Lost and Found
St. Luke is unique among Gospel
writers. He gives details of Jesus’
infancy found in no other Gospel: the census of Caesar Augustus,
the journey to Bethlehem,
Jesus’ birth, the adoration of the
shepherds, Jesus’ circumcision,
the words of Simeon,
and Jesus at age 12 in the temple talking with the doctors of the law. It also
is the only Gospel to give an account of the Ascension.
Among the notable parables found only in Luke’s Gospel are those of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal
Son.
Luke’s Gospel is unique in many ways.
As the author’s narration is downright earthy, He affirms Jesus’ divinity, but
the real emphasis of his book is His humanity—Jesus, the Son of God is also the
Son of Man. He highlights Jesus’ humanness and presents Jesus as a human being. Twenty
out of the 32 parables recorded in the New Testament are found in Luke’s Gospel. His Gospel and
book of Acts are reliable historical documents. Luke is also unique in being
the only non-Jew author of the New Testament. He was Greek. Probably he did not
know Jesus personally.
Luke 15 contains three of Jesus’ parables.
The subject of the stories is similar, but they are presented in vastly
different ways. Jesus told the following stories to his disciples and the Pharisees:
(1) Luke
15: 4-7 the Lost Sheep
There was a shepherd who owned a
hundred sheep. One day he found one of them missing. He left the 99 sheep that
were safe in the fold and went back looking for the last sheep and didn’t rest
until he found it. Then joyfully he carried it home. Every sheep is equally
important to him; every sheep was of high value. Most shepherds would have
considered it not “worth” going back for. It is natural for sheep to wander
away. A sheep is one of the very few animals that cannot find its way home.
Most shepherds would have written it off as an acceptable loss. But
to this man, a sheep was more than a commercial proposition, he loved his
sheep. If left to wander alone to wander, before long it would have ended up as
a meal to some predator. Before we knew God He sought us and found us. He is
still seeking the lost ‘sheep’. Forgiving those who come to Him is
understandable, but Jesus went beyond that. The Old Testament sacrifice system is based
on this. But Jesus tenderly searched out the lost sinner and forgave Him. That
is divine love! The man in the parable
spent his time and labour and risked his personal safety in order to find the
sheep. Consider what God had given up to become a man!
(2) Luke 15: 8-10 The
Lost Coin
A woman had possessed ten silver coins and lost one of them. Every
woman was given ten silver coins during her wedding as a dowry. (Jesus’
audience would have understood the value of the coin the Lord was referring to)
In addition to its monetary value, it is sentimentally valuable--like a wedding
ring or mangal sutra. Loosing one of them can be extremely distressing. Those
days when they had no electric lights, small objects fell on the floor and
disappeared into dark corners. The woman who had lost her money searched for
it diligently and when she found it her joy knew no bounds.
When a lost sinner is found and restored to God’s kingdom, there
is a celebration in heaven, says Jesus. It is the responsibility of a believer
individually and the church collectively, to seek those who are lost to the
world and restore them to the Son’s kingdom of light. In the foregoing parables,
the sheep knows it is lost but has no idea of what to do about it. It cannot
return home; it is hopelessly lost. It has to be found and brought home. The
coin knows nothing and can’t do anything. Here we are coming to the heart of the
chapter. In the third parable, we are dealing with an intelligent adult human
being with self-will.
(3) Luke 15: 11-32 The Lost Son
The parable begins
with a young man, the younger of two sons, who asks his father to give him his
share of the estate. According to Jewish
law, the sons inherit the father’s property after the father’s death. The boy
was not ready to wait until his father's death for his inheritance but wanted
it immediately. The eldest son gets a double portion, the right of the
first-born. But as the younger boy insisted, the father agreed and gave him his
share. Upon receiving his portion of the inheritance, the younger son traveled
to a distant country and wasted all his money in extravagant living.
Immediately thereafter, a famine struck
the land; he becomes desperately poor and is forced to take work as a swineherd. (This is
abhorrent to Jesus' Jewish audience, who considered swine unclean animals.)
He had sunk so low
that he was eager to eat the pods the pigs ate, but he was denied even that.
When he came to his senses he said, "How many hired servants of my
fathers have bread enough to spare, and I'm dying with hunger here! I will get
up and go to my father, and will tell him, ‘, “Father,
I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be
called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”‘ (Luke 15:18) He arose and came to his
father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with
compassion, and ran towards him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him, giving
the clear impression the older man had been waiting and hoping the boy would
return.
Even before the
youngster could complete the rehearsed speech, the father had his servants dress
him in a fine robe, a ring, and sandals, and slaughter the "fattened calf"
for a celebratory meal. The older son, who was at work in the fields, heard the
sound of celebration and was told about the return of his younger brother. He
was not very pleased with this development and addressed his father furiously
"Listen, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a
commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat that I might celebrate with
my friends. But when this wicked fellow who had squandered your earnings on
prostitutes returned, you killed the fattened calf for him." The father
answered ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But
it was right to celebrate and be glad because this brother of yours was dead
and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” (Luke 15:31)
To sum up: When the younger son realized
he had hit rock bottom, he repented and humbled himself. He didn’t plan
anything desperate like suicide or turn to any vice or violent act or thievery but thought about his father, the only one who could rescue him. He returned
home to realize his father had forgiven him, was glad he was back. Whereas his
brother who had stayed with his father and worked for him had his mind on the
luxury his father could provide. He was apparently happy his brother was gone.
He boasted about his virtues and lacked humility. He complained against his
father that he had not appreciated his duty-consciousness and obedience. He refused
to come down from his high moral ground and forgive his younger brother.
What Jesus is
implying with the parable: more than just teaching the Jewish leaders to
rejoice as he does over repentant sinners, he is teaching them how Israel
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