The Parables of the Lost and Found (Luke 15:1-32)⤒🔗

¹Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. ²But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." 

³Then Jesus told 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 the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? ⁵And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders ⁶and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' ⁷I 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.

⁸"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? ⁹And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' ¹⁰In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

¹¹Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. ¹²The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them. 

¹³“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 

¹⁷“When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' ²⁰So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 

²¹“The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 

²²“But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate. 

²⁵“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' 

²⁸“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'

³¹“‘My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³²But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”    Luke 15:1-32

Luke 15 contains 3 parables of which the general theme is that someone or something is lost…and found!  We read the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the (well-known) parable of the lost (or “prodigal”) son. Since the basic theme is the same, we will deal with the three in one chapter as well.

There is, however, a general introduction to the parable in Luke 15:1, 2. Parables do not come falling out of the sky, but are part of a larger context. We read about dinner at a Pharisee’s house and about the great marriage feast of the Lamb. Now in chapter 15:1, 2, we read, “Now the tax collectors and ‘sinners’ were all gathering around to hear [the Lord Jesus]. But the Pharisees and teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’” It is against this background that we better understand the parables. “Muttering” is not yet open defiance but is coming awfully close.  “Eating” with others was seen as a special sign of recognition. When Jesus accepts invitations to sinners’ houses, he does invite muttering and rebuke. But he uses this to further the gospel. For Christ did not eat with tax collectors and “sinners” to join them in their evil, but to bring them to repentance!

The Parable of the Lost Sheep (15:3-7)←⤒🔗

The Bible contains many references to the believers as sheep and Christ as the shepherd. So it is understandable that the first parable here deals with a lost sheep.

We read that someone has a hundred sheep. Job had seven thousand sheep and Solomon sacrificed one hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats in one day (1 Kings 8:63). A hundred sheep is not a large amount. There are bigger flocks, of course, but this one is also of good size. The danger with having many sheep is that you more easily overlook one who goes missing. But many farmers with herds and flocks have an uncanny ability to see immediately if one animal is missing.

This shepherd also knows each sheep of his flock. He sees that one is missing. Does he say, “Oh, well. Tough luck, can’t be helped? Fortunately it’s just one. Let’s cut our losses.” We read, “Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?” (15:4)

Note the expression “in the open country”. This means that his sheep were not first brought into their pen or barn, but stayed out in the field. This meant that for a while they were very vulnerable. But the shepherd leaves the others on their own and goes looking for that one lost sheep. The sheep who is wandering off alone is in the most and immediate danger.  “And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.” (15:5, 6) That is still not the end of the story. “Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’” (15:6) Then comes the conclusion, “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” (15:7).

Let us note a few matters. The original text states that this sheep was lost in the “desert”, and was therefore in immediate danger. The shepherd will not have left his flock without adequate protection. Perhaps a fence was made out of thorn bushes. The shepherd goes looking for the lost sheep only because he loves each sheep and calls them by name (cf. John 10:3). It seems a bit much to have such a celebration feast over one lost sheep, but it certainly is telling. The point of the parable is not that ninety-nine were “righteous” but the joy over one who repented. The Jewish leaders may mutter against the Lord Christ that he eats with tax collectors and sinners. But Christ is there where the lost sheep are, to save perhaps even one.

The Parable of the Lost Coin (Luke 15:8-10)←⤒🔗

The next parable is about the lost coin. The question is, “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?” (15:8)

The coin is identified as a Greek drachma, comparable to a Roman denarius, which was worth about a day’s wages. It was not an insignificant amount, but since the woman had nine others left, she would not have fallen prey to hunger. It was a sad loss which could be overcome.

But this woman will not let the matter rest until she finds the coin. She turns on light (for the houses in that time and place were kept dark to keep out the heat). She sweeps the floor, which she had to do very carefully with a small broom, because the floors were made of earth. It’s like trying to find a needle in a hay stack.  But she finds it, and then she, too, like the shepherd, organizes a feast. The feast is perhaps more costly than a denarius.  It is not about the money per se, it is about searching for what is lost.

The conclusion is like in the first parable. “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” This parable, like the first one, sharply contrasts the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the love of God in Jesus Christ.

The Parable of the Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32)←⤒🔗

This parable is perhaps the best known of the three on lost items. It also has quite a different ending that the others. The rejoicing over the repentance of the sinner is not shared by all in the parable. To do justice to the unity and the message of the parable we must consider both aspects. I will make some comments as I go along through the parable, and will attempt to make a summarizing evaluation at the end.

“There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate’. So he divided his property between them.”

We do not know why the younger son asked for his part of the estate. We can speculate, but that is not helpful. We can say that this kind of a request was highly unusual and could even be considered as “rude”. What amazes more, however, is that the father complies with the request. It is important to keep in mind that the Father may have had other plans for his younger son, but thought it best to let this son go and discover by himself what it means to turn away from God and family.

The younger fellow did have plans of his own, which he soon afterwards set into motion. It says, “Not long after that (i.e. the dividing of the inheritance) the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living” (15:13). “Wild living” was a living based on consumption: expensive food, lots of alcohol, and prostitutes. He indulged in all the so-called pleasures of the flesh. See also what the other son says in 15:30.

We do not know if the younger brother planned it this way, but inevitably his money started to disappear. He became poor and destitute. At the same time “there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.” (15:14) He found employment with a citizen of that country who hired him to go and feed the pigs. This was a very demeaning job for any Jew, for whom a pig was an “unclean” animal, but the young man perhaps was beyond thinking in biblical terms. His main concern was hunger, and he would have eaten the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. Nobody showed any compassion for this foolish young man.

The parable tells us that in time the young man “came to his senses” (15:17). Many explainers see this coming to his senses as true repentance. There are strong notions that support this understanding. First, the man takes responsibility for his actions. He also determines to go there where he can find forgiveness, “I will set out and go back to my father and will say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.” (15:18) Notice: first, sinned against heaven! Before we can confess our sins to people, we must first acknowledge them before God. He also acknowledges that he does not deserve any second chance, “I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men” (15:19). And even that will be a matter of God’s grace, not the boy’s rights.

If we place this picture over against the Pharisees’ muttering, it becomes clear that the Lord does not condone the actions of “sinners”, of the tax collectors and prostitutes. The father is painfully aware of the fact that his youngest son has squandered away his inheritance and came home with nothing. When it hits home, it really hits home! The only way to return is by God’s grace and true repentance.

The journey of the young man to his home must have been difficult. He now knows how deeply he has wounded his father. Is there any hope of being accepted again by his father? What he does not know is that his father was always looking for him to come home. It says, “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (15:20).

The son is still focused on making a confession: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son” (15:21). It’s almost as if he blurts it out, “Father, I have sinned…” But then the father comes into action, and says to his servants, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.” (15:22, 23)

Then we read the heart of this parable, “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (15:24). And they began to celebrate. There is abundance of joy and great happiness. The greatest of miracles has happened: that one who was dead in sin is now alive. This passage gives us the very heart and core of what the Messiah, the Anointed one of God is all about. He came to save sinners. Let the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law now pay attention.

But the parable is not yet finished. There is also still the older son. He knows nothing of the events that have taken place at home, for he was out, working in the fields. When he comes close to the house, he hears the sound of music and dancing. What is this? So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. “Your brother has come”, he replied, “and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound” (15:27).

This makes the older son very angry to the point that he refuses to go into the house. He will not join the festivities with this terrible “sinner”. We read that his father went out and pleaded with him. Come, join us!  It is such a miracle: your brother was dead, but now he is alive!

But the older brother will not come in. He answered his father, “Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!” (15:28-30) He cannot even bring himself to say: my brother. He is “this son of yours.”

There is some serious anger here. Some explainers see in the older son’s anger the attitude of the Pharisees against Christ. The Pharisees are trying to be obedient and models of perfection, and along comes this Jesus of Nazareth who befriends tax collectors and prostitutes. It is like turning the world upside-down.

I did not find one commentary that appreciated the position taken by the older son. He did not have the right to be so angry. The father said to him, “My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (15:31, 32).  This is true. Sometimes – although the parable does not deal with this — we need to show concrete appreciation for those who have been faithful and worked hard in the Lord’s service.

I often wonder if the older brother did go in and join the festivities. I hope he did. Most of all I hope he found the meaning of the grace of God.  I often wonder what the Pharisees thought when they heard this parable. Did they know that Christ was speaking to them? I hope they did. As for me, I find it amazing that through Jesus Christ and his sacrifice the way to the Father’s house is open. Every day. Forever.

Questions←⤒🔗

1. Why does Christ tell parables about the “lost”?  How does Christ describe the lost?
2. Who is the key figure in the parables of the “lost”?
3. What is the ultimate danger for those who are “lost”?