THE STORY OF ONE SHEEP, ONE SILVER PIECE, AND TWO
SONS
*
LUKE 15
1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, *Two groups drew near to hear Jesus, the 'publicans and the 'sinners', but another Two groups listened and watched the event, those were the Pharisees (who believe in the resurrection) and the scribes (who study the Old Testament and teach).
4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. * Jesus gives the comparison of a lost 'sheep' to that of the lost 'sinner', but notice the great care Jesus provides as He finds that same lost sheep, He knows the sheep will not follow alone with Him, so He takes that sheep and places it upon His shoulders and carries it back unto His home. Jesus bore our sins upon the cross spreading forth His arms and shoulders, knowing the burden is to large for us to bear, Jesus bear our burdens and our sins upon Himself, and He shall carry us to His home that we may be 'at' home where He is, and then He calls for His friends (Christians of the faith) and neighbours (those whom are with Him at His Home, of the Old Testament saints), to rejoice with Him, in the finding of that lost sheep, but notice, the 'ninety and nine' are left in the wilderness (Israel) as the search goes forth for the 'one' lost sheep.
8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. * Ten pieces of silver which must be tried in the fire to be reproved, as the woman (Israel) seeks diligently to find the 'one' which was lost amongst the ten, the light of the candle is not hidden but it is revealing of the one that is lost, so should our candle not be hidden before those whom are lost, who need to see the light and come home to
rejoice with the supper of the Bridegroom who is patiently awaiting. These are those (lost silver) who are made to go through the fire of the great tribulation, in Malachi 3:[All], and place special attention to that of the spelling of the word 'LORD', which is all in capitalized lettering, which means it is after the resurrection and the glorification of the LORD Jesus Christ, as in John 20. [Malachi 3]: "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way
before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even
the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith
the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand
when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: And
he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons
of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an
offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be
pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years. And I
will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the
sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against
those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and
that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of
hosts. For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not
consumed. Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine
ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you,
saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob
God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes
and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this
whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be
meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I
will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there
shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your
sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your
vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. And
all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith
the LORD of hosts. Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye
say, What have we spoken so much against thee? Ye have said, It is vain to serve
God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have
walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts? And now we call the proud happy;
yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even
delivered. Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the
LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him
for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be
mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will
spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return,
and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God
and him that serveth him not." PosteeNotee: Could the
'Ten' pieces of silver be the Ten 'lost' tribes?
10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. * The angels being always in the prescence of 'love' also love that which God loves - the sinner who has been returned and reconciled back unto
the father.
11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. * The younger son who is born after the elder son by some years, wanted his portion of goods that naturally came unto him by the granting of the father, but the entire goods were divided 'unto them' what the father had in His power. So, both, the elder and younger son received the goods, which they were allowed and appointed unto.
13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. * The
younger son chose to follow his lusts and wasted that which he had received of his father, and then came a 'famine' and the younger son was in need of food and drink, and the younger son who was in a far country and not a citizen, joined
himself with a citizen of that country who put hims to work in the fields, feeding the swine. Isn't this the way of the sinner and even those who are 'sons', they take what they have and spend it upon their own lusts of drugs, wine, women and the like, but when they run out of the substance they used to purchase these items, now become a 'slave' of those items in order to have some left for their body's need, so instead of their enjoyment of their lusts, they now began to serve that lust to 'feed' their own body of need. When the younger son was at home with his father, the father had those who took great care of all
the household and chores, and the sons could work as they needed or wanted and the entire function of the household worked in harmony. Now, the younger son has found himself at the lowest point he could have imagined, he was feeding the
swine, and unfortunately, his pay was to eat with the swine, and to eat what the swine did eat.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! * The younger son received no help from anyone, no gifts of food, drink, clothing etc.., a real place of destitution in a world that could care less if he lived or he died, this led to his 'awakening', realizing that in his father's house there was plenty.
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
* The younger son determined to go back unto his father, and he made practice to just how he would confess his sin was against heaven and unto his father, he had disobeyed the voice that he knew was of God, which voice his father also conveyed unto the younger son. The younger son is echoing that of king David:
"And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die." [II Samuel 12:13]
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. * The younger son's confession.
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:   * The father gives the younger son the best robe, clothing him with eternal life of the Spirit as noted in: "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be
found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)" [II Corinthians 5:1-7]
The father placing the ring upon the younger son's hand, sealing him with the Holy Spirit of promise, and placing the shoes upon his feet that he may know that he is in a place that is of eternal peace, a place that whereever he goes he will be at peace, the good news as in: "And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;" Ephesians 6:15
23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. * The father, and the household are joyous over the younger son that was dead (in trespassings and sins) but now is alive unto
holiness as in: "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me,
Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God." [Revelation 19:7-9]
25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing.
26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and entreated him.
29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. Luke 15 (all)
* The saddest part of the story is that of the elder son, where is his love for his father's children, those other than himself, where is the love for his own brother, why would he despise his brother's spending of his own inheritance,
which the father had given to the younger son, did the elder son desire to have all the inheritance, are we behaving like that of the elder son, I have my promise of eternal life, let others get their own, or do we like that of the father go forth to welcome any who are on their way back home? What part do the means of welfare, food stamps, etc.., and 'acceptance' of all wicked behaviour, play in the part of preventing those who would find the 'swine trough' to be most displeasing and return sooner to where they know their heavenly Father is awaiting there return? When the younger son was feeding the swine did he have
anyone that felt sorrow for him and come to his assistance, but when we find those whom are hurt and in realization of where they are, we, as Christians, do lend the hand of help as did the good Samaritan, but to those who are found on their journey to full realization of what they could have, and who they really are, do we harm them by our good intentions? Do you have any problems with your older or younger brothers and sisters that you hold to close, in that they have done you harm, or is your thoughts toward them like that of the father - restoration and reconciliation? In the beginning of this story there were two sets of people who had two groups within each set, the first set which had two were the 'publicans and sinners' which came to hear Jesus, the second set which had two were the 'Pharisees and scribes' which sought to do what with that which
they heard and the information they were gathering, which of the two would you liken to the 'younger son'?