Luke 15 presents 3 parables. That’s what I’ve always been told. The parable of the lost sheep. The parable of the lost coin. And the parable of the lost / prodigal son. Perhaps the most well know of these three is the last: the story of the prodigal son. This particular story is one of the very earliest Bible lessons that I ever learned. A bad son takes his money and squanders it. When he has lost everything and comes home, his brother is angry, and his father throws a party. Indeed much has been repeated again and again about this easily understood and dramatic human story.
However, I would contend that there ARE NOT 3 parables told in Luke 15; but rather, only one. That’s right. Only one. Don’t take my word for it. Just believe what Jesus himself said. In Luke 15:3, it is reported: “Then Jesus told them this parable.” It DOES NOT say, “Jesus told them these (plural) parables”. It then goes on to connect the 3 parts into a single lesson in verse 8 with the word “or”. Again the connection continues in verse 11 with “Jesus continued”. If the Master taught this as a single lesson with 3 parts, then shouldn’t we?
Now… hold on a minute… I know what you’re thinking. “What makes the difference?” Right? I would herein suggest that it makes a very significant difference. If we only focus on a single part of this lesson, we run the risk of completely changing the focus. We run the risk of breaking the story up into even smaller lessons. As a result the completeness of the whole lesson is reduced to some micro-lesson, which in itself may be a worthwhile lesson, but it just doesn’t fully reflect the point that Jesus was trying to make.
This parable (singular) is a parable about a sinner. It is The Parable of the Sinner. I believe that Jesus was completely devoted to sinners. Sinners were “his” people. They were the ones with whom he frequently dined. Again and again he demonstrated his attraction to those normally deemed to be the most “untouchable”. From an adulterous woman to the thieves, he was drawn to the sinner… and many times, they to him. It was typically the righteous religious types that most wanted to avoid him. Sinners, on the other hand, were constantly crossing paths with Jesus. This story is a magnificent story of how Jesus perceived sinners.
Part one, in verses 3-7, tells us about the Priority of One Sinner. Too much of the time, the Church prioritizes ministries based on volume. We believe that sinners can be saved “in bulk”. Our words betray us. “We had a dozen saved at our Church last Sunday morning!” I would argue, “No, you didn’t!” God doesn’t save dozens; He saved individuals. First of all, God alone knows the truth about what happened in your Church last Sunday. The only way that we can be even a little bit certain as to the truth of a person’s salvation is as adequate time has passed to be able to judge a tree by its fruit… and those that were “saved” in your Church last Sunday haven’t had time to produce any fruit. But that is not my point… my point is: People get saved individually; not in groups.
I believe that God is far less impressed with our gatherings of the “99”, than he is when we seek out the lone sinner and introduce him to the Savior. We must be very, very careful with our thoughts and attitudes about how God sees our “99”.
Part two is perhaps my favorite, for it describes the Process for Finding a Sinner. It is quite simply… “get dirty”. However, herein is another great danger; for we must get dirty without becoming contaminated. Notice what the owner of the coin did… she “swept”. And she did so very carefully. The mere idea of sweeping implies getting ourselves among the dirt. And “careful” sweeping even more so. When was the last time you did a thorough “sweep” of every nook and cranny in your home? You most likely found dirt you didn’t even know you had. Yes? So it is with the process for finding sinners. You will most likely find yourself standing in the middle of some dirt that you will be soon wanting to wash off. But… in the dirt is frequently where you find sinners.
Part three is about one thing and one thing only… it is about the Power (necessary) to Save. It is not about forgiveness (well, it is; but it isn’t). It is not about repentance (again, it is; but it isn’t). It is solely about the power of reconciliation to give life to the dead. It is the power of a father’s choice and his love. It is about the miraculous Power of God to Save.
Luke Chapter 15 is a story of how God sees sinners and to what extent he is willing to go to have the opportunity to demonstrate His greatest power of all – II Corinthians 5:17-19.
