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264 THE CONVENTION TEACHER [[column 1]] (5) And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. Perhaps the sheep after wandering has exhausted its strength and is unable to walk back to the sheepfold. If it had an inclination to wander, it would be prevented from being lost the second time if the shepherd actually took it upon his own shoulders and carried it home. Once we are in the hands of a loving Father, and His redeeming Sion, no one or no thing can ever take us away again permanently from this all-embracing love. (6) And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. We can hardly appreciate in our land where life is so cheap the precious value of sheep to a Palestinian shepherd. sheep in Palestine have more goodness shown to them and more thoughtfulness expended upon them than thousands of little children in their country who are brought up in homes where brutality and selfishness are so dominant. A sheep means more to a Palestinian shepherd than a house dog could ever mean to us. It may seem strange to us, but it would be nothing unusual for the owner of a flock of sheep in Palestine to call his neighbors into his house to rejoice with him when a lost was found. in fact, that which is lost becomes far more precious to us the moment we know it is lost, or at least so it seems. (7) I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. The joy is greater because the effort to bring it about is greater and because for a time the result has been in suspense, so that when the end is attained there is a sense of clear gain. The joy of success is proportioned to the difficulty the doubtfulness of attaining it. All the hazards and sacrifices of the search are repaid by the recovery of the lost. The value of the unfallen soul may intrinsically be greater than the value of the redeemed; but the joy is proportioned not to the value of the article, but [[/column 1]] [[column 2]] to the amount of anxiety that has been spent upon it. (8) Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she fine it? The main differences between this parable and the one just discussed are the changes from a man to a woman, and from a sheep that could stray of its own accord and feel the evil consequences to a coin which could do neither. The loss of the coin might seem less trying than that of a sheep, but the coin is out of circulation in life. There are men who are exactly like such a coin; they are out of circulation. They make no contribution to life, for they are out of the right relationship with God and with His will, for which they were created. (9) And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbors together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Having found the coin, the woman calls her friends and neighbors together to rejoice with her. One may wonder why such rejoicing over a trifling matter, for, it is said, the coin amounted to only one-tenth of her possessions. However, it meant a good deal to a poor woman to recover her money, no matter how small the amount. She would not have taken so much trouble to find it if it had not been of great value to her. (10) Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. Jesus tells us of the interest of heaven in sinners accepting His plan of salvation--not joy among the angels, but joy in the presence of the angels. The joy of God Himself. The joy of God is the joy of manifested mercy. He delighteth in mercy and in every opportunity for its exercise. repenteth--Repentance is a change of mind and hear, leading a man to turn from sin and to turn to God. There must be both changed--in mind and heart. Old beliefs in regard to spiritual things must be renounced and others embraced in their stead. Affections must cease to be under a selfish bias and become directed to God. [[/column 2]] QUESTIONS ON THE LESSON [[column 1]] 1. What is a parable? 2. How can a parable cement friendship? 3. How is man superior to a sheep? [[/column 1]] [[column 2]] 4. Are word pictures an aid to growth? 5. How can our surroundings sharpen us religiously? [[/column 2]] [[end page]] [[start page]] THE CONVENTION TEACHER 265 Lights on the Lesson Be Rev. Bernard O. Byrd, D. D. [[column 1]] LIGHT NO. 1--In presenting new turth or information to hearers, it has always been necessary for the speaker to go from the known to the unknown, that is, it was necessary for him to speak of things which were in the knowledge of the hearers and use them to illustrate the things which he was explaining. This form of teaching has been seen by all students of the Bible as one of the important factors in Bible study. That the people might clearly understand his teachings, Jesus used parables constantly. He told stories of the things with which they were familiar and then used them to portray the truth of the Kingdom of God. In doing this form of teaching, Jesus was both helping the people of His day to understand, and helping the preachers and teachers of the Scriptures of to- [[/column 1]] [[column 2]] day to know how to teach and preach effectively. LIGHT NO. 2--The parable of the mustard seed shows that the Kingdom of God increases in size, and in service to others. LIGHT NO. 3-- The parable of the leaven demonstrates that growth is from within. LIGHT NO. 4--The parable of the treasure reveals that when a man discovers the value of the Kingdom, he will sell all to get it. LIGHT NO. 5--The parable of the sheep and the coin bespeaks that God wants all saved. LIGHT NO. 6--These parables also expose the extent of shouting and rejoicing in heaven over righteousness in the earth. [[/column 2]] Editorial Reflections By Rev. S. A. Pleasants, D. D. [[column 1]] Parables given by Jesus were illustrations from the things the people knew. This gave them an opportunity to reason from the known to the unknown. The people knew about a mustard see, and they were diligent they knew the mustard seed. Those who knew it were capable of getting the idea of the Kingdom of Heaven. They knew it remained as it was and did not benefit the people, until it was sown in the field. They also knew it was a very tiny thing until it had a chance to grow. They knew it had medicinal elements in it, that could cure diseases. They knew it was good for food. They knew it was good for shelter, and protection. The parable of leaven--They knew what effect the leaven had on meal when applied. It changed all the particles of meal it touched. The Kingdom of Heaven changes every one it touches. The parable of the treasure in a field, they knew it was of such value that one would with joy, sell all and buy that field. When one finds the Kingdom of Heaven, he lets go all for it. The Pearl of great price takes the place of all other property. The Kingdom of Heaven does the same with any one, who truly finds it. The parable of the lost sheep lets those, who know about the lost sheep, [[/column 1]] [[column 2]] and they understood about the attitude of the Shepherd toward lost sheep, thus giving them the idea of the Christ toward lost men. The same in like manner as to the lost piece of silver by the woman. They understood well about the lost sheep, and lost silver. Reasoning from the known they could easily see about the Kingdom of Heaven, which was unknown to them, until Jesus made the illustrations. No one, who heard Jesus make such illustration, could say he or she did not understand what the Kingdom of Heaven was. He gave them the understanding, when He us these parables. He applied these, and said as these, that you know, so is there joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. All, who believed Him could readily see that. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit were interested in saving lost men; more than they were interested in lost things. Inasmuch as they rejoiced over what they found, that was lost; so also the Father and God of men rejoiced before the angels, when one sinner who was lost, was brought into the Kingdom of Heaven. To keep our Father rejoicing in Heaven in the presence of angels, we must continue to find and bring into the Kingdom of Heaven, lost men. [[/column 2]] [[end page]]
