I love the teachings of Jesus in Luke 15. Take note of who is present at the teachings of these parables. There are two groups identified: 1) the tax collectors & sinners; 2) the Pharisees. The Pharisees see this and start to grumble over the present company. Jesus then uses this moment to use three parables that highlight God’s attitude towards the sinner. This of course, is opposite to the attitude the Pharisees had. The Pharisees would teach that they were prohibited from:
- Buying or selling to tax collectors
- Eating food prepared by a tax collector
- Sharing a meal with a tax collector
One thing I found fascinating is that they would even teach that one shouldn’t be nice to tax collectors, otherwise they could repent and turn back to God. The view that the Pharisees had was that God would rejoice over the death of a sinner.
The Lost Sheep (Luke 15:3-7)
This parable emphases the lostness of the sinner and the work of the Son. Which is to seek those that are lost. It’s not the works of the lost sheep that enables them to be saved, but the works of the shepherd who seeks for them. One thing to take away from this is our need to rightly examine ourselves. There isn’t any amount of work that we could do to obtain righteousness. It is through the work of the Son, and our faith in Him, that we receive righteousness.
The Lost Coin (Luke 15:8-10)
This parable emphasis the task of searching, which is the work of the Holy Spirit. Notice that the coin is still in the house, but it needs to be searched for. Also notice how there is joy in heaven when one sinner repents. This is opposite to the Pharisaic teaching.
The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)
This is probably one of the most well known parables of Jesus. This one emphasizes the work of restoration, which is a work of the Father. In this parable, the younger son is given his inheritance and is allowed to leave. He squanders everything and ends up living in defilement and feeding pigs for a living. Once he realizes his sin and repents, he heads home in hopes to take the place of a servant in his fathers house.
The father is overjoyed when he sees the return of his son. He has spent his time watching and waiting for his return. This picture is similar to the first two parables. Once the sinner is restored, there is much rejoicing over that restoration.
The older brother, however, is jealous. His attitude at the return of his brother one of anger and frustration because he wasn’t rewarded for his merit. This is a similar attitude that the Pharisees had over the repenting sinners. They thought they would be rewarded on their merits and compliance with the external demands of the Law. However this parable shows that this is not the case. There is immense joy in heaven over the restoration and repentance of the lost.
Wrapping It Up…
These parables deal with one aspect of the Gospel. That is God’s willingness to receive and restore sinners. They also highlight the joy in heaven over their return. Take some time to examine yourself today. Is there anything standing between you and your relationship with God? If so, follow the theme seen through these verses; acknowledge your sin and repent! Once you do, there will be joy
If you don’t even acknowledge that you have sin, then there is no need for repentance. If you have no need for repentance, then you don’t even know how lost you are.
