NIV (New International Version): What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?

NLT (New Living Translation): If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?

Berean Literal Bible: What do you? think? If unto any man there should be a hundred sheep, and one of them should go astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and, having gone, seek the one going astray?

Remember that this entire discourse of Matthew 18 started with who is "greatest".
Would a "sheep" become a "bird" or "eye" or "leader" by deception to become "greatest" to "entrap" or attract "fish" or "feet" or "many" with their "opinion" or "candle" to a "city" (that cannot be "hid") on a "mountain" ?

To get started, one needs to create the deceptions or "entrapments" as opinions or "candles" or "definition". The Greek word for "definition" and "mountain" is the same word.

What do you think? What is your opinion? Would an opinion by Jesus carry any weight?

The word for "think" is that of "opinion" and is a play on words with the "beam" as an "expectation" in Matthew 7.

More: Matthew 24:15-20 Delimiting the boundary of the region of a mountain

More: Matthew 7:3-5 Beams and motes: the devil is in the details

• "πλανηθῇ" ≈ "go astray".
• "πραθῆναι" ≈ "to be sold".
• "πλάνη" ≈ "wander, roam" and "ναι" ≈ "yes"

In the parable of the unforgiving servant, at the end of this chapter, the lord commands to "sell" the "woman", "children", etc. Might this have been what that "servant" was doing to others? Might this be a "sheep" that was thus "sold"? Perhaps this was a deceptive "wander", "yes", the "millstone" not being noticed by the one "sold".

In Greek the "L" and "R" sounds were more similar than in English.

More: Matthew 18:23-35 Parable of the unforgiving servant

More: Similarity of the R and L sounds

The ancient Greek words "ἐνενήκοντα" ≈ "ninety" and "ἐννέα" ≈ "nine". The Greek letter Qoppa disappeared, except as a number, as the Greeks already had the Kappa with the same sound.
The modern Greek words "ενενήντα" (eh-neh-NEE-da) ≈ "ninety" and "εννιά" (ehn-nee-A) ≈ "nine". The Latin word "novem" ≈ "nine".

• "ἐννέα" ≈ "nine".
• "ἑν" ≈ "one" (neuter grammatical gender)
• "νέα" ≈ "new, fresh" (feminine singular, neuter plural)

Who might be the "one" "new/fresh"?

• "ἐνενήκοντα" ≈ "ninety".
• "ἑν" ≈ "one" (neuter grammatical gender).
• "η" ≈ "or".
• "κοντᾰ́" ≈ "short" (neuter plural).

Who might be the "one" "one"? How about the "child" and "Jesus" together in the "middle"?

What about the "or" "short"?

• "ἐνενήκοντα" ≈ "ninety".
• "ἑν" ≈ "one" (neuter grammatical gender).
• "η" ≈ "or".
• "κοντᾰ́" ≈ "short" (neuter plural).

The ancient Greek word "κοντός" ≈ "short" and comes from the sense of a "pole" as in a "spear", being "short". A synonym is "βραχύς" ≈ "short, brief, few".

The modern Greek word "κοντός" (ko-DOS) ≈ "short (height)" .

• "δορυφόρος" ≈ "carrying a (long) spear".
• "κοντοφόρος" ≈ "carrying a (short) spear".

As a code word, or as part of a word in a play on words, the Greek word "κοντά" ≈ "short" appears to mean a form of fixed-point as in reflexively collected together.
Who might be the "one" "one" combined together (reflexive fixed point) with "one" "new"? If there are "two" (who agree), the "child" and Jesus, is the use of plural valid even if there is only one "child" involved?

Changing the translation of both words tends to obscure the connection. Here are two choices using the Greek word for "on".

☐ "accept" or "believe" "on" my "name".
☐ Go "astray", starting "on" the "mountains" or "definitions", and separating (oneself).

The "sheep" are "on" the "mountains" or "definitions".

Which is harder?

• Getting someone onto the correct physical "mountain" or "mountains".
• Getting someone onto the correct abstract "definition" or "definitions".

Why might Jesus have used the plural for "mountains" rather than singular?

The ancient Greek word "ἀφίημι" ≈ "send away, let pass" as in "forgive". The exact form of the Greek word «αφησει» is used three times in the GNT (Greek New Testament), all by Jesus, in the sheep gone astray verse and the following verse pair. Note: The chart does not show the Greek manuscript using the word the third time [programming issue to be resolved].

• One "sheep" wanders (or is enticed or deceived) away. Does it want to become a "bird" and attract other "fish" as "sheep" or "pigs"?
• What might a "mountain" represent?
• Are the numbers "100" and "99" and "1" important in any way?

• Are the numbers "100" and "99" and "1" important in any way?
• Does it make a difference if the "sheep" are split, say, "80" and "20"?
• Do the (multiple) "sheep" that stray need to go "on" the "mountains"?

The next verses (omitted) address church conflict resolution.

• Those verses are written as "many" and "1".
• Does it make a difference if the "church" is split, say, "60" and "40"?



More: Matthew 18:15-17 Conflicting and faulty resolutions

The ancient Greek word "μᾶλλον" ≈ "rather" as in "rather than". In a comparison, in context, it could be "rather more". The modern Greek word "μάλλον" (MAL-lon) ≈ "rather, more precisely".

That is, there is no need to "rejoice" over sheep who have not left and had no need to return. "Rather", the rejoicing is over the sheep that left and then returned. In that restrictive sense it is "more".

To emphasize or over-emphasize the "more" is common in ARMS (Attractive Refrigerator Magnet Sermons).

More: Attractive refrigerator magnet sermons

The "sheep" had "come into being". The "one" that was lost "came into being" again. This is the word used in John as "born" "again" or "born" "from above".

More: John 3:1-17 Born from the beginnings

The KJV translates as "of" the Greek word that means "before" or "in front of". The ancient Greek word "ἔμπροσθεν" ≈ "before, in front" and, in the case of time, "earlier"

From Matthew 5:16, one is to let the light of Jesus shine (as good works) before men (but not so that they see you).

Does Jesus use the words "little ones" to refer to believers (of all ages)?

Might "the little ones" be those who have "separated" themselves in some way? They could have been "separated" from the beginning.

• How might the "little ones" who are "separated" perish"?
• Have these "little ones" separated themselves from the love of Christ?

The "one" of the "little ones" or "sheep" includes many, perhaps you!

To be "greater" one needs to be a "leader" and attract "followers" to "influence" other "sheep", "fish", etc.

Luke decides that this is a "parable".

More: Parables and secret codes used and explained by Jesus

Luke decides that the "man" "loses" the "sheep" instead of the "sheep" "losing" the "man" by going "astray".

Luke uses the word for "leave" and not the word for "let go" or "forgive" as recorded by Matthew.

Matthew does not mention the "wilderness".

Matthew says nothing about "shoulders" or bring the sheep back.

Matthew says nothing about "neighbors" or "friends" or even telling anyone about "finding" the "lost" "sheep".

The ideas in this verse appear to have been back-patched into Matthew.

In Matthew, which "shepherds" might have caused "sheep" to "go astray"? Did they use the "millstone" deception around the "neck"?

The Greek word for "hill", in modern times, has become the word for "mountain". It appears this was, in part, to avoid the same word meaning both "mountain" and "definition". The modern word, that used to mean "mountain" or "definition", today means mainly "definition".

[how to deal with conflict within the body]