Jesus' Parables of Lost and Found Things

Jesus spoke these 2 parables immediately after being criticized by the religious leaders of Israel for welcoming "sinners" into His life, even sitting down to a eat with them. To fully understand the stories and what they really teach, we need to consider the implications of this criticism, which introduces the passage.

Clearly the religious leaders, who were supposed to represent God to the people, saw their world as having two separate and very uneven classes (them, the "religious" class, versus "publicans and sinners"). Pharisees would never invite people of the lower class into their homes because their religious traditions forbid them to eat, drink or even speak with people considered to be of poor moral character.

From the standpoint of the Pharisees, Jesus had committed a serious religious breach. Their criticism implies that Jesus preferred outcasts to religious people because he, too, was on that sinful level. As such, he would be unfit to be a rabbi or teacher of the Law.

I think their complaints really stemmed from their anger at Jesus for teaching that the lower classes had the same opportunity to be accepted into God's family as they did. The religious leaders thought all their acts of devotion, good works and strict adherence to the rules made them, alone, fit to be God's people. Here, if they pay attention, they will learn the major error of their thinking - and hear it from God's own Son.

Is This Passage Really About Lost Things?
The 2 parables in Luke 15:1-10 speak less about "lost things" than they do about God and how He interacts with His children. The emphasis in these stories is not on the lost sheep or coin but rather on the shepherd and the woman, the ones who are the losers and finders.

The first parable centers around a shepherd, a profession most of Jesus' listeners could relate to and understand. A shepherd's whole life revolved around the sheep he owned. All his time was spent caring for and protecting those sheep until they were sheared, killed for food or sold. They provided his entire livelihood. A shepherd who didn't care for his sheep would soon lose his home and family.

Since Jesus is often called the "Good Shepherd," we can easily read Him into the story. "Sheep" is a frequent biblical reference to people, especially the people of God. Here Jesus tells the story of a shepherd out in the hills searching for one lost sheep. As if it is the most natural thing in the world, he asks, "Which of you wouldn't you do the same?"

To a practical man, the answer would be, "I wouldn't." It makes no economic or common sense. It would be fairly easy to make up for the loss of 1 sheep, but not a herd of 99 left to fend for themselves in the wilderness. That loss could bankrupt a shepherd!

But this is the whole point of the story: it is illogical, unusual, extravagant. Jesus is teaching a vital principle: God's love for the lost is illogical, unusual and extravagant, too. In fact, it's downright shocking, and that's the very nature of grace!

Jesus says the owner of the herd cares so much for the one sheep that is lost, he is willing to risk whatever it takes to find it again. This shepherd knows each of his sheep well, and loves each one equally. He doesn't send an employee to find the lost one, he goes himself, and he keeps on looking until he finds it.

There is no yelling at the sheep once it's found, and no penalty is extracted from it. The shepherd doesn't complain about how hard it was to find the lost one, he is just glad to see the animal returned to the safety of its rightful home.

The second parable has a similar message. A woman loses one small coin (worth about eighteen cents) somewhere in her house. It is of little apparent value compared with the rest of her coins, yet she goes to great lengths to find it. When she does, she throws a party and invites her friends to celebrate with her.

This is another story about God's shocking grace... about the gift of salvation which He paid for, then continually encourages us to accept. Surely, this lost coin would turn up in time. The houses weren't so big that a shiny coin could lay hidden for long. Yet the woman doesn't just go on with her life hoping to find the lost money some day. She finds a lamp, lights it and searches diligently until she finds it.

Christians often talk about a sinner's need for repentance, a term which suggests a return or conversion. Yet in these parables, neither the wandering sheep nor the missing coin does anything except get lost. This is a new way of looking at salvation, a God-twist that explodes our human concept of how and why we become "saved.".

These stories clearly teach us that God finds joy in extending grace. They show us a God who does not sit far off in heaven waiting for us to hit some crisis that will make us turn to Him for help. Rather, Jesus tells us God is someone who goes out into the world actively seeking His lost people. God plays a major part in repentance. It is His love and grace that enable us to respond to His offer of a relationship with Him.

The religious leaders of Jesus' day didn't understand this incredible capacity for love and forgiveness. It was an aspect of God they had apparently not experienced themselves, and certainly something they did not reflect in their own lives. In these parables, the joy experienced in heaven is in direct contrast with the grumbling of the Pharisees and scribes we saw as the passage began.

Another important aspect of these parables we need to consider is the certainty of God succeeding in His search for the lost. The shepherd searches for the lost sheep"until he finds it," the woman continues carefully searching until she locates the coin. The obvious conclusion: God never gives up and He never writes anyone off!

Both stories end with a party. The shepherd rejoices when he finds his sheep, the woman invites her neighbors in to celebrate her found coin. Joy is the bottom line. They are laced through and through with the love and joy of a celebration in heaven as another lost one becomes part of God's family.

So, yes, Luke 15:1-10 is about lost things. But more importantly, it's about found things and the amazing grace of our God.

References: http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/jamieson-fausset-brown/luke/luke-15.html

http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/john-darbys-synopsis-of-the-new-testament/luke/luke-15.html

http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/luke/15.html

http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/robertsons-word-pictures/luke/luke-15.html