Luke 15
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CHAPTER 15
The Parable of the Lost Sheep (15:1-7)
(Matthew 18:12-14)
1 As Jesus traveled and taught, He brought hope and forgiveness to many who had gone astray, who had fallen into bondage to sin. “Repent, be baptized, and believe in me, and you will be saved,” He said to them (see Acts 2:38 and comment). And thus many tax collectors and “sinners” gathered to hear Him wherever He went (see Mark 2:15 and comment).
2 But the Pharisees and teachers of the law murmured against Jesus, because He associated with such sinners (see Mark 2:16-17 and comment). Therefore, Jesus told them three parables to show why He welcomed sinners to come to Him: the parable of the lost sheep (verses 3-7), the parable of the lost coin (verses 8-10), and the parable of the lost son (verses 11-32).
3-7 See Matthew 18:12-14 and comment.
The Parable of the Lost Coin (15:8-10)
8-10 This parable gives the same teaching as the parable of the lost sheep (verses 3-7). It applies to both believers who have lost the way and to non-believers who have not yet found the way.
These two parables teach that God is a loving Father who seeks those who are lost. No other religion in the world teaches about a God who seeks men. God sent His own Son Christ to earth to seek us (Luke 19:10). Christ was like a shepherd, who gave His life to find the lost sheep (John 10:11). God shed the blood of His own Son in order to find us and save us (Mark 10:45; 14:24; Ephesians 2:13). We were bought at a price, the price of Christ’s blood (1 Corinthians 6:20). If God was willing to pay that high a price, think how valuable each man and woman must be in His sight! This is why there is such rejoicing in heaven over each sinner who repents (verse 7).
The Parable of the Lost Son (15:11-32)
11-16 Jesus then told a third parable about a younger son who took his inheritance and went and spent it in wild living in a foreign country. The son thought to himself, “Now I will be free; I will do what I please. No longer will I have to obey my father.”
Here we see man’s basic sin against God: disobedience and rebellion. Man wants to do what he pleases, and so he leaves God. He goes to a distant country and spends his life in sin.
But what happened to that younger son? All the blessing, all the inheritance his father had given him was wasted, lost. He thought he was gaining his freedom, but instead he lost it. He became a slave to sin. life with his father was free and happy compared to living with pigs!
17 Then the younger son came to his senses. He realized how unhappy his situation was and how foolish he had been. This realization of our bad state is the first step leading to repentance.
18-19 Then the son confessed his sin: “I have sinned against heaven.” Then he determined to turn from his sin, and return to his father. The son’s repentance was now complete: he realized his sin, he confessed his sin, and he turned from his sin. True repentance must include these three things.
True repentance also includes humility. The son said, “I am no longer worthy to be called your son; I will be a hired servant” (verse 19).
Notice that the son prepared exactly what he would say to his father. If we have sinned against God or another man and desire to repent of that sin, it is well to prepare what we shall say. Let us not make excuses. Let us not try to hide our sin. Let us honestly confess our guilt. Only then will we receive forgiveness (see Psalm 32:5; 1 John 1:9 and comment). We cannot demand forgiveness; forgiveness comes from the grace and mercy of the one against whom we have sinned.
Notice that the son confessed, “I have sinned against heaven and against you.”
Whenever we sin against another person, we also sin against God. All sins are, in fact, against God.
20 The father had been waiting and watching for his lost son. He had never given up hope. He had never stopped loving his son, even though his son had stopped loving him. And while the son was still a long way of f, his father saw him, and was filled with compassion for him.
21-24 Before the son could even finish his prepared confession of sin, his father had forgiven him and reinstated him to full sonship. The son didn’t deserve to be called his son; but the father did not treat his son according to what he deserved, but according to love and grace. This is how God treats all who truly repent.
Just as the shepherd rejoiced when he found the lost sheep (verse 6), so the father rejoiced when he had found his lost son. For his son was dead, and was now alive again (Ephesians 2:1).
See from this parable the love and mercy of God to all who come to Him with repentant hearts. He will not rebuke and punish us. He will accept us as if we had never sinned. He will remember our sins no more (Isaiah 1:18; 43:25).
25-30 When the older brother heard that his younger brother was being honored, he became angry (verse 28). He was jealous. He said to his father, “… you never even gave me a young goat … [but] you kill the fattened calf for him” (verses 29-30).
The older son was like the Pharisees. The Pharisees were angry with Jesus because He welcomed sinners to associate with Him. They were angry when He said that repentant sinners would take part in the heavenly banquet. The Jews considered themselves to be the rightful heirs; why should these sinners, these Gentiles, share in their inheritance.
Like the Pharisees, the older brother considered himself righteous. “All these years I’ve … never disobeyed your orders,” he said. But now he was refusing to forgive and to love his brother. He was angry with his father. His heart was cold. It was now he who was the sinner, who was far from God.
From this we must understand that envy is a great sin in God’s eyes (Romans 13:13; 1 Corinthians 3:3; 2 Corinthians 12:20; Galatians 5:21; James 3:14-16). He who envies his brother is unhappy with his brother’s good fortune. He who envies does not love his brother. Love does not envy (1 Corinthians 13:4). Thus, when we envy our brother, we are sinning against him.
31-32 The father loved his older son also. He reminded the older son that “everything I have is yours.” The older son had lost nothing because of his brother’s return. The father’s love was great enough for both sons. God’s grace is great enough for everyone. If others share with us in the warmth and light of the sunshine, we do not thereby get less warmth and light. God’s grace is infinite. God’s inheritance is infinite. We have no reason to be envious.
The father also explained to the older son why he was celebrating. It was not to give the younger son special honor above the older son. It was to express joy that the younger son had returned.
Notice again the father’s patience and kindness toward his older son. The father tried to reason with him. So likewise should all in authority try to reason gently with those under them. It is better to lead by gentle persuasion than by force (see Ephe-sians 6:4,9 and comment).
From this parable, we see the difference between Christianity and all other religions. Christianity is a religion of grace, mercy, and love. We do not earn our forgiveness. God forgives us freely and completely. All we must do is to repent and receive the forgiveness of Christ through faith.
All other religions are represented by the older brother. The older brother says: “Sinners should not be freely forgiven. They must first earn forgiveness. They must deserve it.”
But this is false teaching. No one deserves to receive anything from God. None of us can say that we have obeyed God in everything. We all need to cast ourselves on God’s mercy. Everyone of us is a “lost son”—even the older brother!