12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish. (Matthew 18:12-14)
Here it says that a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them is lost. When he finds it, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that were not lost. It is not the will of the heavenly Father that one of these little ones should perish. Who are the little ones here?
See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. (Matthew 18:10)
Here it talks about their angels, that is, their guardian angels. Every Christian has a guardian angel. Who do the little ones refer to? It refers to Christians. They are the Lord’s sheep, but later they are lost. The shepherd does not want any sheep to be lost, and the Father in heaven does not want any of his little ones to be lost, so he wants to find them back.
From the context of the parallel passages in Luke, we know that the lost sheep refer to the tax collectors and sinners.
For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (1 Peter 2:25)
Here it says that we were like sheep going astray before we believed in the Lord. Each of us went his own way. We were all lost sheep, and we did not have the Lord Jesus as our shepherd in our lives.
I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. (Luke 15:7)
Here it says that when a sinner repents and is baptized and becomes a Christian. Heaven will rejoice over him, the heavenly Father will rejoice over him, and the angels in heaven will rejoice over him. The Father loves everyone, and everyone is precious in his eyes. He hopes that everyone will repent and turn to him.
May God bless you and your family! 🙏😊
