In Luke, chapter 15, Jesus is speaking to a group of tax collectors and sinners. The Pharisees and religious teachers are watching, and they mutter to themselves, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” These self-righteous blowhards wouldn’t dream of soiling their reputation by associating with such riffraff, and they mock Jesus for doing so. In response, Jesus tells them three parables: The lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son.
All three parables teach the same truth: God loves us, sinners that we are, and desires to redeem us. But I want to look at the differences between the three parables. Each highlights different aspects of God, the sinner, and the relationship between the two.
The wayward sheep.
In the first parable, the sinner is a lost sheep, God is the shepherd. This sheep didn’t leave its shepherd out of spite. It wasn’t a rebel out to prove it could take care of itself. The sheep simply got distracted and wandered off.
[So it is with many people. They are preoccupied with this world, and just don’t give much thought to God, or perhaps know nothing of Him. Like the sheep, they are lost, in great danger, and probably not even aware of it.]
The shepherd has great concern for this lost sheep. So much so that he leaves his other ninety-nine sheep to save the one. When he finds the lost sheep, he joyfully places it on his shoulders and carries it home.
[God actively seeks out individuals who are lost, and wants to rescue them from sin and damnation. How awesome to know that God cares about each of us that much!]
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him [Jesus] the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:6
The silver coin.
In the second parable, a woman has lost one of her ten silver coins.
[The coin is an interesting representation of the sinner. First, a coin is something that only has value because we assign value to it. In and of itself, it’s just a piece of metal. Likewise, we are nothing in and of ourselves, but we have value because God deems us valuable. Second, the coin is lifeless, unable to do anything on its own. So too the sinner is lifeless. He is dead in his sin, and cannot save himself.]
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9
The woman in the parable doesn’t throw up her hands and say, “Oh well, I’ve got nine other silver coins.” Instead, she lights a lamp and carefully sweeps the house in search of the lost coin.
[This reinforces the idea that God loves each of as individuals, and it’s a reminder that there is no corner too dark, no pit of sin too deep where God cannot find us.]
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39
The prodigal son.
The third parable is about a son who rebels against his father so he can chase after his own desires. The son wants his inheritance now, and he wants out from under his father’s rules.
[This is quite a different scenario than what we see with the sheep and the coin. Here the son (the sinner) knowingly and deliberately separates himself from the father (God). This is a sinner who knows God, but has consciously turned his back on Him. Such sinners are described in detail in Romans 1:18-32.]
The father gives the son his portion of the inheritance, and the son leaves thinking that he is finally free. He’s ready to go out and live his best life now!
[The father’s response is interesting. First, he could have denied the son’s request and forced him to stay. He didn’t. In like manner, God does not force anyone to love and obey Him. Second, notice that the father doesn’t go after the son. God will not rescue those that don’t want to be rescued.]
So, the son goes out to party it up. Life is good. It’s all wine, women, and song! But it doesn’t last. A famine hits; party’s over. The son ends up penniless, friendless, and desperate.
[What a perfect picture of the effects of sin. Sin is always fun at first, providing pleasure and instant gratification. But in the end, it leads to pain, suffering, and death.]
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23
From bad to worse.
The son hires himself out as a servant, and his new master gives him a job that would have been utterly detestable to any Jew: feeding pigs. He’s so hungry that he considers eating the slop he’s serving to the swine. The son finally realizes just how bad he messed up. He knows he doesn’t deserve his father’s forgiveness, but he decides to go home and beg his father to let him be a servant in his household.
[Humility is the first step towards salvation. A person will not seek forgiveness while their pride tells them they’ve done nothing wrong. There is no repentance without humility, and there is no salvation without repentance.]
Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Luke 5:31-32
As the son gets close to home, his father sees him from a long ways off and comes running to him. The father throws his arms around the son and rejoices at his return. The father not only forgives his son, he restores his position, and throws a great celebration.
[That the father saw his son returning from a long ways off indicates that he was watching, waiting, and hoping that his son would return. God, our Heavenly Father, also watches for His rebellious children to return, and no matter how much of a mess they have made of themselves, he is ready to forgive and restore.]
These three parables are a great reminder of God’s boundless love for us. They teach us that we are all lost and unable to save ourselves, but that God is willing and able to save us if we turn from our sin and make Jesus our Lord and Savior.
