Luke 15:1-10

Luke 15:1-10

1 Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. 2 Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So He told them this parable, saying, 4 “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 “When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

8 “Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 “When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’ 10 “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Lost and found is the theme of this chapter.  There are three different parables in this chapter that all have to do with losing and finding.  There is the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost sons.  In many ways it is vital to understand these parables together.  However, the content of the final parable of the lost sons is so rich in imagery and lessons for us to learn about both man and God, that I would like to treat it separately and would like to dedicate a week to each one of the main characters in the parable.  This means we will spend about a month on this chapter.  If you are reading this, I would like to encourage you to read the following three weeks as well as they will definitely go together.

THE SETTING: The key to understanding this set of parables is in the setting of the first three verses.  Jesus is in a mixed company of people.  There are tax collectors and sinner as well as Pharisees and scribes in the group surrounding Jesus.  We would naturally expect that the religious leaders would be the ones interested in listening to what Jesus was teaching, if only to debate with Him.  However, it is the group of sinners who are drawing near to Jesus in order to listen to Him speak.  The religious leaders, on the other hand, are complaining about the fact that Jesus is receiving the sinners and eating with them.  The Pharisees saw themselves as superior to the common people who had become tax collectors for the Roman government or did not abide by their rules and regulations.  Jesus received these people because they were the ones He had come to save.  The sinners are represented in these parables as the lost sheep, lost coin and younger son.  The scribes are represented by the ninety-nine sheep, the nine coins and the older brother that believe they have no need of repentance.  Jesus tells these parables to demonstrate exactly how God sees the people that are surrounding Him.  It is vital that we understand God’s priorities and purpose for fulfilling His mission on earth.

THE SEARCHING: Both parables involve the losing of something that is precious.  The lamb and the coin are of great value.  They compare with the sons in the following parable in that the younger son, like the lamb, is lost outside the home and the older son, like the coin, is lost inside the home.  Jesus illustrates His point to the Pharisees and scribes by showing how normal it is for a shepherd or a woman to search diligently for that lost sheep or the lost coin.  The shepherd leaves the ninety-nine sheep in the fold as he goes out to the wilderness in search of the one lost sheep.  The woman cleans the house thoroughly until the coin is found.  It is not that the other sheep or the other coins are not valuable, it is simply that they are not the focus of the search because the owner knows where they are.  Jesus compares this to His ministry.  He eats with tax collectors and sinners because they are the ones who were lost.  Jesus left the glories of heaven to live and die on this earth to reconcile man to Himself, the Father and the Holy Spirit.  The coming of Messiah was the searching for the lost.  Jesus continues to search for the lost.  He has commissioned His followers to do as He did.  We are to go to the nations of the earth to seek those who are lost “outside” our homes.  We are to minister the Gospel to our family members, neighbors and co-workers in order to seek for those who are lost “inside” our homes.  The mission is to seek and save those who are lost, whether close or far.  This is at the very heart of God and must be at the heart of all we do to be engaged in the mission.

THE SAVING: Each of these stories has a happy ending.  The seep and the coin are found and restored to their rightful position.  This is what God does in the life of lost people; He saves them.  Jesus came to seek and save the lost.  Reconciliation is the goal of the incarnation and is the mission God has established for His family.  Jesus ate with sinners because they had come to hear Him and had repented of their sin out of a desire to be reconciled with the Father.  They recognized their sinfulness and believed that Jesus was the Messiah who was able to set them free and save them.  This was a call for celebration.  The owner of the sheep and coin were so excited that there was a party.  Jesus makes the point that there is tremendous joy in heaven over one sinner who repents and comes to salvation, but there is no joy in heave for the multitudes of people who do not see their need of repentance.  The Pharisees and scribes thought they were close to God because they kept rules and regulations.  The reality of the situation was that their hearts were full of pride and self-righteousness and they were very far from God.  God is all about saving people from their sin but in order to do that, people must recognize their own sinfulness.  It is important that we always evaluate our own hearts to see what we must be ready and willing to repent of and making sure that pride is not blinding us from our own sinfulness.

APPLICATION: Make sure that we are the ones who are drawing near to Jesus in order to hear Him and not the ones who are complaining about those who do this.  Actively and intentionally seek those who are lost and do all we can to bring them to the Lord Jesus.  Rejoice with those who are reconciled to God and make them feel welcome in our family.