Question 1

What does Matthew 18:12 mean and what is "the 99 and the 1"?

Accepted Answer

Matthew 18:12-14 records the Parable of the Lost Sheep as Jesus tells it to His disciples: "If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray." The parable is told here in the middle of Jesus's teaching about how the community of believers should care for "the little ones" (Matthew 18:6, 18:10, 18:14). The ninety-nine in Matthew represent believers who haven't wandered; the one is a believer who has — someone whose restoration matters so much to the Father that the search is worth the leaving. The composition of this piece renders the parable visually: ninety-nine sheep stay gathered in a soft grid above, while the shepherd has descended below to meet the one. The Greek verb Jesus uses for "leaves," aphíēmi, carries the sense of letting go in order to seek something more precious — a stunning detail in a parable where the more precious thing is the one who wandered.

Question 2

What is the difference between a framed fine art print and a canvas print?

Accepted Answer

A framed fine art print is archival giclée pigment ink on fine art paper, set behind an acrylic protective screen inside a handcrafted wood frame at 1-inch depth. The paper-and-glass surface gives a refined, fine-art presentation that suits a prayer corner, entryway, narrow hallway, nursery, bedside wall, gallery stack, or small wall above a writing desk. A canvas print is gallery-wrapped onto wood stretcher bars at 2-inch depth and feels more like a painting on the wall, with larger sizes that suit above-sofa or above-bed placements. Both pieces use the same artistic concept; the choice is about scale, finish, and where the piece will live. For the same 99-and-1 composition in canvas at the wider $150-$750 price tier, see Lost Sheep — The 99 & The 1 Canvas at https://christianmodern.shop/products/the-lost-sheep-canvas-art.

Question 3

Is The 99 & The 1 Lost Sheep — Vertical a good return-to-faith, recovery, or "praying for a prodigal" gift?

Accepted Answer

Yes — the Matthew 18 framing of this parable, with the believer being restored rather than the unbeliever being found, makes it one of the most-given Christian Modern pieces for return-to-faith and faith-renewal milestones, restoration after addiction or wandering, baptism and confirmation, recovery-program milestones, sponsor and discipleship-mentor gifts, a pastor's gift to a struggling congregant, a parent's prayer for a prodigal child, and the Christmas keepsake for a year that brought someone home. The 8x10 framed size ($150) makes a thoughtful sponsor or sobriety-milestone gift; the 11x14 framed size ($160) works beautifully in a prayer corner or above a small desk where a parent prays for a child; the 18x24 framed size ($200) stands well in an entryway marking a homecoming; the 24x36 framed size ($230) makes a graceful statement on a narrow wall as the visible reminder that the search has not been called off.

Question 4

What is the difference between the Matthew 18 Lost Sheep and the Luke 15 Lost Sheep?

Accepted Answer

Both Matthew 18:12-14 and Luke 15:3-7 record the Parable of the Lost Sheep, but the placement and audience differ — and the difference matters. In Luke 15, Jesus tells the parable in answer to Pharisees who criticized Him for eating with sinners and tax collectors. There the ninety-nine are the religious establishment (or symbolic of them), and the one is the sinner being brought home for the first time. The parable opens a trilogy with the Lost Coin (Luke 15:8-10) and the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), all about losing, searching, finding, and rejoicing. In Matthew 18, by contrast, Jesus tells the parable to His own disciples, in the middle of teaching about how the community of believers should care for "the little ones." There the ninety-nine are believers who haven't wandered, and the one is a believer who has. The Matthew version is therefore the restoration-of-a-believer parable; the Luke version is the conversion-of-a-sinner parable. The verse anchor on this print is Matthew 18:12.

Question 5

Should I choose the horizontal, vertical, or canvas version of The 99 & The 1 Lost Sheep?

Accepted Answer

Three pieces share this 99-and-1 composition. Choose the vertical paper print (this piece) if the wall is narrow, tall, or vertically anchored — between two windows, in an entryway above a console, on a hallway wall, in a nursery, above a writing desk or reading chair, in a prayer corner, beside a bedroom door, or as part of a vertical gallery stack of small framed scripture. Choose the horizontal paper print at https://christianmodern.shop/products/the-lost-sheep-art if the wall is wide and you want the fine-art paper format at the $150-$230 vocation-gift tier — above a sofa, mantel, headboard, sideboard, console, or behind a desk in a pastor's office or counseling office. Choose the canvas at https://christianmodern.shop/products/the-lost-sheep-canvas-art if you want the same 99-and-1 composition at the larger above-sofa or church-wall canvas scale, $150-$750 framed in four sizes from 18x12 to 60x40 inches. The composition concept is identical across all three — ninety-nine sheep gathered, Jesus and the one below.

Question 6

What materials is this Lost Sheep print made from and where is it made?

Accepted Answer

Each The 99 & The 1 Lost Sheep — Vertical framed fine art print is produced on archival fine art paper with giclée pigment inks, set behind an acrylic protective screen inside a handcrafted wood frame at 1-inch depth. Light Wood, Brown Wood, Black, and Gold frames are available, plus an Unframed option that ships rolled in a protective tube. Light Wood and Brown Wood frame finishes pair especially well with the warm linen beige palette for a Scandinavian, Japandi, or modern-farmhouse prayer-corner presentation. Every piece is handcrafted in our Los Angeles, California art studio with a production time of 2 business days, then 3 to 4 business days delivery. Free shipping is included to all 50 US states and worldwide, and every order is 100% insured against transit damage.

Question 7

How do I hang my Lost Sheep vertical print in a prayer corner, entryway, or nursery?

Accepted Answer

All framed sizes arrive ready to hang out of the box with a pre-installed hanging wire on the back. In a prayer corner, hang the center of the artwork at seated eye level — about 50 to 54 inches from the floor — so the piece reads naturally from a prayer chair or kneeler. In an entryway above a console with a key dish or framed family photographs, hang the bottom of the frame 6 to 10 inches above the top of the furniture, with the center of the artwork around 57 to 60 inches from the floor at standing eye level. In a nursery above a crib or rocker (never hang heavy framed art directly above where a baby sleeps; place it to the side or above the rocker instead), the 11x14 framed size sits naturally at standing eye level. The vertical orientation makes the piece a natural fit for narrow walls between doors, on stair-landing walls, or as the centerpiece of a vertical gallery stack of small framed scripture pieces.

Question 8

What is "The Ninety and Nine" hymn and how does it connect to this piece?

Accepted Answer

"The Ninety and Nine" is one of the great Christian hymns of the Parable of the Lost Sheep, written by Scottish poet Elizabeth Clephane in 1868 and set to music by Ira D. Sankey, the song leader at Dwight L. Moody's revival meetings in Edinburgh in 1874. The famous opening verse reads: "There were ninety and nine that safely lay in the shelter of the fold. But one was out on the hills away, far off from the gates of gold. Away on the mountains wild and bare. Away from the tender Shepherd's care." Sankey is said to have read the hymn from a newspaper clipping just before Moody asked him for "a hymn of warning" to close a sermon on the parable, and he set it to music on the spot at the organ. It became one of the best-loved gospel hymns of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, sung at revival meetings across the English-speaking world and printed in nearly every gospel hymnal since. The composition of this piece — ninety-nine sheep gathered safely in the fold above, the one out beyond the negative space below, and the Shepherd descended to find it — is the visual companion to the hymn.

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The 99 & The 1 Lost Sheep — Vertical

The 99 & The 1 Lost Sheep — Vertical

Art Details

Shipping, Exchanges, Returns, & Trust

About Matthew 18 & "The Ninety and Nine"

Art Details

Shipping, Exchanges, Returns, & Trust

About Matthew 18 & "The Ninety and Nine"