Matthew 18:12-14 NRSVue
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.
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Reflection on Matthew 18:12-14
Inspiration from 2025-12-09 Daily Prayer
Which point do you think would have stirred the hearts of the disciples? Pause for a moment and ask Jesus to help you discern which aspect of the image is touching you. Is it the point about Jesus always seeming to have a mind for the weakest around him, or that those who are in trouble usually seem to be treated with great gentleness?
Could it be me, Lord, on whom you have your best attention settled at this very moment?
Further reflection
Jesus is the shepherd whose heart goes after the one who is lost. When I feel forlorn or lost, I have a special place in Jesus' heart. I allow myself to feel vulnerable, to be cherished, sought and found.
I may sometimes want to have everything squared away and orderly. It may be that I want to rely more on myself than on Jesus. Being in need is not demeaning when I am closer to the heart of Jesus.
Let us never grow accustomed to this parable. It is the most astonishing suggestion you could imagine. Modern business would focus on the 99, well behaved and conformist. Jesus turns our eyes to that bit of ourselves that wants to do our own thing, go our own way, even when it is self-destructive. As parents have learned with heartbreak, it is only love that will save the lost sheep. I cling to that last assurance:/ It is not the will of your Father that one of these little ones should be lost. /
We are the little ones. We are little at prayer - little in what we are in the sight of God because all we are and have is from God. God wants us to be at our best, our most alive. God wants nothing good in us to perish. Nothing good we have done or have tried to do is wasted. All is valued in the mind and heart of God, and we are saved, honoured and loved by the one who creates us each day. Advent reminds us of what it is like to be a little one, dependent on others and on God for so much in life.
Jesus is the shepherd whose heart goes after the one who is lost. When I feel forlorn or lost, I have a special place in Jesus' heart. I allow myself to feel vulnerable, to be cherished, sought and found.