ONEFamily
Outreach exists to "Connect
Kids to Community and Communities to Kids." Have you considered having a
mission week for your church? This
is one of my favorite "in-depth" ways of reaching out with the Great News of
Jesus Christ. Activities can include:
Interactive and participative praise concerts for children,
youth, and families;
Morning staff studies on "Authentic Leadership"
and "Building a Culture of Intentional Courtesy"
Brown-Bag Luncheon Studies for your community
focusing on our scriptural call to justice;
In-service for your volunteers or teachers on reaching
today's youth and families with the vibrant, living, message of Jesus
Christ;
Evening parent seminars based upon two of
Jerry's recent books: "Significant Conversations: Helping Young People
Live Meaningful Lives," and "The Deepest Longing of Young People; Loving
Without Conditions."
Local networking with other area groups (secular
or faith-based) regarding prevention and intervention strategies for
high-risk and incarcerated youth;
Humorous and thought-provoking school assemblies
(secular or religious, elementary through high school).
ONEFamily
Outreach is primarily
supported by your donations and by trainings, workshops, retreats and concerts.
“All The Tax Collectors and the Sinners Were Coming Near”
Luke 15:1-32
Lent 4c
Proper 19c (vss. 1-10)
Luke 15:1-32
[Lk 15:1] Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. [2] Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
[3] So He told them this parable, saying, [4] “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? [5] “When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. [6] “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ [7] “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
[8] “Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? [9] “When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’ [10] “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
[11] And He said, “A man had two sons. [12] “The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them. [13] “And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. [14] “Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. [15] “So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. [16] “And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. [17] “But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! [18] ‘I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; [19] I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”’ [20] “So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. [21] “And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ [22] “But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; [23] and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; [24] for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.
[25] “Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. [26] “And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. [27] “And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’ [28] “But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him. [29] “But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; [30] but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ [31] “And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. [32] ‘But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’” (NAS)
Luke 15:1-3
[Lk 15:1] Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. [2] Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
[3] So He told them this parable, saying...
“All the tax collectors and the sinners”
The congregation of Christ might look far different from the make-up of most churches today. When he preached the beatitudes, it was within a sea of the wounded, neglected, and rejected: “And they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them [Matthew 4:29].”
In this reading, as Jesus shares his most tender stories on forgiveness, it is to a collection of “tax collectors and the sinners” under the spiteful eyes of the “Pharisees and the scribes.”
The congregation of Jesus was an amalgamation of those who wanted to lift him up and those who wanted to tear him down. His listeners included the most excluded and those who excluded them. His audience included those broken by compassion and those hardened by self-righteous judgment. Upon which side of that gate would I be seated?
I take this chapter as a whole because it cannot be viewed as four separate stories. In this single chapter there are four views of the same God:
A coin lost through no choice of its own;
A ewe that strays because it hasn’t the sense to know better;
A boy who chooses to get lost but learns – the hard way – what real love means; and
A brother who rejects pure love and chooses hatred and self-righteousness when he could have known pure joy.
Which story am I living out today?
Herein is what many theologians call, “the Gospel within the Gospel.” Mark Twain called it simple “the best short story ever told.” Here is a concept that rocked the theological world and bears the true heart of God. A Loving Creator who searches for the lost and is wounded when we stray. Here is a dramatic clash between the judgmental religious who believed that God longed to obliterate the sinner and God’s only son who came to die for us while we yet sinners [Rom 5:8].
Which God do I offer to others? The inconvenient truth is that the same God I reveal to others is the one I will someday meet.
Luke 15:4-8
[4] “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? [5] “When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. [6] “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ [7] “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” (NAS)
“Go after the one which is lost”
The sinners didn’t need to hear the stories of God’s acceptance; they were living it. This would undoubtedly have been the first time a Rabbi had gone out of his way to eat with them. Jesus only began to tell these parables after his hosts were insulted by the self-righteous religious standing outside the courtyard. Here is an important point for those of us to preaching before listening. It was the grumbling of the religious leaders that precipitated the telling of these stories. Apparently, up to that point the “agenda” of Jesus was just to hang out with the “the tax collectors and the sinners.”
When was the last time I put aside my agenda to just “hang out” with sinners and traitors (the Jewish viewpoint of tax collectors)?
It is significant to note that Jesus told the story of the lost while he was among the lost. This is not a treatise about being lost to the found – he’s not preaching redundant messages of salvation to the saved! He “ain’t churchin’ the churched.” What makes these stories most meaningful is that Jesus was conversing with the most lost of the Jewish culture when he told these stories – and they were his friends.
What will similarly make me powerful in the Lord’s harvest is if my friendships reflect Christ’s values. Do I preach in the shelter of the fold or am I out befriending the lost? If Jesus looked for me in my community, would he find me “lost among the found or found among the lost?”
The core of this particular story of the lost sheep is about purposeful direction. Jesus tells us that we are to set a purposeful course straight into the lives of the lost. The shepherd does not wait passively for the lost to come to him; he aggressively seeks them. Do we act similarly? Are we passively waiting for the lost to find us or can we say that our week includes an intentional plan to be in relationship with someone not usually found among any flock?
The symbols that Christ uses in this first story would be powerful to the people of that time:
The faithful shepherd
The shepherd was a rough masculine symbol to the Israelites, much as the American cowboy is for us today. He was a rugged individual, more comfortable with animal smells and nature’s voice than with rituals, incense, and religious debate.
Although he might cast a romantic figure, he would not be a welcome visitor at the synagogue or an elegant table with matching silverware and china. He lived a rigorous life, fighting for scarce water and pastureland by day and keeping one eye open all night, ever alert to numerous predators.
The shepherd had to be more comfortable with the ways of nature than the ways of the refined man, a feature that doesn’t lend itself to social interaction. Yet, every ewe and each lamb would know his calming voice and run to it.
Perhaps the most dramatic symbol of the shepherd is verse 5: “When he has found it (the lost lamb), he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.”
By the time the shepherd would have found the lost lamb it would have been half-dead with exhaustion and fright. There is no punishment in the shepherd’s response, only pure concern and joy. He scoops up the wayward one with compassionate arms and calms her with soft words of welcome, he doesn’t want her any more frightened than she has been. He carries her—not drives her—back to the herd, back to her family where she will be nuzzled and welcomed back in to the safety of family.
Are we like that shepherd? Are those our traits? Are we willing to leave the comfort of the flock in safe pasture to find the one that is lost in the dangerous cliffs surrounding the plateaus?
Isn’t that what Jesus did for us?
The lost sheep
Being a lost sheep isn’t really a compliment, it is like saying; “He (she) was too stupid to know better.” Sheep have all the attention span of a puppy told to “sit” in a butcher’s shop. There is no intentionality to their “lost-ness,” they just take a wrong turn complicated by another wrong turn followed by another wrong turn. There is no malevolence to their sin, they just don’t know any better.
God does not blame these sheep nor condemn them. God seeks them. And, we are the hands, legs, and shoulders of God when we act accordingly.
I have made more stupid decisions in my life than intelligent ones. Perhaps the only intelligent thing I have ever done was admitting that I was indeed lost. Many of us never ask directions, many of insist on going from a being disoriented to being hopelessly lost because we don’t admit, “I need help.”
The Lord will find us if we just swallow our pride and say; “Compassionate Shepherd, I need help!”
The community’s response
The 100 sheep did not belong to the shepherd (he would have been very wealthy indeed if that were the case). The herd usually belonged to the community, to a king, or – in Bethlehem – the sheep belonged to the temple treasury. The shepherd was merely a laborer, responsible for this someone else’s wealth!
In like manner, Jesus claims us in God’s name. Too many churches and pastors seem to have a mistaken impression of ownership over their charges. We sin when we seek to “expand membership roles” instead of “send out disciples.” Our role is not entertaining members, as if church were a social club, our role is to send fully equipped disciples out to find the lost among the rockiest crags. To be mature Christians, we must move from “come and see,” to, “go and do.”
Therefore, it should be no surprise when we see how a true community responds to one lost sheep returned home. “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance [v7].”
Is that how my community responds when I bring home one lost sheep?
We had a testimony this morning in our church from one lost sheep. I remember the first time I met him in jail and his first prayer was that his dad and he could be reunited. This morning, there he was with his mom and dad praising God for His mercy. They were thanking God for his answered prayer and for the community of believers who treated him as if he were their own.
My heart brimmed with pride and joy – not for anything I had done – but for the warmth of my community. They have accepted every stray sheep laid upon their doorstep. I have been in churches that have treated lost sheep as if members were antibodies and ushers were white-blood cells. Here instead was the welcome of a heavenly community: “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in a heavenly community over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance [v7].”
Luke 15:8-10
[8] “Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? [9] “When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’ [10] “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
“Light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully”
Would you search the house for a full days pay? Would you search the house for your wedding ring? This story could be inclusive of either notion. The coin the woman lost was a silver drachma, equivalent to about a day’s wage but it was also one-tenth of her life’s saving. In the circumstance of pure sustenance – where having any spare change is considered a luxury – this coin would have been deeply valued.
Yet, the coin had even more significance than simply its monetary worth. Upon marrying, a Jewish maiden received a headdress with ten silver coins sewn into it. This was her dowry and it was so protected by Jewish law that they prevented anyone from taking the headdress from the woman – even if a family lost everything else and could not pay their debt, the husband was not allowed to take this one item.
What we need to understand is that the value of this coin was far more than financial. It was replete with symbolic emotion like a modern-day wedding band. Its value came chiefly from the memories it held and the commitment it symbolized.
Do we understand how the lost are like that coin to God? Do we understand why God (depicted here as a frantic woman) is so fervent to pick up the lamp, turn over the floor mats, and sweep every square centimeter of creation to find the one lost coin? It is not because she has lost one-tenth of her wealth; it is because each coin – each lost one – has an inherent, unique value all it’s own that is only evident in light of the whole.
“Joy in the presence of the angels”
This story upends the religiosity of any church. There is no sense of judgment whatsoever in any of these stories (except in the older brother who rejects his father’s love).
A coin does not even have the intelligence of a sheep. A coin cannot make a wrong turn or bad decision. A coin is a victim of its environment; it cannot choose to be lost.
These coins represent the children of abuse and neglect that never had a chance from the start. When I recently asked men in a County Jail how old they were when they first took alcohol or drugs, most of them said it was between ten and twelve. When I asked who gave them their first hit or gulp, they said it was a father, a mother’s boyfriend, or a mother’s boyfriend. These adults were the ones who first introduced addictions on to the clean slate of a child’s heart.
Angels rejoice when one of these treasured coins is found. Yet, all too many churches expect God’s angels to go find them as well. Millions of Christians in the US revel in Hollywood scripts that feature angels who come and do the work that we are supposed be doing. We are not supposed to wait for the lost to be touched by an angel; we are supposed to sweep the floor ourselves. We are supposed to touch like an angel!
Luke 15:11-16
[11] And He said, “A man had two sons. [12] “The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them. [13] “And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. [14] “Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. [15] “So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. [16] “And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him.” (NAS)
“Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.”
Jesus tells three forgiveness stories in response to the harassment by the self-righteous religious leaders. The first story is of a lost sheep, confused and afraid but sought out by the Lord. The second story is of a coin that is lost through no fault of its own. However, the last story would be the most outrageous story to the religious leaders. This is a story of a young man who chooses to get lost. He chooses to turn his back on his loving father.
On the surface, it would appear to be a story of insolence and wanton disregard. However, I would like to put that interpretation aside for just one moment.
It was not uncommon for parents to settle their estate before their death. It was like retiring and putting the family farm into a corporate trust for the children. As a second child, this boy could rightfully ask for one-third of his father’s estate, just as the elder brother could rightfully ask for two-thirds. Each child would be in charge of his portion of the property, which included slaves, siblings, their spouses, and even their children.
Yet, knowing what we know of the elder brother, would we want to work for him?
Given the situation, are we so sure that the younger brother obstinately walked out on his responsibilities or was he driven out by an irresponsible older sibling?
Look at the elder brother’s behavior and examine the similarities between the religious leaders and him. He does not love the father, he does not love his siblings, he does not love his work, he just wants to manipulate the law for his own ends. He is the one who thinks his father is a doddering fool because the old man’s heart breaks for his lost boy while this elderly brother couldn’t wait to be rid of them both!
Who am I in this story? Do I have a religion that is based upon position and legalism but devoid of love? Am I the prodigal son who is driven away but then uses that event as an excuse to sin? Am I the prodigal son “redeemed” who finally learns the true value of love? Or, am I the representative of the Father who can’t wait for his lost son to return home.
“He squandered his estate”
If you ever wondered what prodigal means it is explained in this sentence: “He squandered his estate with loose living.”
He had received one-third of his father’s hard-earned money; the sweat of his father’s brow and the blood born from calluses on his father’s plow. This boy threw it all away within weeks. The boy squandered it [GSN1287 diaskorpizo]; he wasted it on selfish endeavors. Every seed his father had planted and all the savings the father had scraped together for his family; the son took that wasted it on himself.
Which one am I? Have I taken my inheritance – time, money and talents, even my daily breath – and invested them in God’s family? Or, am I still wasting them on myself? Towards what end am I investing the breath that God gave me today?
Our challenge is to measure the investment of our breaths. They are loaned to us but come from God [Gen 2:7].
“No one was giving anything to him.”
This boy had spent all Saturday night buying drinks for the house but, come Sunday morning – when he woke up with his face in the gutter – not one of his drinking buddies was there to be found.
When I look back at my life, I am often saddened by the time I stole from my own family to impress people who wouldn’t offer me a pig’s pod if they saw me starving on the street. I have so often and so easily exchanged my “breaths” with those who cared the most for my soul for those who only cared for me when I was economically useful to them.
It would perhaps be the greatest gift in life if we, like the squandering son, could realize what we were wasting while were still able to do something about it.
Luke 15:17-19
[17] “But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! [18] ‘I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; [19] I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”’ (NAS)
“When he came to his senses”
Here is the incredible graciousness of God revealed in one sentence, “When he came [GSN2064 erchomai] to his senses [GSN1438 heautou].”
It is the same as saying; “When his true self sprang forth.”
Jesus sees this boy’s heart through the stench and vomit of his debasement. In our Lord’s eyes that is not his “real self.” By his blood, we are washed clean [Rom 5:9]. Do we realize that this story shows God’s abiding faith in us? This is a God who believes in us, who believes that our true being can still spring forth – “erchomai heautou” – no matter how far we have strayed. Here is a God who believes in us even more than we could ever believe in ourselves.
Is that my response to others? I tell people that I follow Christ, but do I believe in others even when they don’t believe in themselves? Can I look beyond their Saturday night’s failure and into a Sunday morning’s restoration? Do I measure people by the sins of shame that cover them or the blood of Christ that can wash them?
“Dearest God, make us more like the loving father or even like the squandering son, but do not let us be like the self-righteous brother who condemns your compassion. For as we judge, so will we be judged.”
“I am no longer worthy”
In the course of Christ’s life we saw him led into the Jordan where he gave up his independence, then led into the desert where he gave up his title and position to become incarnate, finally he was led into Jerusalem where he gave up his life for us. The process of following Jesus is the process of giving up our independence, giving up our worldly pride and finally giving up our lives. We are most ready for God when we are revealed in all of our sinful ugliness, when we finally see ourselves in our debased nature in contrast to his welcoming beauty. We are closest to Christ when we – like the publican in Luke 18:9-14 – fall prostate before God and cry out; “I am THE sinner (not a sinner, but THE sinner).”
We are most distant from God when we say, like the Pharisee; “God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.”
When we – like the Squandering Son – find ourselves humiliatingly revealed, that is when we are closest to salvation.
Would I rather choose humility or be humiliated?
What could I do now, even as I read this, to run headlong into humility just as this boy ran with abandonment towards his father? How much longer will I try to bluff and strut before I wake up humiliated in Sunday morning’s gutter?
Lord help me understand the clarity of the heart that can make the self-effacing statement; “I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”
In that abandonment of pride and that liberty from the presumption of his title came the ultimate gift, total acceptance by his father.
If I want total acceptance then I also have to give up my presumptions and my pride. Presumptions and pride will bring no eternal relief, but humility and repentance will bring me to the Father’s restoration. Which end appeals the most to me? Am I ready to choose the means that will get me there? Am I ready to finally choose the humility that will take me home?
Luke 15:20-24
[20] “So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. [21] “And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ [22] “But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; [23] and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; [24] for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.” (NAS)
“While he was still a long way off”
The eagerness of the father is unfathomable from a human perspective, it would have stunned the “sinners” and made the religious indignant. Obviously, the loving father waited at the gate, daily watching and praying for his son’s return. That’s the image Jesus gave us of God, our Father, that even when we choose to be lost, our God never takes His eyes off the path by which we walked away. Even before His son gets to the gate, the Father runs to greet him; even before the son hits his knees the Father embraces him; even before he asks forgiveness the Father clothes Him in dignity.
Even before, even before, even before… that is the forgiveness our God offers us. Let’s examine in closer detail some of the symbolic actions of the father:
“Quickly, bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet”
There is incredible symbolism in the Father’s response to the son’s return. He gives him the best [GSN4413 protos] robe; this means the “prototype” robe. It is not just the best-looking robe, it is the model robe – the robe of authority. It is the type of robe that the high priests thought only they could wear; it was the holy robe. This was the robe reserved for those set apart (ordained) by God. The religious leaders would be aghast; how could a sinner be given this robe reserved for the most elite of the faith?
Therein is the point of this story, to Jesus, the most favored is the one who returned from the edge of sin and into the heart of God.
A ring on his hand;
This ring was not jewelry, it wasn’t meant for beauty; it was meant for authority. It was the signet ring, used to sign letters of authority. The son who had squandered one-third of the work of his father’s life was given authority over the rest of his father’s wealth as well. That included the two-thirds belonging to the elder son.
Herein is the radical difference between heaven’s economy and ours. The Father sees the return of his son as the greatest treasure, the reunion of a broken family. The elder son only sees what his father was taking away from him. Aren’t we right in assuming that there was still plenty leftover for the elder son’s inheritance?
Yet, that doesn’t even seem to be the issue, there is apparently more than enough for all. Yet, the elder brother sees it as his abundance, his wealth, his exclusive wealth. He sees his father and younger brother taking away his wealth, but he is wrong. It doesn’t belong to him yet! You see, the elder brother’s presumption were that his father and brother were already better off dead, they were just impediments to what the elder brother really wanted. Not his family – but their money.
What do I see as the primary purpose of this world’s wealth? How does the wealth of this world fill me up? Do I see the purpose of worldly resources as gathering God’s family or furthering my affluence? Is my life spent giving away God’s signet ring or cursing those who might infringe upon my share; a share I did not even earn!
Sandals on his feet;
The boy returns seeking only to become the lowest laborer on his father’s farm. He asks to be a day laborer, not even a servant. A servant had some rights, not equivalent to a family member, but a member of the household none-the-less. A day-laborer didn’t even have that distinction.
Yet, the father does another astounding thing. He welcomes his son into the status of a full family member. Not tenuously or resignedly as if saying; “You’re my son, I have to accept you.”
Instead the father clothes his son with dignity. He calls the servant – remember, anytime Jesus speaks about servants it is the same word that he uses for disciples – he tells the servant to put sandals on the boy’s feet.
This is very symbolic. Slaves did not wear sandals for fear they would run away. Only family members wore sandals. The Father welcomes back the squandering son, not as a hired hand, not as a slave, but as a son with full rights.
Bring the fattened calf
Eating meat was a rare luxury for the masses of the impoverished in Christ’s time, much as it is in most of the world today. While the rich often dined on a wide variety of delicacies, the father calls for the “fattened calf.” This was not just any cow, this was a calf set aside for temple sacrifice. It is highly probable that the father had determined to lay aside this calf as a sacrifice for his son’s return. But instead of taking it to the temple, they invite the whole town and throw a party! (Imagine the laughter of Jesus’ hosts and the shock of the religious leaders).
The whole time that this prodigal son was away, the father was not cursing his name. That whole time, the father was praying for the squandering child and yearning for his return. This story tells us that our Father is not waiting for us to slip so that He can punish us (the viewpoint of the religious leaders). Jesus tells us that our Father waits with ultimate concern. Even before we strayed, God laid aside a sacrifice for us; his name was Jesus. He watches the gate and sees us even before we reach it.
This is the image of God that Jesus presents us. Among the listeners, some received this story with absolute joy, others were infuriated by it. Our response is totally dependent on one thing: Do we think that we deserve heaven for our righteousness? The elder son did, the religious leaders did, but did Jesus? Obviously not.
Luke 15:25-32
[25] “Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. [26] “And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. [27] “And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’ [28] “But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him. [29] “But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; [30] but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ [31] “And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. [32] ‘But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’” (NAS)
His father came out and began pleading with him
The elder son had been working in the fields; we must give him credit for that. However, what is judged here is not the son’s work, but the son’s attitude. Similarly, do we suppose that we will be judged for our work or for our attitude?
When the elder son comes home, he is enraged [GSN3710 orgizo] to discover the reason for his father’s party. The term means an unspeakable fury or uncontrollable jealousy.
Yet, even here we do not see the father’s anger exhibited. He doesn’t say; “It’s not your money yet!” He doesn’t shout back, “I’ll spend it all on myself if that’s what I want.”
Rather, the father rushes to the eldest son and tries to comfort him, to cajole him to join the party [GSN3870 parakaleo]. Herein lays the greatest sorrow. Both children are welcomed to share in the father’s joy; there is enough meat, drink and joy to go around. Yet, the oldest son refuses the invitation to participate in the family’s joy.
We have to understand this, the elder son is offered an invitation to the celebration and – because of his self-righteousness – he refuses to come in. God does not condemn either child he welcomes them both with equal fervor. Sadly, one child refuses God’s invitation and chooses to remain in the dark, in his own personal hell.
Jesus sat with sinners and tax collectors and invited the religiously righteous to the party. They chose instead to curse our Lord and reject the celebration. They were a breath away from celebration and chose hatred instead.
God does not reject us. We reject Him! He throws open the door to all but we refuse to dine with the ‘likes of them.” Yet, heaven is filled with the “likes of them.” Heaven is all about the return from the brink of the “likes of them.” Will God find us loving “the likes of them?”
This brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found
As far as the religious leaders were concerned, any son who had demanded his inheritance and took off was officially dead to the father. If he had spent the inheritance in the mire and squandered every penny, all the more reason to condemn him when he came crawling back for help. No doubt these religious leaders were wrapped up in the story, no doubt they were waiting for the boy’s comeuppance, and no doubt that this ending was not what they expected or desired to happen.
The Father raises the child from the walking dead and returns him to the status of beloved son. He restores him to life and to family again. There was a status among the Jews known as the walking dead; this is practiced in many cultures besides the Jews of Christ’s time. You could become one of the walking dead because of your sins or because of your physical condition (for example, a leper was a walking dead). To the religious leaders, the walking dead were any of the people who did not follow the religion, according to the dictates of the religious leaders. The tax collectors and sinners, with whom Jesus was dining, were among the walking dead. They could no longer participate in the Jewish life and community yet, that is whom Jesus sought and with whom he dined. In our culture, the walking dead are any of those who are not economically viable. Those outside the legal or consumer main stream.
Am I closer to the inside of this dining room with Jesus or farther outside the circle with the religious name-callers? When Jesus returns, will he find me dining among the “walking dead” or casting stones at those that I have excluded in my self-righteousness? Wouldn’t we rather be found with the lost than lost with the found?
The New Testament Greek Lexicon based on Thayer’s and
Smith’s Bible Dictionary plus others; this is keyed to the large Kittel and the
“Theological Dictionary of the New Testament.” These files are public domain.
The Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon is Brown, Driver,
Briggs, Gesenius Lexicon; this is keyed to the “Theological Word Book of the Old
Testament.” These files are considered public domain.