Teaching From Disciple Lukas' Account of the Life Story of Muktidata Yeshu
BACKGROUND: Thousands of people wanted to hear Guru Yeshu speak about God and his Kingdom. Sometimes, listeners would invite him to their homes to enjoy a meal and talk more. Many strict religious people, however, did not like this at all. They criticized Muktidata Yeshu because he was making friends with and eating with people who they thought were sinful. But Guru Yeshu loved sinful people and wanted to spend time with them. He did this because he knew they could change and happily follow God's ways -- and this would make God very happy! So, one day, Guru Yeshu told these religious people three short stories so they would get the right idea about God and what he thinks about us.
Lukas Chapter 15, verses 4-32
The Lost Sheep Is Found -- Let's Celebrate!
Guru Yeshu told this story,
“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost -- won't you leave the remaining ninety-nine in the field and go search for the lost sheep until it is found? When you find the lost sheep, you will be so happy; you will put it on your shoulders, carry it home, call together your friends and neighbors and say, ‘Come, let's celebrate, because I have found my lost sheep!’ In the same way, when one sinner leaves his sinful ways of living, God and his angels celebrate! I'm telling you, at that time in God's realm, there is more rejoicing for that one sinful person than for ninety-nine good people who have already left their sinful ways!”
Question: Where do you see yourself in this story? Or, in what way do you think this story relates to you or your friends?
The Lost Coin is found -- Let's Celebrate!
Lord Yeshu told them another story,
“What woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one of them, doesn't light a lamp and search every corner of the house until she finds it? Then she'll call together her friends and neighbors and will say, ‘Let's celebrate, because I've found the coin I lost!’ Listen to what I am telling you. In the same way, God and his angels are very happy when a sinner leaves his sinful ways.”
Question: Where do you see yourself in this story? Or, in what way do you think this story relates to you or your friends?
The Lost Son Has Returned -- Let's Celebrate!
Then Lord Yeshu told one more story,
“There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Please give me my share of the property.’ So, the father divided the property among the two sons.
“Very quickly, the younger son took whatever he got of his share and went to a foreign country and wasted all his money living luxuriously. Then, after he had spent everything, a terrible famine spread throughout that whole area, and he had nothing to eat. He found a man in that country and begged him to give him some work and the man sent him into his field to take care of pigs. He was so hungry he longed to eat some of the pig's food, but no one gave him anything.
“He finally started thinking about what he was doing and said to himself, ‘All my father's servants have plenty of food to eat and I am here dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father and say to him, “Father I have sinned against God and against you. Now I am not worthy to be called your son. Please, just treat me like one of your servants.”’
“So the younger son got up and went to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. The father ran to him, hugged him and kissed him.
“The son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against God and against you. Now I am not worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Hurry and bring out the best clothes for him and get him dressed! Give him a ring to wear on his finger and shoes for his feet. Prepare our best food so we can eat and celebrate, because this son of mine was dead, but now is alive again; he was lost, but now he has been found.’ So, in this way, they started to celebrate.
“At that time the elder son was in the field. When he returned and came near the house, he heard the music and dancing. He called a servant over and asked him, ‘What is going on here?’ The servant said, ‘Your brother has returned home safe and sound and your father has ordered our best food to be cooked.’
“Hearing this, the elder brother became very angry and did not want to go inside. Then his father came outside and began to persuade him to go in. But he said to his father, ‘Look, I have been serving you all these years and I have never gone against anything you have asked me to do; still you have never given me anything special so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours comes, the one who wasted your money on prostitutes, then you welcome him by cooking all these special things!’
“The father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me and whatever is mine is yours too! But it is good for us to celebrate! Because this brother of yours was dead to us, but now is alive; he had been lost and has been found again.’”
Question: Where do you see yourself in this story? Or, how do you think this story relates to you or your friends?
The Lost Sheep Is Found -- Let's Celebrate!
Guru Yeshu told this story,
“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost -- won't you leave the remaining ninety-nine in the field and go search for the lost sheep until it is found? When you find the lost sheep, you will be so happy; you will put it on your shoulders, carry it home, call together your friends and neighbors and say, ‘Come, let's celebrate, because I have found my lost sheep!’ In the same way, when one sinner leaves his sinful ways of living, God and his angels celebrate! I'm telling you, at that time in God's realm, there is more rejoicing for that one sinful person than for ninety-nine good people who have already left their sinful ways!”
Question: Where do you see yourself in this story? Or, in what way do you think this story relates to you or your friends?
The Lost Coin is found -- Let's Celebrate!
Lord Yeshu told them another story,
“What woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one of them, doesn't light a lamp and search every corner of the house until she finds it? Then she'll call together her friends and neighbors and will say, ‘Let's celebrate, because I've found the coin I lost!’ Listen to what I am telling you. In the same way, God and his angels are very happy when a sinner leaves his sinful ways.”
Question: Where do you see yourself in this story? Or, in what way do you think this story relates to you or your friends?
The Lost Son Has Returned -- Let's Celebrate!
Then Lord Yeshu told one more story,
“There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Please give me my share of the property.’ So, the father divided the property among the two sons.
“Very quickly, the younger son took whatever he got of his share and went to a foreign country and wasted all his money living luxuriously. Then, after he had spent everything, a terrible famine spread throughout that whole area, and he had nothing to eat. He found a man in that country and begged him to give him some work and the man sent him into his field to take care of pigs. He was so hungry he longed to eat some of the pig's food, but no one gave him anything.
“He finally started thinking about what he was doing and said to himself, ‘All my father's servants have plenty of food to eat and I am here dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father and say to him, “Father I have sinned against God and against you. Now I am not worthy to be called your son. Please, just treat me like one of your servants.”’
“So the younger son got up and went to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. The father ran to him, hugged him and kissed him.
“The son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against God and against you. Now I am not worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Hurry and bring out the best clothes for him and get him dressed! Give him a ring to wear on his finger and shoes for his feet. Prepare our best food so we can eat and celebrate, because this son of mine was dead, but now is alive again; he was lost, but now he has been found.’ So, in this way, they started to celebrate.
“At that time the elder son was in the field. When he returned and came near the house, he heard the music and dancing. He called a servant over and asked him, ‘What is going on here?’ The servant said, ‘Your brother has returned home safe and sound and your father has ordered our best food to be cooked.’
“Hearing this, the elder brother became very angry and did not want to go inside. Then his father came outside and began to persuade him to go in. But he said to his father, ‘Look, I have been serving you all these years and I have never gone against anything you have asked me to do; still you have never given me anything special so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours comes, the one who wasted your money on prostitutes, then you welcome him by cooking all these special things!’
“The father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me and whatever is mine is yours too! But it is good for us to celebrate! Because this brother of yours was dead to us, but now is alive; he had been lost and has been found again.’”
Question: Where do you see yourself in this story? Or, how do you think this story relates to you or your friends?
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