Parable of the Lost Sheep

In the Parable of the Lost Sheep in Luke 15, the Shepherd performs a peculiar act: He leaves all of his sheep in the wilderness in order to go find one. Not only is this strange, but it's a sign of a shepherd who is a bit off of his rocker.
Why does Jesus use such hyperbolic speech in the Parable of the Lost Sheep? What is he getting at? Check out this video to find out.
Additionally, this parable is stated within the context of Jesus being questioned about talking to and eating with sinners and tax collectors. Unlike the term "sinners" as we use it today, this phrase would have had a much more specific application in Jesus' day to people who were guilty of grave and public sin. So, what does the Parable of the Lost Sheep tell us about them, God's response to them, and how we should model our actions towards such sinners in light of the mindset of God?
To learn more about this passage and the other parables of Lost and Found, subscribe today to The Mass Readings Explained:
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For more Bible studies by Dr. Pitre, visit:
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[@pinamawya1967]

Thank you Dr. Pitre for that teaching. May God richly bless you

[@mariofsantana3952]

I liked when you highlighted in the course of your teaching - what Jesus himself stated that anyone who comes to him; He will not reject. It is true from Jesus time when he walked on the Earth to this very day in time. He welcomes and forgives sinners and they turn out to be great Saints. We must be permanent with our heart! Because what awaits us is fullness of life in him

[@richardrosebealprestonjohn3144]

Thank you!

[@kathleenwharton2139]

You are Not a lost sheep if you don't go to church. You are a lost sheep if you do not Have a relationship with Jesus. Jesus Gives You Everything You Need and Delivers You From evil. That is HIS Promise. Jesus is All You Need.

[@marccrotty8447]

Kathleen Wharton. When Jesus returned to Heaven, He gave to His Church the charge of perpetuating, in His name, praise due the Father. The Church holds the law of Christ and distributes His Graces. She is the Bride of Christ who offers praise to God in the name of Christ. He gave the Church with her doctrine, jurisdiction, Sacraments and worship to be as another Christ. Christianity is not simply "Jesus and me". It is a covenant relationship with God and His Church. Peace. Marc

[@kathleenwharton2139]

+Marc Crotty..church is a man-made creation of Paul. Jesus Never Taught Church and in all the Healings He Performed He Never told One Healed person to go to church. In His own Gospel He Spoke HIMSELF..He never mentioned going to Church. He would probably say (as He did to the people in His Day) you can obey the commandments of the Pharisees but it is not necessary.

[@Psyop666]

@@kathleenwharton2139 are you for real?. Why did Jesus say that He came to fulfill the law and not to break them. In Catholicism you find the fulfillment of the covenant God made with Abraham Israel.

[@beAdeodatus]

That “church “ you speak of is a place of worship. The Church, as Jesus speaks of, are the people. “Where two or more of you are gathered, in my name, I am with you”. To Simon, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church”. Peter was the first Pope, gathering the people to venerate and worship the Father. He also was given the keys to Heaven. Church was not man made, unless your including Jesus as a man. Paul had nothing to do with the start of the “Church”, other then his participation in speaking to the masses

[@erolgermannemmanuel5637]

Excellent lecture very encouraging to me....(!)

[@evannongrum2967]

Thank you Fr. Pitre

[@evannongrum2967]

Not Fr. . Dr.

[@andrewschank1962]

@@evannongrum2967 what a difference one tiny typo can make, lol. The quarter of an inch between the 'f' and 'd' keys makes the difference between being an expert on a topic, or having an indelible character (no pun intended) placed upon your soul.

[@evannongrum2967]

@@andrewschank1962 I appreciate your reply

[@mikepoulin3020]

Luke 12 42-47 And the Lord said: Who (thinkest thou) is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord setteth over his family, to give them their measure of wheat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom when his lord shall come, he shall find so doing. Verily I say to you, he will set him over all that he possesseth. But if that servant shall say in his heart: My lord is long a coming; and shall begin to strike the menservants and maidservants, and to eat and to drink and be drunk: The lord of that servant will come in the day that he hopeth not, and at the hour that he knoweth not, and shall separate him, and shall appoint him his portion with unbelievers. And that servant who knew the will of his lord, and prepared not himself, and did not according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.'''

[@catholicdisciple732]

Dr. Pitre, would you consider doing a chapter by chapter Bible study for each of the 4 gospels (organized by chapter headings and verse numbers)? You have such profound and helpful insights.

[@carissahanson9887]

I think that may be the full video Siri might have it chapter by chapter

[@coreyrogers2159]

You are such a voice in the desert and I can't believe you go sounherd.

[@alephtav4254]

Thank You Dr. Pitre Great Wisdom From GOD Jesus really made a way He really great Did the Righful Judgement and witnessed MAN here on Earth in GOD Character in A manly manner True HE is Greater than King Solomon.. I knew so many have sinnes becausw of Evil intentions, deception, and evil manners of others that lead them to do sins..Thank GOD for his Redemption and atonement of sins for those lost sheep looking for his shepherd.. Jesus died For Us to be with him in His Kingdom.. Thank You Avah Yeshua.

[@cuauhtemocmorisco3493]

I always think the parable of the lost sheep was meant for people like Judas Iscariot but including those that didn't or wouldn't follow Jesus. That's what bothers me is how can Jesus Christ be so loving that he would accept someone like Judas and call him a friend? Maybe its just that's how much Christ loves the lost people in this world.

[@coreyrogers2159]

The lost sheep has a good prospective!

[@emtedee985]

does it happen today that bishops or priests dine with someone who is a known sinner in the sense of this gospel extract? i remember being shocked to see a Cardinal attend a function with a certain President on his inauguration

[@robraver]

why should that matter?

[@MSOGameShow]

The way you describe the storytelling of the parables, with the nimshal and the twists and everything, almost sounds like a way you could interpret the entire Bible. Foundation: Old Testament Twist: Old Testament reenacted by Christ and the Apostles in the New Testament Nimshal/Second Twist: "Behold, I make all things new" - Revelation 21:5

[@markomutiso4247]

Good teachings,how can we get the full videos

[@carissahanson9887]

Tap underneath the link and see if the Catholic production store is there if not type in Catholic productions or his name

[@andiamolireforexcrypto]

The present situation in the Church is like Jesus dining with the public sinners, inviting them into His inner circle despite them not changing their ways while castigating the Apostles and chasing them out to the outskirts of Gahanna. This is not seeking out the tax collectors, It's cozying up close to them while cussing your own.

[@marier.245]

Thank you, sincerely, for your videos. That said, you have a lot of commercial ads for an 11 minute video.

[@Sean-lv6fx]

Use Adblock Plus and say goodbye to ads everywhere. 😎

[@raymondmartin318]

Interesting but needs clarification from Art. One of the oldest images in Christianity, is of the Good Shepherd. Indeed some scholars associate such images with Apollo but that does not really matter. Christians have for a very long time understood what for example John Chapter 10 confirms. That is : that Jesus identifies himself as The Good Shepherd, indeed perhaps the most beloved title he uses for himself in the evangelisation of the Pagan world. Further he confirms his followers are sheep that follow him and he watches over them etc as a Good Shepherd would do. The understanding of the lost sheep is reconfirmed at Nicene when it is noted "that for us men and for our Salvation he came down from Heaven" and again in the title of Emanuel which means God is with us and Pope St John Paul 2nd stressed as singular to a Christian faith over all others. The historical point of Jewish understanding is famously against more legalised forms of pagan identity hence for example the right of the individual is upheld in Jewish identity. That as authors like Romer point out, the Jews were moralists rather than legalists. that is; the state cannot ride over innocent people no matter how powerful it is. Obviously they retain the Law but unlike Pagan law this is given in a moral context and comes from God and not the wisdom of men. The implication for modern audiences is famously seen in the Tv Star Trek voice of The needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many. Without being too trivial that implication is valid for Christian understanding as it is precisely what is wrong with the Roman state for example and leads Pilate to condemn Christ to death. Basically therefore, The Church understands that the special need of the Individual is of primacy in moral teaching and no ruler, state or power can crush this innate truth. Hence God as the Good Shepherd and incarnate man, born and living amongst sheep is one of us and we are by implication one of his as John notes his know his voice and he knows them. In art the Angus Dei or Lamb of God is of fundamental understanding of Christian theology. The identity of the Lamb far exceeds what is assumed or imagined by pagan philosophy. In teaching on the Good Shepherd we are presented with a version of Jesus that is ultimately kindly and compassionate. The notion of Gods goodness is rarely ever presented so well as in the image of this icon and I therefore suggest that any theological thinking on this matter is impossible without a appreciation of art and the way it has developed accordingly.

[@alan-muscat]

So after giving the parable, Jesus took his disciples off to the local art gallery to help them understand what he had just said.

[@jeremiahong248]

There are many Catholics who have left the faith. Why isnt any clergy who are shepherds going after them ? And preventing more sheeps from being lost ?

[@debbie2027]

Faith is given to us by grace and we must choose to cooperate with it ... read the Parable of the Sower Explained Matthew 13:18 ... Consider also that St Paul'preaches on running the race to the end for a reason ...

[@jeremiahong248]

@@debbie2027 yes I agree. But I hope the Church ie clergy and laity could do more in adherence to Christ's teachings on the lost sheep. God bless you.

[@mikepoulin3020]

because the "pope", the bishops and most priests do not actually have the Catholic faith....

[@jeremiahong248]

@@patrickjordan4073 what is the difference? We dont know if they will return one day, or be lost forever. The PEW research did say the number of Catholics and Protestants attending church every Sunday is falling for years in a decling trend over the past 2 decades. There seems to be no concerted efforts by the Church to do something or something significant to arrest this decline.

[@paulmiller3469]

I've been through that parable I don't know how many times and never picked up on the attempt to interest people via twists. I guess I assumed the 99 were secure somewhere.

[@JordonHill]

Paul Miller I think the key is that they were (comparatively) secure so in that context it is right to save the straggler. Predators never attack a mob so they were comparatively safe even thought they were in the wilderness.

[@paulmiller3469]

@@JordonHill I don't know. That's what I would assumed before, but Dr. Pitre has me wondering. And I'm comfortable with the idea of 'shock value' in a parable. I know there was shock value in the Good Samaritan, because, well, it was a Samaritan.

[@JordonHill]

Paul Miller I don’t think Jesus would use shock if it goes against the nature of reality. It seems there are two conflicting interpretations here that need resolving. I think dr pitre has unintentionally taken a wrong turn in this case and is leading some ppl down the wrong path. I think he has missed the point because of Scholarly bias. That is why I spoke up. Jesus became the archetypal lost sheep, in the end all of his flock left him. He was left to the predators. Jesus was the stray sheep that was sacrificed in order that flock was saved. As christians we know we are saved so we must bring the stragglers back into the flock... just as good shepherds do. If someone doesn’t leave the flock to save the stragglers by definition he is not a good shepherd. Dr pitre is usually spot on but he, too makes mistakes like the rest of us do.

[@JordonHill]

The Lesser Confessor yes quite right. If we have faith our good works follow.

[@jamesm5462]

@@JordonHill your interpretation doesnt make more sense. Worse. If Jesus was the one lost sheep, why would the sheperd went after trying to save him? Who was the shrprd?

[@mikepoulin3020]

Jeremiah 5:31 The prophets prophesied falsehood, and the priests clapped their hands: and my people loved such things: what then shall be done in the end thereof?...

[@MasterKeyMagic]

notice how Jesus doesn't say to change the secular law to punish these people for sinning

[@justagypsy2058]

What man among you would not leave the huddled mass of the 99 ~ protesting in the pouring rain on Wall Street ~ to go into the tower of JP Morgan / Chase and rescue the One ?

[@andrewschank1962]

"There is no hebrew word for 'twist.'" Actually, I think there is. I'm pretty sure it's shyamalan... ... as in M. Night Shyamalan. Get it?

[@charonferryman2183]

Andrew Schank boo hiss !! jk

[@MSOGameShow]

What a tweest!

[@francisb2278]

I think Jesus' parables always so sincerely reach out to every type of hearer in order to save them. Here, Jesus, 1) tells the self-righteous Pharisees (who "have no need of Him") that He'll leave them, and 2) tells the "sinners" (the likes of Zaccheus and the woman that wiped his feet with her hair), that He came precisely for people like them! 99 self-righteous cannot compare to 1 sinner that repents. The wording "ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance" really comes to me as sarcasm, i.e., Jesus does not mean them to be actually righteous in any way (or any degree) at all! He is plainly calling them to repent! And I imagine He tells them in the tone that'll best works for them: sarcasm for the self-righteous and tenderness for the repentant sinner.

[@alephtav4254]

DOES SOMEONE WILL SAY I AM SINNER ? MEANS KEEP ON SINNING OR A SINNER WHO REPENT AND FORGIVEN BY GOD SO DOES A LEADER WHO SINS ALLOWED MORE TO DO SIN? JESUS ALREADY GAVE AN EXAMPLE OF THIS MEANS HE CAME FOR SINNERS TO REPENT TO CHANGE THEIR WICKED WAYS NOT TO STAY AS HYPOCRITES WHO KNEW THEU WERE SINNERS AND KEEP IN DOING SINS JESUS EXAMPLES ABOUT THIS KING OF NINEVEH WHO REPENT AND COMMAND HIS PEOPLE TO DO THE SAME.. GOD BLESS

[@andrewschank1962]

FYI a sow is a female pig, not a female cow. A female cow is called a heffer if it has not had a calf, and a cow if it has. Males are bulls, or, if you get them "fixed," steers. The generic, gender-non-specific term for the animal is actually just "cattle."

[@joegrijalva2570]

"Bovine"anyone?

[@walterroberts5694]

What if Pope Francis the Shepherd lost? Then I suppose he'll lead us all into damnation too! What do you say Dr Pitre about Francis' ambiguous and heretical statements, and the coming October Synod which by all accounts seems uncatholic and leading the Church into apostasy?

[@beAdeodatus]

Walter Roberts I don’t think anyone is going to even get into discussion about this, stick their neck out. I think it’s important that we continue to pray, and for the Pope also, so as not to let anger separate us from God. We must keep our minds and hearts focused on God, each one of us, individually. Most Catholics aren’t even aware of the issues taking place. We should pray for them also. Things are going to get even uglier, before they get better. Keep in mind, this helps me also, God is in charge. Pray and stay close to God. Hope this helps

[@zacharypayne4080]

The term is not twist its bait and switch

[@diresa22]

Nothing is more annoying than being engaged in the teachings and a ad pops is at en elevated volume.

[@user-cy2cn4sx9k]

I love how you were able to twist Jesus’ compassion and empathy for the outcast and downtrodden, and turn it into a defense for dictators and human rights abusers. I guess I should just be grateful you didn’t try to use it to defend why your church coddled child molesters for decades.

[@stephenpaulwilson]

Praying for you x

[@Moe-xg6bu]

So you her out your thinking on his self proclaimed people proclaimed proves only unknown unproclaimed deniable false prophets if anything