Lost sheep

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Early Christian representation of the Good Shepherd from the catacomb of Domitilla / Domatilla (crypt of Lucina, 200-300 AD)

The parable of the lost sheep is a parable of Jesus that can be found both in the Gospel according to Luke ( Luke 15.4–7  EU ) and in the Gospel according to Matthew ( Matthew 18.12-13  EU ) and thus probably comes from the Logia source . In it, Jesus describes a shepherd's endeavor to find a lost sheep and his joy when he found it again.

context

In Luke the parable is in the context of two other parables, which also deal with the motif of the lost ( lost penny , lost son ), with the parables of the lost sheep and the lost penny in particular showing strong parallels. As a framework story, Luke describes the scene that the Pharisees and scribes are offended by the fact that Jesus has fellowship with tax collectors (who are generally regarded as cheaters and collaborators with the Roman occupying power ) and other sinners and eats with them. Then Jesus tells them the three parables.

With Matthew the context is completely different: Several words of Jesus precede them, which are about not to despise “the little ones” or “the children”. So here the interpretation following the parable is related to “the little ones”. The Matthew context is mostly seen as secondary.

The parable

In the parable, Jesus tells of a shepherd who has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. He leaves the other 99 sheep and goes in search of the one lost. When he finds it, he invites his friends and neighbors to rejoice with him.

The final sentence, which is supposed to express the doctrine or consequence of the text and which is probably an editorial addition of the respective authors of the Gospels, is different in the two canonically handed down versions: While Luke emphasizes the joy over the repentance of the sinner, which is greater as those over ninety-nine righteous who need not repent, Matthew explains the parable as an expression of Heavenly Father's will that not a single “little one” should perish.

"Lost" sheep

There is also a difference in the verb that describes the departure of the sheep: While Matthew uses the passive form of the Greek verb πλανάω ("to go astray, to get lost"), Luke uses the verb ἀπολλυμι ("to perish, to get lost") as in his parallel parables. to lose"). Unlike Luke, Matthew does not speak of the "lost sheep" in the narrative part of the parable, but rather of the "lost sheep". The Gospel of Thomas also quotes the Logion with this expression. In his final conclusion, however, Matthew also uses the verb ἀπολλυμι for “to get lost”.

interpretation

Representation of the Good Shepherd

The parable contains several motifs that have been given different weight in the course of the history of interpretation:

  • The good shepherd , who cares for every single sheep, is a motif that was already known to the listeners of Jesus from Psalm 23 . In an allegorical interpretation of the parable, the listeners of that time could immediately identify the good shepherd with God. The Evangelist John takes up this motif in a different context and identifies Jesus himself with the Good Shepherd.
  • The motive of repentance is not as strongly contained in this parable as in the parable of the prodigal son, since the sheep are less able to initiate themselves. Nevertheless, this parable is also often interpreted as a call to conversion, which is also due to the fact that the version of Luke expressly refers to this interpretation in its final conclusion.
  • The motive of searching and finding is emphasized by some interpreters in order to make it clear that the activity does not proceed from what is sought, but from God. This interpretation was particularly favorable to the Reformation interpreters, for whom it was important that it was not man but God who was the doer in justification and redemption . This passivity of what is sought becomes even clearer in the following parallel parable of the lost penny, which can contribute even less to being found than the sheep.
  • The ability of the bystanders to be happy is emphasized by more recent interpreters, especially in the context of Luke, as a decisive motive: The Pharisees - or transferred to the early church: the faithful among the followers - should not look negatively at the "lost", but should rejoice when they do these are "found again". According to Wolfgang Wiefel, however, this is not about denying the Pharisees , who, so to speak, correspond to the 99 sheep left behind, their justice, as some earlier interpretations did.

Gospel of Thomas

A third version of the parable exists in the Gospel of Thomas (Logion 107). The parable is very short here and is neither embedded in a framework plot nor narrative designed or interpreted. The text consists of parallels to the most important core sentences of the synoptic versions. In contrast to the canonical gospels, however, the recovered sheep is represented as the "largest" (most valuable) and most beloved. The Gospel of Thomas does not speak of the “lost” but of the “lost sheep”, which is why this expression is seen as the more original. It is also noticeable that only the text version of the Gospel of Thomas expressly speaks of a “shepherd”, while the Synoptics only speak of an unspecified “man”.

All of this suggests that, in spite of the entries in the Gospel of Thomas , a very authentic version of the Logion has been preserved.

reception

Representation from 1750 from Lower Bavaria, Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nürnberg

The image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, who carries the lost sheep on his shoulders or in his arms, was a popular motif, especially in the 19th century, which can still be found today as an altarpiece in numerous churches. This motif was also very popular in children's Bibles and other religious literature for children.

literature

Web links

Commons : Lost Sheep  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Wolfgang Wiefel: The Gospel according to Luke. Berlin 1988, p. 282
  2. ↑ So with Wolfgang Trilling, Helmut Merklein and Hans Weder; based on Wolfgang Wiefel: The Gospel according to Luke. Berlin 1988, p. 282
  3. ↑ Verb forms and word meanings according to Fritz Rienecker: Linguistic key to the Greek New Testament. Giessen 1970, p. 48; 169
  4. ↑ a b Wolfgang Wiefel: The Gospel according to Luke. Berlin 1988, p. 283
  5. ↑ John 10: 11-16  EU
  6. ↑ Hans Klein: The Gospel of Luke. Göttingen 2006, p. 519
  7. ↑ Gerd Theißen's sermon on all three parables
  8. ↑ Hans Klein: The Gospel of Luke. Göttingen 2006, p. 520.