Some years ago, I had mentioned in a sermon that if you were the only one in need of salvation, Jesus would have come and died just for you. Afterwards, someone asked where I find that truth in the Bible. Immediately my thoughts were drawn to the passage we read this morning. (Luke 15) There, like nowhere else in Scripture, Jesus places the emphasis on God’s love for the individual: the one lost sheep, the one coin, the younger of the two sons. Each story is told in relation to redemption, a work in which each Person of the Trinity is involved. Jesus as the Good Shepherd, the Holy Spirit as the light of the candle, and the Father as the one waiting for the return of his precious son. When the Bible tells us that “God so loved the world…” it means that He loves each and every individual of the world. You can be sure that when it comes to God, you are never lost in the crowd.
Jesus said, the Good Shepherd calls each of his sheep by name and they follow him. (John 10:3) God’s intimate knowledge of us is mentioned throughout the Bible. Psalm 139:13,14 tells us that
from the womb, we are fearfully and wonderfully made. His interest in us extends even to the very hairs on our head. (Luke 12:7) In other words, God knows us even better than we know ourselves.
Not only does God know us, but He greatly values us. We see this demonstrated in the effort put forth to seek and to save the lost. The Shepherd leaves the ninety-nine in search of the one lost sheep. The woman who lost her coin, with candle and broom, searches every nook and cranny until she finds it. Looking back at our own lives we are overwhelmed as we consider the persistent effort the Lord put forth to reach us with His love, His Word, and the conviction of His Holy Spirit. We can’t help but cry out with the hymn writer, “Oh, the love that sought me!”
Although the similarities between these stories are obvious, there is much to learn by considering the ways in which they differ as well. In the story of the Prodigal, the Father doesn’t go out searching for his son in an effort to drag him back home, but rather waits for his return. True redemption is a matter of the heart. God never forces Himself on us. True, He may touch our lives in a number of ways but then he “steps back” patiently awaiting our response. He wants us to value Him as He values us. He wants us to come home and stay home. When the Prodigal returned, he came back with a new appreciation of who his father was and of the privilege of being part of his household. His heart had been changed.
Now the rejoicing can begin… on earth as it is in heaven. Twice in this chapter we are told that there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels over one sinner that repents. Unfortunately, not everyone joins in the celebration. The elder son is offended that the father welcomed his wayward brother back home with open arms. Instead of seeing the miracle that had taken place in his brother’s life, he made it all about him. To him it was all about earning and deserving. He, like the Pharisees, had little understanding of the father’s mercy and of his great need of it.
Now it was his turn to find his way home.
Perhaps the Lord is “waiting to be gracious” unto you. (Isa. 30:18) Let’s not keep Him waiting a minute longer.
Prayer: Father, I am so grateful that You see me where I am, and You made a way for me to come back to You. I need Your love and Your mercy today, and I come now, because of what Jesus has done, into Your loving embrace.
