Luke 15:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "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?

NIV: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?

NASB: What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the other ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?

CSB: "What man among you, who has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open field and go after the lost one until he finds it?

NLT: If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it?

KJV: What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

NKJV: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?

Religious leaders are condemning Jesus' decision to engage people they deem "too sinful" to even acknowledge. Jesus responds with three parables that show how God longs to reconcile with those who need Him most (Luke 15:1–3). Jesus begins here with the parable of the lost sheep. Jesus frames the parable to put the listener in the role of the main character. You are a shepherd. You have ninety-nine sheep. One of them wanders off, which is unwise, unsafe, and irrational. Roaming away from protection and safety is "stupid," in the sense of being a terrible choice. Still, what would a shepherd do about such a sheep?

This challenge has historical significance. The Pharisees are religious leaders. While not as official as priests, they are more familiar to the people and more easily respected. Practically speaking, they are the primary spiritual leaders of the people; they are the "shepherds" of that "flock." But Jewish spiritual shepherds do not have a good track record. In Ezekiel 34, God strongly condemns religious leaders who abuse, take advantage of, and abandon God's people (Ezekiel 34:1–5). He specifically says, "My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them" (Ezekiel 34:5–6).

Jesus is challenging the Pharisees to see themselves as they really are. They have abused and abandoned the people by burdening them with laws God did not give them and then refusing to help them fulfill those laws (Luke 11:46). Instead, they should emulate God and actively seek out and rescue the foolish. The Pharisees should welcome the sinners and tax collectors and invite them to meals. Spiritually, sinners are the "poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind" (Luke 14:13) and the Pharisees will be blessed by God for feeding those who cannot repay (Luke 14:14).

Luke 15:3–7 contains the parable of the lost sheep. This is Jesus' first response to the Pharisees who demand perfection and reject repentance (Luke 15:1–2). The story typifies sinners who abandon faithfulness to God the way a stupid sheep wanders into danger. When the shepherd finds the lost animal, he rejoices. Later parables refer to those who don't know they're lost (Luke 15:8–10) and those who are intentionally rebellious (Luke 15:11–32). Matthew includes a similar parable to the lost sheep in a slightly different context (Matthew 18:10–14).

To answer criticisms that He associates with sinners, Jesus tells three parables. A shepherd leaves ninety-nine sheep to rescue a single lost member. A woman searches diligently to locate a lost coin. A father eagerly forgives his wayward son when the young man returns in humility and repentance. All these lead to celebration. In the same way, Jesus teaches that God cares about restoring those who have fallen, and we should mirror His joy whenever that happens.

Luke 15 contains three parables with the theme of something "lost." The lost sheep, coin, and son represent sinners who leave God foolishly, unknowingly, or rebelliously. God seeks the foolish and the ignorant and waits patiently for the rebel to return to Him in humble repentance. Next is a collection of teachings on the differences between worldly and kingdom living (Luke 16:1—17:10). After two more groups of a miracle, teachings on the kingdom, and teachings on salvation (Luke 17:11—19:27), Jesus will enter Jerusalem and prepare for the crucifixion.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.