Chapter Overview
Jesus is dining with tax collectors and sinners. The Pharisees and scribes grumble about this. They completely miss that Christ has come to seek and save the lost. To educate them on His mission, Jesus tells three parables. The first is a man who loses one of his one hundred sheep. He searches for the one, carries him back, and throws a party to celebrate. The second is a woman who loses one of her ten coins. She sweeps the house until she finds it, and then rejoices with her friends. The third is about a son who takes his inheritance and wastes it. He finally comes home, and the father throws a feast. His older brother is angry about this and must be taught about mercy by his father.
The point of all three parables is the same: our Father in heaven rejoices when even one soul repents of sin and returns to Him. We might not care about one sheep out of a hundred, but the Shepherd does. We might have lived with one lost coin, but the woman could not. We would certainly be crushed at losing a son, and we would throw a great feast if he returned home. This is why Jesus ate with sinners. He knew that every soul matters and the Father loves them all. The older brother in the Prodigal Son story struggles to have mercy on his brother. To be like our Father, we must be humble and welcome all who repent.
Patient Father, thank You for loving us and desiring our salvation. We know Your greatest joy is seeing a soul restored to Your care. Great God, if we need to repent and return to You, please show us the way. If we are lost sheep, please send Jesus to carry us back home. But Father, we also need to help others turn to You. Please cleanse our hearts of any pride that would look at others the way the older brother did, the way the Pharisees did. Send us someone today who we can lead back to You.
Thought Questions
- 1Jesus spending time with sinners was a shock to the Pharisees. Is it off-putting behavior to you? Should you be doing this also?
- 2All three stories show how important repentance is to God. How should God’s loving response to repentance affect all your decisions?
- 3The older brother was self-centered and unmerciful. Does this ever happen today? Should Christians ever feel this way about others?