Luke 15 -- part 1

Here is a very rich chapter in the Bible. For a more complete discussion, I would refer you to a book entitled Jacob & the Prodigal by Kenneth E. Bailey--he's taught me to look at these "familiar" stories in a new light. Here's a few of his observations as I understand them:

First of all, notice that Jesus tells the parable in response to something--namely the tax collectors and "sinners" gathering around Jesus to hear Him and the Pharisees and Torah teachers mutter, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." This is the context of the parable, and while I'm at it, I believe that these three stories compose one parable. Notice that after the first story (lost sheep) Jesus says, "Or suppose..." clearly a continuation on the same idea. After the second story (lost coin), luke writes, "Jesus continued..." So they are not three parables, but one.

It is also clear from these parables that Jesus is casting Himself in the lead role of each parable. Interesting note here: in the psalms, God is sometimes portrayed in human terms--most often as a king. Sometimes as a Judge. But there are three portrayals of God that are more personal, one might say more tender. Do you know what they are?
Psalm 23 -- shepherd
Psalm 131 -- mother
Psalm 68 -- father
Look at those three stories again. Who are the main characters? Who is Jesus claiming to be? The boldest claim of the three is the last one, but Jesus has been building up to it with the first two by drawing those parallels from the Psalms.