“He Was Lost, and Is Found”
Think about a time when you lost something important to you or when a family member became
lost. How did you feel when the object
or person was lost? How did you feel when the object or person was found? Jesus often taught spiritual lessons by
relating them to common experiences of the people. This lesson discusses some
parables that teach the importance of searching for and finding those who are
lost. It can also help us understand the
joy that comes when we repent and when we help others repent.
The Savior taught the worth of souls.
Luke 15:1-10 Jesus presented the parable of the lost sheep and the
parable of the piece of silver after the Pharisees and scribes murmured, “This
man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them” (Luke 15:2).
Luke 15:4 In the parable of the lost sheep, the shepherd left
ninety-nine sheep to find one that was lost.
Luke 15:8 In the parable of the piece of silver, the woman
sought diligently for one lost coin.
D&C 18:10-13 As taught in these latter-day scriptures, we learn
from the actions of the shepherd and the woman that the worth of souls is
great; that all men are valuable in the sight of the Lord, and that He rejoices
when we repent of our sins.
Luke 15:4-5, 8; Alma
31:34-35 teach us our responsibility
toward those who are lost.
President Gordon B.
Hinckley spoke of those who are
lost, saying: “Some of our own … cry out in pain and
suffering and loneliness and fear. Ours is a great and solemn duty to reach out
and help them, to lift them, to feed them if they are hungry, to nurture their
spirits if they thirst for truth and righteousness. … “… There are those who
were once warm in the faith, but whose faith has grown cold. Many of them wish
to come back but do not know quite how to do it. They need friendly hands
reaching out to them. With a little effort, many of them can be brought back to
feast again at the table of the Lord. “My brethren and sisters, I would hope, I
would pray that each of us … would resolve to seek those who need help, who are
in desperate and difficult circumstances, and lift them in the spirit of love
into the embrace of the Church, where strong hands and loving hearts will warm
them, comfort them, sustain them, and put them on the way of happy and
productive lives” (Ensign,
Nov. 1996, 86).
Luke 15:5-7, 9-10;
D&C 18:15-16 all give us
guidance on how we should respond at the return of a person who has been lost.
Jesus taught that Heavenly Father rejoices in forgiving the repentant.
Luke 15:11-32 records the parable of the prodigal son.
Luke 15:13 In the parable of the prodigal son, the younger son
took his inheritance and wasted it.
Note that prodigal means wasteful. With minor effort, we can
think of some ways that people today make errors similar to those of the
prodigal son.
Luke 15:14-16 records what happened to the prodigal son after he
had wasted all his inheritance. In our day, we can find situations that are
quite similar to that of the prodigal son.
Luke 15:16 records that when the prodigal son was in want, “no
man” in the far country cared for him.
We learn from this that we had best be prepared to care for ourselves if
we want to leave home and family to indulge our selfish desires for worldly
pleasures.
Luke 15:17 teaches that the son thought of his father when he
saw that no one in the far country cared for him.
Luke 15:18-19 allows us to see that the son was humbled and he had
a repentant attitude when he thought of returning to his father.
Luke 15:20 The father, when he saw his son returning, was
overjoyed and expressed great love to his son.
Luke 15:21-24 shows that his father responded to his son’s
confession with joy and forgiveness.
Luke 15:7; Mosiah 26:30;
D&C 58:42 here we see how the
father’s response is like the Lord’s response when we repent.
Referring to the parable
of the prodigal son, President Gordon B. Hinckley said: “I ask you to read that story. Every parent ought to read it again and
again. It is large enough to encompass every household, and enough larger than
that to encompass all mankind, for are we not all prodigal sons and daughters
who need to repent and partake of the forgiving mercy of our Heavenly Father
and then follow His example?” (“Of You It Is Required to
Forgive,” Ensign, June 1991, 5).
Luke 15:25-30 shows us that the elder son was angry with the way
his father received the younger son.
Luke 15:31-32 records the father’s response to the elder son’s
complaint. Consider why it is sometimes difficult to welcome back a “prodigal
son” who has repented and then consider what we can learn from this man’s
response to his returning son.
A man whom Jesus had healed of leprosy returned to thank him.
Luke 17:11-19 provides us with the parable of the ten lepers.
Luke 17:11-14 As the Savior went to Jerusalem, he healed ten
lepers. Of those ten lepers, only one returned to express gratitude.
Some of us may be like the
nine ungrateful lepers, not always expressing our gratitude for the blessings
we receive. Yet the scriptures teach us that it important that we express
gratitude to the Lord.
Luke 17:14, 19 Although all ten lepers were cleansed, only the man
who returned was made whole. There is obviously a difference between being
healed and being made whole. Bishop Merrill J. Bateman taught: “In becoming a whole
person, the grateful leper was healed inside as well as on the outside. That
day nine lepers were healed skin deep, but only one had the faith to be made
whole” (Ensign, May 1995, 14).
The parable of the unprofitable servant
Luke 17:5-10 records the parable of the unprofitable
servant. Jesus presented this parable
after the Apostles requested of him, “Increase our faith” (Luke 17:5).
We learn from this parable
that we can increase our faith by diligently serving the Lord.
Mosiah 2:20-25 Think about why we are unprofitable servants even
when we do everything the Lord commands us to do and what these verses reveal
about the Lord’s love for us.
The parable of the laborers in the vineyard
Matthew 20:1-16 records the parable of the laborers in the vineyard.
In this parable, those who
worked one hour received the same pay as those who worked the entire day. We
should not be concerned about who receives the most or who does the most in the
service of the Lord. The perfect Judge of all, who knows our hearts, will judge
us with mercy and grant us “whatsoever is right” (Matt. 20:4, 7).
We feel great joy when we
repent and return to the Lord and when we help others return. We should
appreciate Jesus’ parables and other teachings that show God’s love for his
children and his desire that we love one another.