LOST AND FOUND
‘Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep … [and] the piece which I had lost.’
We have here two beautiful pictures. Though the lesson to be learned from each is the same— God’s love in seeking for lost souls—yet there is a difference between them in regard to the thing lost. The one shows the folly of sin. How foolish of the sheep to leave the good pasturage, and the shepherd’s care, for the barren wastes of the desert (Proverbs 5:23)! The other describes the lost condition of the sinner. If the piece of money is not sought for, it will never be restored to its owner’s possession (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). Consider each—
I. The lost sheep (Luke 15:4-6).—This is a figure of frequent occurrence in Scripture (Isaiah 53:6; Psalms 119:176), and it aptly represents the soul of man. Once astray, a sheep cannot find its way home like other animals (Ezekiel 34:5-6). It is found in unlikely places, not in the foot-tracks of the sheep. The woman of Samaria, the thief on the cross, the jailer of Philippi. Its liability to wander makes certain treatment necessary. It must be watched and guarded (Matthew 26:41; John 17:11-12). But how aptly is Jesus represented in search for the lost one! It must be one acquainted with the ways of the sheep (Hebrews 2:17-18). It must be one of strength, to endure hardship (Psalms 89:19). It must be one who would risk his life (John 10:11).
II. The lost piece of money (Luke 15:8-9).—What is it like? Once bright, and stamped with the king’s image; like man made in the likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Now it is lost—covered with dust, and hidden from sight. So man through sin. The image of God is no longer to be seen in him (Romans 3:23; Psalms 14:2-3). What does the owner of the lost piece of money do? She lights a candle (John 1:4-5; John 1:9). She sweeps the house, clearing away all the dust that has gathered round the lost money (Isaiah 40:3-5; John 16:8). She seeks diligently till she finds it (Ezekiel 34:12; John 11:52; Ephesians 2:17). Thus does God seek the soul of man—calling, justifying, glorifying—till it is restored to the image of the King (Romans 8:29-30; Hebrews 1:3).
Bishop Rowley Hill.
Illustration
‘Is there no one that you can help into a better life? Do you know nobody whose self-respect you might help to restore? Do you know no man whose self-vice, self-indulgence, is crushing him to a brute, you might help him to cast off if you held out your hand? Men do not always want to be wicked—no man does. Sometimes men grow ashamed of sin. They see visions of purity and strength which, while they torture them with remorse, make them glow with hope. They try to turn over a new leaf, however feebly. It is everything at that hour if there is some one who has the insight to see and the heart to help. Are we on the look-out for such? Do we try to help them? There is nothing, no preaching, and no advice, and nothing else in the world goes home to men like the touch of human brotherhood.’