Thematic Bible: Losing and things lost


Thematic Bible



Hear the word of Yahweh, nations, and declare in the coastlands from afar, and say, "The scatterer of Israel will gather him, and he will keep him as a shepherd his flock. Verse ConceptsGod, As Shepherddispersion, theIslandsPeople Of God, In OtShepherds, As Kings And LeadersShepherds, As OccupationsChrist And His SheepGathering Israel

" 'For thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Look! I, even I, will seek my flock, and I will look after them, [just] like [the] caring of a shepherd [for] his herd on the day when he is in the midst of his scattered flock. Thus I will look after my flock, and I will deliver them from all the places {to which they were scattered} on [the] day {of storm and stress}. And I will bring them out from the peoples, and I will gather them from the countries, and I will bring them to their soil, and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys, and in all of the settlements of the land. read more.
I will feed them in good pasture, and their pasture will be on the mountains of the heights of Israel; there they will lie down in good pasture, and [on] lush pasture they will feed on the mountains of Israel. {I myself} will feed my flock and {I myself} will allow them to lie down," {declares} the Lord Yahweh. "I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the scattered, and I will bind [up] the one hurt, and I will strengthen the sick; and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed her with justice."

What do you think? If {a certain man has} a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go [and] look for the one that wandered away? And if he happens to find it, truly I say to you that he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that did not wander away. In the [same] way it is not the will {of} your Father [who is] in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

So he told them this parable, saying, "What man of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the grassland and go after the one that was lost until he finds it? And [when he] has found [it], he places [it] on his shoulders, rejoicing. read more.
And [when he] returns to [his] home, he calls together [his] friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost!' I tell you that in the [same] way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance. Or what woman who has ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds [it]? And [when she] has found [it], she calls together [her] friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, because I have found the drachma that I had lost!' In the [same] way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." And he said, "A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to [his] father, 'Father, give me the share of the property that is coming to [me].' So he divided [his] assets between them. And after not many days, the younger son gathered everything [and] went on a journey to a distant country, and there he squandered his wealth [by] living wastefully. And [after] he had spent everything, there was a severe famine throughout that country, and he began to be in need. And he went [and] hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to tend pigs. And he was longing to fill his stomach with the carob pods that the pigs were eating, and no one was giving [anything] to him. "But [when he] came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired workers have an abundance {of food}, and I am dying here from hunger! I will set out [and] go to my father and will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and {in your sight}! I am no longer worthy to be called your son! Make me like one of your hired workers.' And he set out [and] came to his own father. But [while] he was still a long way away, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran {and embraced him} and kissed him. And [his] son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and {in your sight}! I am no longer worthy to be called your son!' But [his] father said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put [it] on him, and put a ring on his finger and sandals on [his] feet! And bring the fattened calf--kill [it] and let us eat [and] celebrate, because this son of mine was dead, and is alive again! He was lost and is found!' And they began to celebrate. "Now his older son was in the field, and when he came [and] approached the house, he heard music and dancing. And he summoned one of the slaves [and] asked what these [things] meant. And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has gotten him back healthy.' But he became angry and did not want to go in. So his father came out [and] began to implore him. But he answered [and] said to his father, 'Behold, so many years I have served you, and have never disobeyed your command! And you never gave me a young goat so that I could celebrate with my friends! But when this son of yours returned--who has consumed your assets with prostitutes--you killed the fattened calf for him!' But he said to him, 'Child, you are always with me, and {everything I have belongs to you}. But it was necessary to celebrate and to rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead, and is alive, and was lost, and is found!'"

And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save those who are lost."


Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of me will find it.

saying, "It is necessary [for] the Son of Man to suffer many [things] and to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and to be killed, and to be raised on the third day. And he said to [them] all, "If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of me, this person will save it. read more.
For what is a person benefited [if he] gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself?

And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. The one who finds his life will lose it, and the one who loses his life because of me will find it.

And he began to teach them that it was necessary [for] the Son of Man to suffer many [things] and to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be killed, and after three days to rise. And he was speaking openly [about] the subject, and Peter took him aside [and] began to rebuke him. But turning around and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan, because you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but the things of people!" read more.
And summoning the crowd together with his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of me and of the gospel will save it. For what does it benefit a person to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?


But if indeed our gospel is veiled, it is veiled among those who are perishing, among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that they would not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Jesus said these [things], and lifting up his eyes to heaven he said, "Father, the hour has come! Glorify your Son, in order that your Son may glorify you-- just as you have given him authority over all flesh, in order that he would give eternal life to them--everyone whom you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. read more.
I have glorified you on earth [by] completing the work that you have given me {to do}. And now, Father, you glorify me {at your side} with the glory that I had {at your side} before the world existed. "I have revealed your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours, and you have given them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they understand that all [the things] that you have given me are from you, because the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they received [them] and know truly that I have come from you, and they have believed that you have sent me. I am asking on behalf of them. I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you have given me, because they are yours, and all my [things] are yours, and your [things] [are] mine, and I have been glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, and they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given to me, so that they may be one, just as we [are]. When I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given to me, and guarded [them], and none of them has perished except the son of destruction, in order that the scripture would be fulfilled.