The Lost Matter

The Lost Matter Luke 15:1-10

1. Jesus tells us in today’s reading about lost sheep and lost coin and a sinner

• The brief parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin both illustrate Jesus’ mission to the lost.

• Luke 19:10“… for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Dose t matter who those folks are Jesus knows they need saved.

2. The text tells us that the lost ,the sinner, the outcast gathered around Jesus

• The statement that “all” the tax collectors and sinners were drawing near to Jesus (v. 1) these tax collectors and sinners were among the outcast of the day

• Tax collectors lowest of the low and the most despised of the despised.

• Tax collectors in first century were to collect tolls from the transportation of goods Roman roads or seaways.

• They were intrigued probably shocked by his gracious words to them everyone hated them called them sinners

• Religious leaders complained about Jesus interaction with the Lost remember Zacchaeus (Luke 19:7, “All who saw it began to grumble and said, ‘He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner’”)

• Remember the tax collector praying in the temple with the Pharisee (Luke 18:13, the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’”).

• The woman who anointed Jesus’ feet at a banquet hosted by a Pharisee is also identified as a sinner (Luke 7:37, 39).

3. Once again it’s the religious leaders who should have accepted Jesus Instead they opposed him his teachings and his words.

• Now the Pharisees and teachers of the law complained by saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

• They should have praised him for his wonderful works healings, miraculous works but instead they grumbled and complained about it

• They could have been appreciative of his miracles but they questioned him by saying who give you this authority.

4. The Parable teaches us that all people matter especially the sinner, the lost sheep, and the lost coin

• Now ,Jesus says, 4 “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? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’

• Now notice the response in Heaven 7 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 shepherd would never leave a flock vulnerable “in the wilderness” (v. 4) to look for a stray. Such abandonment would be considered irresponsible, exposing the flock to dangerous predators. Notice Jesus says, they are left “in the wilderness

• Perhaps a responsible, diligent shepherd, having safely brought the 99 back to the sheepfold, might then, in an act of devotion, return to the wilderness to search for the stray; but a shepherd who left 99 in the wilderness to do so would face severe criticism.

• There is rejoicing in the recovery of those who maybe considered of less value

• No one would go recover a lost sheep and leave the 99 in the wilderness they would be vulnerable

• No one would call together the neighbors for a party; finding strays is part of a shepherd’s job. It’s all in a day’s work, and even going to great lengths to find a stray is nothing out of the ordinary.

• The Earthly Realm the one lost sheep, the one lost Penny, the tax collector they don’t matter

• In the heavenly Real all people Matter the lost matter

• The lost sheep the heavenly realm says Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ .' 7I 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 Coin the Heavenly Realm suppose woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents

• The Tax collectors didn’t matter, but to Jesus all the Lost matter