Luke 15 has three well known parables by Jesus. All three are about something getting lost.
But the interesting thing, is they all get lost for different reasons.
Luke 15:4; "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?
Luke 15:5; "When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
Luke 15:6; "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!'
Luke 15:7; "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.
Sheep aren't the brightest animals. They tend to wander and stray. Mostly because they make "dumb" (dare I say, "stupid") decisions.
I was reading a book recently about shepherding, sometimes the shepherds would "hobble" (deliberately injure) a sheep that was particularly
prone to wander. Often they would break a leg or something to keep them from wandering off so much.
But the good shepherd cares about the lost sheep, and will go find them. The thing I notice about the sheep above, is that the one that is lost
repented. The sheep that are found, "need no repentance". It is the unrepentant who are lost.
Luke 15:8; "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?
Luke 15:9; "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!'
Luke 15:10; "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
This woman has ten coins. Possibly her life savings. Possibly a wedding dowry. But she loses one of her coins. Now, unlike the sheep
who was "dumb". This woman was simply careless. Unlike a sheep, a coin can't wander off on it's own. It only goes where you put it. If you lost it,
it was only because of your carelessness. But just like the shepherd, she goes to find it. Also like the sheep, what made this coin lost,
was that it needed repentance. Without repentance you are a lost sheep or a lost coin. Also, as was the case with the sheep, the angels
rejoiced, and their is joy in heaven over "one sinner who repents".
Luke 15:11; And He said, "A man had two sons.
Luke 15:12; "The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' So he divided his wealth between them.
Luke 15:13; "And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.
Finally we have the story of the prodigal son. I won't post the whole passage here, most of us know the story.
But unlike the sheep who was "stupid", and the coin that was lost because of "carelessness", this son gets lost out of deliberate action.
It wasn't an accident, it wasn't simple carelessness, he made a willful decision to leave his father.
He eventually comes to his senses and goes back to his father...
Luke 15:32; 'But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.'"
It says here, he "was lost and has been found". Just like the sheep and the coin, he was lost. Now all of these parables aren't
really about a sheep, or a coin, or even a son per se. They are about your soul. Your soul can be lost. But heaven rejoices
when a sheep repents, when a coin repents, and even when a son repents.
Luke 15:21; "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
Some people don't even know they are lost. Like the sheep, they made stupid decisions, or like the coin they got lost because of carelessness.
Or perhaps they were like the son and made a willful decision to leave their father. The good news is someone is looking for you.
But like the sheep, the coin, and the rebel son, you need to repent.
There are people who consider themselves "found", but they aren't really. In the next chapter Jesus gives another lesson.
Luke 16:15; And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.
Luke 16:16; "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.
There are people who don't want to repent. "But God knows your hearts". People want to be in the kingdom of God, some are
"forcing" their "way into it". They want to be in the kingdom without repentance. However Jesus says...
Luke 16:17; "But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.
Keep in mind, heaven and earth haven't passed away yet.
Luke 13:3; "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
Rev 2:5; 'Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.
But the interesting thing, is they all get lost for different reasons.
Luke 15:4; "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?
Luke 15:5; "When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
Luke 15:6; "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!'
Luke 15:7; "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.
Sheep aren't the brightest animals. They tend to wander and stray. Mostly because they make "dumb" (dare I say, "stupid") decisions.
I was reading a book recently about shepherding, sometimes the shepherds would "hobble" (deliberately injure) a sheep that was particularly
prone to wander. Often they would break a leg or something to keep them from wandering off so much.
But the good shepherd cares about the lost sheep, and will go find them. The thing I notice about the sheep above, is that the one that is lost
repented. The sheep that are found, "need no repentance". It is the unrepentant who are lost.
Luke 15:8; "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?
Luke 15:9; "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!'
Luke 15:10; "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
This woman has ten coins. Possibly her life savings. Possibly a wedding dowry. But she loses one of her coins. Now, unlike the sheep
who was "dumb". This woman was simply careless. Unlike a sheep, a coin can't wander off on it's own. It only goes where you put it. If you lost it,
it was only because of your carelessness. But just like the shepherd, she goes to find it. Also like the sheep, what made this coin lost,
was that it needed repentance. Without repentance you are a lost sheep or a lost coin. Also, as was the case with the sheep, the angels
rejoiced, and their is joy in heaven over "one sinner who repents".
Luke 15:11; And He said, "A man had two sons.
Luke 15:12; "The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' So he divided his wealth between them.
Luke 15:13; "And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.
Finally we have the story of the prodigal son. I won't post the whole passage here, most of us know the story.
But unlike the sheep who was "stupid", and the coin that was lost because of "carelessness", this son gets lost out of deliberate action.
It wasn't an accident, it wasn't simple carelessness, he made a willful decision to leave his father.
He eventually comes to his senses and goes back to his father...
Luke 15:32; 'But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.'"
It says here, he "was lost and has been found". Just like the sheep and the coin, he was lost. Now all of these parables aren't
really about a sheep, or a coin, or even a son per se. They are about your soul. Your soul can be lost. But heaven rejoices
when a sheep repents, when a coin repents, and even when a son repents.
Luke 15:21; "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
Some people don't even know they are lost. Like the sheep, they made stupid decisions, or like the coin they got lost because of carelessness.
Or perhaps they were like the son and made a willful decision to leave their father. The good news is someone is looking for you.
But like the sheep, the coin, and the rebel son, you need to repent.
There are people who consider themselves "found", but they aren't really. In the next chapter Jesus gives another lesson.
Luke 16:15; And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.
Luke 16:16; "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.
There are people who don't want to repent. "But God knows your hearts". People want to be in the kingdom of God, some are
"forcing" their "way into it". They want to be in the kingdom without repentance. However Jesus says...
Luke 16:17; "But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.
Keep in mind, heaven and earth haven't passed away yet.
Luke 13:3; "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
Rev 2:5; 'Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.