LESSON III.—SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1900.
THE LOST SHEEP AND LOST COIN.
1 "Now ALL the publicans and sinners were drawing near unto Him for to hear Him. And both the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This Man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
3 "And He spake unto them this parable, saying, What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and his neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine righteous persons, which need no repentance.
8 "Or what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a lamp, and sweep the house, and seek diligently until she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth together her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I had lost. Even so, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." Golden Text: "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." Luke 15: 10. (1) What movement was going on among the publicans and sinners? Why were they doing this? V. 1. Note 1. (2) How did the Pharisees and scribes feel toward this movement? What did they say of Christ? V. 1. Note 2. (3) What did this saying of the Jews cause Jesus to do? V. 3. (4) To whom does He apply the lesson personally? What question did He ask them? In this parable what is the proportion of the lost to those who were not lost? Nevertheless, how long does the search continue? V. 4. (5) What does the shepherd do when he finds the one that was lost? V. 5. Note 3. (6) When he reaches home with the one that was lost, what does he do? What does he ask them to do? V. 6. (7) What does the Saviour declare in regard to the repentance of a single sinner? V. 7. (8) What other parable does the Saviour introduce to teach the same truth? How diligent is the search represented to be? What is the proportion here of the lost to that which was not lost? V. 8. Note 4. (9) What does the woman do when she finds the lost coin? What does she ask her neighbors to do? V. 9. (10) What does the Saviour design to teach in these two parables? V. 10. Note 5. 1. Publicans and sinners were drawing near unto Him.—The verb indicates continued action. There seemed to be quite a widespread movement among the class known to the Jews as publicans and sinners, and the Jews mentioned this as being a sort of reproach to Christ. They thought if this class of people were drawing near, it would be necessary for them to keep aloof. They did not understand the universal nature of the salvation which the Messiah must bring. But the publicans and sinners saw in Jesus something that met their needs. "He saw them as worse than they saw themselves, yet He showed no loathing, no scorn; He felt no hate, no contempt; He did not despise them as outcasts; but He loved them. He showed them that they were not hopeless. He came to help and save, not to condemn." The Jews did not understand this, but they who realized their condition and their needs could appreciate what Jesus had for them. 2. Receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.—"The substance of their charge was not that He taught sinners, but that He ate with them; that is, mingled with them on terms of social equality. The modern Christian who mingles socially and freely with modern sinners is always liable to the same criticism from modern Pharisees. The pride of propriety can never understand the liberty of love."—Abbott. They could not understand how Jesus could be at home in such company. "Jesus went among sinners out of love for their souls, not out of liking for their sins. He went among sinners to do them good, to save them from their sins." 3. Layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.—This is a type of the joy of Christ in the salvation of every soul that has ever been reclaimed or ever will be reclaimed. It is typical of the time when Jesus "shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied." Isa. 53: 11. 4. Seek diligently until she find it.—"The woman seeks everywhere for the lost coin, as the Holy Spirit seeks long and persistently after men. It cost great pains and trouble to go after the sheep who had wandered away in ignorance. It took long patience to find the coin. The surroundings must be swept away, the environment changed. In the case of the son who went wilfully away, there must be a changing of will, and a choosing to return. There is a progression and climax in the numbers,—one in one hundred, one in ten, one in two."—Peloubet. "The possessor of one hundred sheep is in some sort a rich man, and therefore not likely to feel the diminution by one at all so deeply as the woman who, having lost ten small pieces of money, should lose one of these; while the intensity of her feeling would fall far short of the affection of a father who, having but two sons, should behold one out of these two go astray."—Trench. 5. Joy in the presence of the angels.—This joy does not stop with the angels, but goes to the very heart of heaven itself, to Him who sits upon the throne of heaven. Every sinner that turns to God is another victory for good over the powers of evil, another evidence of the wisdom and goodness of God in the plan of redemption. The angels see in each repentant sinner another proof of the ultimate victory of righteousness over sin.