Luke 15:4

an hundred sheep And yet out of this large flock the good shepherd grieves for onewhich strays. There is an Arab saying that God has divided pity into a hundred parts, and kept ninety-nine for Himself.

in the wilderness i.e. the Midbar, or pastures; see Luke 2:8. The sheep are left of course under minor shepherds, not uncared for. Some see in the Lost Sheep the whole human race, and in the ninety-nine the Angels: as though mankind were but a hundredth part of God's flock.

until he find it Strange that utterances so gracious as this should be utterly passed over, when so many darker details are rigidly pressed!