Sunday School Lessons: Luke 15

Luke 15

Luke 15 is a continuation of the teaching from Luke 14. READ Luke 14:35. Luke 14 ended in “he who has ears to hear, let him hear”—and verse 1 of Chapter 15 reveals that the tax collectors and sinners were ALL drawing near him.

15:1Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

Notice the reaction of the Pharisees and scribes. They are grumbling again. They can’t grumble against Jesus teaching them, for that was according to the law of Moses, but they grumbled against receiving sinners and eating with them—something they prohibited.

Jesus responds by telling three parables. These parables are all related. All these parables show God’s pleasure in the conversion of sinners. Each builds upon the other. The first is the parable of the lost sheep:

3So he told them this parable: 4“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

The Shepherd is Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd. (John 10:11) We are his sheep and we have gone astray. (Isaiah 53:6) The sheep is lost and the shepherd goes and seeks it. Sheep are dumb. Once they are lost, they cannot find their way back. But the shepherd seeks the lost sheep. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. (Luke 19:10) He lays the lamb across his shoulders rejoicing. When the priests of Israel went into the Holy place with sacrifices, he wore a garment that bore 12 stones on the shoulders that represented each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus bears his people “across his shoulders” as he intercedes for them before God. He bears the lost sheep home and invites everyone to rejoice with him. There is rejoicing in heaven every time a sinner repents and returns to God. The Pharisees taught that God would forgive a repentant sinner, but here Jesus is teaching that God, in Christ, seeks out the sinner.

8“Or what woman, having ten silver coins,if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Married women wore ten silver coins sewn together as a head dress, similar to the wearing of wedding rings today. To have lost that coin, which was representative of her marriage, was a great loss. That coin was something very valuable to her, therefore, she looked and looked until she found it! The lighting of the lamp represents the light of the Gospel. (John 8:12) The purpose of both of these parables is to explain that there is rejoicing in heaven when a sinner repents. In this manner, Jesus is continuing the theme about the Kingdom of God but bringing the teaching down to the individual.

Next comes the most well known of all Jesus’ parables. It is only found here in the book of Luke.

11And he said, “There was a man who had two sons.

The ‘man’ who had two sons was God, the Father. This parable teaches more about God, the Father, than it does about either of the sons! Some commentator think that instead of “the Parable of the Prodigal Son” this could easily be called “the Parable of the Waiting Father!” There are two sons; the younger, who represents sinners and Gentiles and the elder representing the Jews (Pharisees and scribes) who are also sinners.

12And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them.

According to the law, the eldest son received two thirds of the inheritance. This younger son didn’t want to wait; he wanted what was coming to him NOW! He demands that the father give it to him. He wasn’t willing to wait for the proper time. If he had waited, his portion might have been larger, but he was only concerned about the present. His eyes were on this world, not the next.

13Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out toone of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

The far country represents the world and the distance between God and the sinner. He wasted all that he had been given ‘in reckless living.’ He ran through his money until he had nothing left. No only did he have nothing left from what he had been given, there was a famine in the land, which effected everyone. He was in need—he was so poor and needy that he was willing to work like a servant and took a job feeding pigs. Pigs were considered unclean and only the most desperate and starving Jew would ever take a job among the pigs. Have you ever smelled a pig farm? It is a dreadful smell—that smell gets into everything. He was so hungry that he even wished he could eat the pigs’ food. And no one would give him anything to eat. He had hit rock bottom. It could not get worse.

17“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!

A change begins in verse 17. “He came to himself.” That means he finally came to his sense. He was finally able to see things for the way they really were. Sometimes it is that way with us. We sometimes have to go through great trials and tribulations before we are brought to repentance. But that is the way it is when we seek our own way. The sheep wandered away because it was ignorant and that’s the way sheep are. But the younger son, did not want to live under his father’s authority. He wanted his own way. He wanted to go where he wanted to go and do what he wanted to do. That is what sin is—willfully walking away from God. But once he was able to see what was really going on, he was able to repent and return. We must recognize our need before we can repent and return. This is a picture of repentance—turning around and going toward God

18I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20And he arose and came to his father.

It is not enough to feel bad about your circumstances. If he had just recognized how desperate his situation was and just stayed there, that is not repentance. That is regret. But he took action. He got up and started to return. He considered his sins and realized what he must confess. He even planned what he was going to say. He did not expect to be received as a son, he only hoped he could be treated like a hired servant.

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

This is the most amazing verse of all! The father had been watching and waiting for him to return! He knew that his son would return eventually. When he saw him, he had compassion on him. He didn’t wait until the son dragged his dirty, starving self the last few yards. He ran to him! He embraced that tired, dirty, smelly son and kissed him. He did not shout or blame or make him clean up his act before he would speak to him.

21And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

At this point, the son already knows that he has been forgiven and restored. Even so, he confesses his sin and declares that he is no longer worthy to be his son. He would have asked to be treated as one of his hired servants, but his father interrupted him:

22But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

This a picture of redemption in Christ. The best robe represents being clothed in the robes of Christ’s righteousness. The ring represents the sealing of the Holy Spirit and the shoes on the feet show that he is now a freeman—servants did not where shoes. The fattened calf is kept for very special occasions and celebrations. Everyone was invited to eat and to celebrate. What have we learned that eating represents? This is a picture of salvation and forgiveness, redemption and restoration. But that is not the whole purpose of this parable. It is a picture that reveals the heart of the Father who not only forgives sinners but restores the son who sins.

Now we have another change of focus, from the younger brother to the elder brother:

25“Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28But he was angry and refused to go in.

Remember who the elder brother represents? He is angry because the Father has allowed the younger brother to return to the family. He is like the Pharisees and scribes who wanted to keep sinners and tax collectors away. (Matthew 23:13)

His father came out and entreated him, 29but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.

The elder son refused to go in, but again, it is the Father goes out to him and invites him in. Notice the elder brother’s response: he resorts to his works, his obedience as reasons for the father’s favor—as if the father owed him! He didn’t want to celebrate with the family—he wanted to celebrate with his friends) He made bitter accusations against his brother and even against his father (insinuated that the father had wasted the fattened calf, which belonged to the father). But the father doesn’t answer the elder brother in anger. He confirms that he is always with him and that all that he has belongs to him. It is right to rejoice when someone repents and returns.

*These lessons are written for use with elementary aged students. You can find lessons for previous chapters here . All scriptures are taken from the ESV.