November 9, 2021
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Luke? Here’s today’s reading:
Luke 15 (NIV)
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 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?........Continue Reading
When we are lost God will always find us….search for us….love us!
Ever since Pastor did his Reflections in Word regarding sheep this parable has become even more impactful for me. How stupid they can be and in need of constant attention. To compare us to them was such a wise and poignant comparison. We so easily go astray and need God to watch over us.
Luke 13&14
The Pharisees were so pompous they obviously wouldn’t associate with lower class people or sinners?? What the heck was their job!! Did they spend time helping anyone?? Who cares what status anyone is especially someone who is willing to repent. Geez!! They had no clue. Love the story of the lost sheep. God cares for us individually. And will seek after us if we wonder!! The prodigal son. Everyone knows this story. Because everyone knows a prodigal son. How we wish some people would hit the bottom like this son did and return to God. So many eat pig slop instead of repenting Love how the father RUNS to him. Had read somewhere that a Hebrew male adult would never do that. But God does! The older brother represents the law. Should be celebrating with his father!
Luke 15 I love The parables especially the lost sheep, Jesus clearly loves us we can be like sheep and foolishly wander away and yet when we decide to return Jesus opens his arms and he rejoices because one person is just as important as 100 in his eyes, that’s amazing love.
Three stories of lost things to show God’s willingness to pursue one who is lost even if it means leaving behind those who are safe. The value of the lost thing increases in each story until great detail is given about the lost son. Each one resonates with what we would do in the normal course of things, but it is a clear criticism of the Pharisees that don’t understand Jesus’ joy and willingness to share His message with sinners. I heard once that prodigal actually speaks of lavishness and is usually used to describe the son, and yet it is a more fitting term for the father/God. It is the prodigal father/God who lavishes things on His son that he does not deserve, and each item shows that to the father, nothing has changed between Him and His son! What a wonderful picture of the gracious God we have whoo seeks and pursues us and runs to us even when we are a long way off, but coming to Him broken. What a wonderful description of what Jesus thinks of these tax collectors and “sinners” who heard these stories as well. And if the Pharisees don’t see themselves as the older brother, they are certainly missing something. May we have the mind of Christ in matters such as these….
You can see how God’s plan is for all of mankind. Luke continually shares stories about Christ’s interaction with Gentiles or sinners. I can only imagine how hopeless a non-Jew would feel in this culture and why they would be drawn to Jesus. All are sinners in need of a Savior. You can see at this point that there are some who seeking to follow God according to the law to the best of their ability (in that “dispensation”), Jesus references them: “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” These parables are all about blatant sinners coming to repentance.
Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ”