seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Luke 15:1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
a. Luke 15:8 Greek ten drachmas, each worth about a day’s wages
This is from bibletrack.org.
This whole chapter 15 is set up by the first two verses. Luke 15:1-2 says, "Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them." Any Kingdom set up by the Messiah needs to coordinate with the existing Jewish leadership as far as these leaders were concerned. They had an exclusive on religion in their day, and the general Jewish populace of non-observant Jews had been disenfranchised. Of course, Jesus did not share that view; he had repeatedly declared that the existing Jewish leadership was corrupt. The very fact that they had disenfranchised common Jews was a glaring symptom of just that. Make no mistake about the intent of these parables; they are designed to expose the current Jewish leadership as elitists who have no real regard for the people.
Three parables follow which turn the tables on these Jewish leaders and address these disenfranchised people of verses 1-2:
- The parable of the lost sheep (3-7): these disenfranchised people are represented by the lost sheep.
- The parable of the lost coin (8-10): these disenfranchised people are represented by the lost coin.
- The parable of the prodigal son (11-32): these disenfranchised people are represented by the prodigal son. The prodigal son's complaining brother obviously represents these murmuring Pharisees and scribes.
The parables of the lost sheep and coin are brief, but do make the point of the importance of recovering that which was lost i.e. those Jews considered "sinners" by the Jewish leaders. There should be rejoicing that the "publicans and sinners" were taking an interest in spiritual things as they gathered around Jesus, but the Jewish leaders didn't see it that way. As far as these Pharisees and scribes were concerned, these commoners were not only lost in their eyes, they had no mission nor desire to see them returned to God. Such was the blatant hypocrisy of these elitist Jewish leaders - interested only in themselves and not others.
While the parables of the lost sheep and coin are brief, the parable of the prodigal son is rich with infuriating implications if you're a Pharisee or scribe, inasmuch as the attitude of the "elder" son typifies these Jewish leaders. The elder son is not happy that the prodigal son has returned, just as these scribes and Pharisees don't seem happy that these "sinners" are gathering around to hear Jesus speak. Question: Wouldn't authentic God-fearing Jewish leaders be elated that Jesus was reaching those who previously had shown no interest in spiritual things? That's the lesson to these arrogant, selfish scribes and Pharisees whose attitudes are reflected in the "elder" son.
So, as it turns out, the main player in the parable of the prodigal son is not the father, not the prodigal son, but the "elder" son; he's the one that reflects the exclusive hold on the religion of the day that Jewish leaders exercised over the people. We see in the prodigal son that no matter how much you've done, a good father still loves you. We see in the father a reflection of God's forgiveness. Those, however, with ulterior religious motives like these Jewish leaders, care nothing about the "sinner" who returns...the very attitude reflected by the elder son in the parable. Even though their own eternal interests were not jeopardized (verses 31-32), they still resented the positive response of the "sinners" to the message Jesus was preaching.
In these three stories.... the sheep and the coin were lost.... but in the third story... that son got up and left. That shows me there different circumstances to being lost. The sheep and the coin were not in the right place..... the Pharisees and the Sadducees... the teachers in the temple... wouldn't have gone down to the seedier part of town where the whores, hookers, drunks and addicts go. They wouldn't make a dime for the offering plate from those people. They had the elite to cater to.... the "good people".....
So the sheep must have wondered away from the meadow... to the woods where the wolves were.... Jesus went to look for that sheep... the Pharisees wouldn't go there... they would figure the wolf had to be fed. One less sheep was a "cost of doing business".
That lost coin must have rolled into one dark corner under a desk or cabinet. An old lady would have to put a lot of effort into looking under that desk or cabinet. Old joints don't enjoy being bent on a hard floor..... old necks don't crane well when twisting about and upside down, trying to curve the light from the candle to reach the darkest place is a real struggle for an old lady.... I can attest to all of that. Sometimes going to the Temple was a chore.... all those "correct sacrifices" were expensive and not everyone could afford a pigeon or two. But Jesus wasn't tied to the Temple... He took His ministry right to the people who needed to hear it... the ones who couldn't afford to hang out in town and lay around with the elite. Jesus didn't need a candle to look into the darkest corners. He was there when the darkest corners were created.... He knew how to deal with them.... and He had His own light.
That son..... oh he gets a lot of preaching exposure. Only... most of the preachers I have heard preach this story... put the problem on the younger son and not on the elder son in most sermons. I'm not surprised that the preacher would rather warn us not to squander our inheritance than to preach that he should not judge and discriminate. Jesus wanted everyone to hear the news... not just the ones with deep pockets. Jesus fed them.... that response to His kindness..... made the Pharisees jealous.
Jesus wasn't laying around with the parishioners with deep pockets. Jesus was out looking for lost things.
