The Joy of Recovering the Lost

Introduction

Have you ever lost something that was important to you and then found it later?

Do you remember the feeling that you got when you found it.

That is a great representation of what it is like for God when someone who is lost comes back into the fold.

During these moments God shows great joy.

During this passage this morning Jesus was eating and enjoying being in the company of Tax collectors

Tax Collectors

These people were not thought of very highly during this time.

Having to be taxed was new to the Jews because this did not happen like this until they took control of the land.

These people who were tax collectors were looked at as traders to their own people.

They were allowed to charge any amount they wanted and had the full weight of the Roman government behind them to be able to collect it.

They had poll taxes, Land taxes, and they would even charge a tax on goods and services that came through the towns.

The teachers and the Pharisees could not believe that Jesus was eating and having fellowship with with these men.

Hearing the words that the Scribes and Pharisees said, and knowing the thoughts of their hearts Jesus looks at them and tells them 3 Parables.

The lost sheep

The lost coin

The lost son.

This morning we are going to look at the first and second one and leave the third for a later time.

First, we need to be clear on what a parable is.

Parable

A parable is a story that tells the listener about the kingdom of God.

Often times it is used in a way believers can understand the meaning while non-believers can’t.

The best way to look at a parable is through the view of the kingdom of God.

Parable 1 The Lost Sheep

The first person that we see in this story is the shepherd.

As a rule these were not very clean or rich people they often times smelled bad.

Often were not ceremonially clean because they were out in the fields with the sheep. Because they had to be watched seven days a week.

Shepherds were the lowest people in the social order of the time.

they were right above the tax collectors and sinners the religious leaders are talking about here.

Shepherds were so lowly that they were not aloud to testify in court because they were to simple minded to be trusted.

There is a good chance that not all these sheep belonged to this shepherd.

Often times the whole town would entrust their sheep to the ones in the village that knew how to care for and raise the sheep that way the sheep grow and the owners can do other things.

These men would look after all the sheep as if they all belonged to them.

Just imagine the what it must of looked like for Jesus to ask the Scribes and Pharisees to picture themselves as shepherds. This was a complete insult to them.

The story opens with the shepherds losing one sheep which is a big deal, they would have to show evidence that the sheep had been killed or stolen to not have to replace the sheep with one of their own.

Sheep are also very much defenseless against predators and are not capable of taking care of themselves.

Luke 11–17: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Lost Sheep

The way it happens is this. A heavy, fat, or long fleeced sheep will lie down comfortably in some little hollow or depression in the ground. It may roll on its side slightly to stretch out or relax. Suddenly the center of gravity in the body shifts so that it turns on its back far enough that the feet no longer touch the ground. It may feel a sense of panic and start to paw frantically. Frequently this only makes things worse. It rolls over even further. Now it is quite impossible for it to regain its feet.

As it lies there struggling, gases begin to build up in the rumen. As these expand they tend to retard and cut off blood circulation to the extremities of the body, especially the legs. If the weather is very hot and sunny a cast sheep can die in a few hours. If it is cool and cloudy and rainy it may survive in this position for several days. (A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23 [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1970], 61–62)

Losing a sheep is a serious situation and calls for immediate action.

This story ends in success the shepherd finds the lost sheep.

When he finds finds it the Bible says that he puts it on the back of his shoulders and carries it home rejoicing.

This is important. Adult sheep can weight around 100 lbs.

The shepherd would pick this sheep up put its stomach behind his neck rap the legs and the sides of his face and carry the sheep home like that.

Also the shepherd calls his friends and neighbors out to celebrate the fact that the one sheep was recovered.

The fact that he calls these people out means that more than likely they keep the sheep inside the city walls at night to keep them safe.

The important thing to keep in mind here is that when the shepherd found the sheep he did not gripe and grumble about having to take it back to the town but he did so willingly and rejoiced about getting to do it.

One of the most striking things about this story is the difference between the Scribes and the Pharisees who loth and hate these kinds of people and the plight of the lost compared to that of God who not only seeks the lost but rejoices in the salvation of just one lost soul.

Parable 2 The Lost Coin

As in the first parable this story has a poor person in the leading role.

However this time the story is about a women.

If the scribes and Pharisees were insulted by the first story asking them to put themselves in the shoes of a poor shepherd then they would really be offended to be asked to imagine what it was like to be a women. This was an even greater insult than the first.

During this time women were thought of as objects and insignificant and not worthy of respect.

The coin that this women lost was a Roman denarius and represented about a days wage.

While losing a coin of that worth may not seem like that big of a deal to us it was to her.

money was not used as much as it is today.

during this time they would often barter for things rather than pay money for items that they needed.

this coin was a very big deal to this women.

It is possible that these coins were part of this women dowry given to her as a wedding gift by her father helping to provide for security for the future.

The Scene

Houses during this time were often made of mud and stone.

mud hardened walls and often a stone floor.

These houses had very small windows to help keep out the cold in the winter time and dust and sand in the summer time.

Even in the day light she had to light a lamp to help see in the dark corners of the room.

Often times if the floor was not stone it would be dirt than over time became so packed down that you could sweep the dust right off it out the door.

Once she found the coin she called her friends and her neighbors together to celebrate.

The Final Verse

The scribes and the pharisees could understand the physical things in both of these stories.

They like money so they could see the value in going after the sheep.

They also could see the value in finding the missing coin.

But what Jesus is saying to them here is how can you see and understand the temporal things in this story but yet completely miss the joy of God in heaven over eternal salvation?

They were totally blind to the fact that Jesus was talking about lost human souls here and not things that will pass away one day.

May we never be so blind!

Benedictions 026 Benediction

026 BENEDICTION

The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.