The parable is found in Luke 15. Often treated as a stand alone story, in fact it is in a sequence of three parables Jesus told in response to people grumbling that he received and ate with tax collectors and sinners. The first parable is about a man who lost one of a hundred sheep, went to find it and carried it home rejoicing. The second parable was about a woman who lost one of ten coins, but unrelentingly searched till she found it. She was also thrilled. The third story is about the prodigal son, but the emphasis is on the gracious father and the angry elder brother.
