JESUS is continuing his teaching on the treatment of his little ones. Again we need to remember that by little ones, he is not simply speaking of little children but all true believers with a childlike walk with God. It is wonderful to see the priority of our heavenly Father. On earth we tend to make roll models of the prominent members of the church, and the ones who seem to have great prominence and gifts and position. Here Jesus tells us that the ones who are important to God are the ones generally speaking hardly noticed in the church and those who are often despised and sidelined.

In verse 10 we have the offending of these little ones made more explicit, for here this offending or causing to sin is described by Jesus as despising. There are various ways which we can despise a person and so harm their spiritual lives. We can look down on their apparent standard of knowledge, and by word or attitude suggest that they have hardly begun or even haven't begun at all in the Christian life. We can despise a person by so presenting all we are doing in the church and by so doing suggesting to these little ones that they are doing nothing for Jesus. There are all sorts of subtle ways we can diminish people, make them feel small and inadequate.

The verses before us tell us how much these little ones are thought of and cared for in heaven, and by God.

In the first place Jesus speaks of the angels as specially noticing and caring for these little ones, these humble despised childlike believers, and bringing them to the notice of God. Here is a caring for humble believers so that they are not harmed or lost or hurt. The purpose of this ministry would appear to be that it is the business of angels as messengers of God to keep God's people safe in this life.

The ministry of angels is a subject which is not easily understood and appreciated, for the bible does not give any definitive teaching; rather we have to rely on occasions when we meet angels in the history of in the bible, or when there is passing reference to their ministry, as we have here. We speak of a guardian angel for each one of us. The suggestion here is that there are several angels caring for each of us who believe, and bringing our interests before God, who is our Father through faith in Christ. We can derive great comfort from this.

The parable Jesus tells here of the lost sheep is clearly speaking of true believers. It reminds us that even true believers can have times when they wander away from Christ, and find themselves in a spiritual desert. The implication of the whole passage, specially as far as we have gone so far, is that the despising and sinful attitudes of other believers or members within the church, have caused them to stumble and wander in this spiritual desert, where their faith has been eroded to the point where they are very vulnerable to attacks of the evil one, and to spiritual depression.

The love of Jesus for these 'lost sheep' is so great that he gives all his time and energy to look for them and bring them back into his care and love. The leaving of the ninety nine who have not run away simply speaks of the singleness of heart, and constant love of Jesus, to make sure none of his true believers are lost or left in spiritual danger.

The idea is that the shepherd will not give up on his lost sheep, but will go on looking until the lost sheep is found. The importance to Jesus of everyone of his believing people, even the least of them, is seen here firstly in the diligence of his search, and secondly in the joy that he knows when he finds his lost sheep.

The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is taught by Jesus here. In verse 10 we are told it is not the will of God that any of his little ones should perish or be lost.

These little ones, these childlike humble believers have been called by God into faith. God has begun a good work of salvation in them, and his will is that this good work will continue until his heavenly glory is reached. It is not God's will that those he has predestined to life should fall away and be lost. His will can't be broken. So according to his will even though, through the despising of others, humble Christians have seemingly lost their faith, God will never let them be lost. Whom God calls, he justifies. And those he justifies he also will glorify.