Stream of consciousness rationale: This is the relevant information: It is the first member of a trilogy about redemption that Jesus tells after the Pharisees and religious leaders accuse him of welcoming and eating with "sinners."
The question and answer pair are described below.
Q: The Parable of the Lost Sheep is one of the parables of Jesus. It appears in the Gospels of Matthew (Matthew 18: 12 -- 14) and Luke (Luke 15: 3 -- 7). It is about a shepherd who leaves his flock of ninety-nine sheep in order to find the one which is lost. It is the first member of a trilogy about redemption that Jesus tells after the Pharisees and religious leaders accuse him of welcoming and eating with "sinners." The two parables that follow (in Luke's Gospel) are those of the Lost Coin and the Prodigal Son. The parable of the Good shepherd, a pericope found in John 10: 1-21, derives from it.

Answer this question based on the passage: what does the parable of the lost sheep mean?
A: redemption