Luke 15:4

What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? WHAT MAN OF YOU, HAVING AN HUNDRED SHEEP, IF HE LOSE ONE OF THEM, DOTH NOT LEAVE THE NINETY AND NINE IN THE WILDERNESS. Instead of saying, ''Tis but one; let it go; enough remain,' will he not bend all his attention and care, as it were, to the one object of recovering the lost sheep? AND GO AFTER THAT WHICH IS LOST, UNTIL HE FIND IT? - pointing to all the diversified means which God sets in operation for recovering sinners, and the patience and perseverance with which He continues to ply them....

1-10 The parable of the lost sheep is very applicable to the great work of man's redemption. The lost sheep represents the sinner as departed from God, and exposed to certain ruin if not brought back to him, yet not desirous to return. Christ is earnest in bringing sinners home. In the parable of the lost piece of silver, that which is lost, is one piece, of small value compared with the rest. Yet the woman seeks diligently till she finds it. This represents the various means and methods God makes use of to bring lost souls home to himself, and the Saviour's joy on their return to him. How careful then should we be that our repentance is unto salvation!...

Verse Luke 15:4. _WHAT MAN OF YOU_] Our Lord spoke this and the following parable to justify his conduct in receiving and conversing with sinners or _heathens_. _A HUNDRED SHEEP_] Parables similar to this are frequent among the Jewish writers. The whole flock of mankind, both _Jews_ and _Gentiles_, belongs unto this Divine Shepherd; and it is but reasonable to expect, that the gracious proprietor will look after those who have gone astray, and bring them back to the flock. The _lost sheep_ is an emblem of a _heedless, thoughtless_ sinner: one who follows the corrupt dictates of his own heart, without ever reflecting upon his conduct, or considering what will be the issue of his unholy course of life. No creature strays more easily than a sheep; none is more heedless; and none so incapable of finding its way back to the flock, when once gon

See the notes at Matthew 18:12....

EXPOSITION LUKE 15:1 The _Lord speaks his three parable-stories of the _"lost," _in which he explains his reason for loving and receiving the sinful._ LUKE 15:1, LUKE 15:2 THEN DREW NEAR UNTO HIM ALL THE PUBLICANS AND SINNERS FOR TO HEAR HIM. AND THE PHARISEES AND SCRIBES MURMURED, SAYING, THIS MAN RECEIVETH SINNERS, AND EATETH WITH THEM; more accurately rendered, _there were drawing near to him. _This was now, in the last stage of the final journey, the usual state of things. The great outside- class came in crowds to listen to Jesus. These were men and women who, through home and family associations,

WHAT MAN OF YOU HAVING AN HUNDRED SHEEP,.... A flock of sheep, consisting of such a number; Matthew 18:12, IF HE LOSE ONE OF THEM, by straying from the flock, DOTH NOT LEAVE THE NINETY AND NINE IN THE WILDERNESS, upon the common where they were feeding, AND GO AFTER THAT WHICH IS LOST UNTIL HE FIND IT? by which parable Christ vindicates his conduct in conversing with sinners, and neglecting the Scribes and Pharisees; for if it was right for an owner of an hundred sheep, when he had lost one of them, to leave all the rest, and go in search after that one till he had found it; then it was right in Christ to do what he did. The Jewish nation seems to be designed "by the hundred sheep", who are frequently represented as a flock of sheep, Psalms 77:20

This is a chapter that needs no explanation; it carries its key within itself, and the experience of every child of God is the best exposition of it. The three parables recorded here set forth the work of saving grace in different aspects. Luke 15:1. _Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them._ The Pharisees and scribes formed the outside ring of Christ's hearers, but the inner circle consisted of the guilty, the heavy-laden, and the lowly. They pressed as near to Christ as they could, that they might catch his every word; and besides, there was an attractiveness about his manner that drew them towards him. His mercy attracted their misery. They wanted him, and he desired them; they were thus well met. There will be an inner circle tonight when the

LOST (Greek, "apollumi"). (_ See Scofield) - (John 3:16). _...

CHAPTER 15 __ 1. The Murmuring Pharisees. (Luke 15:1) 2. The Parable of the Lost Sheep. (Luke 15:3) 3. The Parable of the Lost Coin. (Luke 15:8) 4. The Parable of the Prodigal Son and the Elder Brother. (Luke 15:11 .) Luke 15:1 A blessed climax of the teaching of our Lord as the Saviour and the friend of sinners is reached with this chapter, a chapter which the Saints of God have always loved and will always love. Here we find the completest illustration of the key text of Luke “For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save t

LUKE 25. THREE PARABLES SHOWING GOD'S LOVE FOR THE LOST, AND HIS JOY AT THEIR RESTORATION. The three parables in this chapter have no definite note of time or place. An introduction is supplied from Luke 5:29 f. (Mark 2:15 f.). Both the introduction (sinners crowding to hear Jesus) and the parables strike the new noto that Jesus came to sound the direct interest in and appeal to the outcast (_cf._ p. 622). This parable (Luke 15:3) must mean the parabolic discourse, embracing the three illustrations. The Parable of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin form a pair, and represent the bewildered sinner and the unconscious sinner, while the story of the Prodigal Son forms an exquisite picture of the sinner who deliberately chooses his own path, an