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The Parables of 4 Lost
Prodigals Luke 15:1-32
The FIRST Prodigal: the
Lost Sheep.
Let’s begin with the first parable in Luke 15:4-7, when Jesus answers
His critics (the scribes and Pharisees) “What
man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not
leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is
lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his
shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his
friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have
found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall
be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and
nine just persons, which need no repentance.”
Luke 15:4 “What man of you having an hundred
sheep.”
Jesus is saying “which one of you,” (knowing that the scribes and
Pharisees despised the “publicans and sinners” and pointing out their
hypocrisy,) when you have a hundred sheep in your flock, and when you
loss just one of your sheep, do you not leave the remaining ninety-nine
sheep (who are safe in the fold,) and look for the one that is missing?
Of course you do! And you will keep on looking for it until you find
it!”
The “hundred sheep”
here represent the “very elect” or the especially chosen mentioned by
Jesus in Matthew 24:24. The phrase “very elect” comes from the Greek
ek-lek-tos' which literally means a smaller portion or remnant of
“visibly chosen” people among God’s elect who have denied themselves and
taken up their crosses to follow after Jesus as His disciples (Matthew
16:24; Mark 8:34; 10:21; Luke 9:23; Revelation 14:4).
This can be seen in the
experience of the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19:18 when he thought that
all of the children of Israel had forsaken the covenant of God,
destroyed all of His alters, and murdered all of His prophets, and that
he was the only one left, and now they were seeking his life, to take it
away, to which Go replied, “I have left Me
seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal,
and every mouth which hath not kissed him.” God’s “seven
thousand” were His “very elect” or remnant in the world!
Luke 15:5 “If he lose one of them, doth not
leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is
lost, until he find it?”
This is a question, “if you have one hundred sheep and one of them goes
missing, don’t you leave the ninety nine and go out and search for it
until you find it?” The answer was yes, of course they would. In fact,
in Matthew 23:15 makes a point to condemn them for going to great
lengths to do so by saying, “Woe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make
one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child
of hell than yourselves.” A proselyte is a newcomer or
foreigner, i.e. Gentile to Israel who is converted to Judaism.
Luke 15:6 “And when he hath found it, he layeth
it on his shoulders, rejoicing.”
Every good shepherd will do this! And here Jesus illustrates the joy
that is felt at having found something that was lost. Every good
shepherd rejoices because he has recovered just one of his little sheep
from his flock that had wandered away more than over all those who
remained safe and sound; so too God rejoices that one of His people are
restored.
Luke 15:6 “And when he cometh home, he calleth
together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, rejoice with me;
for I have found my sheep which was lost.”
And as soon as he arrives home again with his once lost sheep he calls
on all of his “friend and neighbours” and invites them to celebrate with
him because he has recovered his lost sheep!
Luke 15:7 “I say unto you, that likewise joy
shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety
and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”
And so it is in the church kingdom of heaven! When just one of the lost
members of God’s family (His sheep,) repents and is returned again, is
found and returned home again, God in heaven is well pleased!
[CONTINUES} |
