Recovering The Lost
Preaching
Preaching the Parables
Series II, Cycle C
Object:
1Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to
listen to him. 2And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling
and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."
3So he told them this parable: 4"Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety- nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' 7Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety- nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
8"Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' 10Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
Most of us have experienced loss. It may be money or something else of value. It may be a pet or an animal we were raising. It may be a person who rebelled against the family or cut all ties with church and community.
Loss always results in sadness. If the loss is due to our carelessness or our actions, we probably have a sinking feeling in the pit of our stomach. It is a combination of guilt and sadness at the same time.
Even if the loss may not be of great value, we may spend hours searching for what is lost. We keep retracing our steps if it is something we lost because of our carelessness. We try to think about where the lost item may be.
If the loss is an animal or a person, we may run back through our mind thinking about what we may have done to cause the loss. We try to think about what we might have done to prevent the loss. We may try with considerable effort to recover the loss.
When the loss is restored the depth of our sadness at the loss determines the heights of joy that we have at the recovery. That is the essence of the two parables which Jesus told about his and God's desire for the restoration of a sinner who was lost, regardless of the cause of the loss.
Context
Context of Luke 15
Jesus is accused of having loose morals. His association with persons who were considered sinners was looked upon by religious leaders as defiling. Jesus did not accept their definition of what religion is about. It is not to keep oneself pure by lack of fellowship with those who have sinned. Purity comes from your own actions and not from the actions of others. Jesus had fellowship with people who were sinners to try to redeem them. He did not answer the charges against him directly. Instead, he told three parables to show why he tried to make contact with sinners rather than avoiding them.
Context of the Lectionary
The First Lesson. (Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28) Jeremiah warns the people that a hot wind will come from the desert. It is not a cleansing wind, but one of judgment. It is coming because of the foolishness of the people who do evil and do not know how to do good. The results of the judgment will be desolation, but not complete destruction.
The Second Lesson. (1 Timothy 1:12-17) The writer of the epistle gives praise to Christ Jesus for having redeemed him. He was formerly opposed to Christ out of ignorance and unbelief. Christ Jesus came to save sinners and the writer is a prime example of that mercy. Jesus has used his redemption as an example for others to see. They too may be saved and have eternal life.
Gospel. (Luke 15:1-10) After the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled because Jesus fellowshiped with sinners, Jesus tells parables to justify his actions. The first is about the recovery of a sheep that had gone astray. The second is about a woman finding a coin that was lost. Both recoveries were a cause for joy in contrast to the grumbling of the Pharisees and scribes.
Psalm. (Psalm 14) The psalmist looks at fools who do not believe God exists. They are corrupted and engaged in terrible acts. God wonders if any can be found who have not gone astray. He concludes that they will end in terror and their plots against the poor will be frustrated. The psalmist ends with a longing that the people will be restored. That would be a cause for rejoicing.
Context of Related Scripture
Isaiah 40:11 -- The Lord will feed his flock like a shepherd and carry the sheep in his bosom.
Matthew 9:13 -- Jesus came not to call the righteous but sinners.
Matthew 18:12-14 -- A parallel account to the parable of the lost sheep but in a different context and comes to a different conclusion.
Luke 19:10 -- The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.
1 Timothy 1:15 -- Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
James 5:12 -- Whoever brings back a sinner will save his soul from death.
Lost Sheep:
Jeremiah 50:6
Ezekiel 34:6
Matthew 9:36
Matthew 15:24
Content
Precis of the Parables
The first parable in the pericope is about one sheep in a flock of one hundred that goes astray. The shepherd goes in search of it. When he finds it, he carries it on his shoulders back to the flock. He rejoices and he calls his neighbors and friends to share in his good fortune.
The second parable is about a woman who loses one of 10 coins. She knows it has to be somewhere in the house. She lights a lamp and proceeds to sweep the floor until she finds it. She likewise calls together her neighbors so they can rejoice with her in the find.
Jesus concludes by making the point that the angels in heaven rejoice over any sinner who repents.
Thesis: Heaven rejoices over any sinner who repents.
Theme: The lost need to be searched for and recovered.
Key Words in the Passage
1. "Were Grumbling." (v. 2) The Pharisees and scribes did not accuse Jesus directly. It was, however, obvious from their furtive conversations among themselves that they disapproved of his behavior. Jesus continued to violate their taboos about whom a religious person should fellowship with.
2. "Which One of You." (v. 4) Jesus tells a parable that asks the Pharisees and scribes to compare themselves with the major figure in the parable. It is a frequent technique Jesus uses. If a common shepherd will be so concerned about a sheep, how much more should a religious leader be concerned about saving a lost person of much greater worth?
3. "A Hundred Sheep." (v. 4) A hundred sheep was a large flock. It probably was composed of sheep belonging to several families or owners. While the parable does not say so, a flock that size would probably have more than one shepherd to care for the flock.
4. "Losing One of Them." (v. 4) Even though it was a flock of a hundred sheep, losing one was still a serious matter. It was the responsibility of the shepherd to return the sheep. Even if the sheep was a victim of a wild animal, the shepherd should return the carcass to prove that he had not sold it for his own profit.
5. "In the Wilderness." (v. 4) This would not be the wilderness of the desert. It was probably in the uncultivated area of Palestine. The wilderness was often used as a symbol of the untamed forces of nature. Such places were the remnants of the primeval chaos not yet fully under the sovereignty of God.
6. "On His Shoulders." (v. 5) A sheep was too large an animal for a shepherd to carry any distance in his arms, as Jesus is most frequently depicted. Even if it was only a carcass that was too large for a wild animal to drag away, he would have to carry it back to the village. Furthermore, it is said that when a sheep gets separated from the flock and lost, it lies down and refuses to move, so the shepherd would have to carry it back to the flock.
7. "He Calls Together" (v. 6) When the shepherd gets back to the village, he would call together the various people who were invested in the flock. They would want to be assured that the lost sheep was recovered and in good shape.
8. "Rejoice with Me." (v. 6) The whole community would share in the joy that the sheep was safe and unharmed. Villages in Palestine were close-knit communities, often mostly interrelated. When one suffered, they all suffered together.
9. "One Sinner ... Ninety-nine Righteous." (v. 7) This is a one percent recovery. The joy over the lost and recovered is always greater than over something we have always had and never lost. It is easy to assume good fortune. We usually only think about the importance of air, for example, when it is absent from us.
10. "Ten Silver Coins." (v. 8) We are inclined to think that the parable is about a woman (often also assumed to be a widow, though the text does not say so) wearing her dowry on her headdress. That is true of Bedouin women. A village woman would be much more likely to wear the coins on a necklace. The coins were important as security for possible widowhood.
11. "Light a Lamp." (v. 8) A Palestinian house had no windows. It would be dark inside, even in the daytime. The woman has to light a lamp to be able to see the coin. This is not intended as allegory though it has been used that way.
12. "Sweep the House." (v. 8) The woman did not venture outside the house typically. Therefore it was quite certain that the coin would be somewhere inside the house. The floor might be either stone or dirt. A coin could be easily mixed in the dirt and hidden from view in a typical house. Sweeping would bring it to the surface and isolate it so it could be found.
13. "Joy ... of the Angels." (v. 10.) It was generally assumed that God had a company of angels around him in the heavenly court. They join in the joy over the recovery of persons for God's kingdom. Their joy is also communal.
Contemplation
Issues and Insights
1. Teaching in Pairs. We are dealing in the lesson for today with a pair of parables. The Gospel of Luke gives several pairs of parables, similes, or sayings of Jesus. In Luke 5:36-37 the parallel parables of the new patch sewn on old cloth and new wine in old wineskins is given. In Luke 11:31-32 the judgment of the Queen of the South and the people of Nineveh are given as the sign of Jonah. In Luke 12:24-27 the figures of the ravens and the lilies are used to illustrate lack of worry about daily needs. In Luke 13:18-21 the kingdom of God is compared first to a mustard seed and then to leaven in dough. In Luke 14:28-32 the comparison of people considering the cost was illustrated by the building of a tower and a king facing an enemy in battle.
It seems quite likely that Jesus regularly drove home a point by a double illustration. Does that suggest something for a preaching technique?
2. Escalating Worth. In the two parables in today's lesson and a third following them in chapter 15 (considered separately - - see above in chapter 4), you have increasing worth. In the parable of the Lost Sheep, you have one percent, one out of one hundred. In the parable of the Lost Coin, you have ten percent, one out of ten. In the parable of the Lost Son, you have fifty percent, one out of two.
The probable value is not in an increasing series. We usually consider a coin lost of less importance than a sheep. The locus of value usually proceeds in a hierarchy dependent upon degrees of consciousness. A coin is generally considered unconscious. A sheep has consciousness but not the higher level of self-consciousness found in human beings.
We generally make ethical choices based on this hierarchy of values. We have little qualms about destroying material things. We have more qualms about harm or death to conscious beings, with some difference made between plants which have less consciousness than animals. We hold persons of highest worth as self-conscious beings. The exceptions are made when something of higher worth is affected by the existence of some being of lower worth. Thus the woman dependent for her livelihood on the silver of the coin may make it of more worth than a sheep.
3. Different Kinds of Loss. If we include the lost sons, then we have three different types of loss. The sheep goes astray because of its lack of attention to where it was going. It was lost because of its own negligence, although the shepherd had some responsibility for his sheep.
The coin had no participation in its lostness. Its loss was due to the carelessness of the woman. She did not take care to be sure that the coin was firmly attached. No details are given as to whether it came loose because of normal wear or whether it may have torn loose as the woman was busy with her household duties, perhaps catching on something that tore it loose. In any event the responsibility rests clearly on the woman and not the coin.
In the parable of the lost son, he deliberately, self- consciously decided to leave his home. He chose the kind of lifestyle that led to his loss. We don't know to what degree his father or brother's attitudes toward him may have contributed to his rebellion. In any event he could have chosen other ways to act and primary responsibility for his lost condition rests on him.
4. Finding the Lost. Each of the parables has a similarity in the way in which the loss was recovered. In the parable of the lost sheep the shepherd was diligent in his search for the sheep. He sought the sheep in the wilderness until he found the sheep. Once found he restored it to its proper place. Having recovered the sheep, the shepherd shared the news with the village people. The community shared in the joy.
When the coin was lost, the woman swept the house. She was also diligent in her search. She did not give up until the coin was found. We are not told that she reattached the coin where it belonged, but the presumption is that she did. She also shared the good news with neighbors and friends and they joined in her joy at the recovery.
The father of the lost son did not go in search of the son. He knew that the son could only be fully recovered by his own decision. Nevertheless, the father watched regularly for his son's return. He took the initiative to meet the son and restore him to his proper place in the family. He also made the recovery an occasion for merriment and joy by a larger community. The father did search out the older brother and tried to restore him also. What success he had is a matter of conjecture.
5. The Gender Issue. Some commentators note that in the first parable about the shepherd, Jesus challenged the Pharisees and scribes to identify directly with him when he said, "Which of you" (v. 4). In the parable of the lost coin, where a woman was the primary actor, Jesus did not preface his account with the same comment. Was Jesus being sensitive to a patriarchal society and did not want to insult the men by asking them to compare themselves to a woman? Or was he deliberately telling the parable to include women as persons who should seek and recover the lost? What implications would the answer to these questions have for us today?
Homily Hints
1. Welcome Sinners. (v. 2) How should Christians and the church relate to sinners?
A. Show Compassion. Recognize that all have sinned and come short in God's sight.
B. Offer Fellowship. Jesus ate with the sinners, which was a sign of companionship in their misery.
C. Redemptive Purpose. Fellowship is not to descend to their level but to lift them to the redemptive grace of God.
2. One in a Hundred. (v. 3) The uniqueness and worth of every person is stressed in the parable of the sheep.
A. Every Person Unique. No person has the peculiar combination of traits of any other person.
B. Respect the Differences. Gifts are given that differ according to personal uniqueness. Value and accept them.
C. Infinite Worth. Every person is to be treated as worth one hundred others. Though only a tiny speck in comparison to the vastness of the universe, each human has immeasurable worth.
3. On His Shoulders. (v. 5) Share Christ's burden in carrying the lost.
A. Christ Died for Sins.
B. Christ Calls Us to Cross-Bearing.
C. Reconciling Sinners. Christians need to share in carrying sinners of the world on their shoulders as Christ works in them.
4. The Lost and Found Department. (vv. 9, 10)
A. The Church as a Lost & Found Department
B. The Church as a Community of the Found
C. The Church's Joy in Redemption
5. How Lost? (vv. 1-10)
A. Going Astray. The sheep strays unintentionally.
B. Lack of Care. The coin was lost because the woman was careless.
C. Deliberate Rebellion. The prodigal son (not part of these parables, but a part of the chapter integral to the lesson) chose to rebel and was lost.
6. Finding the Lost. (vv. 3-10)
A. Searching Diligently
B. Finding What Was Lost
C. Recovering and Restoring
D. Rejoicing Personally and in Community
Contact
Points of Contact
1. Friend of Sinners. Jesus was accused of being a friend of sinners. That is, in fact, more of a compliment than an accusation. He was considered a sinner because he ate with tax collectors and others whom the religious leaders branded as religiously impure. Jesus did not worry about being contaminated by the association with these persons.
Jesus as a friend of sinners has two points of contact with us. The first is that he represents the compassionate and seeking God. Just as the shepherd and the woman in the parables searched diligently for the lost, so God in Christ also searches diligently and seeks our recovery when we are lost.
The other side of Jesus as a friend of sinners is that Christians should also be seeking the lost. Christians should be bold in their contacts and association with those whom others consider of ill repute. They will not contaminate the Christian who goes in search of the lost with the intent to restore them in right relations to God.
2. How Lost? Each person can become lost. It can happen in the same ways as the various figures in the parables in Luke 15, including the parable of the lost son. The lost sometime go astray by lack of attention to what they are doing and where it may be leading them. To prevent becoming lost, Christians need the discipline of regular private devotions and corporate worship to keep them on the right track and in right relationships.
Christians may be lost because of carelessness. They become unattached to the fellowship of other believers. It is the responsibility both of the person and the church to maintain strong ties to the fellowship with other Christians and Christ.
The harder issue to deal with is deliberate rebellion. Sometimes all persons can do is to wait and watch, ready to extend acceptance and recovery when such persons come to their senses. For oneself, the person needs to consider what is of real worth, what one's life is about, and the dangers to which one's rebellion may be leading.
3. Who Are the Lost? Christians and the church need regularly to take stock as to who it is that is lost and how as persons and as a body they should be diligently seeking the persons who are lost.
First of all Christians need to look at their own family. They may ask whether their actions and attitudes have pushed the person away and thus contributed to their lostness. That may require that the Christian make some changes and take the initiative in the recovery and restoration of the lost. They may also consider how they can communicate the tender love such as a shepherd shows for a lost sheep.
The church should look at the members who have become unattached. They should ask how they can help such persons to become reattached, if not to this particular congregation, at least to one where they may receive the spiritual nurture they need to recover and be reconciled.
Lastly, the Christian and the church should look at the society at large. They may be able to search out those who need to be found. They need to find ways to help such persons find their way to God in Christ.
4. On My Shoulders. The shepherd first took the risk of seeking the sheep even though it might bring him into danger. It would at least require extra time and effort. Once the shepherd found the sheep he carried it on his shoulders to bring it back to the flock.
Seeking the lost persons will take time and effort. In both the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin the person had to search to find that which was lost. It is not always that those who are lost know they need to be found. So it takes unusual attention and effort to find them.
It may also take more than searching to find the lost. It may require that Christians shoulder the difficult task of getting the persons to the flock. They need often to be brought out of the wilderness where they have wandered and back to where they are given guidance and care for recovery.
5. The Community of Joy. In all three of the parables in Luke 15 the restoration was shared in community. The recovery was an occasion for joy, even for those who neither suffered personal loss nor had engaged in the search and finding.
The church should be a community of joy, sharing in the rejoicing when that which had been lost is found. How does the church celebrate its joy that the angels in heaven know over a sinner who is redeemed? How is the merriment expressed in the community of believers? Is your church known for such joy?
Illustrative Materials
1. A Lost Purse. A woman went to the post office. As she prepared some things to mail, she laid her purse on a counter. She walked out without it. On the way home she stopped to visit a friend so that it was some time later when she arrived home. When she got there, a note was posted on her front door to call a certain number. She was curious because she did not recognize the name. When she called a man answered and asked her if she had lost her purse. Only then did she realize it was missing. Even though he lived out of town, he brought the purse to her. She was upset that she had lost it but greatly relieved that an honest person had found it and took the trouble to see that she got it back. She told the story several times to different friends who rejoiced that she had recovered it.
2. Lost Cameras. An artist owned three cameras and some equipment such as an expensive telephoto lens. On a trip returning from Arizona to Ohio he and his wife stopped at several motels. They took everything out of the car at night. In Tennessee he suddenly realized he did not have the cameras in the trunk. He had seen a group of young men standing nearby but they were now gone. He assumed they had grabbed the camera bag and disappeared while he was getting more things from the room. He told his wife the cameras were old and should be replaced anyway. So he left and later bought three new cameras.
A year later he got a call from a fellow with the same last name as his. The fellow wanted to know if he had lost some cameras. It turned out that he had left his bag in a motel room in New Mexico. The maid had found it and turned it in. They put it in storage, assuming he would contact them. A year later they found the bag while cleaning out the storage room. He only had his last name and hometown in the bag. They called the other fellow in trying to trace the owner. He got the cameras back and sent a gift to the maid who recovered them. He told the story to a group of friends. Now he has six cameras!
3. Lost Dogs and Cats.
A. We were in the process of moving to a new city. We stayed temporarily in an apartment. A friend came to greet us. When he opened the door, our dog took off running and streaked out of sight. Immediately everyone dropped everything and went searching over several blocks. Finally when we were about to give up, we spotted him and called his name. He was as excited as we were, but we carried him home, not wanting to risk that he would run off again.
B. A young couple had a cat to which they became very attached. The cat loved to ride in a car. One day the cat disappeared. They posted notices all over the town and offered a reward. They also took an ad in the local paper. A couple in a town twelve miles away called. Somehow the cat had gotten in their car and they did not discover it until later. They did not know where it had come from, but saw the notice in the paper. The couple rejoiced in its return and shared their good fortune with some neighbors.
4. Never Lost. A woman told me recently that she would probably be an alcoholic if she did drink. She does not and never has. Then she commented about how happy people would be if she had been an alcoholic and was recovering. She then asked if it was not equally marvelous that she never became an alcoholic!
I responded by telling her how fortunate I was. When I wanted to smoke, I could not afford it. When I could afford it, I no longer wanted to smoke.
5. Lost and Wasted. In early 1996 two young Toledo boys, Frederick (Rick) Bagnosco, eighteen, and David Biglow, sixteen, took a car belonging to Rick's girlfriend's mother. They headed for Florida. In South Carolina they were observed trying to siphon gas at a motel parking lot. When they spotted the patrol car, they took off and led the police on an eighteen-mile chase. Apparently the car ran out of gas and the car drifted off the road. Because one of the boys had stolen a gun from his father and they had shot at the police during the chase, the police waited for a while after hearing a couple gun shots. When they approached the car they found that each of the boys had put the gun in his mouth and committed suicide.
Both boys had divorced parents. Rick's parents divorced when he was four and David's when he was one. Both bounced around from one place to another and one was the focus of a custody dispute. Both had previously had difficulties with criminal behavior.
No one was apparently able to find these young fellows, and their lives ended in a tragic waste.
3So he told them this parable: 4"Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety- nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' 7Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety- nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
8"Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' 10Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
Most of us have experienced loss. It may be money or something else of value. It may be a pet or an animal we were raising. It may be a person who rebelled against the family or cut all ties with church and community.
Loss always results in sadness. If the loss is due to our carelessness or our actions, we probably have a sinking feeling in the pit of our stomach. It is a combination of guilt and sadness at the same time.
Even if the loss may not be of great value, we may spend hours searching for what is lost. We keep retracing our steps if it is something we lost because of our carelessness. We try to think about where the lost item may be.
If the loss is an animal or a person, we may run back through our mind thinking about what we may have done to cause the loss. We try to think about what we might have done to prevent the loss. We may try with considerable effort to recover the loss.
When the loss is restored the depth of our sadness at the loss determines the heights of joy that we have at the recovery. That is the essence of the two parables which Jesus told about his and God's desire for the restoration of a sinner who was lost, regardless of the cause of the loss.
Context
Context of Luke 15
Jesus is accused of having loose morals. His association with persons who were considered sinners was looked upon by religious leaders as defiling. Jesus did not accept their definition of what religion is about. It is not to keep oneself pure by lack of fellowship with those who have sinned. Purity comes from your own actions and not from the actions of others. Jesus had fellowship with people who were sinners to try to redeem them. He did not answer the charges against him directly. Instead, he told three parables to show why he tried to make contact with sinners rather than avoiding them.
Context of the Lectionary
The First Lesson. (Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28) Jeremiah warns the people that a hot wind will come from the desert. It is not a cleansing wind, but one of judgment. It is coming because of the foolishness of the people who do evil and do not know how to do good. The results of the judgment will be desolation, but not complete destruction.
The Second Lesson. (1 Timothy 1:12-17) The writer of the epistle gives praise to Christ Jesus for having redeemed him. He was formerly opposed to Christ out of ignorance and unbelief. Christ Jesus came to save sinners and the writer is a prime example of that mercy. Jesus has used his redemption as an example for others to see. They too may be saved and have eternal life.
Gospel. (Luke 15:1-10) After the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled because Jesus fellowshiped with sinners, Jesus tells parables to justify his actions. The first is about the recovery of a sheep that had gone astray. The second is about a woman finding a coin that was lost. Both recoveries were a cause for joy in contrast to the grumbling of the Pharisees and scribes.
Psalm. (Psalm 14) The psalmist looks at fools who do not believe God exists. They are corrupted and engaged in terrible acts. God wonders if any can be found who have not gone astray. He concludes that they will end in terror and their plots against the poor will be frustrated. The psalmist ends with a longing that the people will be restored. That would be a cause for rejoicing.
Context of Related Scripture
Isaiah 40:11 -- The Lord will feed his flock like a shepherd and carry the sheep in his bosom.
Matthew 9:13 -- Jesus came not to call the righteous but sinners.
Matthew 18:12-14 -- A parallel account to the parable of the lost sheep but in a different context and comes to a different conclusion.
Luke 19:10 -- The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.
1 Timothy 1:15 -- Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
James 5:12 -- Whoever brings back a sinner will save his soul from death.
Lost Sheep:
Jeremiah 50:6
Ezekiel 34:6
Matthew 9:36
Matthew 15:24
Content
Precis of the Parables
The first parable in the pericope is about one sheep in a flock of one hundred that goes astray. The shepherd goes in search of it. When he finds it, he carries it on his shoulders back to the flock. He rejoices and he calls his neighbors and friends to share in his good fortune.
The second parable is about a woman who loses one of 10 coins. She knows it has to be somewhere in the house. She lights a lamp and proceeds to sweep the floor until she finds it. She likewise calls together her neighbors so they can rejoice with her in the find.
Jesus concludes by making the point that the angels in heaven rejoice over any sinner who repents.
Thesis: Heaven rejoices over any sinner who repents.
Theme: The lost need to be searched for and recovered.
Key Words in the Passage
1. "Were Grumbling." (v. 2) The Pharisees and scribes did not accuse Jesus directly. It was, however, obvious from their furtive conversations among themselves that they disapproved of his behavior. Jesus continued to violate their taboos about whom a religious person should fellowship with.
2. "Which One of You." (v. 4) Jesus tells a parable that asks the Pharisees and scribes to compare themselves with the major figure in the parable. It is a frequent technique Jesus uses. If a common shepherd will be so concerned about a sheep, how much more should a religious leader be concerned about saving a lost person of much greater worth?
3. "A Hundred Sheep." (v. 4) A hundred sheep was a large flock. It probably was composed of sheep belonging to several families or owners. While the parable does not say so, a flock that size would probably have more than one shepherd to care for the flock.
4. "Losing One of Them." (v. 4) Even though it was a flock of a hundred sheep, losing one was still a serious matter. It was the responsibility of the shepherd to return the sheep. Even if the sheep was a victim of a wild animal, the shepherd should return the carcass to prove that he had not sold it for his own profit.
5. "In the Wilderness." (v. 4) This would not be the wilderness of the desert. It was probably in the uncultivated area of Palestine. The wilderness was often used as a symbol of the untamed forces of nature. Such places were the remnants of the primeval chaos not yet fully under the sovereignty of God.
6. "On His Shoulders." (v. 5) A sheep was too large an animal for a shepherd to carry any distance in his arms, as Jesus is most frequently depicted. Even if it was only a carcass that was too large for a wild animal to drag away, he would have to carry it back to the village. Furthermore, it is said that when a sheep gets separated from the flock and lost, it lies down and refuses to move, so the shepherd would have to carry it back to the flock.
7. "He Calls Together" (v. 6) When the shepherd gets back to the village, he would call together the various people who were invested in the flock. They would want to be assured that the lost sheep was recovered and in good shape.
8. "Rejoice with Me." (v. 6) The whole community would share in the joy that the sheep was safe and unharmed. Villages in Palestine were close-knit communities, often mostly interrelated. When one suffered, they all suffered together.
9. "One Sinner ... Ninety-nine Righteous." (v. 7) This is a one percent recovery. The joy over the lost and recovered is always greater than over something we have always had and never lost. It is easy to assume good fortune. We usually only think about the importance of air, for example, when it is absent from us.
10. "Ten Silver Coins." (v. 8) We are inclined to think that the parable is about a woman (often also assumed to be a widow, though the text does not say so) wearing her dowry on her headdress. That is true of Bedouin women. A village woman would be much more likely to wear the coins on a necklace. The coins were important as security for possible widowhood.
11. "Light a Lamp." (v. 8) A Palestinian house had no windows. It would be dark inside, even in the daytime. The woman has to light a lamp to be able to see the coin. This is not intended as allegory though it has been used that way.
12. "Sweep the House." (v. 8) The woman did not venture outside the house typically. Therefore it was quite certain that the coin would be somewhere inside the house. The floor might be either stone or dirt. A coin could be easily mixed in the dirt and hidden from view in a typical house. Sweeping would bring it to the surface and isolate it so it could be found.
13. "Joy ... of the Angels." (v. 10.) It was generally assumed that God had a company of angels around him in the heavenly court. They join in the joy over the recovery of persons for God's kingdom. Their joy is also communal.
Contemplation
Issues and Insights
1. Teaching in Pairs. We are dealing in the lesson for today with a pair of parables. The Gospel of Luke gives several pairs of parables, similes, or sayings of Jesus. In Luke 5:36-37 the parallel parables of the new patch sewn on old cloth and new wine in old wineskins is given. In Luke 11:31-32 the judgment of the Queen of the South and the people of Nineveh are given as the sign of Jonah. In Luke 12:24-27 the figures of the ravens and the lilies are used to illustrate lack of worry about daily needs. In Luke 13:18-21 the kingdom of God is compared first to a mustard seed and then to leaven in dough. In Luke 14:28-32 the comparison of people considering the cost was illustrated by the building of a tower and a king facing an enemy in battle.
It seems quite likely that Jesus regularly drove home a point by a double illustration. Does that suggest something for a preaching technique?
2. Escalating Worth. In the two parables in today's lesson and a third following them in chapter 15 (considered separately - - see above in chapter 4), you have increasing worth. In the parable of the Lost Sheep, you have one percent, one out of one hundred. In the parable of the Lost Coin, you have ten percent, one out of ten. In the parable of the Lost Son, you have fifty percent, one out of two.
The probable value is not in an increasing series. We usually consider a coin lost of less importance than a sheep. The locus of value usually proceeds in a hierarchy dependent upon degrees of consciousness. A coin is generally considered unconscious. A sheep has consciousness but not the higher level of self-consciousness found in human beings.
We generally make ethical choices based on this hierarchy of values. We have little qualms about destroying material things. We have more qualms about harm or death to conscious beings, with some difference made between plants which have less consciousness than animals. We hold persons of highest worth as self-conscious beings. The exceptions are made when something of higher worth is affected by the existence of some being of lower worth. Thus the woman dependent for her livelihood on the silver of the coin may make it of more worth than a sheep.
3. Different Kinds of Loss. If we include the lost sons, then we have three different types of loss. The sheep goes astray because of its lack of attention to where it was going. It was lost because of its own negligence, although the shepherd had some responsibility for his sheep.
The coin had no participation in its lostness. Its loss was due to the carelessness of the woman. She did not take care to be sure that the coin was firmly attached. No details are given as to whether it came loose because of normal wear or whether it may have torn loose as the woman was busy with her household duties, perhaps catching on something that tore it loose. In any event the responsibility rests clearly on the woman and not the coin.
In the parable of the lost son, he deliberately, self- consciously decided to leave his home. He chose the kind of lifestyle that led to his loss. We don't know to what degree his father or brother's attitudes toward him may have contributed to his rebellion. In any event he could have chosen other ways to act and primary responsibility for his lost condition rests on him.
4. Finding the Lost. Each of the parables has a similarity in the way in which the loss was recovered. In the parable of the lost sheep the shepherd was diligent in his search for the sheep. He sought the sheep in the wilderness until he found the sheep. Once found he restored it to its proper place. Having recovered the sheep, the shepherd shared the news with the village people. The community shared in the joy.
When the coin was lost, the woman swept the house. She was also diligent in her search. She did not give up until the coin was found. We are not told that she reattached the coin where it belonged, but the presumption is that she did. She also shared the good news with neighbors and friends and they joined in her joy at the recovery.
The father of the lost son did not go in search of the son. He knew that the son could only be fully recovered by his own decision. Nevertheless, the father watched regularly for his son's return. He took the initiative to meet the son and restore him to his proper place in the family. He also made the recovery an occasion for merriment and joy by a larger community. The father did search out the older brother and tried to restore him also. What success he had is a matter of conjecture.
5. The Gender Issue. Some commentators note that in the first parable about the shepherd, Jesus challenged the Pharisees and scribes to identify directly with him when he said, "Which of you" (v. 4). In the parable of the lost coin, where a woman was the primary actor, Jesus did not preface his account with the same comment. Was Jesus being sensitive to a patriarchal society and did not want to insult the men by asking them to compare themselves to a woman? Or was he deliberately telling the parable to include women as persons who should seek and recover the lost? What implications would the answer to these questions have for us today?
Homily Hints
1. Welcome Sinners. (v. 2) How should Christians and the church relate to sinners?
A. Show Compassion. Recognize that all have sinned and come short in God's sight.
B. Offer Fellowship. Jesus ate with the sinners, which was a sign of companionship in their misery.
C. Redemptive Purpose. Fellowship is not to descend to their level but to lift them to the redemptive grace of God.
2. One in a Hundred. (v. 3) The uniqueness and worth of every person is stressed in the parable of the sheep.
A. Every Person Unique. No person has the peculiar combination of traits of any other person.
B. Respect the Differences. Gifts are given that differ according to personal uniqueness. Value and accept them.
C. Infinite Worth. Every person is to be treated as worth one hundred others. Though only a tiny speck in comparison to the vastness of the universe, each human has immeasurable worth.
3. On His Shoulders. (v. 5) Share Christ's burden in carrying the lost.
A. Christ Died for Sins.
B. Christ Calls Us to Cross-Bearing.
C. Reconciling Sinners. Christians need to share in carrying sinners of the world on their shoulders as Christ works in them.
4. The Lost and Found Department. (vv. 9, 10)
A. The Church as a Lost & Found Department
B. The Church as a Community of the Found
C. The Church's Joy in Redemption
5. How Lost? (vv. 1-10)
A. Going Astray. The sheep strays unintentionally.
B. Lack of Care. The coin was lost because the woman was careless.
C. Deliberate Rebellion. The prodigal son (not part of these parables, but a part of the chapter integral to the lesson) chose to rebel and was lost.
6. Finding the Lost. (vv. 3-10)
A. Searching Diligently
B. Finding What Was Lost
C. Recovering and Restoring
D. Rejoicing Personally and in Community
Contact
Points of Contact
1. Friend of Sinners. Jesus was accused of being a friend of sinners. That is, in fact, more of a compliment than an accusation. He was considered a sinner because he ate with tax collectors and others whom the religious leaders branded as religiously impure. Jesus did not worry about being contaminated by the association with these persons.
Jesus as a friend of sinners has two points of contact with us. The first is that he represents the compassionate and seeking God. Just as the shepherd and the woman in the parables searched diligently for the lost, so God in Christ also searches diligently and seeks our recovery when we are lost.
The other side of Jesus as a friend of sinners is that Christians should also be seeking the lost. Christians should be bold in their contacts and association with those whom others consider of ill repute. They will not contaminate the Christian who goes in search of the lost with the intent to restore them in right relations to God.
2. How Lost? Each person can become lost. It can happen in the same ways as the various figures in the parables in Luke 15, including the parable of the lost son. The lost sometime go astray by lack of attention to what they are doing and where it may be leading them. To prevent becoming lost, Christians need the discipline of regular private devotions and corporate worship to keep them on the right track and in right relationships.
Christians may be lost because of carelessness. They become unattached to the fellowship of other believers. It is the responsibility both of the person and the church to maintain strong ties to the fellowship with other Christians and Christ.
The harder issue to deal with is deliberate rebellion. Sometimes all persons can do is to wait and watch, ready to extend acceptance and recovery when such persons come to their senses. For oneself, the person needs to consider what is of real worth, what one's life is about, and the dangers to which one's rebellion may be leading.
3. Who Are the Lost? Christians and the church need regularly to take stock as to who it is that is lost and how as persons and as a body they should be diligently seeking the persons who are lost.
First of all Christians need to look at their own family. They may ask whether their actions and attitudes have pushed the person away and thus contributed to their lostness. That may require that the Christian make some changes and take the initiative in the recovery and restoration of the lost. They may also consider how they can communicate the tender love such as a shepherd shows for a lost sheep.
The church should look at the members who have become unattached. They should ask how they can help such persons to become reattached, if not to this particular congregation, at least to one where they may receive the spiritual nurture they need to recover and be reconciled.
Lastly, the Christian and the church should look at the society at large. They may be able to search out those who need to be found. They need to find ways to help such persons find their way to God in Christ.
4. On My Shoulders. The shepherd first took the risk of seeking the sheep even though it might bring him into danger. It would at least require extra time and effort. Once the shepherd found the sheep he carried it on his shoulders to bring it back to the flock.
Seeking the lost persons will take time and effort. In both the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin the person had to search to find that which was lost. It is not always that those who are lost know they need to be found. So it takes unusual attention and effort to find them.
It may also take more than searching to find the lost. It may require that Christians shoulder the difficult task of getting the persons to the flock. They need often to be brought out of the wilderness where they have wandered and back to where they are given guidance and care for recovery.
5. The Community of Joy. In all three of the parables in Luke 15 the restoration was shared in community. The recovery was an occasion for joy, even for those who neither suffered personal loss nor had engaged in the search and finding.
The church should be a community of joy, sharing in the rejoicing when that which had been lost is found. How does the church celebrate its joy that the angels in heaven know over a sinner who is redeemed? How is the merriment expressed in the community of believers? Is your church known for such joy?
Illustrative Materials
1. A Lost Purse. A woman went to the post office. As she prepared some things to mail, she laid her purse on a counter. She walked out without it. On the way home she stopped to visit a friend so that it was some time later when she arrived home. When she got there, a note was posted on her front door to call a certain number. She was curious because she did not recognize the name. When she called a man answered and asked her if she had lost her purse. Only then did she realize it was missing. Even though he lived out of town, he brought the purse to her. She was upset that she had lost it but greatly relieved that an honest person had found it and took the trouble to see that she got it back. She told the story several times to different friends who rejoiced that she had recovered it.
2. Lost Cameras. An artist owned three cameras and some equipment such as an expensive telephoto lens. On a trip returning from Arizona to Ohio he and his wife stopped at several motels. They took everything out of the car at night. In Tennessee he suddenly realized he did not have the cameras in the trunk. He had seen a group of young men standing nearby but they were now gone. He assumed they had grabbed the camera bag and disappeared while he was getting more things from the room. He told his wife the cameras were old and should be replaced anyway. So he left and later bought three new cameras.
A year later he got a call from a fellow with the same last name as his. The fellow wanted to know if he had lost some cameras. It turned out that he had left his bag in a motel room in New Mexico. The maid had found it and turned it in. They put it in storage, assuming he would contact them. A year later they found the bag while cleaning out the storage room. He only had his last name and hometown in the bag. They called the other fellow in trying to trace the owner. He got the cameras back and sent a gift to the maid who recovered them. He told the story to a group of friends. Now he has six cameras!
3. Lost Dogs and Cats.
A. We were in the process of moving to a new city. We stayed temporarily in an apartment. A friend came to greet us. When he opened the door, our dog took off running and streaked out of sight. Immediately everyone dropped everything and went searching over several blocks. Finally when we were about to give up, we spotted him and called his name. He was as excited as we were, but we carried him home, not wanting to risk that he would run off again.
B. A young couple had a cat to which they became very attached. The cat loved to ride in a car. One day the cat disappeared. They posted notices all over the town and offered a reward. They also took an ad in the local paper. A couple in a town twelve miles away called. Somehow the cat had gotten in their car and they did not discover it until later. They did not know where it had come from, but saw the notice in the paper. The couple rejoiced in its return and shared their good fortune with some neighbors.
4. Never Lost. A woman told me recently that she would probably be an alcoholic if she did drink. She does not and never has. Then she commented about how happy people would be if she had been an alcoholic and was recovering. She then asked if it was not equally marvelous that she never became an alcoholic!
I responded by telling her how fortunate I was. When I wanted to smoke, I could not afford it. When I could afford it, I no longer wanted to smoke.
5. Lost and Wasted. In early 1996 two young Toledo boys, Frederick (Rick) Bagnosco, eighteen, and David Biglow, sixteen, took a car belonging to Rick's girlfriend's mother. They headed for Florida. In South Carolina they were observed trying to siphon gas at a motel parking lot. When they spotted the patrol car, they took off and led the police on an eighteen-mile chase. Apparently the car ran out of gas and the car drifted off the road. Because one of the boys had stolen a gun from his father and they had shot at the police during the chase, the police waited for a while after hearing a couple gun shots. When they approached the car they found that each of the boys had put the gun in his mouth and committed suicide.
Both boys had divorced parents. Rick's parents divorced when he was four and David's when he was one. Both bounced around from one place to another and one was the focus of a custody dispute. Both had previously had difficulties with criminal behavior.
No one was apparently able to find these young fellows, and their lives ended in a tragic waste.
