Lost Sheep

LUKE — LESSON 15

Scripture for this lesson are taken from Luke 15.

In chapter 14, Jesus was teaching at a dinner given by a prominent Pharisee. His teachings focused on the difficulties of being His disciple. He told them that there were no acceptable excuses for not accepting Him as the Messiah. Being His disciple would require a life of service to others rather than one of power and wealth and praise of men. Being His disciple would require putting Him first above everything, even their own families.

[Luke 15:1-2] (1) Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. (2) But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

In chapter 15, Jesus is still traveling south in Perea, teaching the crowds that were following Him. There were scribes and Pharisees following along with the crowds hoping to find something to use against Jesus. They were criticizing Him because He associated and ate with people they considered ceremonially unclean.

[Luke 15:3-7] (3) Then Jesus told them this parable: (4) “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? (5) And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders (6) and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ (7) I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

This parable is called “The Parable of the Lost Sheep.” Jesus used situations that were common in their society to tell stories with a message. The shepherd herding his sheep was common for them to see in their time. The shepherd in the story represented God/Jesus. The scribes and Pharisees thought they were sinless, and they were represented by the ninety and nine. The one lost sheep represented the people they considered unclean. In our society today, the ninety and nine would represent those people who think that they do not need God. In verse 7, Jesus gave us a picture of the rejoicing that occurs in heaven when a lost soul comes to accept Jesus as his/her savior. I cannot ever remember a pastor saying to the church congregation, “There is great rejoicing going on in heaven right now because this soul has been saved!” It is wonderful to know that God loves every person so much, we are all important to Him and He wants us to live eternally with Him.

[Luke 15:8-10] (8) “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? (9) And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ (10) In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Did you ever lose something valuable and you looked everywhere to find it? A silver coin was very valuable in that day. Again Jesus used a common activity to tell his message story. The woman had 10 silver coins and she lost one. She lit her oil lamp and swept the floor with her broom to try to locate the lost coin. Like the parable of the lost sheep, the nine silver coins represented the scribes and Pharisees and the one lost coin represented the sinners and tax collectors. The woman represented God/Jesus. When the lost coin was found there was once again great rejoicing in heaven by God and the angels and other heavenly beings.

[Luke 15:11-32] (11) Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. (12) The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them (13) “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. (14) After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. (15) So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. (16) He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. (17) “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! (18) I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. (19) I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ (20) So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. (21) “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ (22) “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. (23) Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. (24) For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. (25) “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. (26) So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. (27) ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ (28) “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. (29) But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. (30) But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ (31) “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. (32) But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

This parable is very similar to the first two. When the younger son left home he was prideful, arrogant and eager to experience the ways of the world. After he had been out in the world and squandered all his money, was homeless and hungry he realized what he had lost and how much better it was in his father’s home. He was ready to go home and work as a servant for his father in order to have food and shelter. At this point he was humble and repentant. The older son, however, resented that fact that his father was willing to take the younger back as a son. In the story, the father represented God/Jesus. The older son represented the self-righteous Pharisees and the younger son represented the sinners, the lost.

Let’s look at the items in Jesus’ parables that were lost. The first one was a sheep, an animal. The second was a coin, money. The third one was a human being, a man. In each story the value and importance of the lost item accelerated. The first two were worldly things, but the man was a spiritual being and much more valuable to God.

The self-righteous Jews had difficulty believing that God could love sinful people. He was the God who punished sinners. The idea that God would show love and compassion to people who did not keep the “Law” was not acceptable to them. God was a just God who measured out punishment justly to sinners. Poverty, poor health, tragedy were a sign of sin in one’s life. Jesus’ message was strange to their beliefs. Jesus taught about a loving and forgiving God who rejoiced when a sinner repented. He was an active God who searched for the lost and all heaven rejoiced when the lost was found.

Jesus was telling the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees that God loves all men, even the sinners and tax collectors and he wanted them to have eternal salvation. The attitude of the older son in the story showed how unloving and self-righteous the scribes and Pharisees were. I am sure that they understood what Jesus was telling them, but it did not change their minds.

Lessons for us from Luke Chapter 15:

1. Every person has value and is precious to the Lord.

2. We as Christians should have love for sinners, all who are lost.

3. We should care enough to seek out to reach the lost.

4. We should not have a prideful attitude toward the lost because we too are sinners.

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