15:1 ¶ Then drew near unto
him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured,
saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
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? 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it
on his shoulders, rejoicing. 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. 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. 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? 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. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the
presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
Here, Jesus teaches one
of the great lessons on how God will receive a sinner who is repentant. First,
on a direct level He is speaking to Jews about Jews. This is not about someone
who has never known of God. This is about someone straying from the fold who is
welcomed to return. Jesus uses metaphors and a parable explain what He is
saying.
The Jew could stray and
walk away from God’s care and mercy. He could choose to not return and would be
lost forever. But, if he did return there was to be much rejoicing in heaven. In
the Old Testament God pleaded with His people to return to Him, to receive His
mercy and not perish.
Ezekiel 18:30 Therefore I
will judge you, O house of Israel,
every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves
from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
God who, as His talk
with Job in Job 38 and beyond said, controls events in the far reaches of space
and on earth that no man has seen, who makes dust turn to clods in a farmer’s
field and controls how far the ocean waves wash onto the dry land, who has
drawn millions of people back to Him in the great apostasy after the Fall of
Adam and Eve, reconciling them to Himself, rejoices when one seemingly
insignificant one of His people repents and turns to Him and to His mercy. That
is an amazing thing to consider.
It is not unreasonable
to assume that the inhabitants of Heaven rejoice when a Christian who has
strayed from their faith returns to try to live for Christ. Although I do not
believe a Christian, someone truly experienced the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit of God and Christ, can ever be happy while engaged in open or secret sin
against God and facing the consequences of it on earth in their flesh, I also
do not believe a Christian can lose their salvation. Salvation is an act of God
whereby you become a part of Christ’s body on earth, the church. It is not
something you did yourself. It was an act of God.
John 1:12 But as many as
received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his
name: 13 Which were born, not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
James 1:17 Every good gift
and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of
lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of
truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
We are now His body
operating on the earth, the church.
Colossians 1:24 Who now
rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the
afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
In fact, not only are
we in His hands but we are a part of His hands.
John 10:28 And I give unto
them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Many Christian groups
practice a works-religion where they try to earn their way to eternal life or
at least to pay for it on installments but there is only one true work of God.
John 6:28 ¶ Then said they
unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is
the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Strong-willed children
and childish adults, when they have spent their last argument and have nothing
more of value to say will end things with something like, “I know what you’re
saying, but still…” and that is what some will do when they want to control the
Christian, to dominate their behavior and time, and insist they can lose their
salvation that they neither earned nor can pay for but no matter, let’s
continue. Many people come to a religion or a political movement that seek not
truth but the ability and right to control others even if they aren’t aware of
that drive consciously. Let’s dismiss them and surrender only to Christ.
This passage is about
the repentant Jew, a lesson taught by Christ in the first century to Jews
before the Cross and the Resurrection. We can use it to apply to the
backsliding Christian but it is not about people that were never God’s in the
first place but were in Satan’s camp.
Ephesians 2:1 ¶ And you hath he quickened, who were dead in
trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time
past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all
had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the
desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath,
even as others.
So, this isn’t a very
good lesson for soul-winning today but is a very good lesson for trying to get
a Christian to return from a bad life to the protection and mercy of God in
this mortal existence.
15:11 ¶ And he said, A certain man had two sons:
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. 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. 14 And when he had spent all,
there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen
of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would fain have filled his belly with
the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 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! 18 I will arise and go to my
father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before
thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be
called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 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. 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. 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: 23 And bring
hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24 For this my son was dead, and is
alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. 25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he
came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants, and asked
what these things meant. 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. 28
And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out,
and intreated him. 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: 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. 31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with
me, and all that I have is thine. 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.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and
when he is old, he will not depart from it.
The assurance in the
verse in Proverbs is that children will often stray from the lessons and habits
they learned in their childhood but will return to what they remember as being
a stable and comforting part of their early life when live has dealt them the
hand they so richly deserved for their apostasy. Many young adults who have strayed,
when they have their own children, want a little of what they were given
spiritually that they walked away from for their own. It is tragic when that
does not happen because a parent was hateful, implacable, or just plain
mean-spirited in the way they lived in front of their child. Sometimes there is
no going back because if the person who abused them emotionally or otherwise is
in heaven they certainly don’t want to be there. What they don’t understand is
the choice they are making if they are not saved is a terrible one and if they
would just put aside the sorrowful memory of the idiot parent or parents they
would understand something God has recorded for us.
Psalm 27:10 When my father
and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.
Here, in this parable,
one way of viewing it is with the father as a type of Christ as God, the elder
son is like Israel, and the younger son who went away is like the bulk of mankind
who left the first worship of the Creator and wallowed in idolatry and self-worship
for four-thousand years. God rejoices that they have chosen to cease swimming
in filth and have returned to Him in repentance and humility but Israel
resented the father’s embrace of the wayward, the so-called prodigal son.
It can also be viewed with
the father as a type of God the Father embracing the repentant Jew who returns
to the fold, even with those who stayed true to the Law given to Moses angry at
His reception of them. There are several other ways to view it I’ve read with
the far country being pagan religion
and the swine being false teachers
and prophets as in 2Peter 2:22. Read the entire chapter.
2Peter 2:22 But it is
happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and
the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
Remember how Jesus warned
against casting your pearls, new converts, before swine, false preachers and
teachers who would corrupt them?
Matthew 7:6 Give not that
which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and
turn again and rend you.
The point is, though,
no matter how you color it to make your point in preaching or teaching, is that
this parable underscores what was said just before it, that there is great
rejoicing over one returning to the faith. It can be used to be about new
converts but it is most literally applicable for the backsliding Jew who has wondered
away from the flock and how God and His angels rejoiced when that one returned.
You apply it to our own dispensation of Christianity but be careful with the
limitations of that application. Simply
put, God is ecstatic when a believer stops wallowing in the muck and the mire
and realizes His need for God’s truth and mercy. No matter how far a Christian
strays he or she is never not God’s own child and God will never reject them.
Hebrews 13:5b … for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
I would say one more thing
about this parable and applying it to our modern times. When you have a child
who persists in a sin that you know will wreck their lives it is not good to go
to war with them. Even if you have to not be a part of their lives for a time,
always leave the door unlocked, give them a way to return, and embrace them
when they do. “You are no longer my child,” is not a Christian sentiment and
woe be it to us if our Lord felt that way with our apostasy.
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