Church School

Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey the week before He was crucified. That might seem like no big deal but it actually was – it fulfilled an Old Testament prophecy that basically declared Jesus was King. And the crowd went wild! They got it. They understood exactly what was going on! By the way, this was a totally different crowd than the one calling for his crucifixion less than a week later. No, no. This crowd had it right – or almost right. They thought Jesus was going to overthrow their Roman occupiers. But Jesus came to do so much more. He came to overthrow sin. He’s a better king than we ever imagined. He’s not just the king of Israel – He’s the King of the universe!

Last week we looked at the first two parables in a three-part series. In the first parable, a shepherd leaves 99 sheep in search of one. In the second, a woman sets aside 9 coins in search of one. This one rounds out the series. It’s more intimate. A man has two sons – and one runs away. The father never fails to love his son. He waits and hopes and prays that his son will come home. When his son finally returns, his father doesn’t condemn or admonish his wayward son. He throws him a party. He celebrates his return. That’s what Jesus does when we turn back to Him.

Luke 15 is one of the most interesting chapters in the entire Bible because Jesus tells three back-to-back parables. We’re talking about the first two this week (we’ll talk about the third next week). Jesus tells about a shepherd leaving 99 sheep to go in search of one lost sheep. Then He tells about a woman setting aside 9 coins in search of one lost coin. When the lost sheep and the lost coin are recovered, the result is the same. The one seeking the lost rejoices!

I recently came across a shirt that said, “He who dies with the most toys still dies.” That is exactly Jesus’ point in the parable of the Rich Fool. The Rich Fool rooted his comfort and security in his fortune. But then he died – and guess how much of his fortune he took with him? None of it. Jesus isn’t against possessions. It’s just that our possessions are temporary. We leave them behind. They hold no eternal value. That’s what God wants us to treasure our relationship with Him above all else. It’s the only thing that lasts. 

The parable of the Good Samaritan is probably the best known of all of Jesus’ parables. Even those that don’t know Jesus will refer to compassionate people as “a Good Samaritan.” But this story is far more incredible than we might realize. See, in the parable, a Jewish man was beaten by robbers and left for dead. Two other Jewish men – both of which held a religious office – passed him by. But a Samaritan – an outcast in the Jewish mind – stopped and cared for him. Jesus calls us to extend compassion to all that need it – even if they look differently, speak differently, act differently, or even believe differently.