THE LOST SHEEP, COIN, AND SON
MEMORY VERSE
Luke 19:10, ESV
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
DAY 1
Luke 15:1-7, NIrV
1 The tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were whispering among themselves. They said, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them a story. 4 He said, “Suppose one of you has 100 sheep and loses one of them. Won’t he leave the 99 in the open country? Won’t he go and look for the one lost sheep until he finds it? 5 When he finds it, he will joyfully put it on his shoulders 6 and go home. Then he will call his friends and neighbors together. He will say, ‘Be joyful with me. I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you, it will be the same in heaven. There will be great joy when one sinner turns away from sin. Yes, there will be more joy than for 99 godly people who do not need to turn away from their sins.
BIBLE STUDY
The Pharisees spent tons of time talking about obeying about God’s laws. So they were annoyed that Jesus spent time with sinners, people who broke God’s laws. To explain why he ate lunch with lawbreakers, Jesus told a parable, a story that teaches a lesson. A shepherd left 99 sheep behind to search for one lost little lamb. When the shepherd found his missing sheep, he celebrated! Like this shepherd left his sheep to rescue the lost one, Jesus left heaven to come rescue lost sinners. Jesus spent time with sinful people because they were the “missing sheep” he came to save!
+ Why were the Pharisees grumbling about Jesus? (vs. 2)
+ Why did Jesus spend time with sinners?
DAY 2
Luke 15:8-10, NIrV
8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the house? Won’t she search carefully until she finds the coin? 9 And when she finds it, she will call her friends and neighbors together. She will say, ‘Be joyful with me. I have found my lost coin.’ 10 I tell you, it is the same in heaven. There is joy in heaven over one sinner who turns away from sin.”
BIBLE STUDY
To explain why he spent time with sinners, Jesus told another parable. Instead of a lost sheep, his second story was about a lost coin. It belonged to a woman and was worth one full day’s work. When one of her ten coins went missing, she dropped what she was doing and did all she could to find it: turning on a lamp, sweeping the house, looking high and low! Finally, she found it and called her neighbors to celebrate! What’s the point of this tale? To show that Jesus came to do everything to save lost sinners. The Pharisees should’ve celebrated with him, but instead, they grumbled!
+ Jesus’ first parable was about a lost sheep. What was this one about? (vs. 8)
+ How do the angels feel when a sinner repents (turns from sin to trust God)? (vs. 10)
DAY 3
Luke 15:11-19, NIrV
11 Jesus continued, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger son spoke to his father. He said, ‘Father, give me my share of the family property.’ So the father divided his property between his two sons.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son packed up all he had. Then he left for a country far away. There he wasted his money on wild living. 14 He spent everything he had. Then the whole country ran low on food. So the son didn’t have what he needed. 15 He went to work for someone who lived in that country. That person sent the son to the fields to feed the pigs. 16 The son wanted to fill his stomach with the food the pigs were eating. But no one gave him anything.
17 “Then he began to think clearly again. He said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough food! But here I am dying from hunger! 18 I will get up and go back to my father. I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven. And I have sinned against you. 19 I am no longer fit to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’
BIBLE STUDY
Jesus told the Pharisees a third parable, much longer than the first two. In this story, a son asked his dad for his inheritance. When a parent dies, all the stuff they leave behind is usually given to their kids as an “inheritance.” By asking for it while his father was still alive, the son was basically saying, “I wish you would drop dead, dad!" Still, his father gave him what he wanted. The son took his money and ran, wasting his riches on fun and sin. But when his riches ran out, so did his “friends.” Desperate for cash, he got a job feeding pigs. This lost son was so hungry, pig slop looked like a tasty treat!
+ What did the son do with his father’s inheritance? (vs. 13)
+ When his money ran out and he was poor, what did the son plan to do? (vs. 18-19)
DAY 4
Luke 15:20-24, NIRV
20 So he got up and went to his father.
“While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him. He was filled with tender love for his son. He ran to him. He threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer fit to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattest calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 This son of mine was dead. And now he is alive again. He was lost. And now he is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
BIBLE STUDY
In the first part of Jesus’ parable, a son asked his dad for his inheritance early (a bad thing to do). He blew it all on fun and sin (another bad thing to do). With absolutely nothing left to lose, he thought, “My dad’s workers have a better life than I do!” So he made a plan: "I'll tell dad about all the terrible things I've done and beg to become one of his servants." But the son never got a chance to deliver his speech to his dad. Before he reached home, his dear old dad ran and almost tackled his lost boy with a huge hug! The father was so happy to find his lost son, he threw a big bash to celebrate!
+ How do you know that the father had forgiven his son?
+ What are some things the father did to celebrate finding his lost son? (vs. 22-23)
DAY 5
Luke 15:25-32, NIRV
25 “The older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants. He asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come home,’ the servant replied. ‘Your father has killed the fattest calf. He has done this because your brother is back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry. He refused to go in. So his father went out and begged him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve worked like a slave for you. I have always obeyed your orders. You never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But this son of yours wasted your money with some prostitutes. Now he comes home. And for him you kill the fattest calf!’
31 “ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me. Everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad. This brother of yours was dead. And now he is alive again. He was lost. And now he is found.’ ”
BIBLE STUDY
At the end of the previous part of Jesus’ parable, a father threw a party for his lost son. But his other boy was angry. “My brat of a baby brother did awful things and he gets a party? I’ve been here the whole time! Where’s my party?” When he shared this with his dad, his father reminded him, “Because you’ve been with me, you’ve received many good things. Now isn’t the time to grumble; it's time to celebrate. Finding your lost brother... well, it’s like he’s been raised from the dead!” As we read tomorrow, we’ll see that the Pharisees were behaving just like this grumbling older brother.
+ Who refused to celebrate the return of the lost son? (vs. 25-28)
+ Why did the father say it was time to celebrate the lost son’s return? (vs. 32)
DAY 6
Luke 19:10 and 1 Timothy 1:15, NIRV
10 The Son of Man came to look for the lost and save them.”
...
15 Here is a saying that you can trust. It should be accepted completely. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the worst sinner of all.
BIBLE STUDY
When Jesus spent time and ate meals with sinners, the Pharisees grumbled. To help them understand why he would have lunch with lawbreakers, Jesus told three parables. Each story was designed to answer the question, “Why does Jesus spend so much time with sinners?” You might have noticed some similarities between the three stories Jesus told.
First, each parable began with something important being lost. A shepherd lost one of his 100 sheep. A woman lost one of her ten coins. And a father lost one of his two sons. In each story, the lost item is a picture of sinners: people who are lost and hopeless, in desperate need of someone to save them.
Second, each parable was about someone searching high and low to find what was lost. The shepherd carried his lost sheep back on his shoulders. The woman swept every nook and cranny of her house until she found her lost coin. And the father watched and waited for his lost son, running to hug him the second he returned. The shepherd, the woman, and the father are a picture of God, who sent his Son Jesus to search for and rescue lost sinners.
Finally, each parable ended with a celebration. The shepherd celebrated the return of his lost sheep. The woman celebrated finding her lost coin. And the father held a huge feast to celebrate the return of his lost son. What does this show us? That saving lost sinners brings joy to God and causes his angels to party in heaven!
These three parables were designed to answer the question, “Why did Jesus spend time with sinners?” Saving lost sinners is the exact reason why he came to earth! In Luke 19:10, Jesus says the Son of Man (a special name Jesus used to describe himself) came to seek and save lost sinners. And in 1 Timothy 1:15, the apostle Paul says Jesus came to save sinners, even the very worst sinners of all!
Why did Jesus spend time with sinners? Because they were his mission. They were the very reason he came to earth in the first place!
Instead of celebrating that lost sinners were coming to Jesus to be forgiven for their sins, the Pharisees grumbled. They were like the older brother in the story of the lost son. Instead of celebrating the return of his younger brother, he groaned, “Where’s my party?” The truly sad thing about the grumbling Pharisees is that they didn’t realize that they were lost sinners, too. They needed Jesus to save them just as much as the “sinners” Jesus ate supper with!
+ What did Jesus, the Son of Man, come to do? (see Luke 19:10)
+ Why did Jesus come into the world? (see 1 Tim. 1:15)
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