LUKE LESSON 39

     We will begin this lesson in Luke 15:1 "Then drew near unto him
all the publicans and sinners for to hear him."  Luke 15:2 "And the
Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners,
and eateth with them."

     There was no chance of a scribe or Pharisee ever winning anyone
to God, because they totally separated themselves from what they
called sinners. Jesus looked on the heart and not the outward
appearance of man. Many of these people that the scribes and Pharisees
called sinners had a more tender heart toward the things of God than
they did.

     Luke 15:3  "And he spake this parable unto them, saying," Luke
15:4 "What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of
them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go
after that which is lost, until he find it?"

     Jesus completely ignores their accusation and answers with a
parable. Jesus is proving by His parable here the worth of a man's
soul. Another place He says He did not come to save the ones who do
not need a Saviour. Jesus comes for the lost. These Pharisees know
that this parable Jesus tells them is true. The ninety and nine don't
need a Saviour, they are not lost. The one sheep needs a Saviour, he
is lost. Even a worldly shepherd who lost a sheep would go and search
for it and bring it back into the fold, much more the heavenly
Shepherd would go and search for His sheep.

     Luke 15:5 "And when he hath found [it], he layeth [it] on his
shoulders, rejoicing."

     This is the very thing we do when we come to Jesus. We lay our
sins and burdens on His shoulders, and He carries us to safety in His
arms.

     Luke 15:6 "And when he cometh home, he calleth together [his]
friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have
found my sheep which was lost."  Luke 15:7 "I say unto you, that
likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more
than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."

     The parable Jesus told about thee prodigal son comes to mind when
I look at the Scripture above. God does appreciate the 99 who stayed
faithful and was never lost, but the joy of this one is that he was
grasped out of the hands of Satan just before he destroyed him and now
the 100 are back together again. One soul is important to God. He is
not willing that even one will be lost. The angels, as well as God,
rejoice when one is brought back into the foal.

     Luke 15:8  "Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she
lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek
diligently till she find [it]?"   Luke 15:9 "And when she hath found
[it], she calleth [her] friends and [her] neighbours together, saying,
Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost."

     We see again, almost the same story here as in the lost sheep.
Silver is symbolic of redemption. This really has to do with this
woman losing something of her standing with God. Perhaps she has
backslidden in some area. This parable speaks of something this woman
had and lost. She is overjoyed when she finds this coin. I believe
this indicates that she finds her first love of God again and is
restored. Here, again in verse 10, we see the heavenly angels
rejoicing with her over the lost being found. Another way of looking
at this is the woman being viewed as the church and when a backslidden
member comes back, she (the church) rejoices.

     Luke 15:10 "Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the
presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth."

     We see again in this, as before, that just one soul is very
important to God.

     Luke 15:11  "And he said, A certain man had two sons:"  Luke
15:12 "And the younger of them said to [his] father, Father, give me
the portion of goods that falleth [to me]. And he divided unto them
[his] living."

     We can see in this the fact that God has made us a free agent. If
it is our will to leave, He will not stop us. God wants our love and
loyalty because we desire to give it, not because we are forced. This
son really wants to do his own thing. He rebels against authority at
home and wants to be his own boss.

     Luke 15:13 "And not many days after the younger son gathered all
together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted
his substance with riotous living."

     This journey here is like the journey we take through life. Some
people, like the older brother here, never wander into a life of sin.
They are saved at a very early age and remain a Christian all of their
lives. This is not true with the young brother, here. He wants the
things of the world and follows that way of life, never thinking of
loyalty to the father. We all have an inheritance, some of us lose it
by choosing the world.

     Luke 15:14 "And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty
famine in that land; and he began to be in want."  Luke 15:15 "And he
went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him
into his fields to feed swine."  Luke 15:16 "And he would fain have
filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man
gave unto him."

     Sin and worldliness lead to desperation. All of a sudden, he
finds himself in serious trouble with no father to help him. He looks
to the world for answers to the problems and winds up in even worse
shape.  The world has only selfish motives for giving him a job. For a
Hebrew to feed unclean swine would be a very degrading job. He was
hungry, dirty, and had no one to look to for help. This is the way
most of us are before we turn to the Lord for help.

     Luke 15:17 "And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired
servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish
with hunger!"  Luke 15:18 "I will arise and go to my father, and will
say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,"
Luke 15:19 "And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one
of thy hired servants."

     This son has found no answers to his problems in this world. He
has fallen about as far as you can go, and there is only one way left
and that is up. We see a man with a repentant heart. He wants to
confess that he has made a mess of his life and that he is willing to
do anything his father asks to get back into good graces with him. You
know everything in the world is God's creation. We all belong to Him.
It seems that nearly everyone has to hit bottom as this son did,
before they will repent and ask God into their lives. Here, this son
is making the father his Lord, as well.

     Luke 15:20 "And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was
yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran,
and fell on his neck, and kissed him."

     We see that the father had been waiting for this very moment for
his son to come home. He loves him so much that he welcomes this
sinner home with a kiss.

     Luke 15:21 "And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned
against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called
thy son."

     We see here, the son repents with everything in him. He confesses
that he is not worthy to receive forgiveness.

     Luke 15:22 "But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the
best robe, and put [it] on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes
on [his] feet:"  Luke 15:23 "And bring hither the fatted calf, and
kill [it]; and let us eat, and be merry:"  Luke 15:24 "For this my son
was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they
began to be merry."

     The best robe the Christian can receive is the white linen robe
of righteousness. It shows that we are in right standing with God. We
receive it not because we deserve it, but because He loved us and
forgave us. This son was dead in trespasses and sins and is alive
forevermore.  This is something to be merry about. We see in this ring
that he is now family. We see in the shoes that he must walk in this
salvation he has acquired  as a free gift.

     Luke 15:25 "Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came
and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing."  Luke 15:26
"And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things
meant."
     There is several ways to look at this older brother here. This
could be a physical house of Isreal who kept the law. Another way is
to look at old time Christians who never wandered.

     Luke 15:27 "And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy
father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe
and sound."  Luke 15:28 "And he was angry, and would not go in:
therefore came his father out, and intreated him."

     We see, here, the jealousy of the older brother. The Physical
house of Isreal thought themselves above their heathen brothers and
did not believe they were worth saving. Looking at this, also, from
the oldtime believers, they are sometimes jealous because they feel
some new Christian is getting too much attention.

     Luke 15:29 "And he answering said to [his] father, Lo, these many
years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy
commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make
merry with my friends:"  Luke 15:30 "But as soon as this thy son was
come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed
for him the fatted calf."

     Here again, this could be physical Isreal complaining that they
have kept the law and lived a strict life. They do not understand God
through forgiveness and grace alone restoring the son, and even, it
appears, favoring the younger son.

     Luke 15:31 "And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and
all that I have is thine."  Luke 15:32 "It was meet that we should
make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive
again; and was lost, and is found."

     Salvation was offered to physical Isreal first. In fact, it has
always been there for them. All they had to do was take it. The Lord,
here, reminds the older brother that he should be rejoicing for this
his brother who was lost and now is found.


















                        Luke 39 Questions


1.  Who did the Pharisees think it was wrong to fellowship with?
2.  Why was it impossible for a Pharisee to win anyone to God?
3.  In the parable how many sheep did the man have?
4.  How many of those were lost?
5.  What did the man do when he realized a sheep was lost?
6.  What is Jesus proving with this first parable?
7.  What does the shepherd do on finding the sheep?
8.  What is this lost sheep symbolic of?
9.  What does the Christian do when he or she receives Jesus as
    Saviour?
10. There is joy in heaven over ______ who was lost and is found.
11. Who is rejoicing in heaven?
12. Why were they not rejoicing over the 99 others?
13. Who is the second parable about?
14. What has she lost?
15. Since silver means redemption, what had she lost symbolically?
16. What is another idea who the "she" could be, symbolically?
17. In the parable about the prodigal son, how many sons did the man
    have?
18. Why does God not over rule us and do things His way?
19. What did this younger son do with his inheritance?
20. After his money was gone, what terrible thing happened in the
    land that caused him to take a job feeding swine?
21. What did he have to eat?
22. Sin and worldliness lead to what?
23. What did the young son decide to do at his most desperate point?
24. How did his father greet him?
25. What did the young son tell the father he was willing to be since
    he was not worthy to be his son?
26. What three things did his father give him?
27. Who was angry about this?
28. Who do you believe the oldest son to be symbolic of?
29. What did the father say to the eldest son about the younger?
30. Who was salvation offered to first?