Lost and Found

Luke chapter 15 contains three interrelated parables with a single message. The message concerns the recovery of lost things – a sheep, a coin and a son. The parables are related in response to Jesus being criticized by the Pharisees for associating with “sinners.” The Pharisees saw themselves as “righteous” and therefore more valuable to God. They felt Jesus should be associating with and learning from them.

The self-righteousness of the Pharisees kept them from seeking a deeper relationship with God because they thought they had already achieved all that God could ever want them to be.

There are several progressions that are developed in the chapter. First is the increased percentage of the lost items. The lost sheep is one of 100. The lost coin is one of 10. The lost son is one of two.

Another progression is the value of the lost items. A sheep has economic value. The coin has both economic and sentimental value. The son has immeasurable personal value.

The coin is not just a piece of currency lost from a purse. It refers to a coin that was part of the necklace worn by the bride during the Jewish wedding ceremony. Losing the coin would like losing the stone out of an engagement ring or losing a wedding ring. There is an economic value to the lost item, but it is greatly outweighed by its sentimental value.

How each item is lost is also important. The sheep is lost in the open field and is lost based on its natural tendency to wander. The coin is lost in the home by failure of its attachment to the necklace. The son is lost from the home as a willful act. The son desires to take the benefit of the home (his inheritance) and but rejects the way of life required of those living there. He wants blessings without obedience.

The shepherd leaves the 99 to look for the one. When it is found, he carries it back and call his friends and neighbors to rejoice with him. The woman stores the necklace as she diligently searches the house for the coin. Again, she calls her friends and neighbors to rejoice with her.

The father does not physically search for the son. The son must choose to return. The son realizes the error of his ways and the benevolence of the father. He knows his father will take him back. He does not realize that the love of the father, which he is relying on, not only will take him back under his care but will fully restore him to his position as a son.

The son had squandered his inheritance but had not severed his relationship as a son. The son repented of his deeds and was returning to live under the father’s authority. The father runs to greet and celebrates the son’s return.

It is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). We must make Him our Lord to truly be saved.