One of them goes astray

The parable of the Lost Sheep in Matthew is also found in Luke who has two other parables about the “lost,” i.e., the parables of the Lost Coin and of the Lost/Prodigal Son (Lk 15).

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The parable is placed on “Church Order” (Mt 19), that is, Jesus’ teaching on how his disciples should deal with members of their community. It is especially aimed at Church leaders who must exert every effort to bring back any member who strays. The parable points out that when a sheep goes astray, the shepherd will go looking for it. Sheep are always valuable commodities no matter what the size of the flock is. The other 99 are not being abandoned or put at risk, because for a flock of a hundred, ordinarily there is more than one shepherd. As one sheep is so precious that it is unthinkable to let it go astray, so it is unthinkable that any brother or sister be left to wander off. For it is the will of the heavenly