Have you ever been to a Lost and Found? Maybe you left your phone at a store in the Mall. Or maybe you dropped the precious scarf your Grandmother made you, when you were at the train station. Whatever your loss, it’s always worth a shot to try and recover it.

In our scripture text, Jesus tells of a type of Lost and Found. The Lost is all of mankind. The Found are those who find their way to the Lord. This Lost and Found is open 24 hours a day. And anyone can come in to claim what he would otherwise lose.

Jesus tells this parable of two men. Both of them were at the Lost and Found…the temple of God. But that’s where the similarity ends. One was a Pharisee, a religious leader known for strict adherence to the Law. The other was a publican, a tax collector. The tax collector was abhorred for his dishonesty. When a person’s wealth was being assessed for tax purposes, he would ‘tip the scales” and pocket the excess. Both were in the right place, and both were sinners. But now the spiritual plot thickens, as we take a closer look at each of these men.