“What
do you think? If a man has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray? If he finds it, most certainly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Matthew 18:12-14
Matthew 18 [7.] “Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the occasion comes! If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire. If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire. See that you don’t despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost.
Matthew 18 [12.] “What do you think? If a man has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray? If he finds it, most certainly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Matthew 18 [15.] “If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother. But if he doesn’t listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly. If he refuses to hear the assembly also, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector. Most certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been released in heaven. Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them.”
Meaning:
Jesus has been teaching his disciples about “these little ones”, the humble and vulnerable believers. They must not be caused to stumble (Matthew 18:6) and must not be despised, because “the Son of Man came to save that which was lost” (Matthew 18:10-11). Now he tells a short parable to show how much God cares for each one of them. In Luke, Jesus tells a similar parable to the Pharisees who grumbled that he welcomed sinners (Luke 15:4-7). Here he tells it to his disciples, to shape how they treat the weak among them.
- “If a man has one hundred sheep”
Sheep were part of everyday life in Israel. A flock of a hundred was a modest one, the kind an ordinary family might own. In the rough hills of Judea a stray could fall or be taken by wild animals. The picture recalls the psalm Jesus’ hearers knew well: “Yahweh is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing” (Psalm 23:1).
- “one of them goes astray”
The sheep is not stolen; it wanders. That is how people drift from God, often slowly. Isaiah said of all of us, “All we like sheep have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6), and Peter reminds believers, “you were going astray like sheep; but now have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:25).
- “seek that which has gone astray”
The good shepherd does not wait for the lost sheep to find its own way home. He leaves the ninety-nine, goes into the mountains and searches. This is what God promised to do through the prophet Ezekiel, after Israel’s leaders had neglected the flock: “I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out” (Ezekiel 34:11), and “I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was driven away” (Ezekiel 34:16). Jesus fulfils this promise. He calls himself “the good shepherd” who “lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
- “he rejoices over it”
When the shepherd finds the sheep, his feeling is joy, not irritation. He rejoices more over the one found than over the ninety-nine that stayed safe. This is the special gladness of rescue, not lesser love for the faithful. Luke adds that “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7).
- “it is not the will of your Father”
Jesus closes with the lesson. God does not want even one of these little ones to perish. Peter says the same of God’s patience: he is “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
The Significance of Matthew 18:12-14
- Every person matters to God
No one is too small, too weak or too far gone to be worth seeking. God values people one by one, not only as a crowd.
- The church is called to seek the wanderer
The parable stands between Jesus’ warning not to despise the little ones and his instructions on winning back a brother who sins (Matthew 18:15). Believers are to share the shepherd’s heart: to notice who is missing, go after them, and welcome them back with joy.
Cross-References:
Luke 15:4: "Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness," Luke’s version of the parable.
Ezekiel 34:16: "I will seek that which was lost," God promises to shepherd his people himself.
John 10:11: "The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." Jesus is the shepherd.
Luke 19:10: "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost." The purpose of Jesus’ coming.
Conclusion: In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus shows the heart of God. Like a shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to search the mountains for one stray, God seeks every wandering soul and rejoices when one is found. It is not his will that any of his little ones should perish. His people are called to share that same seeking, rejoicing love.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible