Jesus Wants the Lost to Be Found
Notes
Transcript
Have you ever lost something of value to you? Have you ever lost something that was so important that you looked all over until you found this item?
Today, we are moving right along in our series on the book of Luke. I am in chapter 15 and in this chapter Jesus gives us three parables of something that was lost and it is now found. I want to begin at verse one of Luke 15.
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.”
Jesus had this knack of drawing crowds wherever He went. He would especially draw those that scribes and the pharisees wanted nothing to do with. They would label them as sinners. Which for the most part this was true. However, during Jesus’ time everyone could be labeled a sinner because the scribes and the pharisees made it almost impossible to live a Godly life because they were trying to live up to all 613 laws from the Old Testament. But these tax collectors and sinners were drawn to Jesus and the Pharisees and scribes didn’t like it one bit. They felt like they were above the sinners. They felt like they were better than them.
These three parables that Jesus is about to tell goes perfectly with the thought that the scribes and pharisees are thinking. Look at verse 3.
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 goes right along with the theme of Luke. The key verse in Luke is found in Luke chapter 19 verse 10.
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
This is the picture that Luke has been painting for us for the last several weeks. He is painting us a picture of Jesus going after those that are lost. This parable gives us a great image of a shepherd that will leave his other 99 sheep to go after that one lost sheep. The shepherd knows that the 99 sheep are safe. Usually they would make a makeshift pin to place the sheep in temporarily and the shepherds helper would be left to keep watch of those 99 while the shepherd would go out and search out for that one that was lost.
Jesus is wanting the religious leaders to be like the shepherd, go after those that are lost. Instead, they were more like the sheep because they were lost in their sins and didn’t realize it.
You and I are in one of these categories. We are either sheep or we are shepherds. We need to either come back to Jesus or we need to go and find those that are lost. In verse 7 we see the excitement of that one lost sheep being found.
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.
It is our job as the church to go out and find the lost sheep that Jesus wants to come home. We need to make it our mission to go out and find those that need to be saved.
The next parable that Jesus tells is right after the lost sheep parable. It is the parable of the lost coin in verse 8.
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.”
For us, we may not think much about a coin, but for a women in the middle east she would often receive ten silver coins as a wedding gift. Besides their monetary value, these coins held sentimental value like that of a wedding ring. If you lost your wedding ring you would be extremely unset.
We don’t know for sure, but these coins could have been this women’s life savings. She could be saving these in order to support her during a time of need. Just one coin could have been a tenth of that nest egg.
This women would light a lamp and use it to try and find a coin on the dirt covered floor. She would look in every corner of her house and do everything she could in hopes of finding it. She would not rest until it was found. And just like the shepherd, when she finds it she tells her friends so that they could rejoice with her.
Through these two stories Jesus is making it known that while the Scribes and the Pharisees were not pleased with Jesus for mingling with the sinners, God was pleased that Jesus was seeking the lost souls and bringing them the good news of the kingdom.
These two stories are just the beginning. Jesus is using three stories, each one building on the last. The story of the prodigal son will hit home more than the others. Verse 11.
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.
In this story, we know that the father has two sons. The younger son comes to the father and says, “Give me my share of the estate.” Because he was the younger son, this would have been 1/3 of the estate. The older son was entitled to a double portion according to the law. In most cases, the son would not receive this until his father was dead. In some cases the father would divide up their inheritance early and retire from managing their estates. What is unusual about this case is the younger son is the one initiating the division of the estate. This showed the arrogant disregard for his father’s authority as head of the family. What this son was telling his father is I wish you were dead. And to everyone’s surprise the father did it.
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.
It seems that the son’s plan all along was to leave home and never come back. This was the reason he asked for his inheritance in the first place. Also, he went far away. We know this because later on he will end up with pigs. Pigs was a detestable animal for the Jews and so he was outside of the Jewish territory. This son wanted to live is own way, he wanted to be his own master, he wanted to get out from under the rules of his home and his father. Money was his ticket out, so he took it and ran.
He spent all that he had on wild living. He squandered all his wealth. And then there was a severe famine in that whole country and he was broke and had no place to go and nothing to eat.
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.
This young son is finding himself in a desperate situation. According to Moses’ law, pigs were unclean animals. This meant that pigs could not be eaten or used for sacrifices. To protect themselves from defilement, Jews would not even touch pigs. For a Jew to stoop to feeding pigs would have been a great humiliation, and for this young man to desire to eat food that the pigs had touched was to be degraded beyond belief. The pods were the seeds of the carob tree, which grows around the Mediterranean Sea. That no one gave him anything show that he was neglected and insignificant; he had truly sunk to the depths.
You couldn’t get any lower than this son was. How many of you know though when you get to your lowest point you start to come to your senses and that is what this son did.
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.’
I can imagine this young man sitting in pig slop pondering about life. He might even be thinking, “you know, life with dad wasn’t that bad. I had food on the table. I had shelter. I had a place to lay my head.”
The son knew that he would be better off as his fathers servant than in that pig slop. So…
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.
When I think about this picture, I see the father going to the edge of a porch or maybe just outside the door and looking every day for the return of his son. You know that there is hope and anticipation of the day that his son might return home. Then, one day it finally happens. The father knew his son. He knew his walk. He knew his silhouette. And I believe that this father knew beyond any doubt that that was his son’s image making his way towards the house. And Jesus says, “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him.”
You know there was that longing in this father’s heart to someday see his son again.
For this patriarch of the family to run was to lose all caution and dignity. The father went way beyond normal forgiveness and showed incredible love. The son began to give his father the speech he had prepared, but he didn’t even get to the part about asking to be hired, for the father wanted to welcome his son back into his home with a grand celebration.
In the two previous stories, the lost sheep and the lost coin, the seeker actively looked for the sheep and the coin, which could not return by themselves. However, in this story, the father watched and waited. He was dealing with a human being with a will, but he was ready to greet his son if he returned. In the same way, God’s love is constant and patient and welcoming. He will search and give people opportunities to respond, but he will not force you to come to him. And like the father in this story, God waits patiently for people to come to their senses.
A few weeks ago I tried to paint you an image of our father. I hope today that you get a better image of our father. I think it is amazing how this message just happened to be on father’s day. I didn’t plan it this way. And it wasn’t until I began writing this message that I realized it was happening on fathers day.
This father’s love and compassion picture the love God has always shown to his wayward people.
13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
God’s love reaches out to sinners who, repenting of their sins run to him for forgiveness. They can be assured of a warm welcome from the one who has been watching for them to come.
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.’
Notice here the son apologizes to the father. His father already shown him love and forgiveness. It was already extended to him. However, the needed to apologize in order to heal his own relationship with his father. By the son apologizing it was him showing an act of repentance to him father. When you come to the father and you need to repent for what you have done, you need to verbalize it so that it comes from your heart.
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.
This part of the story is so important for us to understand what is happening here. With these three actions that the father did in verse 22, he immediately restores the son back to the family.
The finest robe - generally given to a guest of honor, a ring - signifying authority, as a son, not a servant, sandals - only slaves the very poor went barefoot.
The finest robe - generally given to a guest of honor, a ring - signifying authority, as a son, not a servant, sandals - only slaves the very poor went barefoot.
Immediately the relationship of father son had been restored with that one act. What the son thought was I will go be my father’s servant. What the father thought was my family is restored once again.
The fattened calf was a calf that was being fattened up for the time when a special feast should be prepared and the calf would be killed. The father could think of no more fitting celebration. His son had been as good as dead to him but now had returned to life. He had been lost but now was found. As the shepherd celebrated upon finding the lost sheep, and the woman upon finding her lost coin, so this father celebrated at “finding” his “lost” son.
Joy embraces others; stubbornness shuns them. Peace forgives others; pride prolongs the separation. Love cleans the slate of hurts recorded; self-pity smudges the record until nobody remembers who is at fault or why.
Joy embraces others; stubbornness shuns them. Peace forgives others; pride prolongs the separation. Love cleans the slate of hurts recorded; self-pity smudges the record until nobody remembers who is at fault or why.
So, what about the older brother in this story?
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.’
I said it before, according to tradition the elder brother would have received a double inheritance. He probably had continued to be under his father’s authority, working on the estate. While he would inherit it, this would not take place until his father’s death. So, he is doing his duties. He is being responsible to do the work that he should do. He is patiently following the typical plan for passing on the family inheritance.
Can you imagine his surprise at returning from a day of hard work to the sound of a grand celebration going on in the house. Naturally he wondered what was going on. The servant simply replied with the facts—the wayward brother had returned, the calf had been killed, the feast had been prepared, and everyone was celebrating the brother’s safe return.
What would your reaction be?
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!’
The father’s response and the oldest son’s response are completely opposite. The father forgave because he was filled with love. The son refused to forgive because he was bitter about what he saw as injustice. The older son’s resentment rendered him just as lost to the father’s love as his younger brother had been.
I believe that many of us would understand the resentment the older brother shown toward his younger brother. However, his volley of words reveals the same sort of self-righteousness that afflicted the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. Remember what I read to you in verse 1 and 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.”
The younger son stands for the tax collectors and sinners, the waiting father is God, and the older brother represents the religious leaders. The younger son had lived as a notorious sinner, so the brother wanted nothing to do with him. Yet the loving father, who had gone out to meet his younger son, also went out to plead with his elder one. Instead of humbly accepting his father’s words, the older son let out a torrent of pent-up anger and frustration. He felt like he had ben slaving away for his father, never getting any special favors. He did not take a moment to understand that he would inherit everything that he was working for and that he was dearly loved by his father. He only felt angry that his father was celebrating “your son’s” not “my brother’s return home.
The religious leaders were the same. They claimed to have slaved for God attempting to keep all the rules and regulations, many of these rules God never even demanded. They had the Father’s love but had chosen to reject it in favor of hard work and self-denial.
When God eagerly welcomed the sinful, common people into the kingdom, the religious leaders were refusing to join the celebration. But God rejoiced that these sinful people had come home. And God even invited these religious leads to join the party. But they will retort with only anger and resentment that they who tried so hard should not get the party.
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.’ ”
The oldest son should rejoice that he never did any hard living in order to come to his senses. Some of you may have been saved all your life. When someone finds Christ, all of us should rejoice for them coming home.
Everyone has been offered salvation.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Jesus wants the lost to be found. If you have lost your way this morning, Jesus is asking you to come home to him.
Let’s pray.