Luke 15 - Grace Doesn't Make Sense!

Luke 15 - NIV

Luke 15 - Enduring Word Commentary

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

15 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Jesus attracted the tax collectors and sinners because they felt grace when he was around them. The Pharisees and teachers of the law only saw them as sinners, and the type of people to be avoided at all costs. Eating with someone in Jesus' day was a very intimate thing, so the fact that Jesus ate with them was even more distasteful to the Jewish leaders. 

Jesus then told them a parable about a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. When he lost one of them, so he left the ninety nine to find the one that was lost. It wasn't that he didn't care about the 99, but that he cared equally for the one that was lost. When the lost shepherd finds that one sheep, he hoisted it over his shoulder and joyfully brought it home. He rejoiced in the lost sheep being found, which in no way diminished his love for the 99. 

Do we recognize and go after lost sheep? Or, are we more comfortable hanging out with the 99 because it is comfortable? If Jesus cared so much about the one that was lost shouldn't we?

The Parable of the Lost Coin

8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

If the shepherd was concerned about 1 in a 100, it makes sense the woman was interested in 1 out of 10. (Guzik) Note heaven also rejoices over one sinner who repents. One day we will join all those rejoicing in heaven. It is good to remember that all of heaven is cheering us on, as we try to reach lost people who matter to God and should matter to us. 

The Parable of the Lost Son

11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

You can see that the theme in Luke 15 is lost things which were found because people made an all out search for them. We've had a lost sheep, a lost coin, and now a lost son. This is one of my favorite parables in the bible because it shows God's heart for all people. The parable of the Prodigal Son is found only in Luke. 

In the parable, the younger son asked for his share of the estate. Usually an estate was divided up after the father died, but in this case the younger son talked the father into giving it to him early. When we see what the son did with the money, we can maybe see what he wanted it for. The son was responsible for squandering the money, not the famine. But the two together left him in a position where the only job available was feeding pigs, which were destestable to Jewish people. He would have settled for even some pig pods but no one helped. He had reached his low. The only way to go was up. 

17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.

The passage says he "came to his senses". He had lost himself in his wild living and not returned to a semblance of the young man he was before. And he thought of his father. The same father that raised him and provided for him. The same father, who allowed him to take an early inheritance. Maybe this same father would help him. 

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

This is my favorite part of the story. The Father saw him a long way off, which presupposes that he was scanning the horizon in hopes that he might see his boy coming home. He wasn't thinking of how he would punish the boy when he came home, he just wanted his son to come home. The father represents our heavenly Father. When the dad saw the son, overwhelmed with compassion for his son, he ran to him. God ran! The son was truly repentant. He realized his sin was not just against the father but the FATHER. He realized his unworthiness before him. This is what we call true "contrition", or being sorry for your sin. 

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

But rather than scold the boy the Father called the servants to prepare a feast where they could celebrate that his son was dead, but now alive again. He was lost and now was found. Again, we have the theme of lost and found. 

The son began to recite his prepared speech; yet it seemed that the father didn’t even hear it. Instead, he commanded that the prodigal youth be treated like a son, and not like a servant. (Guzik)

25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

Understandably the older son was a little miffed. What did his brother do to deserve this feast of epic proportions? Answer ... nothing! It was pure grace. What happened here did not make sense. Grace doesn't make sense. Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like the younger son, like the older son, and like me and you.

He expressed his anger toward his dad, which was also sinful, especially publicly. He shrugged his shoulders, folded his arms like a little boy and said, "I'm not going to any feast!" But like the younger brother, the Father had mercy on him too. 

31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

You see that Father hadn't taken anything away from the older son, he had only given the younger son grace. Though the younger son didn't deserve it, the Father's love was bigger than his mistakes. 

Who are you in the story, the older or younger brother? There is probably a little bit of both in us. We all need grace, as we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But there are times we look at others and think they might not deserve the same grace. After all look what they have done! But what's good for the goose is good for the gander!

If all of heaven rejoices over one sinner who is lost and then found, shouldn't we as well!