Have you ever lost something that was very valuable to you? You searched and searched for it, until you found it. What a feeling of relief once you find that lost item. You take a deep breath and usually, will thank God for allowing you to find that little lost treasure. If it's valuable to you, you will never give up on searching for it.
In Luke, chapter 15, Jesus tells three stories as a parable. A parable is a short and simple story that teaches a religious or moral lesson. The three parables are about the topic of "lost and found." The stories are about people who have lost something very important to them: the lost sheep (v. 3-7), the lost coin (v. 8-10), and the lost son (v. 11-32).
The first story Jesus told was about a man who had a hundred sheep. One of his sheep strayed away from the flock and became lost. Every one of the man's sheep was important to him, so he left the ninety-nine and went to search for that one lost sheep. When he found the lost sheep, he was so very happy and so he called all of his friends together and said, "Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep."
Then Jesus told the story about a woman who had ten silver coins. Each coin was worth a day's wages. The woman counted her coins, and discovered that one was lost. She turned on the lights in her home, sweep her home, and searched until she found the one lost coin. When she found the lost coin, she called all of her friends and her neighbors together and said, "Rejoice with me; for I have found the coin that I had lost.
The next story is about the lost son. There was a father who had two sons. One day the younger son said to his father, "Father, could you give me my inheritance?" So the father gave the son his inheritance and the son moved to a different country. There he spent all of his money. Soon he had no money, no place to stay, and nothing to eat. The only job he could find was feeding pigs. One day he woke up and realized, that when he lived with his father even the hired help had it made. He decided that he would go back home and say to his father, "I have sinned against God and against you. I don't deserve to be called your son, so hire me and I will work for you." But the father said to his servants, "Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry. For this my son was dead, and is alive again, he was lost, and now is found."
Jesus tells these stories to demonstrate God's love for us. We are children of the living King, but sometimes we get lost. When that happens, God doesn't give up on us. No! He searches for us and He won't stop until we are found. God loves us so very much. The Bible is very clear that no matter what we have done, Jesus loves us. He promises that He will forgive us of every wrong we have done. God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus to seek and save the lost. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
Romans 5:8 says that God demonstrates His love for us in this: "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus came to find what was lost. These parables shows how important we are to Jesus. He looks for all who are truly lost, because without Him we are lost. "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19:10). In each story, something is lost, its searched for, and then found. Jesus' point is, He came to search and find the one who is lost. He came to restore that which was lost.
At the end of each of these three parables, Jesus closes them by saying these words, "I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." Jesus shows how far God's grace goes. He displays how deep God's love is for us. He shows us how far His love stretches toward us. Without God's love, we have absolutely no hope.
Jesus is that shepherd that is looking for His lost sheep. He is like that woman looking for her lost coin. He left His Father's house to look for us prodigal children. Yes, I once was lost but now I am found. I am so thankful that Jesus found me and He knew exactly where to look.