Luke
Chapter
15
Luke
15:1-10
1 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.
3 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.
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.
At this point
tax collectors and other sinners gathered to listen to Christ Jesus! The
Pharisees and scribes grumbled against Jesus saying, This man is friendly
toward sinners, and eats with them!
In response to their grumbling, Jesus spoke this parable: Which of you having a hundred sheep and losing one of those
sheep will not leave the ninety nine and go out to find the one that is lost?
And when he has found that one lost sheep will not carry it
home rejoicing. And when arrives at home with
that lost sheep, he calls his friends and asks them to join him in the good
news that he has found that one lost sheep home.
Then
Jesus told them, Likewise
there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repents, more than over ninety and
nine just persons, who need no repentance.
Or, what about the woman who has ten pieces of silver and
loses one of them!
She will light a candle to give light to the darkness if she
lose one, and sweep the entire house diligently until she finds it! And, when she founds the lost
piece of silver, she calls to her
friends and neighbors saying, Rejoice with me,
because I have found the piece of silver which I lost.
Then
Jesus told them, Likewise, I tell you that there is
joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents.
The
above parables speak directly of Gods mercy toward the lost! As the Shepherd
searched for the lost sheep, the Holy Spirit searches for lost mankind! In
fact: Christianity is NOT man
in search of God! Christianity IS
God in search of man! Jesus told us that he was sent to seek and to save the
lost! (Luke 19:10)
Many
deny that wonderful truth! And yet, Christ Jesus (the Great Shepherd) said that
the Shepherd searches for the lost sheep!
The
lost sheep does not search for the Shepherd! In fact, the lost sheep does not
know he is lost!
Does
the lost piece of silver search for the woman?
Perhaps
with that question you now realize how silly it is to tell the lost that they
must search for Christ Jesus? A piece of silver never searches for its owner!
When the silver is lost, the owner always searches for it! The fact is that
none of us is righteous enough to seek salvation in Christ Jesus!
Romans
3:10-11
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There
is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
If
none seek after God, why do so many people keep proclaiming the opposite?
Luke
15:11-32
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.
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.
20 And he arose, and came to his
father. 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.
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
following is perhaps the best known of all the parables Christ Jesus used
during His earthly ministry!
And
Then Christ Jesus said, A certain man had two sons.
The younger son asked his father to give him the
inheritance he was to receive. So, the father divided all he had and gave the
younger son his portion, a third of all that the father owned.
(The
division of assets among the inheritors was to divide the assets by the number
of heirs plus one! The eldest son received two portions and the others sons
received a single portion. Except in rare situations, daughters did not
inherit! For that reason all Christians, male and female, are accepted as sons!
Therefore we all receive the same amount!)
Soon after that the younger son gathered his inheritance, he
traveled into another country. There he wasted his inheritance on reckless
living!
When he had spent everything he had, a great famine hit that
country, and he became destitute.
Having nothing, he soon gained meager employment caring for
the hogs of a citizen of that country. At that point in his life he would
gladly have eaten the husks that the pigs ate! But, none gave him anything!
When he came to himself, he said, How many of my father's hired servants have enough to eat and
more, but I am famished. I will go back to my father, and say to him, Father, I have
sinned against heaven and before you, I am no longer worthy
to be called your son, make me one of your hired servants.
The son arose, and went back to his father. However, when he was
still some distance away his father saw him. His father had compassion, and ran
to hug and kiss him!
Christ
Jesus was declared to be literally, the Lamb who was designated to be slain
prior to the very conception of all creation/Rev 13:8! God the Father made
provision of our reconciliation in Christ Jesus before He spoke creation into
existence! Before we sinned, he was already on His way to welcome us back!
The son told his father, I
have sinned against heaven, and in your sight! I am no longer worthy to be
called your son!
But, the father told his servants, Bring the best robe! Put it on him! Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet! And, bring out the prize calf! Kill it, and we will celebrate!
We
too shall celebrate during the marriage supper of the Lamb!
The
parable continued, Because, my son was dead, and is
now alive! He was lost, and has been found!
So, they began to celebrate.
About that time his older son, who had been working in the
field, returned and as he came near the house he heard music and people
dancing.
He asked one of the servants what all that meant. And the servant told him, Your
brother has returned and your father has killed the prized calf, because your
brother has returned to him safe and sound!
The brother was angry, and would not go to the celebration!
So, his father came out to talk with the older son.
The older brother then told his father, I have served you for many years,
and done nothing to harm you! I have never gone against your word or wishes!
And yet, you have never given me a party with my friends! But, as soon as this
son has come, and devoured your wealth with harlots, you killed the prized calf
for him.
The father told him, Son, you
are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was proper that we should celebrate! Because, your brother
was dead, and is alive again! He was lost, and has been found.
The parable of the prodigal son is told
over and over! The prodigal was a member of the family when he went out and
squandered his earthy goods. Then he returned home to find that his father was
over joyed to welcome him home!
In the same manner, our heavenly Father
is filled with joy when one His family returns to Him!
Here is something that many do not
understand! This parable about the prodigal concerns one who is saved but lives
in the manner of a lost person.
How can we reconcile those parables?
The first two seem to be at odds with
the last!
In the first we deal with a lost sheep!
In the second we deal with a lost coin or piece of silver.
The sheep does not search for the
Shepherd! That is the attitude of many lost people today! In that parable the
Shepherd goes out to search for the lost sheep!
In the second parable the piece of
silver has no legs or arms and cannot search for the woman! The woman must
search for the piece of silver! That is why Christ came among us! Again, He
came to seek and to save! Christ did not come to seek and condemn!
In the last parable the prodigal was a
son! I hate to bring this up, but when he squandered all he was given, he
remained a son! The prodigals position within the family did not change!
When we are adopted into the family of
God by means of the cross of Christ Jesus nothing that happens past that will
make us un-adopted!
I have read that the older brother was
so angry that he would not speak the younger sons name! So, let me ask: What
was the prodigal sons name? The fact is that we are never told! And so, if you
hear that comment, you will understand that the one saying it does not know the
story very well!
If you have been chosen by God, you may
do some really stupid things, but none of those things will un-save or un-adopt
you! You may lose your rewards, but salvation is not a reward! Rewards are
gifts from God! Gifts are never taken back or annulled!
John 17:12 While I was with them in the world,
I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I
have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the
scripture might be fulfilled.
When the Holy Spirit came to this
earth on the day of Pentecost, God the Holy Spirit took over the job of keeping
us safe in the name of our Lord, Christ Jesus! When you are called and
appointed By God for salvation, you are safe in Him!