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 find it?"
LUKE 15 :4
The first story is the lost sheep (vv.3-7); the second, of the lost coin (vv 8-10); and the third, of the lost son (vv 11-32). Let's examine the first two stories now and save the last one nextime.
The Lost Sheep. For this story, Jesus invites us into the craggy hillsides and steep valleys that carve out the landcape of Palestine. This is the wild domain of the shepherd, who must always be watching for straying sheep. Jesus begins, so lets us read again (v.4).
Outside the shepherds protection and the security of the flock, the lost sheep will certainly die. Lost animals will find it easy prey and quickly tear it to pieces. So he must hurry. He track the frightened sheep through thick brambles and up rocky embankments. His pursuit is relentless. Finally, he hears tha faint, woeful bleating of his lamb, still alive but wounded and half-starved. The shepherd rushes to its side and, with a swing of his strong arms, he hoists the animal and "lays it on his shoulders" (v.5). Then all the way home, he scolds the sheep, right? "Look at the troubles you caused. How many timed have I told you not wander?. ." No ways!
"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!" (v.6).
This parables is not really about lost sheep, is it? It's about lost people. With masterful skill, Jesus draws both a comforming lesson for the crowd and a convicting one of Pharisees.
"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 person who need no repentance." (v.7)
What sets off the fireworks in heaven? Ninety-nine legalists completing the ninety-ninth requirement on their Sabbath checklist? Yawn. One prostitute weeping at the feet of Jesus or one dying criminal gasping, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom" (23:42)--that's what lights the sky in heaven.
The Lost Coin. In the next verse, Jesus brings us back to earth for another story.? This time, He takes us into an ordinary first century home.
"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 find it?" (15:8)
She still has nine other coins, so why does she worry about this one? Because the coin is valuable; it is drachma, worth about one day's wages.
Her mind spins, Where could that be? She tries every method she can think of to find the precious item. She lights an oil lamp. She sweeps the dirt floor, starting in the far corner and slowly working her way through the room. She searches through pockets and fishes behind furniture. She gets on her hands and knees and scours every inch of that house. Finally. . . "There it is!
"And when she found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, sayin, "Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!' In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of angels of God over one sinner who repents." (vv9-10)
Remember who Jesus is addressing: "the tax-gatherers and sinners" who came to listen to Him (15:1). They are the lost sheep that Christ seeks and rescues. They are the previous coins whom He finds by turning the house inside out. And they are the children of the earth whose repentance causes the angels to ring the bells of heaven and fill God's creation with enough laughter to send the stars shooting into space.
LUKE 15 :4
The first story is the lost sheep (vv.3-7); the second, of the lost coin (vv 8-10); and the third, of the lost son (vv 11-32). Let's examine the first two stories now and save the last one nextime.
The Lost Sheep. For this story, Jesus invites us into the craggy hillsides and steep valleys that carve out the landcape of Palestine. This is the wild domain of the shepherd, who must always be watching for straying sheep. Jesus begins, so lets us read again (v.4).
Outside the shepherds protection and the security of the flock, the lost sheep will certainly die. Lost animals will find it easy prey and quickly tear it to pieces. So he must hurry. He track the frightened sheep through thick brambles and up rocky embankments. His pursuit is relentless. Finally, he hears tha faint, woeful bleating of his lamb, still alive but wounded and half-starved. The shepherd rushes to its side and, with a swing of his strong arms, he hoists the animal and "lays it on his shoulders" (v.5). Then all the way home, he scolds the sheep, right? "Look at the troubles you caused. How many timed have I told you not wander?. ." No ways!
"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!" (v.6).
This parables is not really about lost sheep, is it? It's about lost people. With masterful skill, Jesus draws both a comforming lesson for the crowd and a convicting one of Pharisees.
"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 person who need no repentance." (v.7)
What sets off the fireworks in heaven? Ninety-nine legalists completing the ninety-ninth requirement on their Sabbath checklist? Yawn. One prostitute weeping at the feet of Jesus or one dying criminal gasping, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom" (23:42)--that's what lights the sky in heaven.
The Lost Coin. In the next verse, Jesus brings us back to earth for another story.? This time, He takes us into an ordinary first century home.
"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 find it?" (15:8)
She still has nine other coins, so why does she worry about this one? Because the coin is valuable; it is drachma, worth about one day's wages.
Her mind spins, Where could that be? She tries every method she can think of to find the precious item. She lights an oil lamp. She sweeps the dirt floor, starting in the far corner and slowly working her way through the room. She searches through pockets and fishes behind furniture. She gets on her hands and knees and scours every inch of that house. Finally. . . "There it is!
"And when she found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, sayin, "Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!' In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of angels of God over one sinner who repents." (vv9-10)
Remember who Jesus is addressing: "the tax-gatherers and sinners" who came to listen to Him (15:1). They are the lost sheep that Christ seeks and rescues. They are the previous coins whom He finds by turning the house inside out. And they are the children of the earth whose repentance causes the angels to ring the bells of heaven and fill God's creation with enough laughter to send the stars shooting into space.
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