Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 18:13

"And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth over it more than over the ninety and nine which have not gone astray." — Matthew 18:13 (ASV)

Jesus now gives another reason not to despise these “little ones”: the shepherd—the Father—is concerned for each sheep in his flock and seeks the one who strays. His concern for the one wandering sheep is so great that he rejoices more over its restoration than over the ninety-nine that do not stray. With a God like that, how dare anyone cause even one of these sheep to go astray?