In Luke 15 Jesus is speaking to a crowd of tax collectors and sinners. The hypocritical religious elites were also present, and they were complaining saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” (Luke 15:2b) The scribes and Pharisees were disgusted that Jesus would associate Himself with people who were so lowly and ungodly in their eyes.
In response to this condescending attitude, Jesus gives us three parables about lost things. In Luke 15:4-7 we are told of the “lost sheep”. In verses 8-10 and verses 11-32 we are told about the “lost coin” and the “lost son” respectively. All three of these parables describe a situation in which an individual has something very precious that is lost, and this loss brings tremendous distress to the individual. With the lost sheep and the lost coin, we see situations in which the individual actively works to reclaim that precious thing that was lost. In the story of the lost son (or prodigal son as we often call it) we see a situation in which the son who was lost must decide to return himself.
All three of these parables depict a person who is a child of God, a Christian in the fold of God who wanders away and becomes lost in the world. We can draw much comfort from these parables in the reality that God seeks out the lost sinner. That is why Jesus came to this earth, to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). He works providentially to draw His children back to Himself and reconcile our relationship with Him (2 Cor 5:18-19). In all three instances we can see that God views the lost as precious beyond measure, and He demonstrates His love in His desire to see the lost return to Him and be restored to His house. There is joy and celebration in heaven over one sinner who repents and returns to the fold of God(15:7). It is comforting to know that no matter how far we may stray, no matter how caught up we become in the far country of sin, God desires us to be restored to His possession. We need only turn back to Him and walk in His ways once more.
While we may draw great comfort from these parables, we should also draw some warning. At the opening of the chapter the scribes and Pharisees complain about Jesus’ association with sinners, prompting the parables. The scribes and Pharisees viewed themselves as superior to these sinners because they thought they were much more righteous in their obedience to God. However, they were mistaken. They had grown legalistic and proud, and in doing so they themselves became as those lost things. Being Jews of the highest order was not enough to save them because they forsook the weightier matters of the law (Matthew 23:23). We should take heed lest we too grow proud in our own obedience and forget the weightier matters of the Gospel. We should never grow condescending of those outside of Christ, because we too were once foolish, disobedient sinners before the grace of our Lord gave of hope of eternal life (Titus 3:3-7). Rather we should humbly seek out the lost and show them the love of Christ through the Gospel.
-Daniel Goshorn
Leave a Reply