Jesus often told people stories to teach them about God. One day, he told his friends this story of a little sheep that got lost.
Once there was a shepherd. He had a flock of one hundred fine sheep. He looked after them and kept them safe from wild animals.
One night, the shepherd was taking his sheep home. He counted them as they went through the gate. One, two, three…nighty-eight, ninety-nine…
One of the sheep was missing! Where had it gone? The shepherd was very worried. He set off to look for the little, lost sheep.
The shepherd looked everywhere but he could not find his sheep. Soon, it began to get dark. It was difficult for the shepherd to see anything.
Just then, the shepherd heard a sound. Bea! Bea! It was the sheep bleating. It had got tangled up in a nearby thorn bush.
The shepherd was so happy to see his sheep, he carried it all the way home. Then, he had a party to celebrate finding his lost sheep.
Jesus told people that the shepherd in the story was like God. God loves and looks after everyone. Everyone is special to God.