If I had been smarter, I would have done these two parables BEFORE I did the parable of the Prodigal Son… because they are actually a series.

Luke 15 contains three “lost and found” stories:
The lost sheep (15:1–7)
The lost coin (15:8–10)
The lost son or prodigal son (15:11–32)

Each story increases in emotional intensity:
1 sheep out of 100
1 coin out of 10
1 beloved child out of 2

The pattern repeats:
something precious is lost
someone searches carefully
the lost one is found
rejoicing follows

The repeated emphasis is on joy and celebration, especially God’s joy when people who have been excluded, wounded, or spiritually distant are welcomed home.

Let’s listen to the first two parables, they are found I Luke 15: 1-10:

15 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 So he told them this parable: 4 “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

8 “Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully 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 in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

To understand them, it helps to look at what happens immediately before and around them. At the beginning of the chapter, tax collectors and sinners are gathering around Jesus to listen to him, while Pharisees and scribes complain: “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them. ”In the ancient world, sharing a meal was a sign of acceptance and relationship. Religious leaders were disturbed that Jesus associated openly with people considered morally or socially unacceptable. Tax collectors worked with the Roman Empire and were widely disliked. “Sinners” could refer to people seen as morally suspect, ritually unclean, or outside proper religious life. Jesus does not wait for these people to become respectable before welcoming them.

In the lost sheep parable, a shepherd leaves ninety-nine sheep to seek one that is lost. Shepherd imagery appears throughout scripture as a symbol for leadership and divine care. The story reflects the idea that every individual matters deeply to God, not only the majority or the already “safe.” The emphasis is not on the lost sheep or coin finding their way back, but on the shepherd and woman actively searching. God is portrayed as one who seeks out people. A single sheep and a single coin are treated as precious.

Both parables end with communal celebration. Heaven rejoices over restoration, reconciliation, and return. So, now you’re probably say, thanks for the information Catherine, but so what! These stories make no sense! And really they don’t. Logically, does it make sense to leave 99 sheep to look for one lost one? Would you call your neighbours and celebrate over a found coin? Probably not. On the other hand, if we look at the story of the prodigal son again, we would rejoice about a lost son returning.
This is the story of God’s love for us. This is the story of how God keeps seeking us out when we are lost. This is the story of God NEVER forsaking us. In these stories, God is shepherd, God is a housewife and God is a father. All of those figures and metaphors can give us a glimpse of God’s nature.

There are dozens of references in the Bible to God and Jesus as shepherd. Probably the most common is the 23rd Psalm… the Lord is my shepherd… It’s one of the dominant images for leadership, care, protection, and covenant relationship. (Bible Gateway)

In the same way, there are many references to God as a woman in the Bible: In Isaiah 66:13: As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you. Isaiah 49:15: Can a woman forget her nursing child? … even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Care and compassion and never forsaking.

So, how do we take these ancient words and apply them to here and now? There’s also a key difference between the stories. The sheep is an animal, the coin is an object and the son is a human. Does that change the way we view the lost and the seeking? The shepherd didn’t say, “Well, I still have 99 sheep, I won’t worry about 1 that has gone missing.” Perhaps the sheep wandered off… Got separated from the rest of the flock somehow. The shepherd or God seeks out that lost sheep to return it to the fold. Safe and secure. The woman didn’t say, “Well, I still have 9 coins, I’ll find the other one someday.” She seeks it out… and she rejoices when she finds it. And the father didn’t say, “I still have one son, actually the one who has never caused me any trouble, I’ll just forget about the other one.” There’s a key difference in this parable though… the lost son has turned back to his father first… And maybe that is part of the point too.

Sometimes we are lost by accident. Sometimes we wander. Sometimes life separates us from community, from hope, from ourselves, from God. And sometimes, like the prodigal son, we make choices that carry us far away. But in every case, the story tells us that God does not simply shrug and move on. God seeks. God waits. God watches the road. God keeps the porch light on. And when what was lost is found, there is joy. Not disappointment. Not punishment. Not “what took you so long?”

Joy.

I think that matters because so many people live with the fear that if they ever came back to church, or back to faith, or back to God, they would be met with judgment instead of welcome. And yet Jesus tells these stories specifically because religious people were upset that he welcomed outsiders. These parables remind us that the heart of God is not exclusion. The heart of God is not humiliation. It is rejoicing.

And maybe these stories are not only about being lost spiritually. There are many ways people become lost.
People can become lost in grief.
Lost in addiction.
Lost in loneliness.
Lost in anxiety.
Lost in poverty.
Lost in the healthcare system.
Lost in conflict.
Lost after years of feeling invisible or unwanted.

And we know something about searching in Nova Scotia. Whenever someone goes missing, communities mobilize. Search and rescue teams head into the woods. Neighbours share posts online. People watch and wait and hope. Nobody says, “Well, statistically most people are safe, so one missing person doesn’t matter.” No. One person matters. That is the logic of love.

And perhaps Jesus is also quietly asking us another question: Who are we unwilling to search for? Who have we decided is too far gone, too difficult, too different, too undeserving? Because the Pharisees and scribes had categories for people.

Insiders and outsiders.
Acceptable and unacceptable.
Worthy and unworthy.

Jesus breaks those categories open. He says the kingdom of God looks like a shepherd searching hillsides at dusk for one frightened sheep. The kingdom of God looks like a woman lighting a lamp and sweeping every corner of the house until she finds what has been lost. The kingdom of God looks like a father running down the road to embrace a child before a word of apology is even finished.

And maybe the good news is this:
At some point in our lives, every one of us is the lost sheep.
Every one of us is the lost coin.
Every one of us is the prodigal child.
And every one of us needs to know that being lost is never the end of the story.
Because the Gospel is not ultimately about how well we hold onto God. It is about how fiercely God holds onto us. A God who seeks. A God who welcomes. A God who refuses to abandon what is precious. And heaven rejoices every single time love brings someone home.

Thanks be to God for the challenge and the opportunity of seeking, finding and rejoicing, amen!

Luke 15: 1-10
May 10, 2026 – SJ
Parables Series