Lost sheep

Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. (Lk 15:6)

Luke 15 has become very interesting to me. It is so familiar that I (and many of you) could tell the stories without breaking a sweat. There is a beauty and comfort in being so in tune with a scriptural passage. We don't have worry about looking it up or figuring it out. Its just there. And when something arises in our lives where these verse pertain, we are ready to go. Oh, if only more of God's Word was like that to us!

But there is a danger in familiarity. When we read this passage, whether as part of a daily reading plan or in connection with a devotional, we can easily glaze over the words and the themes. The whole chapter becomes a blur, because we know what it says. Or so we think.

My personal challenge, and by extension my challenge to you, is to re-read Luke 15. Listen to Jesus' words from the perspective of both a sympathetic and skeptical audience. See the themes of helpless lostness and active searching. See the themes of the incredible value of the lost object and the unrestrained celebration when the lost object is found. Additionally see the contrasting responses to the same grace in the two sons. One sees the grace of his father as an deserved gift while the other sees it as an obligation and a right.

Finally, as with any parable, try to place yourself in the story. Remember, Jesus didn't tell this to instruct us on diligent shepherding, wise financial stewardship or godly parenting. This parable was told in direct response to the accusation (true by the way) “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” We are not the shepherd, the lady or the father. We are the sheep, the coin and the son. And I pray we are not the older brother, viewing God's grace as something we deserve and something that should managed and controlled.


Father, thank you for the parables that Jesus shared. They are simple enough for kids to understand, yet deep enough to challenge and encourage someone who has followed Christ for over 20 years. I ask that you allow these 3 parables to sink into our hearts as we read them and cause then to affect us for your glory. In Jesus' name. Amen.

To God Alone be the Glory