| Matthew 18:10-14 |
| 10“Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. 12What do you think? If a shepherd 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? 13And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost. |
| The parable of the lost sheep is preceded by a conversation Jesus is having with the disciples about who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Did they expect Jesus to name one of them, I wonder? Perhaps unexpectedly, Jesus tells them they need to have the heart of a child to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. God is looking for his followers to be faithful and to depend on him, just as a child depends on parents. This is Jesus talking as Abba, a “daddy” who has a close, intimate relationship with their children. Jesus seems to be literally referring to small children, who were terribly vulnerable in those times, and figuratively to us – all of us – as God’s children. This reading teaches us a few things about God. First, as a loving parent, he goes to great extremes to find us when we lose our way. What parent wouldn’t drop everything to find a child who has strayed? This is the type of love God has for us. Second, he does’t want us to wander off, but when we do, he never gives up searching for us. When we’re reunited with God, he rejoices that we are back in his fold. Prayer: Loving father, thank you for searching for us when we stray. Help us to remember that you will always welcome us into your fold no matter how far or how long we stray from you. Amen.—Gayle Haugen |