The Three Parables

 Disclaimer: Obviously I am not an actual angel. However, I feel like God speaks to my heart and I would love to share it with you. Please enjoy.

Have you ever thought about the parables of the prodigal son, the sheep that was lost, and the coin that was lost?

The stories are pretty much the same. Something is lost and someone wants it back. So why do we need three so similar stories? God doesn’t waste words. Everything He says is important.

I was thinking about this one day and asking myself why. Suddenly I felt like I understood the difference between the three scenarios. This is what I believe God impressed on my heart.

I will start with the parable about the prodigal son. He was living at home with his father. His father was wealthy and he had everything he could possibly want or need. So why did he insist his father give him his inheritance, then he took it and left?

He didn’t appreciate what he had. He was rebellious, wanted to live life his way, no matter what his father said, and wanted to live a wild party lifestyle. So, off he went with his new fortune.

The new friends he made weren’t really his friends. They used him for what he had. He threw lots of parties and wasted his inheritance on people who cared nothing about him. He didn’t care. He was defying his father and living life his way, no matter what the consequences.

When the money was gone, so were his friends. They cared nothing about him including whether he lived or died.

When he ended up living and eating with the pigs, he finally came to his sensed and knew he was going to die if he didn’t go back home to his father.

As he approached his father’s home he thought he would be rejected. However, to his surprise, his father was watching down the road, waiting for his son to come back. When he saw his son he ran to meet him. He clothed him, put a ring on his finger, and threw a feast for him.

So, what does this parable tell us? It shows us that even though we are foolish and rebellious, purposely walking away from God, He still loves us and is anxiously waiting for us to come back. Just because we turn our back on Him doesn’t mean He stops loving us. He will still do anything He can to get us back.

Next we have the parable of the sheep that was lost. It wasn’t rebellious. It simply got distracted and wandered off. When he looked up he was nowhere near the rest of the herd and the shepherd. In his distraction he might even have fallen down a ravine and couldn’t get out. Wherever he was he couldn’t get back to the shepherd. He didn’t know how. The shepherd didn’t refuse to deal with the hardship of scouring the hills to find the sheep because after all, he had been careless and got himself into this situation. Instead, because he loved this careless sheep, he left the herd and went looking for it. He wasn’t going to come back until he found him and rescued him.

That is what happens to many of us also. Even though it is our own fault that we allowed ourselves to get careless and lose our way God will not abandon us. He will go find us and bring us home where we will be safe once again.

Now, what about the coin that was lost. The coin wasn’t rebellious. Neither did it get careless and roll off the table and into a corner. The coin had no control over it’s circumstances, but the old woman looked everywhere and swept under and behind everything in the house until she found it. Then she rejoiced.

So, how does this apply to us? I believe this is referring to people who are away from God, but it is not their fault. Perhaps they grew up where there was no one to teach them about God. Maybe they were raised in a family who were not interested in God, so they didn’t teach their children about Him. They might even have grown up in a family of atheists who hated the very idea of God. Because of this they were brought up to believe there is no God, or even taught to hate the very idea of God.

This person was not responsible for how they were raised. But, now they are old enough to decide for themselves. God in His loving mercy will search for them and bring him into the arms of God if the person will allow Him to.

I believe the three parables are showing that no matter why we are lost, whether it is because we purposely walked away, got careless and wandered off, or had no control over our situation, God still loves us. He wants us back.

How could we not love a God who loves us no matter what?

So, if you are out there like the rebellious prodigal son, like the careless sheep, or like the helpless coin, God wants you back and is searching for you. Will you come home with Him? The choice is yours.

Think about it.

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