Lost and Found
TRANSLATION
(1) Now tax collectors and sinners had gathered around Jesus to hear him. (2) Both the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law grumbled, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” (3) He then gave them this parable: (4) “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in open country and go after the one that was lost until he finds it? (5) And when he finds it, he places it on his shoulders, rejoicing. (6) And when he returns home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep.’ (7) In the same way, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who don’t need to repent.
(8) “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search diligently until she finds it? (9) And when she finds it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I lost.’ (10) In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
OBSERVATIONS
This segment contains two of the three parables in Luke 15 focused on the joy of recovering what had been lost. Luke’s repetition of “sinners” in the opening two verses set the stage for what followed. The first occurrence characterized Jesus’ earthly ministry as appealing to the undesirables of his day: tax collectors and other types of “sinners” (vs. 1). The second occurrence lay at the heart of the criticism Israel’s religious leaders had been leveling at Jesus for some time, namely, that he “receives sinners” without requiring them to be cleansed or converted before personal contact (vs. 2).
Jesus deliberately bypassed the issue of spiritual contamination to get to the core issue which was highlighted by four repetitions of the word for “lost” (vss. 4, 6, & 9) and five uses of the word for “find/found” (vss. 5, 6, 8, & 9). This emphasis was further enhanced by two repeated phrases: “calls together his/her friends and neighbors saying, ‘Rejoice with me for I have found (what was) lost’” (vss. 6 & 9) and “joy...over one sinner who repents” (vss. 7 & 10). God’s recovering that which had been lost and the heavenly joy that accompanied such a restoration lay at the heart of these two parables.
OUTLINE
I. Grumbling over Jesus associating with sinners prompted him to give three parables. (1 & 2)
II. First, Jesus described a shepherd rejoicing over one lost sheep that had been found. (3-7)
III. Then Jesus described the woman rejoicing over one lost coin that had been recovered. (8-10)
IDEA STATEMENT
The repentance and restoration of a lost sinner which causes great joy in heaven should likewise be the occasion for those on earth to rejoice.
APPLICATION
The theme of this chapter, summed up in the term, “finding the lost,” is considered by many to be the core message of Luke’s Gospel and may, in fact, be the main idea of the entire Bible. This view is supported by Jesus’ summary statement, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Lk. 19:10). The beautiful world that God created had been blighted by the fall. This necessitated God’s plan of redemption that would ultimately result in a great restoration.
The three illustrations, a shepherd searching for his lost sheep, a woman searching for her lost coin, and (in tomorrow’s passage) a father welcoming the return of his lost son all emphasized the depth of emotion a caring God feels in the process of redeeming and restoring those who have been damaged almost beyond repair. The shepherd not only rejoices when he finds his lost sheep, he calls together his friends and neighbors so that everyone can rejoice together in the rescue. The woman not only rejoiced when she found her lost coin, she likewise called together her friends and neighbors to rejoice together with her over the recovery of her treasure. The father of the prodigal not only rejoiced when his son returned but held a party and killed the fatted calf so that everyone could rejoice together.
Because heaven rejoices without restraint over one sinner who repents, there should likewise be uninhibited rejoicing here on earth. A question then remains for each of us to answer. Do we share in the delight of heaven or do we, like the elder brother of the prodigal, hold back and refuse to share in the joy of finding and restoring the lost?