“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?”
Following the logic of the world, the passage above just doesn’t make sense. It defies human logic and “common good.” Why would the shepherd sacrifice the 99 good ones for the sake of one who probably did not want to be found?
It might sound illogical for the shepherd to leave the 99 to look for the single lost one and not thinking of the “common good” until YOU are that one lost that needs to be found!
In Matthew’s version of this parable, the word used to describe the sheep that was lost is “stray”, meaning separated, having wandered. It might have willingly or unwillingly left the flock. But, it doesn’t matter — the shepherd will continue to search for the missing one, making sure it will be back to the fold. And, the joy of having found the lost one is beyond words!
If you are one of the 99 who stayed, will you share the joy of the Good Shepherd? Or, are we going to be bothered and feel inconvenienced by having the Good Shepherd leave the good ones for a bit to look for the rebellious one? The hope is that the 99 would have understood because they have been found as well at some point of their lives. Let’s all share the Shepherd’s joy! – Fr. Cary