One parable, three pictures—sovereign mercy

Luke 15 presents us with a single parable in three panels, teaching us a simple lesson. The richness and variety of the portraits gives us a composite picture of the main elements of the story. Having seen the misery of sin in the pictures of a wandering sheep, a lost coin, and a rebelling son, now we see sovereign mercy set forth in a seeking shepherd, a searching woman, and a waiting father.