Gospel in Art: The one lost sheep gives him more joy

Jesus and the Lamb, by Katherine Brown, 1982. Pencil on paper © Katherine Brown, all rights reserved

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 6 December 2022
Matthew 18:12-14

Jesus said to his disciples: 'Tell me. Suppose a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays; will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go in search of the stray? I tell you solemnly, if he finds it, it gives him more joy than do the ninety-nine that did not stray at all. Similarly, it is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.'

Reflection on the pencil drawing

In the parable of the lost sheep Jesus is giving us a beautiful image of God: a shepherd who will go and recover the lost sheep. What a comforting thought that God is always seeking out those who have grown distant from him and from his community of believers. Jesus coming into our world is the fullest revelation of this: he came into the world to save humanity and bring us closer to his Father again.

When we read this together with the image that is given to us in our First Reading today of Isaiah 40:1-11, we are given a very tender image of God. In Isaiah today we read:

He is like a shepherd feeding his flock,

gathering lambs in his arms,

holding them against his breast

It is a very warm and gentle image of God. God loves us so much that he is holding us close to his chest. What beautiful words. Our drawing by American artist Katherine Brown conveys beautifully this tenderness of God in one simple image: firstly by Him looking for any lost sheep as per the Gospel reading, and secondly by then holding that found sheep against his breast, as per Isaiah.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/

Today's reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-18-12-14-2022/