Matthew 18:12-14
What is written? (ESV)
What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
What does it say?
What do you think? If someone has 100 sheep and one goes astray, does he not leave the 99 in search of the one? And if he finds it, does he not rejoice over the 1 more than the 99 that never left? So it is the will of My Father in heaven that not one of these little ones should perish.
What is its immediate context?
The disciples have approached Jesus asking about who will be the greatest in the kingdom (vs 1). Jesus responds by illustrating the preciousness and innocence of one believing soul (vss 2-5) and the seriousness and very real threat of temptation (vss 6-9), before coming back to His example of a little child (vs 10) and another illustration using sheep.
How Matthew 18:12-14 is applied across Bible answers
For whom did Christ die?
Jesus states that it's God's will that not a single person should perish, with an illustration of a sheepfold and the fact that "one of them has gone astray".
Based on what precedes, it's clear that Jesus is warning His disciples of the reality and danger of those who might tempt and thwart the faith of more vulnerable believers.
