3 themes

in luke chapter 15, Jesus delivers back-to-back-to-back parables.  the parables are triggered by the accusations and negativity by a few religious leaders that hated Jesus.  at the end of the chapter, Jesus masterfully identifies all of them as the “older brother” and deals with their hardness of heart and pride.

what amazes me about this chapter is that Jesus gives us three themes that reveal the unfailing love of God towards outsiders.  the themes are incredibly easy to identify as you read through the short stories Jesus shares.  in parable number one there is a shepherd that leaves his flock to go after one stray that had drifted off and had been lost.  in parable two, Jesus shares about a woman who frantically searches for a very valuable coin she had lost.  in parable three, Jesus shares about a father that paces on his porch waiting for his youngest son to come home from a distant country where he had made a series of extremely bad decisions and had failed miserably. 

the stories are about three different things:  a lost sheep, a misplaced coin and a runaway son.  but the stories all deal with the exact same themes:  1.  something of value was missing   2.  it warranted an all out search  3.  when it was found, there was a huge party thrown to celebrate finding it. in v10, Jesus says that the angels of heaven all rejoice when one lost person is found.  

in luke 19:10 Jesus said, “I have come to seek and save the lost.”  after Jesus finished his mission on earth, he told his followers that it was now up to them to search and rescue the lost.  no doubt this is a daunting task, it’s overwhelming and terrifying!  

eternity is on the line - it’s up to you and me to find the valuable things that have been lost.  who have you found lately?  are you even searching?  i pray these three themes are forever stamped on our hearts.