One of the best parts of the Bible is all the parables. Parables are so great because they allow us to learn lessons in the form of a story, making it easier to remember them. Another really great thing about parables is that they allow us to make personal connections. One misconception that a lot of people, myself included, think that parables have a lot of different interpretations, they don't. Parables only have one interpretation. However, they do have an infinite amount of applications. That is what makes them so cool!
The parables I find the most interesting are what are known as the "lost" parables found in Luke 15. They are known as the lost parables because in each story, something is lost; a sheep, a coin, and a son. Together, these also three make up the 3 ways to leave Jesus Christ.
1. The first parable is the sheep that wonders off from the rest of the heard. Mind you, this was a slow process. I really don't think that the sheep woke up that morning and decided to leave the safety of it's herd and try and survive on its own. More than likely, the sheep became too focused on what was in front of it (what it was eating) thus drifting farther and farther away without looking up and rechecking where it was. The sheep was more interested in what it wanted, than it's own safety. In verse 4, it says, "What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?"
I don't know about you, but this really bothered me growing up.
Why should we risk leaving 99 good sheep just to go get 1 lousy sheep that wondered off?
I finally have a good answer, and hopefully this makes sense to you too. The 99 other sheep all have each other. They should be able to strengthen and protect each other. If the shepherd has to leave, the sheep are being trusted to carry on what they are doing and rely on each other for guidance. However, the lost sheep needs extra help to come back. The lost sheep has no one to look to. Hopefully that helps clear that up, because it definitely helped me!
2. Is about the lost coin. In this parable, a woman turns her house upside-down looking for a coin she misplaced. This "person" was lost because of neglect. Someone did not do their job. It makes me sad, but the only reason the coin became lost was because someone did not care enough to remember who/where it was. Whether this be not loving a person in our congregations or not opening our mouths when we were supposed to, souls can be lost. People always need to be looked after and cared for. It is our duty.
3. The Prodigal Son. This lost soul didn't wonder off. It wasn't misplaced either. Instead, it just flat out rebelled. This one chose to leave. Instead of caring about the relationship with his father, the son only cared about the here and now and what he, himself wanted. Referring to an earlier post, he wanted instant gratification to make him happy. The problem is, instant gratification (or sin) will always leave you in want. You can never fully be happy, because it is not eternal. The difference between the wonderers and misplaced is that for them, you can go find them and invite them back into the fold. For those who rebel, reaching out to them only pushes them farther away.
Have you ever tried to convince someone who has purposefully left the church to come back? Sinned? How often does it work? It doesn't.
The hard part about this, is that the lost have to come back for themselves. They have to learn the lesson for themselves. The most we can do is to do as the father did, and pray/watch for them to return.
That's it for this week. Don't forget to be awesome :)
No comments:
Post a Comment