But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The lost sheep of the house of Israel are those who need the shepherd of Matthew 9:36 — the harassed and helpless who are like sheep without a shepherd. The kingdom first reaches those to whom the covenant promises were made. Matthew 15:24 records Jesus applying the same phrase to himself: I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel — the initial mission is circumscribed before it expands. The lost sheep image connects to the Parable of the Lost Sheep in Luke 15:3–7, where God's own passion for the lost becomes the theological basis for the disciples' mission.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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