Amanda Iliadis

HRE4M

Ms. Tyms

November 18th 2013

The Lost Sheep

God shows himself in many shapes and forms; in many stories and people. He teaches

humanity the right way, and the path to the desirable Kingdom of God. Every day, and within

every biblical parable, people attain a better understanding of God’s requests, and the

necessary attributes needed to gain the access to His’ Kingdom. The only way for us to achieve

this, is to dive deep into the parables and discover their true meaning; something we can learn

that will bring us one step closer to God. The Parable of the Lost Sheep is one of the most

profound concepts in the New Testament, and can bring various values to humanity. These

values focus on equality for all of humankind, because everyone is unique and valuable.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep is about a shepherd who has a flock of a hundred sheep,

but one loses its way. The shepherd then leaves his flock of ninety-nine to search for this

hundredth sheep; apprehensively, for it could be in great danger. Sheep are extroverts and

therefore do not eagerly scatter. So because of this, the shepherd had time to wander and find

the sheep. However he could have remained with the greater value (quantity) of flock, but he

knew it was worthwhile to search diligently for the lost one because each sheep was of high

value. But what value did that one lost sheep have over all the others? It was just as equal as

Iliadis2

all the others, but it was astray, it was different. It was an outcast from all the other sheep.

God’s love for the individual is so great that he seeks each one out and rejoices when he or she

is found. God loves extraordinarily, and so should humanity towards one another. So the most

embedded value in this story, is that of love for the human person, a mutual respect among

humanity; a unification of people because they are equal and valuable. This is what God

teaches through the parables. This is what the Parable of the Lost Sheep teaches us. One

person is not equal to the value of one hundred, but one cannot be let go because it is only

one.

Today’s world values differ greatly from those of the Kingdom of God. Humanity has

twisted and warped the way the world should be viewed. However the values of the Kingdom

of God are sincere, compassionate and virtuous. Jesus uses parables, such as the Lost Sheep, to

explain the kingdom of God. We view people that are meek or alone in the world; as people

who are useless and weak. They are shunned and seen as people who are dependant, who

cannot take care of themselves. This kind of pessimistic attitude that our society holds over

people in need, who are ill or outcast; has completely demolished any kind of Kingdom of God

humanity could attempt to create. We have already let go of our stray sheep to be with the

ninety-nine who are ‘normal’ and ‘sane’. We rebuke the ill and the suffering, the homeless, the

bullied, and all that seem ‘different’ and ‘odd’ to us. We think in a dominating, oppressive way;

it is the way of man, and it is disregarding the people who need us most. We are too blind as a

whole to see this concept. We must recognize that this is not the way of God at all. Love, as

Iliadis3

Jesus has taught us time and time again, cannot be commanded, but it is imperative and it must

be authentic. So should our love for each other be. We must love one another, even if we see

‘faults’ in one’s character or appearance, because each is created in God’s image and likeness.

So regardless of how old, young, tall, short, sick, healthy, needy, rejected, or unique one is,

each should be treated as a fellow human being, as Jesus has instructed. The Kingdom of God

would not ignore one who is anguished, stricken with grief, or distressed. It would not exile

one who is in poverty, unwell, or insane. It would never ignore one who is an outcast or is

neglected. Lastly, the Kingdom of God would not reject those who are of a different race, or

even a different religion; regardless of how different each may be from the other. Difference

should not be an identifier of man; it should unite us as one. Being unique, outcast, elderly,

homeless or ill are just terms; but each human person is as valuable as the next no matter their

condition or state of living. Just as the sheep went astray, so does humanity at different points

in time; but God finds and welcomes all of us into His glorious Kingdom.

Parable teachings are very important; they help each one of us in our everyday lives.

Just like with the Parable of the Lost Sheep, we learn important life lessons. Not only that, but

we have a new way of seeing; a new frame of vision about the world and people around us. In

each parable, Jesus is trying to explain the kingdom of God and what it is like. He tries to tell us

how each of us can create that kingdom of God here on earth and why that is so important for

us. Jesus said during the Sermon on the Mount: ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the

earth’. The Parable of the lamb simply reflects this beatitude. Everyone who is virtuous shall

Iliadis4

be rewarded come the Parousia, but the people who are quiet, lowly, fearful, tame and

modest, shall be rewarded. All the parables have special messages that must be deciphered

and learned. We must each use God’s special message to us to the best of our ability. We will

all become better people and will be welcomed into the Kingdom of God.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep is one of the most profound concepts in the New

Testament, and can bring various values to humanity. These values focus on equality for all of

humankind, because everyone is unique and valuable. God shows himself in many ways; and

through many people and stories. He always teaches humanity the right thing to do, and the

way we can each attain the Kingdom of God. Within every biblical parable, people have a

better understanding of God’s requests, and the necessary attributes needed to gain the access

to His’ Kingdom. The only way for us to achieve this, is to dive deep into the parables and

discover their true meaning; something we can learn that will bring us one step closer to God.

At the end of the day, being closer to God is essentially what we all want to achieve.