Luke 15 and 16

Parables of the Lost

He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.—Luke 16:10,14

Michael Nekora

One of the best teaching techniques is the use of a story to illustrate a point to be learned. Jesus often employed such stories. One could well imagine his listeners going home and accurately repeating what they had heard to others in their household. Of course one pitfall of this technique is that unless the lesson of the story is explicitly explained, one could well come to a wrong conclusion.

Luke chapters 15 and 16 contain five parables delivered to a mixed multitude: disciples (Luke 16:1), publicans, sinners, Pharisees, and scribes (Luke 15:1). Each parable describes something lost: a sheep (Luke 15:4-7), a piece of silver (Luke 15:8-10), a son (Luke 15:11-32), a trusted position (Luke 16:1-13), and a destiny (Luke 16:19-31). Although there were many lessons for the different ones in his audience, Jesus gave them all to specifically answer the accusation that he "receiveth sinners, and eateth with them" (Luke 15:2).

The Lost Sheep and Lost Silver

The first of the five parables concerns one sheep that becomes separated from a flock of 100. This is the only one of the five explicitly identified as a parable (Luke 15:3), though it is clearly the first in a sequence that all teach a similar lesson. The audience would certainly understand why a shepherd would not spend his time with 99 sheep which were safe. Therefore, Jesus should not be criticized for trying to rescue those who were "lost," who were not, at least in the estimation of some, in God’s favor.

The Pharisees considered themselves highly esteemed by God and in need of nothing. Without debating whether this appraisal was correct, Jesus showed that good "shepherds of the flock" would reach out and rescue those who were alienated from God.

The lost piece of silver taught the same lesson, but with an increasing sense of value. McClintock and Strong’s Encyclopaedia suggests that the word drachma should be seen as equivalent to the Roman denarius which was the equivalent of a day’s wages for a laborer in Palestine (see Matthew 20:2). This point of view makes the parable describe something of lesser value than a single sheep.

But this is not the way the audience of the time would consider it. A more likely thought is that this set of ten coins represented a gift from a bridegroom to his beloved and was worn by her either as a fringe on her forehead or as a bracelet. Because of its sentimental value, the loss of one coin would far outweigh the intrinsic value of the coin. Emotionally we could perhaps best understand this second parable as though it said, "Either what woman having anengagement ring, if she lose it, doth not lightacandle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?" When we consider something valuable, something that possesses emotional significance to us, no effort is too much to find it when it is lost. Likewise no effort is too much for our Lord to spend in finding those who are estranged from God.

The Lost Son

One of the most beloved parables in the Bible is that of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). The lesson is the same: from the perspective of the heavenly Father, one of his sons leaves the family and goes far from home while the other remains at home, presumably serving the father and expecting eventually to inherit everything. No explanation was needed to explain the point of this parable. The publicans were employed by the pagan Romans to collect the taxes, a position considered by many to have the same status as unclean "pigs."

But suppose a publican or a sinner decided one day to return to his father’s house. What kind of reception should he expect? Clearly in his own mind he did not expect much. He knew his "elder brother" would probably not let him in the door. "The Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them" (Luke 15:2). But the father’s love is far greater than that. The father has been on the lookout for him since the day he left. We know that because verse 20 says, "But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." If he were a great way off, he would not be seen except by someone specifically looking for him.

The elder brother is so angry he refuses to join the reception banquet and even refuses to acknowledge the prodigal as his brother. He says to his father, "But as soon as this thy son was come" (Luke 15:30). The father gently responds by saying, "It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found" (Luke 15:32).

There can be no doubt that everyone in the audience knew exactly what was being taught by this parable.

The Lost Position

The fourth parable describes a steward who is about to be removed from his trusted position. A steward was one who managed the household of another. Great confidence was placed in the one who held that office. Paul associated the word steward with those who would be overseers in the house of God (Titus 1:7). In the parable, a rich man’s steward is charged with unfaithfulness and told that he would lose his position within the household. Fearing the worst, the steward does what he can to make friends so that he would not have to "dig or beg" (Luke 16:3).

Some have questioned the way the steward made friends because he reduced the debts owed to his lord. The one who owed 100 measures of wheat got to rewrite the bill (and presumably pay it) as 80; the one who owed 100 measures of oil rewrote his bill as 50. Rather than "giving away the store," verse 8 says, "The lord commended the unjust steward because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light." Notice that both bills were not written down to half. In fact, they were not written down to 10 or even zero. The steward adjusted each bill to match the debtors’ ability to pay. It is better to get 50 cents or 80 cents on the dollar than to sue in bankruptcy court and get 10 cents or perhaps nothing at all.

The phrase "the children of this world are intheir generation wiser than the children of light" can best be understood from the viewpoint of the audience who heard these words. If at that moment one were to ask the question, "Would all those who consider themselves children of light please raise their hands," who would raise their hands? Certainly it would bethe scribes and Pharisees. They were not reducing the burdens of anyone. Quite the opposite: "Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers" (Luke 11:46). Luke 20:47 says that they "devoured widows’ houses."

Did the Pharisees understand this lesson? Yes, they did. "The Pharisees, who were fond of riches, heard all this and poured scorn on him. And he said to them, You are always courting the approval of men, but God sees your hearts; what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in God’s sight" (Luke 16:14,15, Knox translation). If they had not gotten the point of this and the other parables, they would not have "poured scorn" on him. They would have walked away mumbling under their breath, "Who can understand these rantings of a man who speaks in riddles?"

Among the lessons the master brings out from this fourth parable, is one of great importance to all those who claim to be his disciples: "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much" (Luke 16:10). People who disregard the little things expecting to do great things later find there are no great things. It is a cup of cold water, one talent, one jot or tittle. The little things count. Faithfulness to the Lord is demonstrated by what we do ineveryday life. Similarly unfaithfulness can start with a little thing: a little leaven (1 Corinthians 5:6), little foxes (Song of Solomon 2:15), a little tongue (James 3:5-8).

The Lost Destiny

The fifth and final parable in this series is called "The rich man and Lazarus." It describes the fate of an unnamed rich man when he dies. The Lord’s audience knew who was rich, who wore purple, who "fared sumptuously every day." It was the Pharisees. The Pharisees never spoke about their lot after they died, although they did tell the people to bear their trials patiently because God would surely reward them eventually. They said that trials came from God and so it would not be right, in good conscience, to do anything to help those who had them. This is aptly illustrated by the rich man who does not give Lazarus a single crumb from his table.

Lazarus evidently does take his trials patiently because he finds himself in "Abraham’s bosom" (the Scripture does not say he is in heaven). Now the situation is reversed: Lazarus is favored, the rich man is not. The rich man pleads for a "crumb": "Send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue" (verse 24). But he gets nothing. "Abraham"—who is really a surrogate for our Lord—tells him why: "And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence" (verse 26). This great gulf was visible even as our Lord spoke. Itwas the physical separation the scribes and Pharisees kept between themselves and those they considered unworthy of God’s favor.

The allegorical nature of this story is clearly shown by the request of the rich man. If he trulywere being tormented in flames, he would hardly make his one wish be for a wet finger on his tongue. It would be for permanent escape to anywhere else.

After his wish is turned down, the rich man makes a second request: "I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment" (verses 27 and 28). But that request is not granted either. "Abraham" replies: "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them." The rich man counters: "Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent." "Abraham" ends the parable with the words: "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."

This is an extraordinary statement: "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead." Surely this can only be hyperbole. Wouldn’t everyone be persuaded by someone who came back from the dead?

Though the audience which heard this parable could not have known it at the time, Jesus knew that not only was this statement true, he would soon prove it. This parable is the only one in the Bible where one of the characters has a name: Lazarus. For whatever reason, Luke does not recount the events that took place in Bethany a few weeks later when Jesus actually raised a man named Lazarus from the dead. And this man was really dead. It is Martha who says, "Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he has been dead four days" (John 11:39).

So because Lazarus returns from the land of the dead, does everyone believe on Jesus, the one who did what no "rich man" could do? Some did: "Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done" (John 11:45,46).

The irony of having the Luke 16 parable acted out for them was lost on the chief priests and Pharisees. In their meeting they debated what to do because so many were believing on Jesus because of his miracles. It never occurred to them that they too should believe the miracles even if they could not believe the man. Their hatred was so intense that this was their conclusion: "From that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death" (John 11:53).

Their hatred had no limits: "The chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death" (John 12:10). A living Lazarus was a living rebuke. A dead Lazarus would make it easy to say the miracle had never happened, that the people had simply imagined it. No wonder our Lord on one occasion said to them: "Serpents! Broods of vipers! How should ye flee from the judgment of gehenna?" (Matthew 23:33, Rotherham).

Gehenna was a literal place of burning, butit was not a place of torment. Everything thrown into it was destroyed. It is a fitting symbol of the second death. We do not presume to judge the hearts of the scribes and Pharisees, but unless they undergo a change of heart condition in the kingdom, they will surely be destroyed as unfit to inherit the kingdom God has prepared for those who love him. "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city" (Revelation 22:14).

An Important Lesson forUs

James writes: "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble" (James 2:19). He might just as well add, "and they remain devils." What they believe does not change them. The scribes and Pharisees said they believed in Moses and in Abraham, but they did nothing to put those beliefs into practice. Thus their belief had no practical benefit for them.

What about us? We have seen God’s hand in our lives. We have placed our trust in him. We believe there is one God. Let that faith, that belief, transform our lives.

"Don’t throw away your trust now—it carries with it a rich reward in the world to come. Patient endurance is what you need if, after doing God’s will, you are to receive what he has promised. For yet a little while, he that cometh shall come, and shall not tarry. But my righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrink back, my soul hath nopleasure in him. Surely we arenot going to be men who cower back and are lost, but men who maintain their faith until the salvation of their souls is complete!"—Hebrews 10:35-39, Phillips translation.