Jesus: Creator, Savior, Lord and King #52 Jesus and the Three Lost Parables - Luke 15

 

Jesus: Creator, Savior, Lord and King #52
Jesus and the Three Lost Parables - Luke 15

Timeline: This time period in Jesus ministry takes place during the year of opposition, the last year of His life on earth. This stages of that year is called the later Perean Ministry. It starts after the feast of dedication we read about in John 8 though 10, when Jesus says He knew Abraham, claimed the name of Jehovah God by saying, “Before Abraham was I am and in claiming to be the Shepherd of Israel. After all that happens in Jerusalem, Jesus takes his disciples and goes into Perea, which is east of Jerusalem and across the Jordan river.

John 10:39-42 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand, 40 And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode. 41 And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true. 42 And many believed on him there.

Context: You can hear the Lord’s frustration and heartbreak in Luke 13:34-35 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! 35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Now in Perea, there are still plenty of Pharisees, expert teacher scholars of the law and others who oppose Jesus but who don’t have any legal standing to arrest Him as they would back in Jerusalem.

In Luke 14 Jesus accepts and invitation to eat with one of the chief Pharisees in the region. This rarely works out well but Jesus doesn’t easily give up even on those who hate Him and deny that He is the Messiah. The reason for the invitation to dinner is in Luke 14:1 And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.

Jesus knowing why they invited him and how they felt about healing on the Sabbath, gave two parables or exhortations during the dinner, the first is about seeking the most important seat at the dinner which Jesus condemns and when one of the persons at the party hears this teaching, he calls out “Luke 14:15 Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.” He may have been trying to up the Lord’s story or just shouting out the first thought that came to his mind after Jesus said supper. Either way Jesus then tells the parable of the great man who invited everyone to a great supper and those who were invited made excuses and so the master of the house in his anger said none of those invited shall come and then sent invitations to the poor, the sick and then to the highways and hedges to invite strangers to the supper that had been prepared.

Then after the dinner he speaks to the crowd that had gathered outside the chief Pharisees house. He tells them they need commitment not just curiosity to know Him. Luke 14:26-27, 33 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. …33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Then we come to chapter 15, the great lost and found chapter. Luke 15:1-2 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

Jesus had a reputation of being a friend to sinners. We see it often in the Gospel accounts, He calls Matthew, a tax collector, to be one of his Apostles. He has a woman who had multiple demons possessing here as part of his entourage.  He eats in Matthew’s house, Zaccheaus shous and Simon the Lepers house. He heal the centurion’s servant and the Syrophoenician woman’s daughter. On the way back to Jerusalem in a few days he will eat with Zacchaeus, a notorious chief of  tax collectors. The pharisees were saying that Jesus was like them, that by being with them he was condoning their lifestyle and even being defiled by their company. But when Jesus eats with sinners, they don’t contaminant Him by their sin, instead He cleans them by His forgiveness. When Jesus healed a leper, Jesus didn’t become leporous, the leper was healed.

This is something that the Pharisees and the scribes cannot fathom and so Jesus, in his infinte patience tells three parables, because it is obvious that the scribes and pharisees aren’t going to understand with just one.

The first is the parable of the Lost Sheep.

The Lost Sheep – Luke 15:3-7

Luke 153 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Wandering Lost

The first story is one that the farming society of Jesus time could easily understand. A man has 100 sheep and he loses one of them. With sheep this happens often. They graze and when they see some grass a little further away, they go to it, then they see more a little further away and they drift to eat. They have no thought for anything but the grass.

My Grandfather tried raising sheep once and gave it up after only a few weeks. Now he had raised small herds of cattle most of his adult life, but when he got up in his 80s he thought it would be better to try something smaller. He had also been a pastor and so sheep appealed to him. He got about 10 or so put them in a pasture and the next time I came to visit, the sheep were gone. I asked, “Grandad, where did all those sheep go?” He gave me a look of consternation, frustration and resignation and said, “I got rid of them. Sheep are the dumbest animal God put on this earth.”

Sheep are dumb and they easily get lost. When the sheep finally looks up and can’t see the flock or the shepherd it begins to bleat, and cry out, louder and louder for someone to come and find it.

The shepherd leaves the 99 and goes searching for the one lost. He goes and the Greek tense tells us that he keeps on searching and searching.   He keeps on searching, listening for the cry of the lost sheep until he finds it. Then notice the reaction.

Vs. 6 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. What a joy, what a blessing, what relief, the lost sheep was found.

And so that the Pharisees would not miss the point He says, “Luke 15:7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

He is telling them heaven rejoices over a lost sheep, a lost sinner rather than over a bunch of Pharisees and scribes who don’t realize they are lost and won’t bother to cry out to be found by the Shepherd of Israel.

Illustration: Old Uther

From the book, "My Shepherd Life in Galilee" by Stephen A Haboush.  The author spent his years as a boy tending his sheep in the Galilean hills around Nazareth. 

            "It was not long before I got the first experience in seeking a lost sheep. After counting the sheep as they entered the door of the fold, to my dismay I discovered that Untar, one of the old members of the flock was not there.

I called to Uncle and told him. At first I thought he was going to be angry with me for allowing such a thing to happen, but he drew me to his side and said: "Too bad, my boy, that you should have an experience like that. I, too, feel about it as you do, but our duty is not only to care for and feed the sheep, but to see that no harm comes to them; and so, go out where you were today and seek Untar until he is found. Take one of your cousins to help you, and I will stay awake, waiting for your return."

            It seemed that night that sky and earth were set against our purpose. The whole heavens were covered with the blackest of clouds, and when we approached the hills we could not see ten feet ahead of us except for the lightning that flashed before our faces. Here and there in the darkness, now and then, we could see some of the wild beasts with eyes gleaming like jewels of fire.

Ascending and descending those hills that night, calling and calling for the lost sheep, we repeatedly stumbled and fell, bruising our hands and faces against the sharp flint rocks. Suddenly the storm broke upon us, drenching us to the skin, and in addition, lightning nearly blinded our eyes and thunder almost deafened our ears. Cousin and I became discouraged after several hours of seemingly futile search for the lost sheep. So I turned to him and told him that it was no use to go any farther, for I was at the end of my strength, and that Untar was no longer alive or he would have heard my call and answered. Cousin touched my arm gently and reminded me of Uncle's command, "Seek him until he is found." With that, I put all my remaining energy into the call I gave a moment later. To our waiting ears, as the echo of my voice died in the distance, there came a faint answer of a sheep that seemed in trouble. The answer came from a little valley just below us. Hurriedly we descended, and in our haste rolled many feet down the hillside, the thorns piercing our flesh: but we did not care, for the sheep was still alive. A moment later he would have been killed, for a few feet away there stood a wolf with eyes gleaming like diamonds, with open jaws, ready to spring upon the helpless victim.  Seeing the wolf, I uttered a loud cry to cousin to use his rod.  After many minutes of struggle (I was attacked by the wolf and still bear the mark upon my brow) the wolf was driven into the underbrush and Untar was saved. But where had he been? Why did he not remain with the rest of the flock? What was his reason for straying away? We came to the conclusion that in the afternoon of that day, while he was eating the tender grasses on the hillside with the rest of the sheep, he had got the notion into his brain  -what little he had - that he could find more grass elsewhere and that he could find more satisfaction by being away from the shepherd and the rest of the sheep. While I was not looking he had drifted into a field of brush down in the valley, where his old long horns had become entangled in the branches. There he had remained all that afternoon and night as if hands had tied him. 

            You ought to have seen him! Poor Untar He looked so worn and ragged out!  I believe he must have tried to extricate himself, and the more he tried the more he became entangled. We released him, and could you have looked into his eyes, you would have seen a look of deep gratitude, for he seemed to know we had come just in time to save him from the wolf. We started back to the village, and as we approached we saw the lights still burning in the windows of our home. I suggested to Cousin to call, and Uncle, with relatives and friends, upon hearing his voice, met us at the entrance of the village. When they saw us secure and the sheep safe and sound between us they set up shouts of rejoicing and singing, not only for us, but also for the sheep that was found.

The Wandering Lost Today

We need to bring this home to ourselves as we do all scripture. There are many lost people today who are lost because they are ignorant of where the Shepherd is. They are ignorant of where the flock of the Shepherd can be found. They don’t even realize they are wandering and lost or like Old Untar what danger they are in because they have no protection from the wolves of sin that hunt them.

We may be wandering, lost sheep or we may have family, friends, coworkers and acquaintances who are wandering away from the Lord and His church. They don’t know Jesus loves them, they don’t know about a church where they can come and be feed from the rich pasture of God’s word. They are out in the barren, rocky, sinful world feeding on noxious poisonous weeds because they don’t know that God has something for them so much better.

Today we the searchers for the lost sheep who are wandering away from the Shepherd. We have been called to go out and bring them in from the fields of sin. Find them and tell them they are in danger, tell them there is a place of protection and tell them there is a shepherd who is waiting to lift them up on his shoulders and in love carry them home.

Next Jesus tells the story of the lost coin. The men would especially understand the story of the shepherd but only a woman could fully appreciate the story of the lost coin.

The Lost Coin - Luke 15:8-10

Luke 15:8 8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? 9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

The Priceless Lost

You really have to know the culture of the 1st century in Israel to fully understand this parable. Jesus says a woman had ten silver pieces, in the Greek it says ten drachmas; a drachma was a Greek coin approximately equal in value to a Roman denarius, which was worth about a day’s wage for a laborer. So basically you’re looking at 1 days wages, not a small amount of money but not a lot either. Yet this woman lights a lamp, then sweep the house, the wording means she sweeps it from corner to corner, seeking it diligently. The houses of this time often had no windows and hard packed dirt floors, so the lamp and the broom were the only way she would find it. But again, why was she so worried about just one coin?

It was because the value was in the ten together not the ten as separate coins. When a Jewish girl married, she was given a headband of ten silver coins to signify that she was now a wife. It was the Jewish version of our modern wedding ring. Those 10 coins together identified here as a wife. Losing one would be akin to a woman today losing her wedding ring. And if that means getting a flashlight, sweeping the whole house and even taking apart the trap in both the kitchen and the bathroom sinks you are going to do it, or get your husband to do it or if he can’t do it then call the plumber and pay him a fortune to do it.

 When the woman in the parable lost one coin it was worse than the shepherd losing one sheep, he had lost just one hundredth of the whole but she had lost a tenth and she had lost the symbol that showed who she was, as a wife.

You can tell how much it meant by her actions when she finds the lost coin. Luke 15:9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.

In the original language the words for friends and neighbors is in the feminine gender. She called all her female friends and acquaintances who would understand her joy at find something so valuable. Like a Tupperware party but you didn’t have to buy anything. I know if you’re under 40 you don’t even know what a Tupperware party was, but its enough to say that when the women had one, all the men left and the ladies had a great time buying plastic things.

Jesus then once again makes the very sharp point to the Pharisees who were criticizing him for seeking the lost of Israel, the publican, the sinners, and the outcasts. Luke 15:10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

Now you can take that phrase two ways, First, It might simply mean that heaven rejoices when a person turns from their sin and puts their faith in Jesus. And that is a beautiful truth, isn’t it. Heaven rejoices when a sinner becomes a saint. I don’t know how this works with Calvinism or with the book of life where all the names are already written down, but it happens this way in real time, so just shout hallelujah, and praise the Lord!

The other thing you must consider is this qualifier, “in the presence of the angels.” What exactly did Jesus mean when He added that, from just joy in heaven to joy in the presence of the angels? Many who read this verse and think about it believe it means that the angels are seeing the joy of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Triune God rejoices every time a sinner repents. Now isn’t that an incredibly wonderful thought. We understand the great cost and sacrifice that God made when He sent His son to die on the cross, but we don’t often think of the joy that must be the equivalent, no, not the just equal measure of pain but the superseding, the overcoming, the surpassing of that pain by divine joy.

You know what though, I don’t have to fully comprehend what it means theologically, or homiletically or exegetically,  I just have to have to know what it means eternally, what it means spiritually, what it means in reality. Jesus said, there is joy in heaven when the lost are found. So Amen, amen and amen.

Finding The Invaluable

The sheep was lost through ignorance but the coin was lost because of carelessness. The woman said, the coin I lost. Now don’t push this parable too far and say things like God neglects or ignores the lost. Obviously these parables tell us just the opposite.

Parables are only meant to illustrate one truth and the elements of the story are simply the things that make the story able to fully express that truth. Here in Luke 15 the parables are meant to show why Jesus eats with sinners and to reprimand the pharisees. These stories show the deep need to seek for that which is lost and the great joy of God and all of heaven when those lost ones are found.

In each story something is lost: a sheep; a shekel; and a son. In each case, the lost object is found and produces rejoicing. The sheep is innocently lost, the coin carelessly lost, but the son willfully lost. The percentage of loss grows in each case from one out of a hundred, to one out of ten, to one out of two. – KJV Commentary

The first story emphasizes the thing that is lost, the second emphasizes the search itself, and the last story, of the prodigal son emphasizes the restoration of that which was lost.

But let me add this by way of application, we as those who have been left in this world to search for the lost must understand how valuable are the souls we search for. The woman did not wait for the coin to turn up, she did not wait for light, she did not wait for her friends and neighbors. The coin was priceless to her and so she searched immediately, completely and intensely. We are to be like this woman, she did not wait, she knew that what was lost was precious and valuable, to her it was above any price.

We should realize how precious are lost souls to the Lord and should be to us. Jesus told the church, Mark 16:15 “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Lost souls are so precious that Jesus sent us to search the whole world and find them!

There is one last parable, and it is by far the longest and most famous. Its found in verses 11-31

The Lost Son - Luke 15:11-31

The Willfully Lost – Luke 15:12-31

Luke 15: 11 And he said, A certain man had two sons: 12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

Rebellion – Luke 15:12-16

Of all the things lost in the parables this is by far the most tragic. It is not a sheep, or a shekel but it is a son. It was also not a loss that was unintentional like a wandering sheep or a dropped coin. This loss is a rebellion against the love of a father. This loss of all the parables tells Israel about the heart of their heavenly father.

Jesus says that the son goes to his father and demands his portion of the father’s estate, his family’s wealth. Under OT Jewish law a man would divide his wealth among his sons or if no sons then among his daughters. It would be divided into equal portions but the eldest son, who would carry on the family business or farm would be giving a double portion. So in this case the eldest son would get two thirds of the father’s wealth while the younger son would get one third. This was not supposed to happen until the father died, but as here it could be done before. Yet it was a clear message from the younger son to the father. It was like saying, “Father, you are already dead to me. Give me what is due me and let me leave.”

The parable says the son took his journey to a far country. He didn’t even want to be in the same nation as his father. In the first century young rebellious sons would go to Rome, Ephesus, to Antioch, to big cities where they could “live it up.” He wasted his inheritance, he became the prodigal son, the word means the wasteful son. He “wasted his substance with riotous living.” One day and it probably didn’t take too long, the money ran out, his debaucherous friends ran out and his luck ran out. Then we see the providence of God in this son’s life, a famine runs in, a filthy job runs in and hunger runs in. It’s time for a reality check.

Repentance – Luke 15:17-20

17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

He came to himself, he searched his soul, he returned to reason, he realized he had sinned against heaven and his loving father. Notice in this soul searching moment, the way repentance works, He determines that he will turn from his sin,  that he will confess his sin, he will confess his unworthiness and he will ask for a place in the father’s house.

This is his conviction and his intention but it is not yet his repentance. That only take place in verse Luke 15:20 20 And he arose, and came to his father. The shame of his sin is not repentance. Guilt, shame, sorrow and need deep inside him produced the need for repentance but repentance didn’t take effect until he arose and went back home seeking his father’s forgiveness.

Restoration and Rejoicing – Luke 15:20b-24

Luke 15:20-24 But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

The son returned to his father and before he could even get to the gate, his father saw him, and compassion, ran, fell on his neck, kissed him. This old man didn’t care about his dignity, he only cared for his lost son coming home.

The son confesses his sin but before he can finish his prepared speech the father calls the servants and tells them, “Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. You know if there were no other description of God’s love for his lost children anywhere else in the Bible this parable would be enough, wouldn’t it.

Then the father calls for three things to be arrayed on his son. Jesus did not choose these things haphazardly. The robe was the best, probably the father’s own, reserved for special occasions. With it he covered the filthy, stained rags of a now forgiven son, his past would not be seen. He called for a ring which was a symbol of his family, by putting it on his son’s hand, he restored the son to his place in the family. He called for shoes to put on the son’s rough and torn feet, symbols of his status, slaves went barefoot, but sons wore fine sandals. The son had been worse than a slave but now that he was home he was a true and full son once again.

The father isn’t finished though. He calls for the fatted calf, a calf that was kept in a pen and given special treatment and food so that it would always be ready for a special celebration. Finally, just in case anyone wasn’t sure, he says, Luke 15:23-24 let us eat, and be merry: 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.” They brought out the tables, the brought out the drinks, they opened a bag of chips, some guacamole and some nachos and they had a celebration. The dead had come back to life, how can you do anything but sing, dance and cry all at the same time?

Jesus was painting a vivid picture right in front of those pharisees eyes. He was telling them God loves the lost, he sent me to search and find them and when they are found and are brought back home, He rejoices. God the Father’s heart turns to joy when a lost child of his comes home.

Now the only other time I could find joy mentioned in heaven in the OT was back in the book of Job, when God reprimands Job for his self-righteousness and part of that reprimand is when He reminds Job that He is the creator and where who was Job to question the Creator of the Universe. In Job 38:7, God asks where was Job, “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”  Jesus is now telling those self-righteous Pharisees that when a sinner comes home it means there is the same reaction in heaven as when the world was created. There is joy in heaven, joy in the presence of the angels!

New Name Written Down In Glory captures that joy.

There's a new name Written down in glory,
And it's mine, (And it's mine,)
oh yes, it's mine! (yes, it's mine!)
And the white-robed Angels sing the story,
"A sinner has come home." (home, has come home."
For there's a new name written down in glory,
And it's mine, (And it's mine,)
oh yes, it's mine! (yes, it's mine!)
With my sins forgiven I am bound for heaven,
Nevermore to roam.

Now usually we stop the preaching right here when the lost son comes home, but that isn’t the end, and if we do that then we miss the real reason Jesus finished with this “lost parable.” The parable doesn’t end in restoration it ends in rage.

Rage – Luke 15:25-32

25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. 28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. 29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: 30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. 31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. 32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

The story of the wasteful son is also the story of the hateful son. The elder son who upon coming home is surprised to find out there is a party going on and no one told him. He called for a servant who told him your bother has come home and your father is having a party for his return. The elder brother heard this and Jesus said he was angry. The word used is ὀργίζω / orgizō; and it means enraged or as the KJV often says wroth. And wroth is angry on steroids. He was in a rage and won’t even go in the house.

The father hears and what a patient loving father he is. He comes outside seek the angry son and entreats him to come in. The son gives some good reasons why he is angry. I’ve served you faithfully for years, never disobeyed you and you never even even cooked a goat for a celebration for me and my friends. Now when your son who devoured your the money you needed to live on with prostitutes, you give him the best meat in the house and call for a celebration.

The words of the father are the words of Jesus to the Pharisees, listen carefully because this is the reason Luke 15 was written. Luke 15:31-32 ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”

Jesus ends the story here because it was up to the Pharisees to write their own ending. Would they repent of their own sin of self-righteousness, seek the lost with Jesus their Messiah and rejoice with God in heaven when the lost come home or would they remain outside. Out of God’s joy, out of God’s purpose, out of God’s will? The choice was obvious then and it is still obvious now isn’t it.

Here is another example of God offering sinful man a choice. Will you come into joy or will you stay outside in your sin?

Conclusion

Which seeker am I? Which lost thing am I?

These parables were about the joy of seeking and finding the lost. I should see myself in one of those seekers. Seeking like a shepherd who has lost a beloved sheep or a wife who has lost a precious coin, or a parent who has lost a wasted child. We as the church are now the seekers go and find the lost.

In the parable of Luke 14:21-23 the master says, “Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind…. 23 Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” That is the Lord telling us to go and seek, go and find, go and bring them in.

We can also be the lost one, the lost things in these parable can’t we? I know what it was like to be that lost sheep away from the Shepherds love and protection. I had to understand that to God I was a precious possession and I needed to know that He was intensely looking for me to put me back where I belong as something valuable that belonged to Him. And who cannot see themselves as the wayward, wasteful son. God has given us so much, no many blessing and we waste them away from His house and in a far country away from His love.

I may even by that raging older brother who feels that God has wronged me, someone in God’s house has hurt me and I’m to spite them I’ve decided to stay outside, away from the joy of the Lord, away from reconciliation, away from hope, away from forgiveness. We need to listen for the Father is saying, “My child all I have is yours, come inside and celebrate with your family.”