Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 - Lent 4 The Great Parable March 2016

Transcription

1 Luke 19:10 Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 - Lent 4 The Great Parable March 2016 Luke 15:1-3, 11b Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, This man receives sinners and eats with them. 3 So he told them this parable: The Parable of the Prodigal Son 11 And he said, There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me. And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself, he said, How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants. 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to celebrate. 25 Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 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 was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29 but he answered his father, Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him! 31 And he said to him, Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found. Intro: Last week I spoke about how when we read The Word of God, The Word of God also reads us. God s Word lays bare the words in our hearts and minds. It s as if God s Word interrogates our words and that easily leads to a crisis where something has to change. I applied this to the picture of God we carry in our hearts. When we really hear Jesus words and see his word-pictures of God the Father we may realize that the typical pre-christian pagan picture of God that may still lurk in our mind is very different from the word-pictures Jesus painted. Message Zeus Or Abba God? A typical pagan picture of God is that of Zeus on Mount Olympus which is a complete contrast to the pictures Jesus paints of his Heavenly Father. My point was that we need to let the Word of God read and re-write our image of God to that offered by Jesus, the very Word of God himself. As we will see later, this goes even so far as culture and what we may have received with mother s milk. In exploring this I leaned forward with anticipation into the story we just heard read in the Gospel. This is a tendency of mine because this is my favourite parable among the wonderful parables of Jesus and I am delighted it came up today on Lent 4 in an adult service. Context: Luke sets this most wonderful story within a gospel that is focused on God s mission to the lost. After Jesus fuller manifesto set out in Luke chapter 4, Jesus shorter version of his mission statement comes in 19:10 where he says: For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

2 Luke 15:1-3 2 the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. That is the wall on which this picture hangs. So in chapter 15, we find three parables on this theme of lost and found bundled together: the Parable of the Lost Sheep that is found, the Parable of the Woman s Lost Coin that is found and the Parable about the Lost Son - or as I will suggest the Lost Sons - one of whom is found. This is the immediate frame. The historic setting framing these three parables is given at the beginning of the chapter: Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, This man receives sinners and eats with them. So he told them this parable: 15 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the 3 scribes grumbled, saying, This man receives sinners and eats with them. So he told them this parable: This introduction tells us how Luke saw the purpose of these parables in the ministry of Jesus. Jesus was attracting attention and interest from two groups for two different reasons. The groups were, on the one hand: tax collectors, and sinners - people clearly known and recognized for leading amoral lives for whom sin was a lifestyle. These were not people who make occasional mistakes but people who lived outside the Law of Moses, day in and day out. On the other hand Jesus was attracting interest from people who were formally devoted to strict religious observance of the Law with all the ethical and ceremonial dimensions required. They were the Pharisees and the Scribes. Luke mentions that this later group, the Pharisees and Scribes, were not impressed that Jesus was receiving the out-law group of known sinners to the point of eating with them. Their model of holiness through avoiding contamination could not reconcile a holy man hanging-out with people who were so clearly un-holy. It seems to me that to bring light to this situation involving two groups Jesus had to bring a Word, a message, that would speak to both. He had to speak to the things that guided their hearts and minds on the issues involved. 1. He had to give people a picture of God s heart for the lost. The Pharisees and Scribes did not seem to appreciate God s strong longing for the lost children of the House of Israel to be restored to him. So Jesus paints three Word pictures of God s heart for the lost: a shepherd who finds his lost sheep (singular), a woman who loses and find her lost coin -probably part of her dowry chain-, and thirdly a father who looses and regains a son. 2. He also had to make clear what being lost actually looked like. While the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin stories treating this simply, the Lost Son, or Lost Sons story goes much further. The Parables of the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin both end completely well with the lost found and everyone involved celebrating. They are focused stories because they are about God and his heart for the lost. They describe a God who works hard to find and cherish those lost to him. However, the Parable of the Lost Sons, usually referred to as the Parable of the Prodigal Son, ends on an unsettled note and in some uncertainty. It describes a found son and a divided family - a father with sons that cannot live together. One of the reasons Jesus told parables was that they are stories that require interpretation. Personal involvement cannot be avoided especially in this parable. The listener needs to enter into the story and make an assessment and hypothetical judgments. Sometimes Jesus asked people to do that openly on the

3 3 spot such as at the end of the Good Samaritan parable. Other times he just left it hanging like an explosive device that could go off in people s minds if they really thought about it and followed through. Parables are a way Jesus got his Words and pictures to challenge the words and pictures in people s minds and hearts. So in the context of speaking to two very different groups, possibly with the uncommitted and curious listening in as well, Jesus offered a story that requires each listener to get involved and judge the issues involved. To this end the Parable of the Lost Sons is a masterpiece and central to appreciating the heart and mind of God in the words of Jesus. Personal note In my life, this story has transformed my picture of God. It has inspired me to change my vision of being a father in God s image. So this parable is an important reference and inspiration for me. The Story So let s walk through the parable asking two questions: What is God shown to be like? Who are the lost? We get to meet three named people: A father A younger son An elder son The Father The Father The Father s nature unfolds through the story as a picture of God and his way with the lost. The Father s characteristics as depicted: He is- Freedom giving, even permissive. Non-controlling at least of adult sons Exhibiting Love - as described in 1 Corinthians 13. o Love is patient o It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful o Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Even to the point of grief over loss. Compassionate very, with a huge heart! o Dramatically illustrated by the Father who runs in his robes. Generous very! In the sweep of the story the Father models God s abiding love for the willful rebellious child. He models God s heart and his longing grief for the lost that overflows in exuberant joy and celebration when a lost one comes back home to their family. For people listening with sin on their mind, this is focused in the feature of forgiveness. The Father is forgiving to the son that returns. The Father receives the one who comes back and restores them as a son.

4 4 Now there is a feature of this forgiveness that needs to be made clear in Dutch and German. If you think in Dutch words let me ask: Mercy = Dutch to English How you translate Mercy into Dutch? = Now how do you translate Grace into Dutch? = Grace = Do you see an issue? Might there be something missing here - a Gospel Word gap? To be clear about the words: Mercy is not getting the punishment you deserve. It is leniency. Grace is receiving the blessing or goodness you do not deserve. It is unearned favour. Now let me ask the question: Does the Father in the parable show Mercy or Grace to the returning son? If you think it is mercy, is there anything to indicate that the Father withheld punishment? Was he waiting with his stick? For that matter, did he whip a servant or a passing animal instead of the returning son? I think he showed grace as unmerited favour. This determines an important feature of the God as illustrated by the Father as represented by Jesus. Shall we now meet the Younger Son? Younger Son The lad is introduced as selfish and disrespectful. In asking for his inheritance when he did he was saying to the Father that he would prefer the Father died so he could receive his inheritance and not have to wait while he lived on to a ripe old age. People hearing Jesus tell this might have been astounded and deeply shocked at this! We are shown that he made bad decisions, was very unwise, morally sinful and an all-round loser. He was an obvious sinner with a capital S. By the time he is feeding out to the pigs he is totally lost in every sense. Younger Son The pigpen is a full technicolor portrayal of lost-ness that everyone would have recognized. He is lost to life, lost to his family and lost to his faith community to the point of keeping company with pigs and Gentiles. It was his hunger and deprivation that motivated him to return to his Father. As he sat there with the pigs he thought of his Father and formed the words he would offer in appeal to him. Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants. That is what he planned to say. In the event the prepared words came out differently:

5 5 Younger Son 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Which is as far as he got in his prepared speech before the Father took over and 22 said to his servants, Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. So he got to make his confession but his appeal for a job for food as a servant did not get space to come out of his mouth. Here are three questions: When the younger son realize he was lost? Was the returning son seeking Mercy or Grace from his Father? What did he actually receive? In my reading: It was in the pigpen he realized he was lost. He went home hoping for a little grace and he received more grace than he ever expected. Now the Elder Son: If the story ended with the younger son having come home and the Father throwing a party it would be straightforward, much like the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin but as you know, there is another son who comes home to the sound of party music. This parable is now about to get complicated! Elder Son From what we read, the elder son is loyal, obedient, hardworking and undemanding. He was a real company man in a family business. Surely this is all very admirable. Within that we also see that he is prone to anger and indignation. There are many good points that can only be respected but this indignant anger that erupts at the end of a work day is a clue like a red light on the car dashboard! He is not a sinner in the behavioural sense. The elder son does not make bad decisions or disobey his father. He is the good son holding to family values. He is the one that lives at home, sees the Father often, does as he is told yet does not really know him. The younger son wanted his inheritance now and was brash and selfish enough to say so and insist on it. The elder son knows and accepts the system and has invested himself in it. The system or arrangement involves being loyal and obedient now so that in the future you receive your reward. It is old-fashioned delayed gratification. He is not expecting grace. He is expecting his just rewards for the many years of dutiful service of the Father and the family. In his mind he is entitled to at least half the family farm. He might have put his own life dreams on hold and delayed his marriage? Meanwhile, year in year out, he did not expect or expect anything from his father beyond pocket money so never saw his father s compassionate generosity. This is really sad. Some might ask why did the Father had not lavished some attention on him earlier?

6 6 Had he been overlooked in the grief focused on the younger son? If the elder son felt neglected it was sure coming out now. There was work to be done in assuring him of the Father s love and moving him from tight devotion to an arrangement of earned entitlement to one of loving grace. Here is the question: Was this Elder Son lost? If so, why? Can the dutiful, non-sinning obedient be lost? Final Reflection: I think this is a story about two lost sons and a father s love for them both. One was lost in sinful rebellion and the other was lost in self-righteousness. The one lost in sinful rebellion came home and was restored, the one lost in self-righteousness never left home but never found the Father s grace, at least not by the end of the story. The one lost in sin had many circumstances to tell him he was lost, the one lost in self-righteousness had very little to indicate his lost-ness. No one pointed the finger at him. He was actually harder to seek and save that the obviously lost younger brother. I saw something like this in the mid 80s when every Wednesday afternoon I visited men in prison as part of my fieldwork. The men inside knew they were bad boys. They knew they were criminals and sinners yet they would be really shocked when public figures were caught out and exposed as dishonest. They simply did not expect that from supposedly decent and upstanding members of society who surely were not lost as they were. Gratitude for Grace I want to leave a diagnostic key with you as to how to discern whether people are lost like the elder son was lost. It s a very simple discernment question: Are they grateful? Or, am I grateful? The elder son was earning his inheritance and invested in a system that would bring it to him. Having earned what was coming to him without relying on grace he would simply accept as his just reward. He did not need to say thank you for anything. Unless we have received the grace of the Father in unearned favour we will not be people of gratitude. Jesus told other parables to illustrate this. The elder brother lived with a sense of what he had to loose. That way of thinking cultivates defensive anxiety and works further against gratitude and generosity. Why be thankful for what you have earned and now fear losing? I want to encourage you here whether we identify with the younger son or the elder son. Whichever it is, look to God as a gracious father and practice gratitude for the grace you have received. Grow as people who celebrate God s grace to you and to others, even those you don t think deserve it. This is something you can do personally and corporately. In two weeks time we have an annual general meeting an opportunity for gratitude is knocking! Church meetings can take on a life of their own and flow in either the spirit of the younger son or the elder son. (Be aware: It is diligent and responsible people who go to church meetings!) The determining key is gratitude. We can use a meeting to moan and complain about what we did not get or get anxious about what we fear loosing, or we can focus on Father-God s grace to us and celebrate that before considering issues that need attention. Friends if you have seen the Father s grace in your life, give thanks. Express that in service, in prayer, in witness and sharing testimony and in generosity. Something that also communicates this gratitude well is a smile. If you do not yet recognize the Father s grace in your life, I assure you, it is there for you and heaven will rejoice when you decide to come home and enjoy it.