The significance is that the shepherd leaves the ninety-nine in the wilderness to go after the one lost sheep until he finds it—not because ninety-nine are safely in a fold.
Les Feldick corrects the popular misconception that the ninety-nine are safe in a sheepfold by pointing to the wording of Luke 15:4: the man leaves the ninety and nine 'in the wilderness.' The lost sheep is helpless and cannot survive without the shepherd, which shows why the shepherd must go and seek it.
Luke 15:4 — This verse directly sets the scene for the parable: the shepherd leaves the ninety and nine in the wilderness and goes after the one lost sheep until he finds it.
The Bible records the parable in Luke 15:3-4: 'What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?' The plain wording places all one hundred sheep in the wilderness: the man leaves the ninety and nine there and goes after the one that is lost. Scripture uses the same sheep-and-shepherd imagery elsewhere. In Matthew 10:6, Jesus tells the twelve, 'But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' Psalm 23:1 says, 'The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.' In John 10:1 and 10:9, Jesus speaks of the sheepfold and says, 'I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.' These passages show that Scripture uses sheep and shepherd language to describe God's people and His care.
Les Feldick begins with the common mental picture of the 'ninety and nine that safely lay in the shelter of the fold' and calls it a mistaken image, similar to Sunday school pictures of the ark. He directs readers to the actual wording of Luke 15:4: the man leaves the ninety and nine 'in the wilderness' and goes after the one that is lost until he finds it (Clip 0). Les explains that sheep are helpless in the wilderness—they have no means of self-defense, no 'smarts' to protect themselves, and are lost the moment they are turned loose. He applies this to Scripture's use of 'lost': mankind without salvation is lost, helpless, without direction, with no anchor, and under the rule of the old Adamic nature (Clips 1, 3). He also places the parable in the context of Israel. Jesus sent the twelve to 'the lost sheep of the house of Israel' (Matthew 10:6), and Les notes that in its original setting Psalm 23 concerns the Lord's dealings with His covenant nation Israel. In John 10, Jesus is the door into the sheepfold—there is only one way in, and no one has been shut out from God's plan of salvation (Clips 2, 6, 7).
Les Feldick points out that the song 'The Ninety and Nine' pictures the ninety-nine safely 'in the shelter of the fold,' and that many people carry this Sunday school image in their minds. But the parable itself says the shepherd leaves the ninety and nine 'in the wilderness' and goes after the one that is lost until he finds it (Luke 15:4; Clip 0).
Les describes sheep as helpless in the wilderness—they have no means of self-defense, no way to feed or protect themselves, and cannot last long without the shepherd. He applies this to all mankind without salvation: they are lost, without direction, without an anchor, and under the rule of the old Adamic nature (Clips 1, 3).
In Matthew 10:6, Jesus sends the twelve to 'the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' Les says Jesus used the sheep-and-shepherd analogy throughout His earthly ministry, and that even Psalm 23—while still usable for believers—originally concerned the Lord's dealings with His covenant nation Israel (Clip 2).
Les explains that in John 10, Jesus is the door of the sheepfold. Anyone entering by Him is saved, while those who try to climb in another way are thieves and robbers. The point is that God's plan of salvation has not shut anyone out, but there is only one way in (Clips 6, 7).
The Wilderness Setting
Les corrects the common Sunday school and song image of the ninety-nine safely in the fold, showing that Luke 15:4 says the shepherd leaves them in the wilderness to search for the lost one.
Sheep Need the Shepherd
Les explains that sheep cannot survive in the wilderness without a shepherd because they have no self-defense and no 'smarts'; they are lost and helpless.
The Lost Sheep of Israel
Les connects Jesus' sheep imagery to Israel, quoting Matthew 10:6 and noting Psalm 23's original context as the Lord's dealings with His covenant nation.
The Lost Condition of Mankind
Les applies the lost sheep to mankind without salvation: lost, without direction, no anchor, and ruled by the old Adamic nature.
Christ's Return to the Mount of Olives. Zechariah 14 Explained.
These people who respond to the message of these 144,000 young Jews become believers, they minister to their physical need. But now look what happened to those who didn't care. The goats. Verse 41, "...then shall He say unto them on the left, Depart from Me, ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels for..." Now He goes through that same set of words. "...
The Mark of the Beast & the Unholy Trinity Explained
You're also going to have a few who are still lost, who rejected it, and they've survived. So Jesus brings them all before His throne room in Jerusalem. Matthew 25 says, "...and then shall the king..." See? All right. "...the king will now tell the sheep," who represent the believers, "...you're going to enter into the kingdom because when I was in prison you visited me.
The Door Into the Sheepfold
Les uses John 10 to show that Jesus is the door of the sheepfold; anyone who enters by Him is saved.
One Way In
Les says there is only one way into the sheepfold, and that God's plan of salvation has not shut anyone out.
Luke 15:4: What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
This is the key verse for the parable—the ninety-nine are left in the wilderness, not in a sheltered fold.
Matthew 10:6: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Jesus used 'lost sheep' to describe the people of Israel, connecting the parable to God's covenant nation.
Psalm 23:1: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Les notes that in its original setting this verse concerned the Lord's dealings with His covenant nation Israel.
John 10:1: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
Jesus uses the sheepfold to teach that there is only one legitimate way into the flock.
John 10:9: I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
Jesus identifies Himself as the door of the sheepfold, showing that salvation comes through Him alone.
No, according to the parable's wording and Les Feldick's teaching. Luke 15:4 says the shepherd leaves the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and Les calls the picture of them safely 'in the shelter of the fold' a mistaken image from the song 'The Ninety and Nine' (Clip 0).
Les explains that a sheep in the wilderness is completely helpless—it has no means of self-defense, no instinct to survive, and cannot last long without the shepherd. He applies this to mankind without salvation: lost, helpless, without direction, and under the rule of the old Adamic nature (Clips 1, 3).
In the available clips, Les emphasizes the biblical context where Israel is called the sheep of God's pasture. Jesus sent the twelve to 'the lost sheep of the house of Israel' (Matthew 10:6), though Les also applies the lost-sheep condition to all mankind without salvation (Clips 2, 3).
In John 10, Jesus says He is the door of the sheepfold, and only those who enter by Him are saved. Les emphasizes that there is only one way in and that no one is shut out from God's plan of salvation (Clips 6, 7).
Watch the Teaching: What the Bible Really Says About the Prodigal Son