A Deeper Understanding: The Parable of The Lost Sheep

If you remember, over the next few weeks we are going to look at some passages of scripture that seem to be hard to translate, read, or even understand.

I trust and hope that afterwards you walk away with a deeper understanding of God’s word.

Last week we looked at Luke 14 were Jesus revealed what it looked like to be one of His disciples.

Today we are going to look at another passage out of the book of Luke.

Title of this Sermon is ..... The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Body:

The passage we are going to look at this morning is found in......

Luke 15:1-7 “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 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 that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

This passage is one of the “go to” passages of scripture when it comes to people who have left the church.

What I would like to do is see if this passage is really talking about people who have left the church or could it be referencing something else?

Let’s dig a little deeper shall we ...... ?

Luke 15:1 “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.”

If you remember last week we revealed that Jesus was talking to the Crowd.

(Not specifically to His disciples (the 120+) BUT THE CROWD)

Luke 14:25 “Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them,”

Now what we read is that “Tax collectors and sinners” are starting to press forward to gather around Jesus.

They are on the front row.

Why?

Because they wanted to hear what HE was saying!

They were hungry (spiritually) and Jesus’ WORDS were bringing them nourishment.

I believe they were sitting on the front row.

You know the people who are excited/anticipating/hungry for Jesus! They are the ones sitting on the front ROW.

If you were going to go see your favorite band what row would you want to sit on?

Money was not an issue! What ROW?

This was the seat the Tax Collectors and Sinners were sitting on.

Who are the Tax Collectors and Sinners?

“Tax collectors” - These Jews worked for the Romans (or Herod) and their salary usually came from over-taxing their countrymen.

They were hated and ostracized by the Jewish people.

“Sinners” - This refers to either .....

(1) openly immoral persons;

(2) persons who were outcasts because of their occupation; or

(3) common villagers who did not completely follow with the Oral Traditions.

It was very difficult for common people to fully observe all the rabbinical rules.

These two groups characterized all those rejected by the religious elite of Jesus’ day.

These are the ones who “were all drawing near to hear him.”

This gives the same sense we find in James 4:8 “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you......”

Same Greek word used for this phrase.

Things happen when you “Draw Near” to God. “He draws near to you.”

These Tax Collectors and Sinners were experiencing this.

His words were having an impact on their hearts.

But there was a group of people within this crowd who were not impressed.

As a matter of fact this group was there to spy on Jesus in order to trump up some charges against Him.

Luke 15:2 “And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.””

The best things they could bring against Jesus was the fact he was “receiving and eating” with sinners.

The word “Eating” means just that ...... eating!

The word “Receiving” in the Greek means “to receive into companionship.”

It is dealing with “Relationship.”

These Tax Collectors and Sinners were not just stopping by to get an autograph.

They were entering into a personal relationship with Jesus.

This word brings about the idea of (Intimacy).

The same intimacy between a husband and a wife.

It not that they were stopping by for a photo-op but an intimate life-changing encounter.

The Pharisees and scribes were grumbling amongst themselves about these 2 groups of people.

This word “Grumbling” means an “indignant murmur” among the crowd or specifically amongst the group (Pharisees).

What Christ was doing was something none of them would have been caught dead doing.

The Pharisees belief was that any acceptance of tax collectors and/or sinners would defile them in the eyes of God.

As we move into the next couple of verses remember this ..... “They are upset about Jesus being with people who were lost!”

People who didn’t know Jesus Christ as their personal savior.

Who, if they had passed away at that moment, would have not spent eternity in Heaven.

So Jesus, knowing what was going on, decides to take this moment to teach (Parable).

He uses a story that everyone present would have understood.

He talks about a man who has 100 sheep and loses one.

He presents a question like this, “if he lost one of them, does (he) not leave the ninety-nine .... and go after the one that is lost.”

He states Luke 15:5 “And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.”

The one that was LOST has not been found.

He then 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 that was lost.’”

You have this feel of a party taken place due this “ONE LOST SINNER” being found.

This kind of reminds you of the story of the prodigal son.

For this crowd, this is a very impactful story.

What a beautiful picture.

One of the lost sheep has been sought and found and there was rejoicing taken place.

Jesus lands this ship by stating in Luke 15:7 “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

This is what it would look like in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over the 99 righteous persons who need not repent.

This whole story is about SINNERS repenting, a LOST person being found.

Lets take a look at the word “LOST.” (Apollumi)

Signifies “to destroy utterly”; in middle voice, “to perish.”

The idea is not extinction but ruin, loss, not of being, but of wellbeing.

Let me be very clear, this passage is not about someone who .....

..... has left the church to go to another one.

..... has started attending another fellowship somewhere else.

This passage COULD BE talking about someone who “ONCE” was a part of the flock and has walked away from God.

Once who was a follower of Christ and no longer is a follower.

Once was in an intimate relationship with Christ and has walked away.

The reason I say COULD BE is because of the idea of Sheep.

A shepherd once explained to me how sheep get lost. They nibble their way into lostness. They move from one tuft of green grass to the next. They keep moving along from tuft to tuft, sometimes right through a hole in the fence. When they’re done nibbling they can’t find the hole and they’re lost.

This passage of scripture is not talking about loosing someone to another church.

It talking about loosing someone to the enemy.

This passage is not talking about people who leave due to personal reasons

This passage is talking about salvation.

Salvation is what the celebration in heaven will be about, not about someone coming back to a congregation/church.

So let me state this again ..... This story is about the LOST BEING FOUND.

It’s about salvation.

From the very moment SIN entered into the world GOD has been seeking the lost.

He has made a way for us to come back to Him and he is trying to “pick us up and put us on His shoulder and bring us back into His presence.” Luke 15:5

He is our shepherd and we are the sheep.

Some are lost (like the Tax Collectors and Sinners)

Some of us know what that is—to nibble ourselves bit by bit into lostness.