Luke 15

1Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them! 3So Jesus told them this story: 4“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. °When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7In the same way, there is more joyin heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away! Jesus Tells the Parable of the Lost Coin (160) 8“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins* and loses one. Won't she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? 9And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ 10In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.” Jesus Tells the Parable of the Lost Son (161) "'To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: 11A man had two sons. 12The younger son told his father, ‘Twant my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. 13“A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. '*About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. os _ 17When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18I will go home to my father and say, “Father, 1 have sinned against both heaven and you, 19and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.” ’ 20“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.*’ 22"But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get aring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, °4 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began. 25“N4eanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27'Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’ 28“ The older brother was angry and wouldn't go in. His father came out and begged him, 29but he replied, ‘All these years I've slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 2°Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’ 31His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. 2We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!"”

15:15, 16 According to Moses’ law, pigs were unclean animals(Leviticus 11:2-8; Deuteronomy 14:8). This meant that pigscould not be eaten or used for sacrifices. To protect themselvesfrom detilement, Jews would not even touch pigs. For a Jewto stoop to feeding pigs was a great humiliation, and for thisyoung man to eat food that the pigs had touched was to bedegraded beyond belief. The younger son had truly sunk to thedepths.45:17 The younger son, like many who are rebellious andimmature, wanted to be free to live as he pleased, and he hadto hit bottom before he came to his senses. It often takes greatsorrow and tragedy to cause people to look to the only One whocan help them-—Jesus. Are you trying to live life your own way,selfishly pushing aside any responsibility or commitment thatgets in your way? Stop and look before you hit bottom. You willsave yourself and your family much grief.15:20 In the two preceding stories, the seeker actively lookedfor the coin and the sheep, which could not return by them-selves. In this story, the father watched and waited. He wasdealing with a human being with a will of his own, but he wasready to greet his son if he returned. In the same way, God'stove is constant and patient and welcoming. He will search forus and give us opportunities to respond, but he will not forceus to come to him. Like the father in this story, God waitspatiently for us to come to our senses.15:24 The sheep was lost because it foolishly wandered away(15:4); the coin was lost through no fault of its own (15:8); andthe son left out of selfishness (15:12). God’s great love reachesout and finds sinners no matter why or how they got lost.45:25-31 The alder brother found great difficulty in acceptinghis younger brother when he returned, and it is just as difficultto accept “younger brothers and sisters” today. People whorepent after leading notoriously sinful lives are often held insuspicion; churches are sometimes unwilling to admit themto membership. Instead, we should rejoice like the angels inheaven when an unbeliever repents and turns to God. Like thefather, accept repentant sinners wholeheartedly and give themthe support and encouragement that they need to grow inChrist.45:30 In the story of the lost son, the father’s response iscontrasted with the older brother’s. The father forgave becausehe was filled with love. The son refused to forgive because hewas bitter. His resentment rendered him just as lost to thefather’s love as his younger brother had been. Don't let anythingkeep you from forgiving others. if you are refusing to forgivepeople, you are missing a wonderful opportunity to experiencejoy and share it with others. Make your joy grow: Forgive some-body who has hurt you.45:32 In Jesus’ story, the older brother represents the Phari-sees, who were angry and resentful that sinners were beingwelcomed into God’s Kingdom. “After all,” the Pharisees musthave thought, “we have sacrificed and done so much for God.”How easy it is to resent God’s gracious forgiveness of otherswhom we consider to be far worse sinners than ourselves.But if our self-righteousness gets in the way of rejoicing whenothers come to Jesus, we are no better than the Pharisees.

Jesus Tells the Parable of the Shrewd Manager (162)