Luke 15:1-3
1 "Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying......."
(Jesus teaches the parables of Luke 15)
These are three of the most wonderful parables in the whole Bible. They are three stories qof lost items: The lost sheep, The lost coin and The lost son, better known as The Prodigal Son. All three have one thing in common: THE JOY OF THE FINDER!
At the end of the previous chapter, Luke 14, Jesus was conversing with the scribes and Pharisees. Up to this point in time, He had spoken to them plainly, revealing His three-fold glory as the greatest Prophet, Priest and King of them all. But they rejected Him in His 3-fold glory. So, in Luke 15, He began to teach in parables. There is a very good reason for which is covered in depth in the article below.
He told them these three stories of the lost sheep, lost coin and the Prodigal Son. But look who was listening in: All the tax collectors and the sinners. Through these parables, He was illustrating the true meaning of "repentance."
The Lost Sheep.
In the first story, the shepherd, who has 100 sheep, finds that one is missing. Unlike any other shepherd, he leaves the 99 to go and look for the lost one. Now tell me, what kind of shepherd does that? Most would just forget about the one, cut his losses and continue with the remaining sheep. Not this shepherd. He leaves the 99 to go out and look for one: Jesus is His name!
Then Jesus says to the Pharisees that "there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than 99 "just persons who need no repentance."
(The Lost Sheep)
Really? 99 "just persons" who need NO repentance? AS IF! I'm not buyin' it. Church, has there EVER, at ANY time, been even ONE just person anywhere, in the history of the entire world, that NEVER needed repentance? I DON'T THINK SO!
Then why did Jesus say that?
Remember to whom He speaking now: The Pharisees. It's tongue-in-cheek...and they knew it.
Remember to whom He speaking now: The Pharisees. It's tongue-in-cheek...and they knew it.
There never was, never is and never will be even ONE "just person" who needs no repentance," let alone 99. These self-righteous, self-assured hypocrites were the ones who needed to repent; to "metanóia;" to change their minds about how they thought about God just as much as the sinners listening in. The difference between them was the sinners knew they were lost; the Pharisees did not.
The Pharisees knew very well that Jesus was talking about them. They were seething with anger underneath their religious façade. Afterward, they sought even more zealously for ways to discredit and destroy Him.
But not the sinners and tax collectors who were listening in. They rejoiced at His words and loved Him all the more!
So tell me: How did the sheep "REPENT?" Did he say, "Father in heaven, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I'm nothing but a rotten sinner. Please forgive me, I beg you" No. Sheep can't talk.
All he could say was "baa, baa, baa..." Yet, Jesus calls this "REPENTANCE."
So how is this repentance? Well, the sheep could have run from the Shepherd, but he didn't. He allowed himself to be picked up, to be placed on Jesus' shoulders and consented to be carried. But here were no words, obviously, since sheep can't talk. It consented to rest on the strong shoulders of The Good Shepherd.
Yoy sed, the hero of the story isn't the sheep, is it? IT'S THE SHEPHERD! He's the One Who searched for the sheep, Who found the sheep, Who picked up the sheep, Who carried home the lost sheep and threw a big party, saying, "Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!"
What a Shepherd! What a Saviour!
The Lost Coin.
Next, Jesus told a story about a lost coin. Why a coin?
What do you see engraved on it's face? An Image. You and I are all made in the image of God. Adam lost that image when he fell. Jesus came and restored it.
9"And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’
(The Lost Coin)
The obvious question is, "How did the coin "repent?" Yet, Jesus said there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who "REPENTS.” Hmmm.....
Who is it doing all that rejoicing "in the presence of the angels?" IT'S JESUS!!! No one is happier than Him over sinners who have fled to Him for mercy.
The Prodigal Son.
Last of all is the story of the Prodigal Son who took all his inheritance and blew it on "riotous living." When the money ran out, predictably, all his so called "friends" deserted him. He ended up feeding pigs and eating what they did! That is lower than low for a Jewish boy.
Much is often made of the part where it says "he came to himself," as if this act of his was repentance. Let's look a little closer, however, at his so-called, "repentance."
(The Prodigal Son)
17" “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father,and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son...."
He put together this rehearsed speech so he could get back in with his father. So far, so good. Then he adds this line: "MAKE ME LIKE ONE OF YOUR HIRED SERVANTS.”’
...Uh, not so good. Now he wants to EARN his way back into the Father's good graces. And what is his motivation?
"How many of my father’s hired servants have BREAD ENOUGH AND TO SPARE, and I perish with HUNGER."
His stomach was growling. HE WAS HUNGRY. Not a hint of remorse for what he did. Nope. That's why he went back home. But look at the Father's response:
20" “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off,.......
1. The Father "saw" him
2. The Father "had compassion,"
3. The Father "ran"
4. The Father "fell on his neck."
5. The Father "kissed him."
The Father did 5 things even BEFORE the son had a chance to blurt out a single word of his rehearsed speech! 5, in case you didn't know, is the number of Grace. That's right: The Father showed him His Grace!
Now he goes into his rehearsed speech:
21" And the son said to him,‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
That's all he got out. Notice what's missing? Yes. He never said the part about "make me like one of your hired servants."
How could he say he wanted to earn His father's love in the presence of such super abounding love and grace? He couldn't. It's almost looks as if the Father didn't care what he said.
Was the Father's response to the son before or after the "speech?" BEFORE! He was accepted LONG BEFORE he said a single word! And look; the "Finder" was overjoyed!
"24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’
And they began to be merry."
The Elder Brother.
Conversely, the older brother was angry, bitter and jealous. He wasn't at all happy to seducing that his long-lost brother was back home safe again.
Who is he? A typology of the Pharisees, full of anger, bitterness and jealousy with a murderous intent. The sinners were depicted by younger brother.
Just like the Pharisees, the older son didn't realize that he, too, needed to metanóia: change his mind; to "repent." He had no real love toward his father. He wanted to have a party with his friends. No thought or mention of inviting his father. His relationship with him was obviously cold and distant, almost angry.
(The Good Shepherd says, "Come.")
The point is, you and I can't really take any credit for turning to God or for turning back to Him. His superabounding love irresistibly draws us. How can we not but respond by running back to Him? Jesus is the real Hero. Jesus is the One Who deserves ALL THE PRAISE!!!
Confession of faith does come into play but it's really nothing more than a response to His the great love that He has already shown us. We don't deserve credit for any action. We simply "changed our minds" with regard to the way we thought about God. Now, we understand that He SO LOVED us. He's not out to get us! A change of mind often happens quietly, without a word being spoken.
Now, because of His great love toward us, you and I are no longer "Lost Items." And that's the story behind the words of the three parables of Luke 15.
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