Image: "Holding On...", 2020, Severna Park, Md
Luke 15:7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
Luke 15:17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
Luke 15:31–32 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ”
Luke 16:8 So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.
Luke 16:11–12 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?
Luke 16:31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”
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I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time looking for something I have misplaced or lost. At this moment I am facing the unhappy prospect of having to replace my prescription glasses. I evidently dropped them somewhere while I was doing various chores and though I have diligently traced and retraced my steps, they are nowhere to be found. I would certainly rejoice if I was to stumble upon them somewhere.
With that said, perhaps you can see how I can appreciate our Lord's parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin. It is only a slight stretch, which is why Luke places it here, to see that the parable of the wayward son fits with the others. In each parable, that which was lost was highly valued and when found ("returned" for the wayward son), there is rejoicing and celebration.
It is no wonder that these parables have been so precious to sinners like you and me for centuries. The entire point of the story is, for each, that the individual was truly lost. The lost sheep was in deadly danger and only prompt salvation would serve to keep him from perishing. The lost coin was useless unless found. It would never serve its intended purpose until put back in circulation. The wayward son? Well, he was truly given over to his sins. It was only when he awakened to his own utter despair that he began his journey "home." We should not overlook how it happened. Jesus said that "he came to himself..." (15:17) We should liken this to Nebuchadnezzar suddenly awakening from his bout of insanity. The son's eyes were opened such that he saw himself as he truly was... his sin as it truly was... and the foolishness of leaving his father's house as it truly was.
Repentance is returning to sanity. As long as sin controls our hearts and minds, we truly are stumbling in the dark, not knowing our right hand from our left. But when the grace of Jesus Christ appears the darkness is lifted and we see ourselves and our shame in their proper light. Then and only then can the offer of forgiveness become as precious as it ought to be.
The main point of these parables in chapter 15 however is the One who is looking. Whether it is the Good Shepherd, or the woman diligently searching the house, or the Father gazing at the distant road so as to be the first to see His lost son returning, it is the Searcher of hearts that is the main point.
Here's what we can hang onto. Like the leaves in the image, we may show the bruises and discoloration that comes from living in this fallen world. But though we are hammered and have a reason for shame, yet we must cling to this hope: We have a Father who is longing to find us and welcome us home. The Lamb has been slain. The Sacrifice has been offered. The "friends" have gathered. All that remains is for the joyful sound to ring out: "I have found what was lost! Come and let us celebrate!"
The parable of the unjust servant in chapter 16 is difficult but teaches one central point: even fallen sinners in this world prudently take steps to offset the certain accounting they will face in the future. If we take to heart the teachings in chapter 15 and recognize that we are lost, then we must act upon that realization. If the unredeemed are concerned for what lies ahead, then how much more should we come to our senses, confess our sins, and undertake to return to our God? He has told us that He is anxious for us to so do! We have nothing to lose but our shame and our guilt and we have everything to gain.
The Rich Man stepped over Lazarus every day when he left his comfortable home. He did not know his own shame. In Hell, it did him no good to "wish he had done differently." Now is the hour and the hope of the Gospel is still being rung out over the world. Our loving Father calls us to repent. Let us do so with haste.
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