Jesus Tells about a Lost Sheep

Luke 15:1-7

Jesus was friends with Matthew and others that were tax collectors. And Jesus was friends with others that had done bad things. Jesus loved them and forgave them for the bad things they had done. Jesus wanted them to learn about God and do things that God said to do.

Some did not like that Jesus was friends with people that had done bad things. Some thought Jesus should only care about the people who already did the things that God said.

But Jesus wanted the people to know that God cared about everyone. So Jesus told them a story to teach them. He told about a shepherd and his sheep.

A group of sheep is called a flock. This shepherd had 100 sheep in his flock. That’s a lot of sheep!

The shepherd kept his sheep safe, and helped them find grass to eat and water to drink. Every night, he gathered them into a safe place where they could sleep. Every day, the shepherd counted his sheep to make sure all 100 were there.

Image courtesy of Bible Story Cards (www.biblestorycards.co.uk).

One day when the shepherd counted his sheep, he only counted 99. He might have counted again to make sure he hadn’t made a mistake. But he still only counted 99 sheep. One sheep was missing! The shepherd knew he had to look for the lost sheep right away.

Image courtesy of Bible Story Cards (www.biblestorycards.co.uk).

The shepherd began looking for his lost sheep. He walked and walked. The shepherd came to a large rock. Was the lost sheep behind it? The shepherd looked behind the rock. No, the lost sheep was not there.

The shepherd walked and walked. Then the shepherd came to some bushes. Was the lost sheep behind those bushes? The shepherd looked behind the bushes. Yes! There was the lost sheep! The shepherd had found the lost sheep!

"Ninety and Nine or The Lost Sheep," postcard, 1878.

The shepherd was very happy. He picked up the sheep and carried it home. Then he called all of his friends and neighbors. “Be happy with me! I found my lost sheep.”

"The Parable of the Lost Sheep" by Domenico Fetti (c. 1589 - 1623), circa 1619.

When Jesus finished the story, He told the people that God loved them just like the shepherd loved his sheep. God loved them and cared for them.

Jesus watches over us and keeps us safe, just like the shepherd watched over his sheep. Jesus cares if we’re lost.

"The Good Shepherd (Le bon pasteur)" by James Tissot (1836 - 1902), 1886.

Bible Paraphrase: Nothing is impossible with God. (For no word from God will ever fail. – Luke 1:37 NIV)

Text Truth: Jesus cares if we are lost.

Activities You Can Do at Home

Seek and Find

You’ll Need: a favorite book (a special seek-and-find book may be fun for this activity)

• Play “I Spy” Using the book. Find an object on the page and say, “I spy a ...” 
• Let your Child find and point to the object.
• Celebrate when your child finds the object.
• Remind your child that Jesus cares if we are lost, and Jesus will always look for us.

Play Hide and Seek

• Have your child be the lost sheep and hide somewhere in the room. While hiding, the “lost sheep” should say, “Baa, baa, baa.”
• As you look around the room, say, “I’m so sad. I love my little sheep and miss him very much.” 
• When you find your child, give him a big hug. Say, “I’m so glad I found you, little sheep. I love You very much.” 
• Remind your child that Jesus cares if we are lost.

Bedtime / Nap Time

• At bedtime or nap time, reassure your child about God’s protection. 
• As you give a good-night hug, whisper, “Jesus cares if we are lost. He will watch over you.” 

Draw and Act Out the Bible Story

You’ll Need: Bible, paper, crayons or washable markers, basket (optional)

• Help your child draw pictures of the Bible story.
• As you work, tell a story about when you or someone in your family was lost.
• Open the Bible to Luke 15. Ask your child to tell the Bible story and use their drawings to illustrate the events. As they tell the story, fill in the parts of the story that they forget.
• If the rest of the family is present, act out the Bible story. Have one family member be the lost sheep, one be the shepherd, and the rest of the family be the other sheep.
• Build a sheep pen using pillows or large blocks. Tissue boxes and unopened paper towel rolls could also work.
• Thank Jesus for caring if we are lost. 
• Say with your child the Bible paraphrase, “Nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37)

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Some story illustrations are the copyright of Sweet Publishing and licensed by FreeBibleimages (http://freebibleimages.org) for free download under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike 3.0 unported licence. 

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