Luke 5:5-7, The Fate of the Lost Sheep

Posted on Monday, December 22, 2014 in Bible Commentary | 0 comments

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’”

//Read this parable closely. We all know the moral of the story, because after Luke presents the parable, he presents an interpretation:

“I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”

But did Luke interpret the story correctly or did he add his own flavor? One wouldn’t normally relate the sheep in this story to a repentant sinner, since it doesn’t do anything except wander away. Rather, the sheep’s fate seems a little darker.

When the man finds his sheep, he lays it over his shoulders and … goes home! He doesn’t take the sheep to the barn or the sheepfold. He carries the sheep home and calls his neighbors to come rejoice with him.

It’s not unlikely that the man served mutton at the celebration.