In my Bible Study group we are reading Luke chapter 15. Within this chapter Jesus tells three parables. Within these parallels we find a picture of God, a realization of His love for us and much encouragement.
The first parable Jesus relates is that of the lost sheep.
“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he find it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. The he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
-Luke 15:4-7 NIV
Reflecting on this passage I have thought about myself, as a sinner. How often do we feel so alone in our sins? How often do we attend church and view ourselves as that one out of the hundred with a sin problem?
I know I have felt very isolated at times by sin. And in that discouraged state we think, ‘Surely God loves the rest (the righteous) and he has no need for me.’ Yet, this parable says the exact opposite. God searches for the sinner, for the one out of a hundred. He rejoices and all of Heaven with Him when the sinner is found.
Next, comes the second parable of the woman who loses a silver coin.
“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
-Luke 15:8-10 NIV
Again, Jesus lays out a simple principle. God is interested in redemption. God is not interested in judgment and punishment and sending people to hell. Yet, so often that is the picture people paint of God or secretly believe in their hearts.
The special thing I found in these first two parables is that both the Shepherd and the Woman, who represent God in the parables, both do the searching. Imagining the scenario you can sense a type of longing, an urgency to find that which is lost. This tells us that God is searching for us when we are lost with urgency.
If you imagine, again, the Shepherd and the Woman, you can gather from the parables that the lost sheep and the lost coin are of such tremendous value to them. We are that coin, we are that sheep, and God earnestly seeks us because we are of value to Him.
The last parable from Luke 15 is commonly known as the story of the Prodigal Son. I won’t write it out but it encompasses verses 11-32. In it we find the story of a son who asks for his inheritance from his father. He goes off to a distant land and lives it up. He’s a big time sinner. He spends it all on prostitutes and who knows what else. Then his money runs dry. He sells himself into slavery because he needs food. A famine hits the land. He decides to swallow his pride and humbly go back to his father and ask to be a servant so that he can eat. As he approaches his father’s estate his father sees him and is overcome with joyous emotion and runs out to meet him. Then his father exhalts him back to the position of a son and holds a feast of honour for him and clothes him with robes and puts rings on his hands.
Imagining the homecoming scene from this parable evokes such a joyous emotion. Again we find a picture of God as the father putting such value on his son, wiping away memories of the past, exalting him, and much rejoicing.
Does this challenge the way you view God? As Christians, we often know the correct answer to give to our Christian friends and to non-Christians, but how do we feel in our heart? Do we have doubts, insecurities, and a feeling of worthlessness? How does reading Luke chapter 15 challenge those doubts, those insecurities, that feeling of worthlessness?
In these 3 teachings Jesus is reaching out to each of us. He is giving us a picture of God and the value we have in God’s eyes. He is showing us that it’s never too late.
Another challenge to the Christian reader is given in the response of the brother of the prodigal son. When the brother sees all the father is doing for the prodigal son he gets angry and jealous. He embodies arrogance and self-righteousness. He has a pharasaical attitude.
We can all to easily fall into the trap of embodying that same arrogance and self-righteousness as Christians. If we find ourselves preaching the gospel of ‘You reap what you sow’ more than that of ‘God loves and is willing to accept all’ we are in a problem spot. We need to listen to what Jesus says here, that those qualities are not part of the Christian attitude towards the worlds, towards sinners, towards anyone.
When we count ourselves as one of the ninety-nine righteous we need to realize that the one that’s gone astray is just as valuable, if not moreso, to God. We need to embody these qualities of God in the way we treat others.
How can we apply the things we have learned in this meditation?
1. Accept the gift of gracious forgiveness in our lives.
2. Grow in our relationship and understanding of the character of God.
3. Relate our experience of divine love and compassion to others.
4. Realize God loves sinners just as much as us and is actively seeking them as persons of value.
5. Impart the love and compassion to all, even the worst sinners we meet.
So whether you feel isolated by your sin or you feel you’ve got it all together, today’s meditation presents challenges from our Lord to all of us.
May we rejoice in the absolute purity of God’s grace towards all humankind. May we find security in that God is searching for us. May we find worth in knowing how valuable we are to God. May we share this gospel in the way we live and let it resonate in our heart of hearts.
Amen
