Article November 22, 1982 ISSUE

About lost sheep

GLORIA ELAINE MARLATT

A few years ago, the Thanksgiving Bible Lesson in the Christian Science Quarterly contained Jesus' parable of the one lost sheep. The parable relates the story of the man who leaves the ninety and nine sheep to go after the one lost sheep. When he finds the lost one, he places it on his shoulder "rejoicing" and carries it home. See Luke 15:3-7.

The parable rankled me. I knew a "lost sheep"—one who had strayed. There was no desire on my part to go after it, place it on my shoulders (certainly not with rejoicing!), and bring it home. All week, each time I read the parable it disturbed me. I realized I needed to pray in order to comprehend Christ Jesus' meaning.

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