![]() ![]() He looks for nice clean water so his sheep could have a drink when they were thirsty.Ī shepherd watches after every sheep and takes care of them. A shepherd leads his sheep to nutritious green grass to eat. Sometimes they even have names for the sheep. This is the parable: Once a shepherd had a flock of 100 sheep. Jesus told a parable about a shepherd and a lost sheep. A story that helps people understand something better is called a parable. To help everyone understand this Jesus decided to tell them a story. Even someone who is not doing the right things is important. Even the littlest child is important in the kingdom of God. To Jesus, each and every person is important in the kingdom of God. Jesus did not answer in the way they expected. So they asked Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom?” Maybe only good people who were important to God. “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Were kings and queens the most important? Were religious leaders the most important? Maybe it would be the strongest or most beautiful. One day some of Jesus’ followers began discussing which people were the most important in the kingdom of God. ![]() Other Scriptures about sheep and shepherds to help in your study: Satan is the predator of mankind ( 1 Peter 5:8) and he prowls around like a roaring lion trying to find someone to devour in the spiritual sense. Mankind had gone astray and God sent his son, Jesus, to find us. He does not want even one of us to go astray. This is the kind of care that God has for mankind. Every sheep was important and his goal is to keep every one of them safe. It would have been common for a shepherd to carry a sheep on his shoulders ( Luke 15: 5).Ī shepherd spent a great deal of time with his sheep and most likely knew each one by name. Sometimes a sheep would fall down a crevice and the shepherd had to climb down and pull it to safety. The shepherd often risked his life to protect the sheep from these dangers. Bears, leopards, jackals and even hyenas were known to roam the hills of Palestine. A shepherd led his flock in and among the hills of Palestine searching for the best grass and water. Shepherds were common in the first century. In both cases, the people Jesus was speaking to would have been very familiar with sheep. In the parable, Jesus showed that he did not spend all of his time with faithful Jews (the 99 sheep) because he wanted to go out searching for those lost in sin (the one sheep). They thought they were more important than the “sinners” and that he should spend time with them. The Pharisees did not understand why Jesus was spending so much time with the sinners. In Luke’s account, Jesus told the parable to help the Pharisees understand that God loves each and every sinner. He does not want even one little child to be lost ( Matthew 18:14). The parable of the lost sheep is used to help the audience understand that God is not just concerned with the “greatest” in the kingdom. ![]() He is answering one of the disciples’ questions concerning “who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” ( Matthew 18:1-4). In Matthew’s account, Jesus has a little child stand in front of the audience as he tells the story. Jesus seems to have told this parable more than once. ![]()
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