What is the difference between the one lost sheep and the ninety-nine in the parable?
The one lost sheep knew he was lost and in trouble, so the shepherd concerned himself with it. The ninety-nine also were lost, wandering without a shepherd in the wilderness, but they did not know it. That awareness, not merely lostness, marks the difference.
Les teaches that in the Luke 15 parable the shepherd singles out the one sheep because that little fellow knew he was lost. The ninety and nine, by contrast, went roaming in the desert and wilderness without a shepherd. Sheep without a shepherd are lost, but the critical difference is that they don’t know it. The one lamb knew he was in trouble, while the rest wandered lost and never knew it. Les connects this to what it means to be separated: God lost the human race.
More Questions
Why has the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15 often been confused?
A song writer is partly to blame for the total confusion surrounding the Luke 15 parable of the lost sheep.