The Lost are Found
“Just 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. … Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. … Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’”
—Luke 15:7,10,31-32
Observation:
Yahweh is a God of celebration. He celebrates when he finds those who are lost. He celebrates when those who left return. He celebrates when those who were dead come back to life. He celebrates. He rejoices. He searches. He waits. He watches. He prepares. He celebrates when the lost are found. When reading these three parables there are two modus operandi regarding the recovery of the lost. First, there is the active searcher, seen in the lost sheep and the lost coin. Second, there is the watchful waiter, seen in the lost son. Why this differentiation in techniques? It is not obviously apparent why the father does not actively search for his son? The sheep and the coin are lost and cannot find their way back. The son, who is lost, does not think he is lost, in fact he thinks he knows the way he should go. The father could have pleaded with his son not to go, knowing that his son was about to embark on a fool’s errand. The son thought he knew the way and until he found that the way he was going was folly there could be no dissuasion. But once the folly of the path was discovered the son only needed to repent and walk back the way he had come to get home. The difference between the two parables where there is an active searcher and the parable with the watchful waiter is the way home. The first two parables the only way home is through active search, that was the only way to restore the lost. The second parable the only way home is repentance and thus the father could only watch and wait to restore the lost.
Application:
We were lost at some point in our lives; some of us are still lost today. All of us fit into one of the categories presented above. Some of us needed some one to actively search for us, for some of us that active search would be in vain because we did not think ourselves lost. Some of us needed to repent as the father watches and waits, for some of us that watching and waiting would only contribute to keep us lost because we did not know how to get home and possibly some did not even know there was a place called home.
I fall into the later category. No matter how hard someone searched for me I would as kindly as I could rebuke them for their search efforts because I knew where I was and thus did not consider myself lost. I continued on my way and those around me could only watch and wait for me to return. I remember a couple of years ago a couple years after I returned home to God my stepfather, with tears in his eyes, shared with me how he prayed and waited for my return. He shared with me the agony he felt watching me go down a path that could only lead to destruction.
Last night, as I was reading, I caught wind of a friend on Facebook’s plight. I saw an update about her missing son. I could only imagine the agony she was going through as a mother not knowing where her son was. Did her son disappear of his own volition or was her son in need of someone to actively search for him? Thankfully due to the diligent search for her son he was found at 1 pm today. Her son was lost and could not find his way home. I could feel her agony emanate from my screen when I read, “I'm trying so hard not to cry as my [baby] is sleeping on the couch with me! Need to stay positive!”
The outcome of both these situations is the same; parents celebrate the return of the lost. I saw the joy in my stepfather’s eyes as he thanked God for my return. I could feel the thankfulness my friend felt as she typed the words “my son is home safe.”
The Church’s job, our job is to see that the lost are found. Sometimes it requires going into the highways and byways to actively search for those who are lost. Sometimes it requires the Church to keep her doors open waiting to embrace any wayward soul who should walk through her doors. Either way we should agonize over those who are lost and we should rejoice over those who are found.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for embracing me when I returned. Lord, show me when to search and when to wait. Lord, I pray for those who are lost that no matter what they will find their way home. In Jesus name I pray Amen…
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