Week 8 Parables of the Lost

Luke 15:1-32 (New International Version, ©2011)

Luke 15

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

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.”

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.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

⁸ “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins^a]">[a] 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.”

The Parable of the Lost Son

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.

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. 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.

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.’ 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.

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.’

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.

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.’

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!’

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.’”

Footnotes:

1. Luke 15:8 Greek ten drachmas, each worth about a day’s wages

I found it especially interesting that our author began this chapter discussing ways to describe God because we have spent a good bit of time in that very discussion over these past few weeks. I know personally taking those different views has given me a different perspective in some ways. Then toward the end of the opening, he begins to explore forgiveness, the very concept Rick and Amy are preaching about this Lenten season. The author says Luke 15 explores "foolish grace" extended by a forgiving God. What is your initial reaction to the idea of "foolish grace?"

Please note the box on p.75. We still obviously live this way for the most part. How do we as Christians step away from this? How do we/can we move away from this mindset and the accompanying actions in a way that is authentic?

In summarizing the two parables on page 76, the author once again uses the word foolish to describe the shepherd leaving the 99 sheep to search for the one that is lost. Yet in my own life, I have often searched relentlessly for things I have lost, probably to the exclusion of things I should have been doing. However, the feeling when I find that which I had lost is what sticks with me; similarly, the regret of things lost and not found still stings at the remembering. Relate this to your own life and write down feeling words for both scenarios - then relate that to this passage.

The story of the prodigal son tends to bring out strong responses whenever it is discussed. Think about it in terms of forgiveness and come ready to discuss. I'm wondering, is there something in us that feels threatened by a parents display of love for a sibling? Does that old "sibling rivalry" come into play in our relationship with God? If so, how so?

I saw something on a blog today that caught my attention. A woman was doing a Lenten study and her class was asked to account for every hour of their time for a week. She created a graph which allowed her to visually see where her time was spent. This was to allow her to make decisions about allocating and perhaps re-allocating her time. I was intrigued and thought I'd share.

See you all Thursday. Have a blessed week!