Gospel in Art: The Parable of the Lost Sheep

The Lost Sheep, Painting by Jorge Cocco, 2019 © Jorge Cocco, all rights reserved

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 5 November 2026
Luke 15:1-10

At that time: The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, 'This man receives sinners and eats with them.'

So he told them this parable: 'What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbours, saying to them, "Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost." Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

'Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbours, saying, "Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost." Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.'

Reflection on the painting

Most of us know the frustration of losing something precious, such a ring, a phone, a bag, car keys... We retrace our steps, look in the same place several times, and struggle to settle until we have found it. The effort we make says something about how much we value what is missing. In today's Gospel, Jesus tells two stories about that determination: a shepherd searches for a lost sheep, and a woman lights a lamp and sweeps her house to find a missing coin. Both searches end in a celebration. Their joy is too great to keep to themselves, so they call their friends and neighbours to share the news.

Jesus tells these parables because the Pharisees and scribes are complaining about the people he welcomes to his table. They see sinners whose company should be avoided; Jesus sees people worth seeking out and bringing home. Both the shepherd and the woman help us understand his patient, searching love. Even when we have wandered far from God, we remain precious to him. We are never lost.

Argentinian artist, Jorge Cocco, in 'The Lost Sheep' gives this searching love a striking visual form. The shepherd lies stretched across a rocky ledge, reaching down towards a sheep stranded below. Around them, the landscape breaks into angular shapes, with steep rock faces and a dark drop beneath the animal. Ochres, browns and muted greens give the scene a rugged stillness, while the pale clothing of the shepherd and the white sheep draw our attention to the rescue. Cocco's geometric forms make the terrain feel difficult to cross; the shepherd's outstretched body shows the effort he is making to reach this one vulnerable creature.

There is something deeply reassuring about that gesture. We can sometimes imagine that we must sort ourselves out completely before approaching God. Yet here the shepherd reaches into the very place where the sheep is stuck. Perhaps we recognise something of our own situation: a habit we struggle to change, a relationship we have damaged, or a distance from God that we hardly know how to explain. Today's Gospel encourages us to trust the love already reaching towards us. Being lost does not mean we have ceased to be loved!

LINKS

Christian Art: www.christian.art
Today's reading: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-15-1-10-2026/