“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?”
The full verse · Luke 15:4 · KJV
, an , he , the ninety and the , that which is , he ?
Asked by
Jesus: the Son of God and promised Messiah, who "receiveth sinners, and eateth with them" (Luke 15:2)
The Scene
Publicans and sinners are drawing near to hear Jesus, and the Pharisees and scribes murmur, "This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them" (Luke 15:1-2).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionJesus asked this to answer the complaint of the Pharisees and scribes. They grumbled that He welcomed sinners and ate with them (Luke 15:2). Barnes says "They affected to suppose that if Jesus treated sinners kindly he must be fond of their society," but "By eating with them he showed that he did not despise or overlook them." Instead of arguing, Jesus asked a question from ordinary life. Any of them who owned sheep would go after a lost one. Why, then, should they object when He goes after lost people?
The Response
What Scripture recordsThe Pharisees and scribes give no recorded reply. Jesus finishes the picture Himself: "when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing," and calls his friends and neighbours to "Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost" (Luke 15:5-6). Then He states the meaning: "joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance" (Luke 15:7).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsThe complaint was not only that Jesus talked with sinners but that He "eateth with them" (Luke 15:2). Sharing a meal meant accepting someone's company. Barnes explains that by eating with them Jesus showed that He did not despise or overlook them.
The KJV's "wilderness" is rendered "the open country" in the ESV, the grazing land where the flock was kept. Matthew's account says the shepherd "goeth into the mountains" to seek the one gone astray (Matthew 18:12).
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyThis question shows God's heart toward the lost. The shepherd does not wait for the sheep to find its own way home. He goes "after that which is lost, until he find it" (Luke 15:4), carries it on his shoulders, and celebrates. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary says, "The lost sheep represents the sinner as departed from God, and exposed to certain ruin if not brought back to him, yet not desirous to return." The initiative is all with the shepherd.
This is the first of three stories in Luke 15: a lost sheep, a lost piece of silver, and a lost son. Each ends in joy over what was found (Luke 15:6, 9, 32). Matthew tells a similar story about a sheep gone astray (Matthew 18:12-14), and Barnes points readers there. In Luke, the story answers the Pharisees' complaint: Jesus receives sinners because God rejoices to bring them home.
Look Closer
What led Jesus to tell this story?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Father, You go after the lost until You find them; who are You inviting me to welcome the way You have welcomed me?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- The Pharisees grumbled at the company Jesus kept. What kinds of people are hardest for you to see the way the shepherd saw his lost sheep?
- Tell about a time you felt sought out or welcomed back when you could have been left alone.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
If you have ever felt far from God, this question tells you how He sees you: as a sheep worth searching for. The shepherd does not scold the sheep; he carries it home and calls his friends to rejoice. You do not have to find your own way back before God will receive you.
The question also asks how you treat people others look down on. Jesus defended His welcome of sinners. Those who follow Him can share the shepherd's joy instead of the Pharisees' complaint.
This does not mean sin does not matter. The joy in heaven is over a sinner "that repenteth" (Luke 15:7). God's welcome brings people home, and coming home means turning back to Him.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?”
“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?”
“What these things meant”