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Lost Things
Pastor Travis Marshall
June 20, 2021
Luke 15:1-7 NRSV
To notice something is missing is good; to care enough to find it is the gospel.
Mark 4:33-34 NRSV
What is a parable?
· Parables compare two different/unlike things by placing them side-by-side in a surprising or unexpected way.
· A parable varies in length and form while not giving all the details.
· Parables have at least two meanings—a literal meaning and the metaphorical meaning (representing something else—such as still water could also mean peace).
· Parables could be but are not always allegorical (that is, the characters or pieces of the parable don’t always represent one thing).
· Parables do not have a single meaning.
· Jesus did not invent the parable but continued a long-held tradition of teaching passed down for generations. Parables are in the Old Testament and are still used in Judaism as a way of teaching.
· Parables can be understood in many ways. Today, a reader must start with trying to understand how the original hearers would have heard Jesus’ parables and how they would have responded.
· Parables provoke the hearer beyond listening into thinking (“unboxing”) about the message and meaning.
· Parables usually don’t reveal something new but something that is true and that we already know but for some reason have failed to see, act upon, or believe.
A couple of thoughts when engaging with Jesus’ parables:
· If your first response when hearing a parable is, “I like that one” you may just be listening and not thinking (“unboxing”).
· When you seek to keep a parable in a “box” of understanding that you’re comfortable with, you are limiting the power of the parable and so, limiting yourself to the powerful purpose of Jesus’ instruction.
· Parables are unexpected and/or difficult to hear because they challenge us to look into the often-hidden values we hold. They bring to the surface the questions we don’t ask (either refuse to ask or don’t know to ask), and they reveal the answers we have always known, but have refused to accept.
· A normal reaction to a parable should be first resistance, not acceptance.
Engage with the Parable of the Lost Sheep…
1. God notices what is lost… Do I (we) notice?
2. God cares about what is lost… Do I (we) care?
3. God celebrates when what is lost is found… Do I (we) celebrate?
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