gospel of Luke
', Eerdmans, 1997, , p. 526. The rejoicing of the shepherd with his friends represents God rejoicing with the angels. The image of God rejoicing at the recovery of lost sinners contrasts with the criticism of the religious leaders which prompted the parable.

Justus Knecht Friedrich Justus Heinrich Knecht (7 October 1839 – 31 January 1921) was a German Catholic theologian, writer and bishop in Freiburg, Germany. Early life and education Justus Knecht was born in Bruchsal, the fourth of seven children of Heinrich ...

gives the typical Catholic interpretation of this parable, writing: "By the simile of the Good Shepherd our Lord teaches us how great is His compassionate love for all mankind. All men, Jews and Gentiles, are His sheep, and He gave His life for all, being sacrificed on the Cross to redeem them from sin and hell. He is therefore the only Good Shepherd, and all others who are called to the pastoral office are good shepherds only so far as they imitate Jesus in their love and care of the flock confided to them. Moreover Jesus knows His own. He knows all about them, their needs, their weakness, their thoughts, their endeavours; He leads them into the fold of His Church, He helps them by His grace, He enlightens them by His doctrine, and nourishes and strengthens them with His Flesh and Blood in the most Blessed Sacrament. His pastoral love is, therefore, infinite and divine."

Cornelius a Lapide Cornelius Cornelii à Lapide (''né'' Cornelis Cornelissen van den Steen; 18 December 1567 – 12 March 1637) was a Flemish Catholic priest. He was a Jesuit and exegete of scripture. Life He was born at Bocholt, in Belgian Limburg. He studi ...

in his ''great commentary'' writes, "So we, by reason of our sinful lusts, were as wandering sheep, treading the path which led to perdition, without a thought of God or of heaven, or of the salvation of our souls. Wherefore Christ came down from heaven to seek us, and to lead us back from the way of destruction to that which leadeth to eternal life. So we read, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all,” Isa. 53:6; and again, “Ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:25."

Depiction in art

The image from this parable of the shepherd placing the lost sheep on his shoulders () has been widely incorporated into depictions of the Good Shepherd. Consequently, this parable appears in art mostly as an influence on depictions of the Good Shepherd rather than as a distinct subject on its own.

Hymns

While there are innumerable references to the Good Shepherd image in Christian

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hy ...

s, specific references to this parable can be recognised by a mention of the ninety-nine other sheep. A hymn describing this parable is "The Ninety and Nine" by Elizabeth Clephane (1868), which begins:

There were ninety and nine that safely lay In the shelter of the fold. But one was out on the hills away, Far off from the gates of gold. Away on the mountains wild and bare. Away from the tender Shepherd's care. Away from the tender Shepherd's care.

Brooklyn Museum - The Good Shepherd (Le bon pasteur) - James Tissot - overall

References

External links

Biblical Art on the WWW: The Lost SheepThe parable in the book of Luke, NIV versionThe parable in the book of Matthew, NIV version
*
Jesus Declares the Parable of the Lost Sheep
' from the

Mormon Channel :''Mormon Channel is also the name of a waterway in Stockton, California.'' The Latter-day Saints Channel (formerly the Mormon Channel) is an over the air and Internet radio station owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

The Parable of the Lost Sheep
from The Poem of the Man-God {{Authority control Lost Sheep, Parable of the Animals in the Bible Lost sheep Animals in Christianity Sheep in popular culture Mammals and human culture