"A few years ago there appeared in one of our magazines, the story of a little lad who wandered from his mother's lap in the Badlands of the Dakotas and was lost. As night came on, the mother was distracted and the neighbors alarmed. The next morning, on the public square of the town near there, the sheriff met a group of farmers, teachers, office mane, citizens of all ranks. He organized them for a systematic search. Before they started out he said, 'Little Ronald is somewhere out in those Badlands. We must organize and search every bush, every crevasse, every water hole. We must not come back without that little boy. Pray God that we are not too late'. They started out that Wednesday, but it was not until Thursday, and at about three o'clock in the afternoon that a mighty shout went up, They had found the boy" (McKay, Gospel Ideals, pp. 404-5). Why is it that people generally will do everything possible to rescue a person who is physically lost, but seldom put forth a similar effort to rescue one who is spiritually lost?" (Student Manual, The Life and Teachers of Jesus and His Apostles, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, p. 127)
There was in Rabbinic teachings of Jesus' time the following saying: "There is joy before God when those who provoke Him perish from the world" (Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, 1883, 2:256). This stands in stark contrast to the gospel and its' view of joy in heaven when a sinner repents. When publicans and sinners drew near to Christ to hear Him preach, the Scribes and Pharisees murmured against Him, not understanding that those who needed Him most were those that needed to be found. In an effort to teach that His gospel is a gospel of love, Jesus unfolded three parables to teach how great is the worth of a soul in the eyes of God (D&C 18:10). The three parables are:
1. The Lost Sheep: It strayed without intending to, seeking greener pastures as sheep go where grass is. In the lost sheep we can see some members of the Church who wander away from the fold in legitimate ways seeking 'success in business, success in their professions, and before long they become disinterested in Church and finally disconnected from the fold; they have lost track of what true success is....' (David O. McKay in CR, Apr 1945, p. 120)
2. The Lost Coin: Which was lost through the carelessness and neglect of another. The lost coin in this parable represents lost souls which fall through the cracks because of lack of care. Being our brother's keeper, we the stronger ones are admonished to be mindful of those who are weaker, whose testimonies are not yet strong enough to stand alone.
3. The Lost Son: Who was lost through his own choice and willful disobedience. The prodigal son was not only immature in his judgment but he resented the father's careful guiding eye. Once he had procured his heart's desire in obtaining his inheritance, he moved to a far country beyond the reach of his father's influence where he could do whatever he wanted spending his inheritance in riotous living.
The prodigal son who sought so desperately to be away from his father's protective care, became the foolish hunger-driven younger son forced into the most degrading of all occupations among the Jews, that of herding swine. 'Jews detested swine so much that they would only speak of a pig euphemistically as dabhar acheer, 'another thing', and considered those who kept them as cursed. So impoverished and hungry was the prodigal son that he longed to eat the swines' husks which 'were unfit for human consumption' (Bruce R. McConkie, Mortal Messiah Book 3, p. 249). The inheritance having been spent, the son had no choice but to make his home with the swine that he kept, wallowing in a pigsty, far removed from the luxuries and comforts of his home that he once so fully enjoyed. The contrast must have sunk deeply into his heart for the son 'came to himself' (Luke 15:17); the lesson learnt, the repentance inevitable. An astonishing thing happened though when he returned to his father begging to be his servant. Instead of wrath and indignation, the father 'had compassion' (Luke 15:20) on his wayward son and welcomed him back into the fold re-instating him as his son.
Imagine the joy this father felt when he saw his son coming back because not ever seeing him again would have been a fate unimaginable. And not only coming back, but returning repentant. How many of us, as we wallow in earthly mire, feeding on husks of mortality do we ever reflect on the loving Father who hopes against all hope that we would not be lost? As we wander from the fold how many of us reflect on the unfathomable price that was paid for our souls in the Garden of Gethsemane so that we would be found? As we diminish ourselves by allowing sin to stain and corrode our souls, we so easily risk losing sight of our worth, and we forget the comfort and the love and the protective care of Him who drank the bitter cup for our sake. And when our sins are piling on top of us threatening to engulf us in everlasting misery, we forget the unfailing mercy which allows the Saviour of all mankind to forgive us over and over again, so eager is He for us to be saved and have eternal life. Even though this parable was addressed to the Scribes and Pharisees who resembled the older son, to me, the emphasis on this parable is not the resentful son but the forgiving, merciful father who welcomed his rebellious son into the arms of His love.
We might have forgotten the outline of His face, or the warmth of His embrace, but He stands waiting, always watching, always hopeful and ever longing to have us in His arms once again. The promise is real, the path is clear, the journey back possible through Him whose mercy welcomes back those who are lost who wish to be found. For has He not said:
"No man cometh unto the Father but by me" (John 14:6)
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