Lost, Found, Rejoice
The parables of Jesus
Luke 15
The Lost Sheep
Things About this parable.
1. Jesus loved people, all people. He seemed especially interested in those who knew they were sinners (that is to say it was an obvious fact in the culture).
2. Jesus did not just “preach” to these people, He spent time with them, he shared meals with them (a gesture of friendship and interest).
3. Jesus speaks in response to the Pharisees and scribes, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” – OT law, separation from all that is evil.
4. The parables in Luke 15 center around these key thoughts: lost, found, and joy.
5. In This parable Jesus does not use simile, rather, He uses an illustration, a well know fact (sheep get lost and need finding) to bring to light a fact no so well know (people are lost and need finding).
6. C.S. Lewis said, “Joy is the serious business of heaven.” Jesus was on a business trip.
7. Joy in heaven – eternal Joy far more valuable than what we face here and now.
THE SEARCHING SHEPHERD
Remember, this is an illustration and not every part of the text is to be directly applied or given special spiritual significance. We must let the text stand as it is, a simple illustration, to explain a deeper truth.
I. The Scene
a. Read from “Bible Exposition Commentary” Vol. 1 pg. 233, by Warren Weirsbe.
II. Of Shepherds
a. Charged with keeping sheep
i. Tend to their needs
ii. Keep them safe
iii. Ensure their profitability and posterity
b. Rarely owned the sheep
i. Worked for a master
ii. Was financially responsible for the sheep
iii. Was expected to produce good results (good healthy reproductive sheep)
c. Did not work alone
i. Large herds of sheep were tended by more than one shepherd
ii. Each shepherd cared for a certain group of sheep
iii. At night, sheep were kept in sheep folds for protection from predators
d. Must be credible
i. To find work a shepherd needed experience (it was a hard job)
ii. To be trusted a shepherd needed a good name (does not loose sheep)
III. The Story
a. Lost
i. A shepherd is entrusted with 100 sheep
ii. 1 sheep is missing from the fold
iii. The sheep must be found
1. Duty – it was his masters sheep
2. Financially – He had to pay for lost sheep
3. Reputation – He long term employment depended on it
4. Self-image – He was a shepherd, a good shepherd!
5. Sheep were of economic importance
a. Sheep were an important economic asset. Most clothing worn by ordinary people in Israel was made of wool. The skins of sheep were tanned and used as leather. Sheep were also the most desirable of sacrificial animals, and their meat was served at the feasts and banquets which infrequently brightened the life of the average person. (Victor Bible Background Commentary.)
b. Sheep are an important commodity today!
Meat for our tables
From Sheep Hide and Wool
• Lanolin (used in lotions to help keep our skin soft and moist)
• Clothing
• Yarns
• Baseballs
• Insulation
• Tennis balls
• Carpet
From Intestines
• Sausage casings
• Instrument strings
• Surgical sutures
• Tennis racquet strings
From Manure
• Nitrogen Fertilizer
• Phosphorus
From Fats and Fatty Acids
• Explosives
• Chewing Gum
• Paints
• Make-up
• Dog Food
• Margarine
• Medicines
• Dish Soap
• Tires
• Chicken Feed
• Antifreeze
• Crayons
• Floor Wax
• Candles
• Herbicides
• Shaving Cream
• Shampoo and Conditioner
• Lotion
From the Bones, Horns and Hooves
• Syringes
• Gelatin Desserts
• Piano Keys
• Marshmallows
• Bandage strips
• Adhesive tape
• Combs and toothbrushes
• Buttons
• Ice Cream
• Record Albums
• Wallpaper and Wallpaper paste
• Cellophane wrap and tape
• Photographic film
So you see, sheep and lamb are an integral part of our every-day lives!
b. Found
i. The 99 sheep are left in the care of other shepherds
ii. The search does not stop until the 1 is found
iii. When found, the sheep is returned to the fold
1. (carried on the shoulders of the shepherd)
c. Rejoicing
i. “Let’s have a party” – I found the lost sheep
ii. Friends and Neighbors are called together
iii. The is an occasion for celebration!
IV. The Application (What does this mean for us today? – So what?)
a. Lost
i. People like the lost sheep are out of place
1. They are often unaware of their condition
2. They are oblivious to the impending doom
3. They like sheep blindly follow others
IF YOUR FRIEND JUMPED OFF A CLIFT WOULD YOU?
450 Sheep Jump to Their Deaths
By The Associated Press
posted: 08 July 2005
11:22 am ET
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) _ First one sheep jumped to its death. Then stunned Turkish shepherds, who had left the herd to graze while they had breakfast, watched as nearly 1,500 others followed, each leaping off the same cliff, Turkish media reported Friday. In the end, 450 dead animals lay on top of one another in a billowy white pile, the Aksam newspaper said. Those who jumped later were saved as the pile got higher, cushioning the fall, the daily newspaper Aksam reported.
"There’s nothing we can do. They’re all wasted,’’ Nevzat Bayhan, a member of one of 26 families whose sheep were grazing together in the herd, was quoted as saying by Aksam.
The estimated loss to families in the town of Gevas, located in Van province in eastern Turkey, tops US$100,000 (euro84,000), a significant amount of money in a country where average GDP per person is around US$2,700 (euro2,268).
"Every family had an average of 20 sheep,’’ Aksam quoted another villager, Abdullah Hazar as saying. "But now only a few families have sheep left. It’s
4. They like sheep have no sense of direction – their case is hopeless
5. They are completely at the mercy of the wild
6. Their only hope is the shepherd
7. They belong in the fold
ii. People like the lost sheep are greatly valued by THE shepherd
1. God loves us – He desires that we be found
2. God already paid for the lost sheep, He owns them
3. God desires for us to know Him personally
4. We are made in God’s image, in His likeness.
b. Found
i. The found do not need finding, they need tending.
ii. God will never stop drawing (searching out) the lost to Himself until the end
iii. God carries the found “sheep” on His shoulders to His fold
iv. God keeps a forever fold, the found are never lost though they may stray
c. Rejoicing
i. C.S. Lewis said, “Joy is the serious business of heaven.”
ii. When a lost soul is found Heaven explodes with Celebration
iii. Those who have already been found share in heavens joy
1. They were already found – Heaven rejoiced for them
2. Now they share in the joy of others being found
V. Conclusion
a. This parable is about our attitude – Jesus was faced with a question concerning His affiliation with sinners. He answers by showing God’s heart on this matter, God loves people.
i. (Romans 5:6-8) For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. {7} For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. {8} But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
b. Jesus had a passion for lost souls – He loved people saw past the sin to their need
c. The Pharisees had a passion for their own religiousness and piety
d. Jesus sought people where they were, He went to them bringing hope
e. The Pharisees distinguished themselves, they were chosen others were not.
f. Jesus loved people
g. The Pharisees loved themselves and their own egos
h. Jesus was not concerned about political correctness or offending people
i. Jesus sought out those who were the most needy of truth and He loved them
j. Jesus had a passion for lost souls
k. What is your passion?
l. What is your Serious Business?
