Week 8 | Day 4 THE PARABLE OF THE LOST Luke 15:1-32

In Luke 15:1–32, tax collectors and “sinners” drew near to hear Jesus, and the Pharisees and scribes grumbled that He welcomed them and ate with them. Jesus responded with three connected parables: a shepherd who left the ninety-nine to find one lost sheep, a woman who searched her home until she found one lost coin, and a father whose younger son demanded his inheritance, wasted it in reckless living, and returned home broken. The father ran to meet him, restored him with compassion, and threw a celebration because “this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.”

But the story ended with tension: the older brother (the Pharisees) refused to join the celebration, angry that mercy was being shown to someone he considered undeserving. The father pled with him, reminding him that everything he had was already his—yet the joy of the house is the joy of restored relationship. The significance is that Luke 15 reveals God’s heart toward the lost: He actively seeks, gladly receives repentant sinners, and calls the “religiously close” to rejoice in grace rather than resent it.

APPLICATION

1. Never Take God’s Grace for Granted
 
Come home honestly: confess what’s real—no excuses, no image management, just repentance.

2. Receive God’s Grace Fully

Stop living in squalor or like a hired servant when God calls you His child. Christians don’t have to live in the pig sty if they’re willing to trust in the Father’s love and goodness.

3. Release Resentment and Run from Pharisee-ism

Identify someone you’ve judged as “undeserving” and ask God to give you His compassion.

4. Celebrate God’s Work in Others

When God works someone else’s life to changes or bless the… REJOICE—don’t compete.

5. Join the Search

Pursue one “lost sheep” this week—an invitation, a conversation, a meal, a prayer. Have a burden for the lost.

PRAYER

Father, thank You that Your heart is to seek and save what is lost. I confess the ways I’ve wandered—through rebellion, distraction, or quiet self-righteousness. Help me come home with humility and receive Your grace with gratitude. Heal any resentment in me toward others, and replace it with joy when mercy wins. Make my life reflect Your welcome—give me eyes to see the lost, courage to pursue them, and love that mirrors Yours. In Jesus’ name, amen.