In a series of three parables Jesus reveals the radical nature of God’s love; a love that doesn’t have to be earned. A love that cannot help but go looking for the lost – to look for them as a shepherd would a lost sheep, a worker would her lost savings, or a father would his lost son – and then rejoice and lavishly celebrate upon finding them. This is a picture of God’s heart and joy, of the party that goes on in heaven every time a single sinner turns to the good news of Jesus Christ and begins to follow God’s ways.
• How should a love like this impact the way you live?
• Is your life so marked by a celebration of the good news of Jesus that it provokes opportunities to tell stories about finding something that was lost?
• In the parable of two lost sons, who do you identify with most – the younger son, the elder brother, or the father? Why do you think that might be?
• What is your attitude towards those who don’t know Jesus?
