Confused Value

Jesus told three memorable parables in Luke 15. Each concerned something that had been lost — a lost sheep (Luke 15:4–7), a lost coin (15:8–10), and a lost son (15:11–32). Each parable reflects God’s concern for people who have gone missing from His kingdom, illustrating the infinite value He places on every soul and the tremendous joy He feels “over one sinner who repents” (15:10).

The first two stories reflect the value that people naturally place on their possessions. A shepherd loses one sheep out of a hundred, yet he scours the countryside until he finds it and brings it back to the fold. Likewise, a woman loses one coin out of ten, yet she searches frantically until she finds it.

But in the third story, the loss concerns something that is infinitely more valuable to God, yet would be deemed practically worthless by some people. The lost son is much like the tax collectors and sinners who listened to Jesus (15:1). These unrighteous people were often written off by the Pharisees as hopelessly lost in sin and shame. But Jesus reveals that God sees every sinner with compassion. Sinners are His loved sons and daughters. He longs for everyone who has gone missing to come back to Him.

Taken from The Modern Life Study Bible