by Alan Finley
Jesus’s parables in Luke 15 provide guidance for Christians who are dealing with disobedience in the church and also with their children.
Although we know from Scripture the power of godly instruction and influence, no church or family is immune to disobedience among its members. Whether it is within the church or among our own family, there are godly attitudes that we should have toward one who is living in disobedience.
Luke 15 describes how the self-righteous Pharisees and scribes complained that Jesus interacted with tax collectors and sinners. In response to their complaint, Jesus spoke three parables with the common theme of something of value that was lost and was then found. These parables describe a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. The spiritual message for this Jewish audience is that God places tremendous value on a single lost soul and he rejoices tremendously when a lost soul returns to him. These parables can apply to the conversion of an alien sinner to the Lord or they can apply to restoring an erring Christian to the Lord. For our purposes, we will focus on the latter application.
The first parable regarding the lost sheep (vv. 1-7) tells of the shepherd (representing God) who had one hundred sheep (representing individual souls), but one had wandered off. When he finds the lost sheep, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices, a level of rejoicing that would likely seem unreasonable to this Jewish audience. Jesus then draws a parallel lesson, from the lesser to the greater, of the rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents.
Another message of this parable is the extreme steps that the shepherd takes to restore a single lost sheep that strayed away from the many. We learn that every single soul is precious, even among many. Notice also that Jesus mentions how the shepherd carried the sheep on his shoulders. The scribes and Pharisee generally had a low opinion of shepherds because of their handling of sick or dead animals. They might be tempted to ask why the shepherd was willing to go in search of one lost sheep and why was he willing to carry him on his shoulders. To be so close to a dirty animal would likely be seen as degrading to a scribe or Pharisee. After all, he still had ninety-nine that were safe. Yet, the lesson is clear. God does not see us as a group; He sees us as individuals (Matt. 10:30) and sent His Son to save us as sin-sick and condemned individuals. A faithful Christian will feel deeply the value of a single disobedient soul and will seek to fill the role of a faithful shepherd, even making great sacrifices to restore a disobedient brother to the Lord.
The second parable (vv. 8-10) tells of a woman who had ten coins, but lost one. So great is her joy when she finds the coin that she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!” Again, Jesus’s audience would likely be tempted to ask why such a dramatic celebration over something so insignificant. However, this woman obviously placed great value on this single coin. The lost coin is restored to the woman, but the message of the parable is that a precious lost soul is restored to God.
In Matthew 16:26, Jesus describes a transaction wherein a man might exchange his soul for the whole world. Yet, He declares that exchange would be wholly unprofitable. A single soul is of greater value than the entire world. If that is the case, how should we value a single soul, and to what extent should we go to rescue a soul from hell? The clear implication is that we should be willing to go to great lengths.
The third parable (vv. 11-31) speaks of a father who had two sons, the younger of which tells his father that he wants his inheritance before the customary time. After wasting his inheritance with sinful living, the son then makes his mind up to return to his father and ask to be as one of his servants.
Although we know that the heart of the father must have been broken, he did not allow his son’s disobedience to drag him into a foreign country. In fact, the son knew that the father would be at home, where he had always been. Like the father in this parable, we must be an anchor to which the unstable can find stability, and a home to which the disobedient can return. Too many times, we see parents follow the disobedient child “into a foreign land,” unwilling to stay at home like this faithful father. All too often, we see parents, or other Christian associates, drawn to compromise on previously held convictions, or even engage in the same acts of sin as the disobedient child. Our allegiance should be to God and not a disobedient child or Christian associate.
If the disobedience of a child, or other brother in Christ, has occurred, and the disobedient is unwilling to repent, we must stand firm in our faith and set clear boundaries for association. The disobedient should feel the pain of separation that they have brought on through their own choices. (1 Cor. 5:5) Sometimes the disobedient will have to face hard times to understand the terrible consequences of their sin, and we may be tempted to rescue them from their poor choices. Remember; the father of the prodigal did not save his son from the hard consequences of his bad choices. Although it may seem counterintuitive to us as parents, letting the son feel the full force of his sin was the loving thing to do. It was better for the disobedient son to come to his senses in the pig pen than to come to his senses in torment like the rich man in Lk 17:23-24.
Yet, the disobedient should not be treated as an enemy (2 Thess. 3:14-15). They should know that we love them so much that we will go through this pain with them to save their souls. Parents and Christian associates must make godly judgements about how they handle these situations and there should be a clear difference in the social interactions before and after the disobedient has left the Lord.
As we move through the parable, and the penitent son journeys back to his home, we find the father feeling compassion for his son, running to him, hugging and kissing him, and celebrating his return. Like in the first two parables, the scribes and Pharisees would be tempted to ask how this father could so degrade himself to celebrate the return of this disobedient son. In fact, later in the parable, we see the elder brother, who represents these self-righteous Jews, very unhappy that the father is rejoicing over the return and repentance of this disobedient son. The older brother does not love and value the younger brother the way the father does. The attitude of the older brother is of the world. In contrast, we should have the attitude of the father. As we close Luke 15, we hear the father expressing the ultimate hope that we should all have for any disobedient soul, “It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found” (v. 32).
