LUKE 15

    Luke 15:1 "Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him." 
    Luke 15:2 "And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth
with them."
     There was no chance of a scribe or Pharisee ever winning anyone to God, because they totally separated
themselves from what they called sinners. Jesus looked on the heart and not the outward appearance of man.
Many of these people that the scribes and Pharisees called sinners had a more tender heart toward the things of
God than they did.
     Luke 15:3  "And he spake this parable unto them, saying,"
     Luke 15:4 "What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the
ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?"
     Jesus completely ignores their accusation and answers with a parable. Jesus is proving by His parable the
worth of a man's soul. Another place He says He did not come to save the ones who do not need a Saviour.
Jesus comes for the lost. These Pharisees know that this parable Jesus tells them is true. The ninety and nine
don't need a Saviour, they are not lost. The one sheep needs a Saviour, he is lost. Even a worldly shepherd
who lost a sheep would go and search for it and bring it back into the fold, much more the heavenly Shepherd
would go and search for His sheep.
     Luke 15:5 "And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing."
     This is the very thing we do when we come to Jesus. We lay our sins and burdens on His shoulders, and
He carries us to safety in His arms.
     Luke 15:6 "And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto
them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost." 
     Luke 15:7 "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more
than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."
    God does appreciate the 99 who stayed faithful and was never lost, but the joy of this one is that he was
grasped out of the hands of Satan just before he destroyed him and now the 100 are back together again. One
soul is important to God. He is not willing that even one will be lost. The angels, as well as God, rejoice when
one is brought back into the foal.
     Luke 15:8  "Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a
candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?"  
     Luke 15:9 "And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying,
Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost."
     We see again, almost the same story here as in the lost sheep. Silver is symbolic of redemption. This really
has to do with this woman losing something of her standing with God. Perhaps she has backslidden in some
area. This parable speaks of something this woman had and lost. She is overjoyed when she finds this coin. I
believe this indicates that she finds her love of God again and is restored. Here, again in verse 10, we see the
heavenly angels rejoicing with her over the lost being found. Another way of looking at this is the woman
being viewed as the church and when a backslidden member comes back, she (the church) rejoices.
     Luke 15:10 "Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner
that repenteth."
     We see again in this, as before, that just one soul is very important to God.
     Luke 15:11  "And he said, A certain man had two sons:" 
     Luke 15:12 "And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that
falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living."
     We can see in this the fact that God has made us a free agent. If it is our will to leave, He will not stop us.
God wants our love and loyalty because we desire to give it, not because we are forced. This son really wants
to do his own thing. He rebels against authority at home and wants to be his own boss.
     Luke 15:13 "And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey
into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living."
     This journey is like the journey we take through life. Some people, like the older brother, never wander
into a life of sin. They are saved at a very early age and remain a Christian all of their lives. This is not true
with the young brother, here. He wants the things of the world and follows that way of life, never thinking of
loyalty to the father. We all have an inheritance, some of us lose it by choosing the world.
     Luke 15:14 "And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be
in want." 
     Luke 15:15 "And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his
fields to feed swine." 
     Luke 15:16 "And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man
gave unto him."
     Sin and worldliness lead to desperation. All of a sudden, he finds himself in serious trouble with no father
to help him. He looks to the world for answers to the problems and winds up in even worse shape.  The world
has only selfish motives for giving him a job. For a Hebrew to feed unclean swine would be a very degrading
job. He was hungry, dirty, and had no one to look to for help. This is the way most of us are before we turn to
the Lord for help.
     Luke 15:17 "And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have
bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!" 
     Luke 15:18 "I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against
heaven, and before thee,"
     Luke 15:19 "And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants."
     This son has found no answers to his problems in this world. He has fallen about as far as you can go, and
there is only one way left and that is up. We see a man with a repentant heart. He wants to confess that he has
made a mess of his life and that he is willing to do anything his father asks to get back into good graces with
him. You know everything in the world is God's creation. We all belong to Him. It seems that nearly everyone
has to hit bottom as this son did, before they will repent and ask God into their lives.
     Luke 15:20 "And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father
saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him."
     We see that the father had been waiting for this very moment for his son to come home. He loves him so
much that he welcomes this sinner home with a kiss.
     Luke 15:21 "And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and
am no more worthy to be called thy son."
     The son repents with everything in him. He confesses that he is not worthy to receive forgiveness.
     Luke 15:22 "But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put
a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:" 
     Luke 15:23 "And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:" 
     Luke 15:24 "For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began
to be merry."
     The best robe the Christian can receive is the white linen robe of righteousness. It shows that we are in
right standing with God. We receive it not because we deserve it, but because He loved us and forgave us.
This son was dead in trespasses and sins and is alive forevermore.  This is something to be merry about. We
see in this ring that he is now family. We see in the shoes that he must walk in this salvation he has acquired
as a free gift.
     Luke 15:25 "Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard
musick and dancing." 
     Luke 15:26 "And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant."
     There are several ways to look at the older brother here. This could be a physical house of Isreal who kept
the law. Another way is to look at old time Christians who never wandered.
     Luke 15:27 "And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf,
because he hath received him safe and sound." 
     Luke 15:28 "And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated
him."
     We see here the jealousy of the older brother. The Physical house of Isreal thought themselves above their
heathen brothers and did not believe they were worth saving. Looking at this, also, from the oldtime believers
point of view, they are sometimes jealous because they feel some new Christian is getting too much attention.
     Luke 15:29 "And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither
transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make
merry with my friends:" 
     Luke 15:30 "But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou
hast killed for him the fatted calf."
     This could be physical Isreal complaining that they have kept the law and lived a strict life. They do not
understand God through forgiveness and grace alone restoring the son, and even, it appears, favoring the
younger son.
     Luke 15:31 "And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine." 
     Luke 15:32 "It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and
is alive again; and was lost, and is found."
     Salvation was offered to physical Isreal first. In fact, it has always been there for them. All they had to do
was take it. The Lord, here, reminds the older brother that he should be rejoicing for his brother who was lost
and now is found.