For many believers , Christmastime stirs up both angst and anticipation . On one hand , we love preparing for our holiday gatherings , imagining our families together once again . And yet , on the other hand , those gatherings can be painful reminders of how lost some of our loved ones are . We get a closeup look at their lives . We hear unbiblical perspectives spill out of their mouths , and our hearts quietly sink in despair . We keep smiling . Keep serving . But secretly we wonder if God will ever open their eyes and capture their hearts .
That ’ s why Luke chapter fifteen is such a gift to us this season . Jesus came to seek and save the lost . And you know what ? He continues to seek and save the lost ! Right now , He ’ s pursuing your lost loved ones with a loving clarity and compassion that far outweighs your own . In this chapter , Jesus uses three different scenarios to convey His passionate heart for those who ’ ve lost their way . Let ’ s look at the story .
One day the Pharisees complained that Jesus ate with “ filthy ” people like tax collectors and known sinners — people who purposely did things they knew they shouldn ’ t . Jesus even had the audacity to share a meal with them ! I love that Jesus didn ’ t suddenly become selfconscious , like He was caught in the act of wandering Himself . No , Jesus knew who He was , where He was , and what He was doing there . With tender strength , Jesus looked at the Pharisees and painted three descriptive word pictures for them . He first told the story about a shepherd who owned a hundred sheep . One of the sheep wandered off and got lost . What did the shepherd do ? He left the ninety-nine and journeyed high and low to find the one . When the shepherd found the lost sheep stuck in the thicket , he ran to the sheep , helped him get unstuck , and then put the frightened sheep over his shoulders and joyfully carried him back to the fold .
“ And when he has found it , he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders .”
Luke 15:5
Next , Jesus offered the Pharisees a different analogy to further illustrate His priorities and passion .
“ Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one . Won ’ t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it ? And when she finds it , she will call in her friends and neighbors and say , ‘ Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin .’”
Luke 15:8 – 9
Palestinian women often received silver coins as a wedding gift , which made the coins especially valuable to her .
I love that Jesus used this analogy ! A woman with a wedding gift . Her prized possession . These coins represented her wedding , her marriage , and gifts from loved ones . The coins weren ’ t just valuable in the practical sense ; they represented union , celebration , and love . We are the bride of Christ . We were the joy set before Jesus that helped Him endure the cross and defeat its shame . Imagine that . Jesus all bloodied and battered , heaving that heavy cross down a rough road to the taunts and jeers of clueless onlookers . Yet , He still had joy
21