Matthew 18:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?

NIV: "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?

NASB: What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains, and go and search for the one that is lost?

CSB: What do you think? If someone has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go and search for the stray?

NLT: If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?

KJV: How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?

NKJV: “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?

Jesus has just warned His disciples in verse 10 not to despise any of "these little ones," most likely meaning any of the believers in Jesus. Why not disrespect other believers? Because God the Father has decided they are of such great value that they are worthy of sharing in His glory.

Now Jesus begins to illustrate the value His Father, God, places on every single person who believes in Jesus. He will picture the Father as a shepherd with 100 sheep. Jesus asks what a shepherd with that many sheep will do if just one of them goes astray. Won't the shepherd leave behind the 99 to go search for the one?

Historians suggest that 100 would have been about the average size of a flock in Palestine during this era. Given this scenario and value of sheep, the shepherd would leave his flock with other shepherds in the area who were tending their own sheep in order to go and find his own wandering animal. The implication is that God the Father would have the same attitude toward His own "little ones," believers in Jesus, who go astray (Matthew 18:13–14).

Matthew 18:10–14 describes the great value God the Father places on everyone who believes in Jesus. This is often referred to as the Parable of the Lost Sheep. Jesus warns His disciples not to despises any of the believers, calling them "little ones." They are connected to the glory of God by their angels in heaven. God the Father is a like shepherd with a wandering sheep. He will leave all the others to go and bring that sheep back. The Father's will is that none of His own should perish.

Jesus uses two questions from the disciples to teach important lessons. The "greatest" in the kingdom is the one who humbles himself like a child. Temptation is unavoidable in earthly life, but it's worth going to extremes to avoid falling for it. Even so, those who fall should not be hated and despised. God the Father values them highly and wants none of them to perish. In fact, Jesus lays out a clear, careful process to confront sin in others before removing them from the community. Christ also replies to Peter's question about forgiveness with a parable. This story represents both God's amazing forgiveness, and the way we ought to respond as Christians.

Matthew 18 follows the action of the previous chapter with teaching from Jesus on several issues. These include humility, using the example of a child. Jesus also teaches about avoiding sin and offering forgiveness to others. Interestingly, the following chapter will also feature references to children and to wealth, as Christ continues to explain the will of God to His disciples.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.