Parable of the Lost Raisin

Parable of the Lost Sheep

“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? 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." Luke 15:4-7

We have been studying many of Jesus' parables during our Sunday services for the last few weeks. There are three parables in Luke 15 that all teach us the importance to God of just one sinner repenting.  The parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the parable of the lost son.  The parable of the lost son is my personal favorite; one that constantly reminds me that no matter how horrible of a person I think I am, how many bad things I have done or will do in the future, I am now a new creation and God will always welcome me back as long as I repent of my sins.

I wanted to share with you an experience I had recently with our son that reminded me of all three of these parables.  He showed me a perfectly sweet example of his version of the parables.  As we were driving to day care one morning, he happened to drop one of his raisins down by his leg in his car seat.  My poor little monkey couldn't reach it no matter how hard he tried; and he tried with all his might.  Then he whimpered a bit and started getting cranky.

Using my mommy logic, I told him to just grab another one out of his snack cup.  But no!  You would have thought I told him he could never eat another raisin as long as he lived!  He screeched and shook his head vehemently.  He pointed at the unreachable raisin and pouted.  "That raisin!"  I tried very hard to calm him down and encourage him to just eat one of the other dozen or so he had.  But he only cared for that one raisin he lost, and he didn't dare give in and eat one that was sitting safely in his snack cup for the entirety of our ride.

So humbling!  Have you seen the parables at work in your lives?

Parable of the Lost Son

...“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.’... ‘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.'