Here we are at the end of 2016 and I am enjoying time with my granddaughters and family, so please allow me to share a revised blog post from an earlier writing. The theme this week is “looking at something in a new way in the New Year.”

Jesus is the Master Teacher. He knows how to make connections with his audience, get to the heart of the matter with efficiency of word and eloquence of thought, and often uses women in his examples and stories.

One parable that is familiar to most people is the one about the woman searching for the lost coin. It is tucked into the middle of Luke 15 where we also find the parables of the shepherd leaving the 99 sheep to search for the one lost sheep and the parable of the prodigal son–or as Timothy Keller likes to call it, the Prodigal God parable. (Prodigal means “extravagant”–not “wayward” as many of us have assumed.)

In this collection of three parables in the middle of Luke’s gospel, Jesus illustrates three ways to connect to your audience.

1. Jesus uses everyday situations with which his audience is familiar: sheep and shepherds, cleaning house, looking for a lost and valuable object, dealing with the family dynamics that result from a wayward child and the celebration when that child returns. He doesn’t talk above their heads or beneath them. He takes what they already know and helps them see that God wants to relate to them in a practical way. As a leader, in order to communicate with your listeners and readers, your message must be understandable and relate to them personally.
2. Jesus uses people from different walks of life in his examples: lowly shepherds, women, parents, children, and religious leaders. Interestingly, the religious leaders are often shown in the negative light while women or the people from the lower stations in life are often the leading characters. As a leader, it is your responsibility to use examples intentionally (and without stereotyping) which will help the different people in your audience connect to your message: when talking to women, use women examples; when talking to moms, use moms; when talking to singles, use singles; when talking to an audience of both genders, use examples with both genders. 
3. Jesus made sure to communicate traits of God that were feminine and masculine, strong and gentle, almighty and personal. The Good Shepherd shows God as the caring shepherd taking necessary risks to find a lost sheep. The woman looking for the lost coin shows God as one who won’t stop searching until a lost item of value has been found. The father with the authority to disinherit a wayward son shows God receiving us with open arms upon our return. As a leader, you must help those who feel lost, unnoticed, unloved, and unforgivable to see God searching for them. 

Wait . . . did you catch that? Jesus portrayed God as a woman? Jesus told a parable to illustrate God’s immense love and untiring search for individuals using a woman as the character representing God. That is powerful to me.

It is easy to see the shepherd looking for the lost sheep as God/Jesus looking for lost souls. It is easy to see the father of the prodigal son as God/Jesus accepting the wayward son back home. Yet, I have to admit, even I had not really envisioned the woman looking for her lost coin as God/Jesus looking for one soul worth so much. But there it is–Jesus is trying to explain to his listeners just how important each individual is to God and that God is the one who initiates the search and who welcomes their return and then all of heaven rejoices. Jesus is using a woman in his parable as a portrayal of God. Hmm . . . makes you see something in a new way, doesn’t it?

Happy New Year! And don’t forget to celebrate the way God found YOU!

Join the conversation in the Comments section below . . . 

What is something you have learned to see in a new way recently? How did it change your view of God?