the marks of genuineness. Repentance wrought a dramatic change in his behavior, and he turned from
The First and Last
man. There was no verbal preevangelism, no four-point message, no appeal of any kind. But as the thief watched the sinless Savior die, faith was kindled in him. His conversion, even though it occurred as he was passing into eternity, was no less genuine than the apostle Paul's. The thief received the same everlasting life, even though his entire earthly life had been wasted in crime and disobedience. The moment his repentance wrought faith, the Savior received him into the kingdom.1
There will be many in heaven who were more faithful, who worked harder and endured longer under greater stress than that thief. Still, by the grace of God, he was assured an eternal place in Jesus' presence.
When it comes to entering heaven, a thief has no advantage over a Pharisee. A fisherman will be no better or worse off than a tax-gatherer. The first finish last and the last first, and in the end all enjoy the fullness of eternal life to the maximum.
1. Note that although the thief was saved in the fi nal moments of his earthly life, his faith bore all the marks of genuineness. Repentance wrought a dramatic change in his behavior, and he turned from mocking Christ to defending Him. His admission of guilt, his acceptance of his own cross as just, and his acknowledgment that Christ was guiltless (v. 41) all show he had forsaken himself and surrendered to Christ. He probably knew little about the facts of the gospel, but he embraced Christ wholeheartedly as Lord.
The Lost and Found
he salvation of a soul is not the stale transaction many people think it is. Redemption is not just a matter of divine accounting. God does more than keep books on who is in and who is out. He weeps over the lost and celebrates whenever one is saved. His pain is profoundly deep over humanity's lostness, and His joy is full when a sinner repents.
The Lord Jesus gave a series of parables in Luke 15 that portray the heavenly Father's compassion for lost sinners and His rejoicing over their salvation. Although two of these three parables do not directly confront the issues of submission to Jesus' lordship, repentance, faith, or any aspect of the human response, I have included them here because the truth they teach is such a critical element of the gospel according to Jesus. Together, all three parables give us a precious window into the heart of a loving God, who pursues lost souls and "is patient . . . not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
The setting of Luke 15 is familiar: "All the tax-gatherers and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. And both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, 'This man receives sinners and eats with them' " (vv. 1 – 2). The Greek verb tense in verse 1 ("were coming") signifies continual action, meaning that the tax-gatherers and sinners came to Jesus as a matter of habit. Wherever He went, a crowd of undesirables gathered around Him. These were publicans, criminals, robbers, thugs, harlots, and other riffraff who made no effort at all to live by the standard of Jewish law.
As we have seen, this troubled the self-righ teous Pharisees a great deal. They were so hopelessly preoccupied with the trivia of the law that they had no time to be concerned with serious sinners. Nor could they stomach a Messiah who was popular among the offscouring of society and who at the same time was critical of the rabbinical traditions.
Jesus, knowing the Pharisees' hearts, rebuked them through three parables that contrasted their self-righ teous attitude with the Father's tender compassion for the lost. All three parables make the same point — that God does not sit passively by while people are going to hell. He does not delight in the destruction
The Lost and Found
of the wicked. Instead, He loves them, pursues them, and longs for them to be saved. And He is jubilant at the redemption of even one lost sinner.
The Hundred Sheep
The first of the parables (Luke 15:4 – 6) has a pastoral theme: "What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' "
The phrase "What man among you" (v. 4) implies that the compassionate behavior Jesus describes would be expected even of a common sheep farmer. No shepherd worth his salt would be satisfied with ninety-nine sheep out of a hundred. He would leave the ninety-nine safe in the fold and go out to search for the one lost sheep. For many shepherds, this was not only a duty; it was also a matter of their love for the sheep. Each sheep would be known to the shepherd by name (cf. John 10:3). Every night he would count and examine them when they came back into the fold. If one was lost, he would go out into the night to find it.
When the shepherd in the parable found the lost sheep, he carried it on his shoulders, with the belly of the sheep up against his neck and the legs snugly against his chest. Then he called his friends and neighbors together for a celebration of the sheep's homecoming.
The key point of this parable is the joy of the shepherd over the salvation of the sheep. The calling of his friends in to celebrate with him shows the tremendous depth of his profound joy. This was not something he could celebrate alone. He could not just quietly rejoice in his heart. His joy was abundant and overflowing; he had to share it with others.
Jesus' point is spelled out in verse 7: "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents rather than over ninetynine righ teous persons who need no repentance." In other words, when one sinner repents, God calls for a celebration in heaven. He is a seeking Shepherd whose desire is to rescue lost sheep.
God is not simply recording transactions, making a mark every time someone gets saved. He so longs for the souls of the lost that He will go out and pursue them. Then when the wayward lamb is brought into the fold, heaven itself is barely big enough to contain His joy. That shows the seeking heart of God.
Jesus Illustrates His Gospel
The Ten Coins
The second parable (Luke 15:8 – 10) makes the same point with a different metaphor: "What woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost.' "
The silver coins were denarii. One denarius was a good day's wages. That is what the landowner paid his laborers in the parable of Matthew 20. This woman lost one of her ten coins. She lit a lamp, swept out her house, and searched until she found the one that was missing. When she found it, her joy was as great as the shepherd's. Like him, she called a group of friends and neighbors together to share her joy. She could not conceal the gladness in her own heart.
This parable makes the same point as the one before: "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (v. 10). What touches the heart of God most deeply is the salvation of those whom He pursues and brings to repentance.
Note that verse 10 speaks of "joy in the presence of the angels." It does not actually say the angels were joyful. Whose joy is this? It is the joy of the triune God, existing in the presence of the holy angels. Of course, the angels share in the celebration, but the emphasis in both parables is on God's joy.
Had they been careful students of Scripture, the Pharisees would have better understood this side of God's character. Even the Old Testament reveals Him as a God of compassion. Ezekiel 33:11 says, " 'As I live!' declares the Lord God, 'I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked.' " Isaiah 62:5 says, "As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you." That is exactly the image of these parables. It is uncontained joy, pure bliss, and unrestrained celebration. That is how God views the salvation of a soul.
The Two Sons
The most magnificent of the three parables begins in Luke 15:11 and goes to verse 32. The story of the prodigal son is surely the most familiar of all Jesus' parables:
A certain man had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, "Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me." And he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, where he squandered his estate with loose living. Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be
The Lost and Found
in need. And he went and attached himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fi elds to feed swine. And he was longing to fi ll his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. But when he came to his senses, he said, "How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no more worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.' " And he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off , his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him, and kissed him. And the son said to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son." But the father said to his slaves, "Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found. And they began to be merry.
Although this parable goes into far greater detail than the previous two, it makes exactly the same point. The loving father is God, who rejoices to see the homecoming of a son once lost.
This first half of the parable focuses on the contemptible behavior of the younger son. It was completely unheard of in the culture of that day for a son to ask his father for an early inheritance. Even in our own day this would be considered uncouth at best. For this son to demand his inheritance on the spot was tantamount to saying he wished his father were dead. It is amazing that the father did not refuse the request and punish the son. But he was gracious and gave both his sons their shares of the family wealth (v. 12). This was a loving father. Although his heart was surely broken by the son's request, he gave him what he asked. The father's great fear must have been that the impetuous boy would squander it.
That is exactly what happened. The son went to a distant country, blew the money through loose living, and wound up so poor he had to feed pigs to make a living. It wasn't much of a living. He was so hungry he wanted to eat the pig slop. Approaching starvation, reduced to eating with pigs far away from his father's home, he finally came to his senses.
It is noteworthy that what ultimately brought him to his senses was sorrow over his predicament. The sorrow itself was not repentance, but it led to deep repentance (cf. 2 Cor. 7:9 – 10). He began with a sense of his own need. Then he admitted he had done wrong. Looking even beyond his offended human father to the heavenly Father whose law he had broken, he freely acknowledged
Jesus Illustrates His Gospel
his own guilt before God (Luke 15:18). He determined to ask forgiveness and take the consequences. Planning his repentance carefully, he rehearsed what he would say when he got home. He would confess that he had sinned against God and against his father, and he would ask his father to appoint him a place with his hired servants (v. 19).
Here is a perfect illustration of repentant faith. Observe the young man's unqualified compliance, his abject humility, and his unequivocal willingness to do whatever his father asked. The prodigal who began by demanding an early inheritance was now willing to serve his father as a bond servant. He was making a complete turnaround. His demeanor was one of unconditional surrender — a complete resignation of self and absolute submission to his father.
Having resolved to go to his father, the prodigal then acted on his decision (Luke 15:20). Unlike some who say they will do something but never do (cf. Matt. 21:28 – 32), he got up and returned to his father. His repentance was a complete and total reversal. He had become poor in spirit. He was mourning over his sin. His arrogance had given way to meekness and humility. He was a different young man from the one who originally left home.
While the son was still far from home, his father saw him and came running to greet him. Why was the father so quick to recognize him? He must have been out looking for him, peering into the distance to see if indeed the lost son might be coming back. Here again is a picture of the seeking heavenly Father. When a repentant sinner turns to God, He learns that God is already looking for him to come, eager to run and meet him. Before he ever gets near to God, he discovers that God has first come to embrace him.
The young prodigal did not get to the place in his speech where he was going to ask his father to make him a slave. Before he could finish the rehearsed soliloquy, his father sent slaves to get him clothing and a ring. Instead of punishing the wayward son, the father ordered a banquet to celebrate his return! He had already forgotten the son's foolishness. The issue now was not a wasted inheritance or a life squandered with loose living. His lost son had been found! (Luke 15:23).
All three of these parables have this common theme: a seeker finds what was lost and rejoices. In every case, the seeker pictures God, who rejoices over the salvation of a sinner.
But here the story of the prodigal son takes an ugly turn, as we meet the jealous older brother (Luke 15:25 – 32):
Now his older son was in the fi eld, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things might be. And he said to him, "Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf,
The Lost and Found
because he has received him back safe and sound." But he became angry, and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began entreating him. But he answered and said to his father, "Look! For so many years I have been serving you, and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a kid, that I might be merry with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with harlots, you killed the fattened calf for him." And he said to him, "My child, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to be merry and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found."
Remember, the older son had received his inheritance, too (v. 12). Instead of squandering it, he stayed home, serving the father. In fact, he was out working in the field when the prodigal returned. When he heard the music and laughter, he asked one of the servants to explain. This older son was furious that the father would celebrate the homecoming of his wayward brother. The jealous son would not even go inside. He was not about to eat with a sinner. He totally lacked the compassion of his father and was playing the part of a Pharisee.
This son's behavior might seem more socially acceptable than his younger brother's debauchery, but it was just as outrageous — and every bit as dishonoring to the father. The older son had no real love for his father, or he would have shared his father's joy. Serving his father all those years, he had just been going through the motions. He served out of duty. His chief concern was what he could get for himself (Luke 15:29). He had no understanding of his father's heart. Here, too, was a lost son. And the father sought him as well (v. 28).
The Lord always seeks to save the lost, but they must see themselves as lost. Often the most flagrant, irreligious, repugnant sinners are quicker to understand their depravity than people steeped in religious achievement and self-righ teous ness. These pharisaic people cannot tolerate the forgiveness of sinners — especially flagrant ones. They do not understand repentance. Far from rejoicing, they are repulsed when a sinner confesses his or her sin. They take great pride in their own apparent righ teous ness, but in their hearts there is no sense of submission.
The first son in the story saw his sin, felt his father's sorrow, repented, humbled himself, received forgiveness, and entered into his father's joy. The second son was bitter, unrepentant, with no sense of the cold deadness of his own heart. He forfeited his right to rejoice with his father. He was as lost as his younger brother had been, but he was too proud to see it.
God is seeking the lost. Those who acknowledge their sin and turn from it will find Him running to them with open arms. Those who think they are
Jesus Illustrates His Gospel
good enough to deserve His favor will find themselves excluded from the celebration, unable to share the eternal joy of a loving Father.