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The Lord Yeshua is known for teaching in parables.
He taught using parables for several reasons:
A parable is a short story that’s easy to understand. It’s used to explain things that are harder to understand, especially spiritual truths.
Parables are interesting.
They’re easy to remember.
They cause you to think, reflect, meditate, ponder about spiritual truths – which is a very good thing.
Messiah taught in parables to make the truth clear to those who were willing to hear and obscure to those who lacked genuine spiritual interest.
Why did Messiah want to hide the truth from those who lacked interest?
For the same reasons He told us not to throw pearls before swine. Truth is a precious thing. It should be loved and respected. It should not be treated poorly.
And giving too much truth to someone who is not interested in the truth harms him. He hears the truth, rejects it, and digs himself deeper into a deadly hole.
And if he persists in rejecting the truth, since he knows more of the truth and has rejected it, his punishment will be more severe. So not giving too much truth is a mercy to him.
Turn to Luke 15:1. Luke gave us the background to help us understand the three following parables.
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Yeshua.
In first century Israel, the Romans forced the Jewish people in Israel to pay them taxes. Jewish tax collectors did that work for them. They were rewarded by the Romans by being allowed to keep some of the tax money for themselves.
The tax collectors were considered to be ungodly, traitorous collaborators of the despised Roman invaders, corrupt men who got rich off the impoverishment of the Jewish people. Tax collectors were resented and despised.
Sinners referred to those who did not try to keep the Law. They were not religious. They were not God-fearing. They would do sinful things that religious, God-fearing people would not do.
Luke informed us that some of the tax collectors and sinners were gathering around to hear Yeshua. They were attracted to the wise, miracle-working Rabbi. He was so different from all the other rabbis. They wanted to see Him and hear Him and be with Him. And that was a very good thing.
However, some of the religious leaders who were present did not see that as a good thing. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
I’m sure that these religious leaders thought that welcoming sinners and eating with them was an expression of approval; it was sharing in their evil. A righteous man should avoid sinners. Psalm 1: Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. According to Psalm 1, it’s right to shun sinners who are intent on engaging in wickedness.
However, if sinners are listening, open, receptive; if the Lord is drawing them to Himself; if He is stirring them so they are coming closer to Him, then we don’t shun them. We do the opposite: we engage with them.
If the wicked are influencing us toward wickedness, that’s bad. We distance ourselves from them. However, if they are not influencing us; if instead we’re influencing them to come closer to the Lord and right living, then we welcome sinners. We eat with them. We spend time with them.
We must not be like judges who are ready to declare a sentence for criminals. Instead, we are to be like Yeshua, who left the glories of Heaven on a great search and rescue mission. We are to continue His search and rescue mission.
To reinforce these truths, Yeshua told three parables. Here’s the first one: The Parable Of The Lost Sheep: Luke 15:3-7
Then Yeshua told them this parable: Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.”
A good shepherd is concerned for each one of his sheep. Each one is valuable to him. He doesn’t want to lose even one. So if one wanders away and is lost, he leaves the others and searches until he finds the missing sheep. He’s delighted when he finds it and lovingly carries it home. He’s so happy to have found his lost sheep that he calls his friends and neighbors and shares the good news with them, so they can share in his happiness.
This is easy to understand. Now for the truths which are harder to understand: I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
The lost sheep is the sinner. He’s not interested in obeying God or serving God. He wants what he wants, not what God wants. He’s far from God. He is lost. He is headed toward destruction. However, he’s made in the image of God and is exceedingly precious. He needs to repent, to turn away from his sins and turn to God and God’s right ways. The ninety-nine sheep that are not lost are the righteous who do not need to repent. They are right with God and do the right things. God is happy with them. However, there is a special happiness in Heaven when one lost sinner, who is exceedingly precious, repents.
We are to be like the good shepherd who is concerned about the one lost sheep. We are not to despise a sinner and reject him but love him enough to seek him. We go to him and tell him the truth. We proclaim the gospel which alone can save him. We tell him to repent, turn to God and believe the good news and live in a way that pleases the Lord.
If in this process we spend time with him and talk to him and eat with him – well and good. Isn’t that how God treated us when we were sinners?
The Second Parable: The Lost Coin: Luke 15:8-10
Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.”
Silver coins are valuable. Each one is precious. A woman who has ten and loses one is concerned about the one. She searches carefully until she finds it. When she finds it, she is thrilled. She’s so happy to have found her one lost coin that she calls her friends and neighbors and shares the good news with them, so they can share in her happiness. This is easy to understand.
Now for the truths which are harder to understand: In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
The lost coin is the sinner. He’s made in the image of God and is very valuable. He needs to repent, to turn away from his sins and turn to God and God’s ways. The nine coins which are not lost are the righteous. They do not need to repent. God, who has angels in His presence, is happy with them. However, there is a special happiness in Heaven when one lost sinner repents.
We are to be like the woman who is concerned about the one lost coin. We are not to despise and reject a sinner but care enough to go to him and proclaim the message about the Messiah which alone can save him. We tell him to repent, turn to God, believe the good news, and live in a way that is pleasing to God.
If in this process we spend time with him and talk to him and eat with him – well and good. Isn’t that how God related to us when we were sinners?
The Third Parable: The Lost Son: Luke 15:11-32
Yeshua continued: There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, “Father, give me my share of the estate.” So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. That would have been a horrible job for a Jewish man. How low this man had sunk. The people listening to the story would have been shocked by all this. And the horrible pig-feeding job didn’t even pay enough to meet his needs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
When he came to his senses, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to 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.” His suffering helped him realize the errors of his ways. He humbled himself. He was willing to go back to his father as a servant, not as a son. This shows he was truly repentant.
So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” So they began to celebrate. Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. “Your brother has come,” he replied, “and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.” The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, “Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!” “My son,” the father said, “you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”
This is easy to understand. Now for the truths which are harder to understand.
The younger son represents lost sinners.
The father represents God.
The younger son didn’t appreciate his father. Lost sinners don’t appreciate God.
Instead of serving his father, he demanded an early inheritance. He took it and moved far away from his father. He squandered his inheritance with sinful living. Lost sinners are far from God and are squandering the gift of life God has given them. If they don’t turn to God, they will die, not live forever.
The sinful living of the lost son resulted in suffering. When he suffered enough, he came to his senses, repented, and turned toward his father.
The father, when he saw his younger son returning, was happy. He welcomed him, gave him gifts and celebrated with a feast.
When lost sinners have suffered enough and realize life isn’t working for them, and when they turn to God, God is happy and will welcome them.
And we are to be like God – gracious, forgiving, welcoming lost sinners, happy they are returning to God.
The older son represents religious people who focus on the lostness of sinners and the sinfulness of sinners, and not their willingness to repent. We are not to be like the older brother.
Let’s pray:
Lord God, thank You for these three parables, which teach us to be like Yeshua, to reach out to the lost, to be patient, caring, seeing beyond their sin to the heart of those You are drawing to Yourself.