The Lost Lamb
Have you ever felt "lost" in life? Have you ever wondered "Where am I going?" If we're honest with ourselves, we all have. The good news is the Bible tells us why we feel "lost" and lays out the directions to getting us on the right path. The Bible tells us there are only two paths in life: 1) God's way of obedience and life, or 2) the way of rebellion and death. Choosing or "finding" the right path is critically important because the path you choose determines how you will spend eternity.
Bible IQ is going to unpack this timeless topic by discussing Jesus' famous parables about the "Lost Sheep", the "Lost Coin", and the "Lost Son." Through-out the discussion, we have incorporated a bit of "hide & seek" in which you try to locate Leo the Lost Lamb® (optional of course, but nonetheless fun at any age)! The idea is to visually emphasize how we our all "lost" in this God-created yet fallen world, and how we are only "found" when we repent and come to know & trust in-our-hearts Jesus as our personal Lord & Savior. You see my friends, the "path" we are referring to is no road at all - it's a person! So, you might be asking "Who is this Leo the Lost Lamb®?" Well, Leo is a mascot of Bible IQ (i.e., in addition to our Bible-Brain™ characters), and as you may have already figured out Leo is chronically lost!
Life's Two Roads Image
[Hide & Seek Challenge: There are 5 lost lambs in the below image. Try to find them all!]
Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:3-7)
Then Jesus told them this parable: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 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.COMMENTARY: Although it may not seem sensible to leave 99 sheep to go search for 1 lost sheep, the shepherd knew the 99 would be safe within the sheepfold, and it was the 1 that was lost that was in critical danger. Also, each sheep was of significant value, so the shepherd knew that finding the lost sheep was worth his time. Similarly, God's love for each of us is so great that he seeks each of us and rejoices each time one of us is "found." Like sheep, when we are "lost" (lost in sin) we are in critical danger, and Jesus is our good shepherd who seeks us and saves us!
Herd of Sheep Image
[Hide & Seek Challenge: There are 5 lost lambs in the below image. Try to find them all!]
Parable of the Lost Coin (Luke 15:8-10)
"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."COMMENTARY: To add some context to the above parable, Palestinian woman typically received ten silver coins as a wedding gift. So aside from the pure monetary value of these coins, they also held significant sentimental value similar to that of a wedding ring, and to lose one would be highly distressing. Similar to how a woman would rejoice at finding her lost coin or wedding ring, so the angels rejoice over a sinner who repents of their sins and turns toward God. Each of us are precious and valuable to God, and he grieves over every "lost" child, but He rejoices whenever one of us is "found" and adopted into His family and kingdom.
Coins Image
[Hide & Seek Challenge: There are 5 lost lambs in the below image. Try to find them all!]
Parable of the Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32)
Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them."Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate . For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.
"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
"'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'"
COMMENTARY: In this parable, the younger son was rebellious and immature and wanted the freedom to live as he pleased, and it took hitting rock bottom before he came to his senses and decided to repent of his sins and seek forgiveness. In the two preceding stories, the seeker actively looked for the lost sheep and coin as each were unable to return by themselves. In the lost son story, the father watched and waited as he was dealing with a human being who possessed a will of his own. And upon his return, the father greeted him with open arms and gladness and provided grace and forgiveness. In the same way, God's love is faithful, patient, and merciful and He is ready to greet and forgive us. It's also important to note that God will search for us and give us opportunity to respond, but he will not force us to come to him.
In closing, we note that the sheep was "lost" because it most likely foolishly wandered off; the coin was "lost" through no fault of its own; and the son was "lost" by leaving for selfish desires. The good news is that God's amazing love reaches out and "finds" sinners no matter why or how they become "lost." If you feel as though you are lost then we encourage you to plug in the following GPS coordinates: "J-E-S-U-S."
Pigs Image
[Hide & Seek Challenge: There are 5 lost lambs in the below image. Try to find them all!]
