Kyle Dresback

Friends,

Today’s gospel reading includes one of Jesus’ most memorable teachings—simple in its imagery yet rich in meaning:

What 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? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.

Though not formally a parable, it functions like one in inviting contemplation and a personal response. Read Jesus’ words again, attentive both to what they reveal about God and also to your own situation. 

As I have read and reread Jesus’ words, several questions have opened up avenues for my own understanding. Consider for yourself:

Who is the shepherd? Who are the sheep?

Who are “the ninety-nine” and who or what is “the one” who wanders?

What does this teaching reveal about God?

What does it teach us about Jesus’ ministry and the kingdom he announces?

How might this passage shape the life and mission of the Church—even our own?

Does it unsettle any assumptions about God, neighbor, or self?

Is the choice of the shepherd meant to be subversive or is he drawing on familiar pastoral imagery?

Am I the one looking or the one being found?

Whatever else, we see here the will of the Father, who restores the endangered and the lost, and maybe also the Son, who embodies the shepherding care of God as he announces a kingdom worth seeking. And in the end, the shepherd rejoices in finding what was lost.

May we learn to rejoice with the Father in finding and in being found.

In Christ,

—Kyle