In Luke 15: 4, Jesus talks about the 100 sheep, but his story focuses not on the 100, but rather on the one. In the story, one out of one hundred sheep is lost. The shepherd leaves the 99 remaining sheep to go look for the one:

“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? ”

The parable goes on to talk about finding the one missing sheep:

“And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’”

While this parable is told in regard to finding sinners and helping them, the parable can also be considered applicable to the hot topic of the day, equity.

In the current state of our world, not everyone is treated the same. There is those sheep that are treated differently or in a manner that separates them from the rest of the flock.

Many people are saying “All Live Matter” when they hear the phrase “Black Lives Matter.” They believe that all lives are equal and thus all lives do matter.

Nobody is disputing the fact that all lives are important and matter. However, not all lives are being in danger in the same way. In today’s society, the average black life is in more danger than the average white life. This danger is acknowledge through proven data. As such, the one life – the black life – is the one that needs a shepherd to help them get back to the flock. It is the one life, the black life, that we need to focus on, bring back, and then rejoice together.

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