12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish."
The first insight of this earthly story is that the sheep got away. Because the story does not say what exactly in the sheep’s character led it astray we can imagine that it could be multiple things: -
the dash for freedom, innocent wandering from the fold, or the desire for independence from the shepherd. The word translated by "goes astray" means "to wander away," "to stray," even "to be deceived" or "to be misled."
We might accept that from time to time, like sheep, people wander from the faith…or the center of the faith…or a commitment to the faith.
And because this story is not just about a human shepherd, but our heavenly shepherd, we must say that God allows it.
The freedom that God has given can be used for faithful following or for wandering away.However a sheep strays from the flock, there is comfort in knowing that our God is a seeking shepherd. A part of the power of this short parable is that the shepherd leaves the sure thing, the greatest economic value, the 99, for the 1 that is lost.
The parable ends that "In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that anhy of these ones should perish or lost"
While God allows us the freedom to stray our heavenly shepherd wills that none be lost and seeks out such as our children, our friends and colleagues.
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