10 “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. 11 For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. 12 “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? 13 And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Jesus continued the analogy of the believer as a little child here (18:10-14).
18:10
“Take heed that you do not despise [literally—to think down on] one of these little ones,
It is important not to devalue even one believer. “Despise” means to distain. The “little ones” by analogy are people who place their faith in Christ (v.6). The small child Jesus held in His arms was an illustration of God’s children.
for I say to you [emphatic] that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.
Angels living in heaven look after believers and watch to see how the Father views His followers. They await the Father’s direction in serving believers. This passage does not refer to guardian angels for individuals, because the pronoun “their” is collective—believers are served by angels in a general sense.
18:11
For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.
This verse is not found in some manuscripts. It is found in the majority of manuscripts.
Note that “seek” is missing here but is found in Luke 19:10. It is clear from this verse that Jesus referred to conversion in this passage and not to actual small children.
18:12
“What do you think? [the Greek assumes a positive answer.] If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?
Verses 12 and 13 show the importance of the individual. The parable of the shepherd searching for one sheep illustrates this.
Leaving the 99 does not imply that the shepherd left them unprotected.
18:13
And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.
The shepherd places great value on one sheep. The shepherd does not hesitate to focus on one as over against the many. There is no doubt that 99 sheep are of more value than one sheep, but that does not negate the value of one sheep.
18:14
Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
We cannot despise what God values. Jesus values each believer individually and personally. It is God’s will that we do the same.
PRINCIPLE:
God places value on each and every believer.
APPLICATION:
Since Jesus paid the ultimate price of His own blood for sins of believers, we should place great value on each believer. No believer is inconsequential or unimportant in God’s eyes. Each individual counts.
He 13:20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant . . .
