REJOICING IN HEAVEN OVER ONE SINNER

Passage: Luke 15:1-10

Key verse: 7

NIV

The Parable of the Lost Sheep(A)

15 Now the tax collectors(B) and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”(C)

3 Then Jesus told them this parable:(D) 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?(E) 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’(F) 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.(G)

The Parable of the Lost Coin

8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’(H) 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”(I)

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Footnotes
  1. Luke 15:8 Greek ten drachmas, each worth about a day’s wages
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

15 Now (A)the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes (B)grumbled, saying, (C)“This man receives sinners and (D)eats with them.”

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

The Parable of the Lost Coin

8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins,[a] if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9 And 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.’ 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before (M)the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

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Footnotes
  1. Luke 15:8 Greek ten drachmas; a drachma was a Greek coin approximately equal in value to a Roman denarius, worth about a day's wage for a laborer
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

1. 'This man welcomes sinners' (1-2)

Jesus' grace attracted public sinners like flies to honey. He welcomed them, ate with them, and even called them to be his disciples. They became new people because of Jesus' grace and truth. This made self-righteous people uncomfortable. They thought Jesus was a bad influence and lawbreaker himself! Shouldn't he condemn sinners as they did? Isn't that what God wanted?

2. 'Rejoice with me' (3-1

)

Jesus wanted to help self-righteous people understand the heart of God who sent his Son to save sinners. So, he gave two parables of someone who lost something important to them. When it was found after great effort, they wanted to celebrate with everyone close to them. Likely the celebration cost more than the value of what was lost! But it didn't matter on account of their joy. This is the heart of God towards sinners who repent: he wants all his people, even angels, to share his great joy over a lost sinner who is now found.

Prayer: Father, thank you for Jesus who came to save sinners like me. Help me share your joy over every sinner who repents.

One Word: Learning God's heart