Exploring Parables in Luke: Seeing the Beauty of Christ and His Redemptive Work Jacob Jasin
PREFACE There are about 30 parables in the book of Luke. A Parable is a short allegorical story or a sentence of comparison or analogy. Jesus parables contain beautiful pictures of himself and his redemptive work. They are usually hidden in the parables and require us to ponder and meditate on the scriptures, asking the Holy Spirit to enlighten us. Jesus came from heaven to show us the way to God. He came to sacrifice himself on the cross to bear the punishment of our sins as our substitute, so that by believing and putting our faith in him, we may have a new life in him. In him, we are forgiven, justified, and sanctified. In him, we inherit the riches of heaven. All the parables point to the redemptive work of Jesus on the cross for his people. Soli Deo Gloria Jacob Jasin Birmingham, AL April 2017 2017, Jacob Jasin
TABLE OF CONTENTS Lesson 1 Jesus Liberates Us from the Power of Sin and Rule-Keeping Belief Systems (Luke 5:33-39)... 1 Lesson 2 Jesus is the Savior and the True Foundation of Our Lives (Luke 6:46-49, 7:36-49)... 4 Lesson 3 A Closer Look into Our hearts... 7 Lesson 4 What Jesus Has Done for Us... 10 Lesson 5 A Personal, Close, and Loving Relationship with God... 13 Lesson 6 The Imputation of Jesus Righteousness to Us... 16 Lesson 7 The Fruit of Repentance... 19 Lesson 8 The Great Banquet for All Nations in the Kingdom of God... 22 Lesson 9 A Covenant Relationship with Jesus... 25 Lesson 10 The Prodigal Love of Jesus for Us... 28 Lesson 11 What is the Love of Our Hearts?... 31 Lesson 12 Jesus Has Made Us Worthy before God... 34 Lesson 13 Repentance and Faith in Jesus Bring Our Justification... 37 Lesson 14 The Return of the King... 40 Resources... 43
Lesson 1 Jesus Liberates Us from the Enslaving Power of Sin and Rule-Keeping Belief Systems Read Luke 5:33-39 As Jesus was teaching people, some asked him why his disciples did not fast, while the disciples of John and of the Pharisees did. Pharisees were the religious leaders of the community. Fasting is an abstinence or reduction from some food, drink, or both. The biblical purpose of fasting is to spend more time with God in prayer, humbling ourselves before him, expressing our dependence on him, seeking his guidance, and worshipping him. However, Pharisees were known to be legalistic in their practice of religion. Being legalistic means acting according to religious rules for the sake of obeying those rules, or to make oneself looks good before others, without any motives to please God. What was Jesus answer to them (v.34)? What did Jesus say about the bridegroom (v.35)? Who do you think the bridegroom is? Jesus was speaking of himself as the bridegroom and his disciples as the wedding guests. If they were at a wedding, they could not fast. People go to a wedding to celebrate and eat good food. When Jesus came to this world, his disciples celebrated their every day of life with Jesus as if it was a wedding. They had a personal, loving, and close relationship with Jesus. They had a joyful and blessed life. However, the joyful life of Jesus disciples would be paused for a moment, because the bridegroom would be taken away from them. Jesus would be taken away and put on trial by the religious leaders of the community. He would be crucified and killed on the cross. However, he would rise from death to life and return to his disciples, and the days of celebration would continue again and would never end. Day by day, more and more people believe in Jesus and put their faith in him, trusting and surrendering their lives to him. Being followers of Jesus is a joyful and blessed life, because we have a personal, loving, and close relationship with him. He is with us in our lives every day, and we celebrate our lives with him daily. Spiritually speaking, we are in a wedding. The spiritual wedding is a picture of the kingdom of God. It gets bigger and bigger until all the wedding guests all God s people come in. Then Jesus will return again, literally. The Bible tells us that there will be a great celebration for all his people in heaven when he returns. Can you imagine what a great celebration in heaven will be like? Then Jesus told the crowd two parables. A parable is a short allegorical story or a sentence of comparison or analogy. It is a teaching tool to help people understand the truth the main point of the teaching. When Jesus used parables, he challenged his listeners to think differently than they used to. Jesus tried to change their life-view from a worldly or self-centered life-view to a God-centered life-view. Exploring Parables in Luke: Seeing the Beauty of Christ and His Redemptive Work, Jacob Jasin 1
He indirectly pointed the parable to himself and his redemptive work. Jesus came to the world because he had a mission to redeem and save his people. What is the first parable (v.36)? At that time, clothes were simple garments and not as stylish as we have now. If an old garment had a hole and needed to be patched, it would be foolish to tear a new garment to patch the old garment. It would destroy the new garment. Besides, the new garment did not match the old one. What is the second parable (v.37-39)? At that time, there was no glass bottle, and people used animal skin to store their wine. New wine would be put into new wineskin, and not old wineskin. The wineskin, after being used for some time, would get worn-off. This parable has a similar meaning as the first one. In this parable, Jesus added a comment that no one after drinking old wine would want new wine. The old is good means those who like the old wine do not want to drink new wine. What do you think that Jesus was trying to teach the crowd through these parables? The question people asked Jesus was about why his disciples did not fast. By using these parables, Jesus was trying to change people s thinking. Through the subject of fasting, Jesus wanted people to learn the truth about himself, his teaching, and the purpose of his coming. 1. Jesus came from heaven to teach us about a personal and loving relationship with God. He came to end rule-keeping-based belief systems. Practicing fasting or any other religious observances and being legalistic do not please God. In fact, observing religious rules without any motives to please God is completely sinful. Observing religious rules, such as fasting, praying, or going to church in order to make oneself look good before others is a manifestation of spiritual pride. Telling God that we deserve his blessings because we are able to observe religious rules is a manifestation of spiritual pride. Can you describe other examples of spiritual pride? Rule-keeping-based belief systems teach that if we observe religious rules then we will get God s blessing for our lives, including a credit to enter his heaven. Jesus came to end all man-made rulekeeping-based belief systems. He wants us to have a joyful life by having a personal and loving relationship with him. At the essence, rule-keeping-based belief systems are enslaving, but a personal and loving relationship with Jesus is liberating. One may ask, Does God not want me to obey his rules? Of course he does. But because we are born as sinners, none of us can obey God s rules perfectly. In the Bible, sin is disobeying or not conforming to God s law in any way. We sin against God in our thoughts, words, and actions. If we embrace rulekeeping-based belief system, we will never stand righteously perfect before God. In fact, we fail every Exploring Parables in Luke: Seeing the Beauty of Christ and His Redemptive Work, Jacob Jasin 2
day. The reason Jesus, the Son of God, came from heaven, born as a man, and lived a perfect obedient life to God, is to give his righteousness to us. We can be justified by God only because we have Jesus righteousness. We will never stand righteous before God on our own. 2. Jesus is the new garment for us spiritually speaking. We are sinners, unclean, and dirty before God. Our clothes are old, filthy, and smelly because of our sins. Jesus came from heaven to die on the cross for the punishment of our sins as our substitute, so that by believing and putting our faith in him, trusting and surrendering our lives to him, we can receive God s forgiveness and Jesus righteousness. Jesus righteousness is our new garment. God gives us his Son s righteousness to cover our uncleanness and shame. Does this concept the covering of our uncleanness and shame make sense to you? 3. Jesus is the new wine for us spiritually speaking. Jesus came from heaven, so that we can have a new life a life of personal and loving relationship with God through him. Each day of our lives with Jesus is a celebration. It is like a wedding, celebrating our lives with Jesus. We are the new wineskin. We are the recipients of Jesus grace his gift of salvation, his righteousness, and all other spiritual blessings in him. Jesus came to free us from the enslaving power of sin. Rule-keeping-based religious systems are enslaving and legalistic. Jesus came to liberate us and to give us a new and joyful life with him. Sadly, many people prefer their rule-keeping-based religious system the old wine. People like to earn God s blessing by self-achievement or self-effort by obeying religious rules. The motive to obey is selfcentered to get something for oneself in return. When Jesus taught that people could only be accepted by God through believing in him and his redeeming work on the cross, many rejected him. They said, The old is good. Many present-day people still prefer rule-keeping-based, work-based, or self-effort-based belief systems, rather than salvation by God s grace alone through faith alone and in Jesus Christ alone. Spiritual pride enslaves people. However, there are many who believe in Jesus, trusting and surrendering their lives to him and following him faithfully. Each day of their lives is a joyful life, because they have a personal and loving relationship with Jesus, who loves them very much and who has given them a new life identity in him. Jesus has become their living hope, and they joyfully wait for his return to take them home his home. Then, there will be a great celebration for all of them with him literally speaking. So far, do you understand the fundamental difference between rule-keeping-based, work-based, or selfeffort-based belief systems and a grace-based belief system that we are saved because of what Jesus has done for us and not by what we do for ourselves? If you are not a follower of Jesus, would you like to follow him, trusting and surrendering your life to him? Exploring Parables in Luke: Seeing the Beauty of Christ and His Redemptive Work, Jacob Jasin 3
Lesson 2 Jesus is the Savior and the True Foundation of Our Lives Read Luke 6:46-49 Lord refers to someone who has authority, such as a leader or a master. During Jesus time in Israel, he was well known as a religious teacher. Many people would call Jesus Lord. To call someone Lord is to obey the person. However, not all of them who called Jesus Lord would obey him. They came to learn from Jesus and followed him, but they did not do what Jesus taught. Yet they would still follow Jesus to learn his teaching. Therefore, Jesus asked them why they would call him Lord and follow him, but did not obey his teaching (v.46). Jesus challenged them to think about their true reason for following him and calling him Lord. Why would they follow Jesus? Was it to get something in return for their own benefits? Did they really love Jesus? Jesus gave them a parable to teach them about two different kinds of people. How does Jesus describe a person who comes to him, hears his words, and obeys him (v.47-48)? What would happen to the house built on the rock when a flood came and hit it? Why (v.48)? Jesus wants us to come to him and to have a personal and loving relationship with him. If we have this kind of relationship with him, we will hear and obey his words. One who does not have a personal and loving relationship with Jesus, will not obey his words. How does Jesus describe a person who hears his words, but does not obey him (v.49)? What would happen to the house built without a foundation when a flood came and hit it? Why (v.49)? Jesus teaches us to recognize whether a house is built on a strong foundation or not. The house is our lives. The foundation on which we build our lives upon is the one that holds and sustains our lives. There are many foundations that people try to build their lives upon. Some try to build their source of security or happiness on money or power. From what other sources do people try to find happiness or security? The flood is a sudden hardship that comes to our lives. It can be a natural disaster like flood, earthquake, or storm that destroys our house and possessions. It can also be a sudden tragedy or crisis, such as an accident, death of a family member, or a severe illness that comes to us. Jesus teaches us that we need a strong foundation for our lives so that we will not collapse when a sudden hardship, tragedy, or crisis comes to us. Have you ever experienced any of these? Exploring Parables in Luke: Seeing the Beauty of Christ and His Redemptive Work, Jacob Jasin 4
When Jesus is teaching, he wants his audience to think about the truth of who he is that he is the answer and the truth that they should look into seriously. Jesus points to himself that he is the foundation we should have not one of the foundations, but the only foundation. Jesus was teaching, If you have me as the foundation of your life, I will hold and sustain your life. Come to me and have a personal and loving relationship with me. Have me as the Lord of your life and I will give you joy, strength, and grace to go through difficulty in life. I will walk with you, guiding you. If we attempt to build our lives upon any other foundations, we will collapse. All other foundations have no power to hold our lives and are not permanent. However, Jesus is eternal and omnipotent. He is inviting each of us to have him as the Lord and the foundation of our lives. He is the true foundation, who can hold our lives permanently and sustain us when hardship, tragedy, or crisis comes to us. He is the true source of joy, strength, and hope for our lives. Read Luke 7:36-49 Pharisees were the religious teachers in the Jewish community. They often times looked down on people whom they considered as sinners or religious law-breakers. Simon, a Pharisee, invited Jesus to eat at his house. Who came to the house and what did she do (v.37-38)? The woman was labeled a sinner or a law breaker because she broke the religious law possible she was a prostitute. Jesus actually teaches that all people are sinners before God. According to God, we all have broken his law. We sin against God in our thoughts, words, and actions. The woman anointed Jesus feet with ointment or perfume, which was very expensive at that time. An alabaster flask is a container made of translucent stone for costly perfume. By pouring perfume on Jesus feet, it would have cost her much. Furthermore, in an honor and shame culture, a woman would not just do such an act in public. It brought much shame to her in the eyes of Simon and other guests. However, she did not care about her shame. She was showing her sincere gratitude for Jesus. What did Simon say to himself (v.39)? Simon doubted Jesus identity. Simon, as a Pharisee, would not have contact with sinners. He was questioning Jesus identity in his mind, Jesus can t be a prophet of God. If he is, he would know that this woman is a sinner and would not let himself be touched by her. A prophet is basically a messenger of God whom God sends to deliver his words to his people. Since Jesus claimed to come from God, many Jews considered him to be a prophet. Did Jesus know what Simon was thinking? What parable did Jesus tell him (v.40-42)? A denarius denarii, plural is an ancient Roman silver coin. It was a fair wage for a full day of work. The moneylender cancelled the debt of both people by grace undeserved favor. He forgave both people Exploring Parables in Luke: Seeing the Beauty of Christ and His Redemptive Work, Jacob Jasin 5
equally regardless the amount they owed him. By forgiving his debtors, whatever loss the moneylender had, he would have to bear it himself. Forgiveness is costly. What was Jesus question to Simon and what was his answer (v.42-43)? The one who had a larger debt received much forgiveness, and would love the moneylender more. Those who are forgiven little love little and those who are forgiven much love much. What did Jesus say to Simon to teach the difference between him and the woman (v.44-46)? Simon had neglected traditional courtesies that a host should have done to his guest: giving water to wash feet, giving a kiss of greeting, and anointing head with oil. Jesus told Simon that the woman, whom Simon considered as a sinner, did all the things that Simon failed to do for Jesus and even did these exceedingly. Thus, Jesus revealed Simon s pride and self-righteousness. Many Pharisees and other religious teachers at Jesus time and even today are full of pride and self-righteousness. What did Jesus tell Simon about the woman (v.47)? What did Jesus say to the woman and what did the other guests say among themselves (v.48-50)? The woman realized that she was a sinner and came to Jesus with a heart of repentance regretting her sins and Jesus forgave all her sins. By forgiving her sins, Jesus claimed to be God himself, because no one can forgive sin other than God. The people could not believe what they just heard from Jesus. No man had ever said that before. Thus, Jesus revealed his deity God who came down as a man. In the parable, the moneylender points to God. All people are great sinners before God. Our sins are immeasurable, but there are those who think that they are more righteous people than others, such as the Pharisees. Simon would identify himself with the debtor who owed less sinned less to God. Jesus was showing Simon that unless he repented from his sin his self-righteousness and turned his heart to God, he would have never been forgiven by God and would continue to be blind and trapped deeply in his own self-righteousness. The woman, however, having repented from her sin, turning her heart to Jesus, and putting her faith in him, received forgiveness from Jesus for all her sins. Yet her sins would not go unpunished. Jesus would bear the punishment for her sins as her substitute. God sent his own son, Jesus, to come down from heaven and be born as a man to pay our debt to God the punishment of our sins by dying on the cross as our substitute, in order that we may receive God s grace of forgiveness by believing in Jesus. This is what the woman experienced. She went in peace had peace with God, because her sins were forgiven, and had the peace of God, for she had a new life and a new hope. We all can experience a new life by repenting from our sin, turning our hearts to God, and putting our faith in Jesus, trusting and surrendering our lives to him, because he is the Savior of our lives. Would you like to have Jesus as the Savior and the true foundation of your life? Exploring Parables in Luke: Seeing the Beauty of Christ and His Redemptive Work, Jacob Jasin 6
Lesson 3 A Closer Look into Our hearts Read Luke 8:1-8 Jesus came from heaven to bring the good news of the kingdom of God the gospel. He had many disciples who accompanied him as he travelled from one place to another. His disciples included the twelve the core group of his disciples who were later known as the apostles and many women who provided for them out of their means taking care of the needs of the group out of their own resources. Women were highly regarded by Jesus and had significant roles in his ministry. This was unusual in the patriarchal society at that time. Religious teachers did not usually teach women (v.1-3). What parable did Jesus teach the crowd who came from different towns to hear his teaching (v.4-8)? There are four different soils where the seed fell: (1) the soil along the path, (2) the rocky soil, (3) the thorny soil, and (4) the good soil. The result of the seed on each different soil is also different. The seed that fell on the soil along the path was trampled by people and was devoured by birds. The seed that fell on the rocky soil grew up and withered away because it had no moisture. The seed that fell on the thorny soil grew up among the thorns, but the thorns choked it. The seed that fell on the good soil grew up and produced a hundredfold of crop. Jesus urged the audience to hear and think deeply about this. Read Luke 8:9-15 What did Jesus say to his disciples when they asked him the meaning of the parable (v.9-10)? To his disciples, Jesus will make them understand the secrets of the kingdom of God. The purpose of Jesus teaching in parables is to reveal the secrets of the kingdom of God to his disciples and to hide the secrets of the kingdom of God to those who reject him. In other words, only those who are Jesus true disciples can understand the truth about him, the gospel, and the kingdom of God. Those who are not Jesus true disciples will never understand and can never understand, because on our own, we cannot understand the truth of God. Unless God helps us, our inclination will always be to reject his truth. By our sinful nature, we do not want God in our lives. We never want God, but only want what he can give to us. By nature, we are self-centered people. What is the seed in the parable (v.11)? What does the seed that fell along the path represent (v.12)? All four types of soils represent the human heart. The condition of soil along the path or walking road is dry and hard like pavement. The word of God the seed that falls on this type of heart does not grow. The devil takes it away. The person does not have an interest for the truth of God and consequently, has no understanding of it. His heart rejects it and the devil takes it away. Exploring Parables in Luke: Seeing the Beauty of Christ and His Redemptive Work, Jacob Jasin 7
To believe means believing in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came down from heaven and was born as a man to die for the punishment of our sins on the cross as our substitute, in order that we may receive God s grace of forgiveness by believing and putting our faith in him, trusting and surrendering our lives to him. To be saved means being saved from God s judgment upon our sin and receiving his grace of forgiveness and a new life with him through Jesus Christ. What does the seed that fell on the rocky soil represent (v.13)? The soil on the rock is not deep and has no moisture. The word of God that falls on this type of heart will grow quickly but without root. The person hears and receives the word of God with joy. He seems to believe in Jesus and may call himself a Christian, but when temptations come to his life, he will forget Jesus, because he has no root and has never had any root in Jesus. He has never repented from his sins and put his faith in Jesus, trusting and surrendering his life to him. He follows Jesus temporarily for his own benefit. True love for Jesus has never rooted in his heart. What does the seed that fell on the thorny soil represent (v.14)? The thorns are the cares, riches, and pleasures of life that are evil in the eyes of God, such as worldly affections or desires for sexual pleasure, material possessions, and power. These things can become idols for us and chokes our desire to follow Jesus. A person with this type of heart does not make Jesus the priority of his life. What does the seed that fell on the good soil represent (v.15)? A person with this type of heart, after hearing the word of God and the truth of Jesus, repents from his sins and puts his faith in Jesus, trusting and surrendering his life to him with a true commitment from an honest and good heart. Jesus becomes the center of his life. His love for Jesus grows, takes root, and bears fruit. He bears fruit with patience, enduring any temptations that come to attack his faith and love for Jesus. He continues bearing fruit throughout his life. Most of us will not say that our hearts are like the good soil. We also do not want to acknowledge that our hearts are like the bad soils. Many people say, I am not perfect but I am not a bad person either. Because none of us are perfect people pure and holy before God then none of us have a good-soil heart. In fact, each of us has a bad-soil heart. Therefore, unless God does a work in our heart and gives us a new heart that is free from corruption, we will never have a good-soil heart. We know that God is giving us a new heart when he encourages us to believe and put our faith in Jesus, trusting and surrendering our lives to him. With a new heart given by God s grace, our faith in Jesus will take root deeply, grow, and keep bearing fruit in the kingdom of God. Exploring Parables in Luke: Seeing the Beauty of Christ and His Redemptive Work, Jacob Jasin 8
Read Luke 8:16-18 What parable did Jesus teach his disciple (v.16)? Jesus continued to teach his disciples about how they should live their lives in order to keep bearing fruit for the kingdom of God. A lamp cannot give light to the room if it is covered with a jar or put under a bed. A lamp needs to be put on a stand in order to give light to the room. Likewise, as followers of Jesus, we are the lamps that should give light to this dark world. How dark is this world, spiritually speaking? This world is in spiritual darkness including every person in it. Without Jesus, we live in spiritual darkness. We live in sinfulness and deserve to bear the punishment of our sin from God. However, because God loves us, he sent Jesus to this world. Jesus is the ultimate lamp the light of the world. Jesus says, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12). The reason Jesus came to the world is to bring spiritual light for us, so that we can be saved and follow the true light. True disciples of Jesus have received the light of life Jesus himself. Jesus has transferred us from being in darkness to being in the light being in him. He has come and brought his light to us in a personal way. When we repent from our sin and put our faith in Jesus, trusting and surrendering our lives to him, he unites us with himself. He makes us more and more like him. He is the light-giver and we are his lightbearers and light-reflectors. He has given us a privilege role in his kingdom by making us like him the light of the world. Jesus told his disciple, You are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). Our responsibility is to shine the light of Jesus through ourselves in this dark world. What do you think about the privilege given by Jesus to his disciples to bear his light as the light of the world? What else did Jesus say to his disciples (v.17-18)? The secrets of the kingdom of God would not be hidden forever. Jesus came from heaven to reveal it. Jesus asks us to pay a closer attention to our lives as his disciples. Jesus wants us to keep bearing fruit. If we are faithful, we will bear more and more fruit more will be given by God. Those who are not true disciples do not have fruit, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away devoured by birds or choked by thorns. Are you still living in darkness? Is Jesus enlightening your heart? Is he calling you to come to him? If you do not have Jesus as the light of your life, would you say yes to him? Exploring Parables in Luke: Seeing the Beauty of Christ and His Redemptive Work, Jacob Jasin 9
Lesson 4 What Jesus Has Done for Us Read Luke 10-25-29 There was a lawyer an expert of the Jewish law who tried to test Jesus. The lawyer understood well the Jewish religious ceremonial law, civil law, and moral law. The lawyers and the Pharisees were highly respected in the Jewish community. What did the lawyer ask Jesus (v.25)? To inherit eternal life means to go to God s heaven and live eternally. The lawyer asked about how he could get what he wanted from God. He wanted God s heaven but not God himself a personal and close relationship with God. This is quite common among many people. What is written in the law of God (v.26-27)? This law is written in Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. It is the summary of all God s moral laws. What did Jesus tell him to do (v.28)? Will anyone be able to do this perfectly? God is perfect and his standard is perfection. Sin is disobeying or not conforming to God's law in any way. We sin when we are unable to meet God s standard to love him and other people. In our sinful nature, we are incapable of pleasing God and meeting his perfect standard. The lawyer knew he could not love God with all his heart, soul, strength and mind, and could not even love other people like he loved himself. He felt guilty and tried to justify himself consider and defend himself as right. The lawyer asked Jesus, Who is my neighbor? (v.29). He actually wanted to know Who is not my neighbor? or Whom do I not need to love? Jesus gave an answer by telling a parable. Read Luke 10:30-37 In this parable, Jesus told a story of a man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. Jerusalem is a higher place about 17 miles from Jericho. The man was robbed and beaten by robbers and was left half dead on the road. What is the chance that you would stop to help this man if you come upon him on the road? Who was the first person who saw the man and what did the person do (v.31)? Exploring Parables in Luke: Seeing the Beauty of Christ and His Redemptive Work, Jacob Jasin 10
Who was the second person who saw the man and what did the person do (v.32)? A priest was a religious leader of the community. A Levite was a religious person who helped the work of priests in the temple of God. The priest and the Levite did not help the man for several possible reasons. Perhaps they were afraid to help a stranger, or had a lot of work to do, or did not want to be involved in any kind of troubles. They also had a religious law that would declare them unclean spiritually dirty if they touched a dead person, and they would be required to do specific religious rituals to make themselves clean again. For them, this could make them unable to do their work in the temple. Who was the third person who saw the man and what did the person do (v.33-35)? The Samaritans were mixed raced people who lived in the northern part of Israel. They were Jews who had intermarried with foreigners. They were a minority group in the Jewish land. The Samaritans and the Jews hated each other. The Jewish religious leaders made a law that if a Jew touched a Samaritan, he would become religiously unclean. Jesus illustrated that the Samaritan had compassion, took pity on, and rescued the half-dead man. He bound up his wounds, possibly using part of his clothes. He used his oil and wine to disinfect the wounds. Oil and wine were very expensive at that time. Then he carried the wounded man, put him on his donkey and brought him to an inn. He had to walk, leading the donkey. At the inn, he took care of the wounded man all day. The next day, he gave money to the innkeeper and asked him to take care of the wounded man. He promised to return and pay back any extra money needed to take care of the wounded man. What did Jesus ask the lawyer (v.36)? What was his answer (v.37)? Why did he not directly say the Samaritan? What did Jesus say to him (v.37)? Jesus taught him that knowing what God wanted him to do to love God and to love other people was not sufficient. He must do what he knew to do. Knowing without doing will make someone a hypocrite a person who pretends to have moral or religious virtue, but does not actually possess that virtue. Lawyers knew the will of God in his law, but many of them did not do what God wanted them to do. The conversation between Jesus and the lawyer can be summarized as follows: Q1: What shall I do to inherit eternal life? A1: Love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, and love other people as yourself. Exploring Parables in Luke: Seeing the Beauty of Christ and His Redemptive Work, Jacob Jasin 11
Q2: How should I love other people as myself? A2: Show mercy to everyone, including strangers, minorities, and foreigners. The lawyer might have had a question in mind, something like, I cannot do that perfectly according to God s standard, so how can I inherit eternal life? Notice that the lawyer did not ask Jesus about how he should love God practically in daily life. Many lawyers and Pharisees were legalistic. They believed that they could go to heaven by simply doing good things as defined by their religious laws. There are three great lessons Jesus teaches through this parable. First, show mercy to people as an act of love for God. In the parable, Jesus identifies the lawyer with the priest and the Levite. They all knew God s law but they might not have practiced it. If the lawyer helped people, it was because he wanted to get something in return from God. He did not help people out of his love for God. That was why he asked, Who is not my neighbor? He thought he could inherit eternal life or earn God s blessing if he tried hard to do good things as defined by the religious laws. He even justified himself in doing good things. He chose the people he wanted to help and did not have to help. He did not love God and the motivation to show mercy to others did not come from a heart that loved God. Jesus was teaching him that he needed to have a personal and loving relationship with God, in order to love God with all his heart, soul, strength, and mind, and to love other people as himself. Only if he had a personal and loving relationship with God, could he show mercy to others with love and joy as an act of love for God. Second, showing mercy will make us realize we need God s mercy. Showing true love and mercy to others can only be done in humility. This attitude will make us realize that we need God s mercy for us, because we will fail and cannot be perfect in loving other people. We will make mistakes and realize that we have many weaknesses as well. This will make us humble and repentant, asking God to forgive all our sins and failures, and to grant us his mercy. Third, Jesus saves us when we are dying on the road. The man who was dying on the road was saved and received mercy from someone he did not deserve to receive it from not from his own people. When he recovered, he would be very thankful to the Good Samaritan because he owed him his life. He would never forget him. Jesus identifies himself as the Good Samaritan. He came from heaven as if he were a stranger to us. We are the man who is half dead on the road. We rebel and sin against God and deserve his punishment. However, God shows mercy to us by sending his own son, Jesus Christ to rescue us and to take the punishment of our sin, so that by believing in him, trusting and surrendering our lives to him, we may be forgiven and saved. Jesus came to save us because he loves us. When we understand deeply that he died for us on the cross in order to save us, we cannot live without thankfulness to him, because we owe him our lives. Jesus is inviting us to have a personal and loving relationship with him that will enable us to love God will all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, and to love others as ourselves. If you are thankful for what Jesus has done for you, would you like to receive him in your life and put your faith in him? Exploring Parables in Luke: Seeing the Beauty of Christ and His Redemptive Work, Jacob Jasin 12
Lesson 5 A Personal, Close, and Loving Relationship with God Read Luke 11:1-13 How does Jesus teach us to pray (v.2-4)? Jesus teaches us to call God our Father because all his people are God s children. Hallowed be your name means God s name is holy, glorious, and worthy to be praised by all people. As God s children, we bear his name and should live our lives accordingly. Your kingdom come means God s sovereign will and rule be established on earth and in our lives as it is in heaven. Give us our daily bread means asking God for our daily provision, recognizing him as the provider and sustainer of our daily lives. Forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us means we need to be aware of our own daily sins, confess them before God, and ask for his forgiveness. With a humble heart before God, we will be able to see more of our weaknesses and God will help us to forgive others who wrong us as he forgives us. Lead us not into temptation means asking God not to let us into a circumstance where the Devil can temp us and make us sin against God. In what parable did Jesus teach his disciples about prayer (v.5-8)? What else did Jesus teach about prayer (v.9-10)? What comparison did Jesus give between our earthly fathers and our heavenly Father (v.11-13)? There are two significant points in Jesus teaching about prayer. 1. God is the heavenly Father for those who are in union with Jesus Christ. Jesus teaches us to call God as our heavenly Father who is perfect and wise, and knows what is best for us. When we believe and put our faith in Jesus, who has sacrificed himself to die on the cross for the punishment of our sins as our substitute, trusting and surrendering our lives to him, our sins are forgiven by God and we receive the gift of salvation and adoption into God s family. We have a new life, a personal and loving relationship with God in Jesus. We are spiritually united with Jesus. God becomes our heavenly Father and heaven becomes our home. Jesus came from heaven for us, so that he can bring us to heaven, his home. Jesus came, so that we may call God our heavenly Father. 2. Jesus teaches us to pray and ask God persistently. Jesus describes our heavenly Father as a better father than our fathers in this world and a better friend than the person who helps his friend in the parable. As our heavenly Father, God knows what is best for us and will give us what we need according to his wisdom. The best gift God has given us is his own son, Jesus Christ, who came to sacrifice himself and die for us. God has also given us his Holy Spirit to dwell in us, guiding, helping, strengthening, and sanctifying us. Jesus teaches us if God has given us all these because he loves us, he will not withhold anything good from us according to his perfect and wise will. Exploring Parables in Luke: Seeing the Beauty of Christ and His Redemptive Work, Jacob Jasin 13
We can pray and bring our requests to God, asking him persistently with humility and submission, acknowledging that we do not deserve anything from him, but simply requesting his grace for us God, may your will be done in my life. If God is silent, it does not mean that the answer is no. It is perhaps that he wants us to keep praying and asking him persistently and to develop our dependence upon him. Persistent prayer grows our dependence upon God and our personal relationship with him. Read Luke 12:13-21 What did a man in the crowd ask Jesus to do (v.13)? There must be a reason for this man asking Jesus to tell his brother to divide the inheritance with him. In the Jewish culture at that time, when a man passed away, his property was given to his sons as their inheritance. If a man had two sons, the oldest son would get two-third of his father s property and the younger one would get one-third. Perhaps this man was the younger son and did not get enough of his portion of inheritance or did not get any at all. He came to Jesus, asking Jesus to tell his brother to divide the inheritance with him properly. What was Jesus answer to him (v.14)? Jesus wanted him to bring his case to the appropriate authorities. What sin does Jesus warn us against (v.15)? To covet is to desire wrongfully. Covetousness is a sinful and self-centered desire. What does one s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions mean (v.15)? Jesus used a parable to teach the crowd concerning this. What kind of person is the man in the parable (v.16)? What situation did the man have (v.16-17)? How would he solve his situation (v.18)? What would he say to himself (v.19)? What would God say to him (v.20)? Exploring Parables in Luke: Seeing the Beauty of Christ and His Redemptive Work, Jacob Jasin 14
What is Jesus conclusion of the parable and what does it mean (v.21)? There are several significant points in Jesus teaching about life and possessions. 1. We do not have control over our lives, only God does. God has appointed a time when he will take our souls. We do not know when we will die and face God. We will all stand before the judgment of God and give account of all we have done in our lives. 2. Worldly riches will not bring happiness to us. We must live wisely. If our purpose of life is about accruing more and more possessions or getting richer and richer, then we are fools. Being rich is not evil in God s eyes, but how we use God s given possessions to us is what matters. The rich man in the parable wanted all things he had for himself, thinking his riches would give him happiness. Giving his possession to help others was not in his agenda, only enjoying all he had for himself. A selfish life-style is destructive to ourselves. It cultivates the selfcenteredness in us, manifested in all sorts of pride and selfishness. 3. We can be rich toward God in Jesus Christ. Jesus taught us to be rich toward God (v.21). But how can we become rich toward God if we are sinful before him? That is why Jesus came from heaven to provide a way for us to be rich toward God. The only richness that matters to God is not the sinful and corrupted richness of this world, but a heart that loves him. Being rich toward God means being rich in the things of God rich in giving thanks to God for what he has given us, for all good things are from him, and rich in faithfulness as a good steward of all the possessions God has entrusted us, including using them to help others for the building up of God s kingdom. At the essence of it, being rich toward God means having a personal, close, and loving relationship with him having a heart that loves him. We can be rich toward God through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus came from heaven and gave up his heavenly richness, being born as a poor and vulnerable man, sacrificing himself to die for the punishment of our sins, so that by believing in him, trusting and surrendering our lives to him, we may be saved from our sin, be united with him, and be given a new life a personal, close, and loving relationship with God in Jesus with a new heart a heart that loves Jesus who has sacrificed himself for us. 2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. If you do not have a personal, close, and loving relationship with God in Jesus Christ, would you like to have this? Exploring Parables in Luke: Seeing the Beauty of Christ and His Redemptive Work, Jacob Jasin 15
Lesson 6 The Imputation of Jesus Righteousness to Us Read Luke 12:35-40 In this passage, Jesus taught his disciples about faithfulness and watchfulness. Jesus wanted his followers to be faithful and watchful servants of God s kingdom. He gave two illustrations about this. What is the first illustration (v.35)? What is the second illustration (v.35)? The original expression of stay dressed for action in the Greek language is let your loins be girded about. It means long and flowing robes, which make work difficult, must be tucked into the belt and kept above the knees, in order for a servant to be able to work effectively. Keep your lamps burning means keep enough oil for the lamp and do not let it go out. Jesus told a parable to teach more about faithfulness and watchfulness. What were the servants in the parable doing? Were they sleeping (v.36)? What did Jesus say about the servants and what would their master do to them (v.37)? Jesus said something that his disciples had never heard of: a master who would serve his servants. In Jesus parable, the master would do what his servants would do for him. The master would dress himself with servant s robes, have the servants to recline at table, and serve them. This is a reversal of roles. Jesus often used parables to challenge his listeners to think differently than they used to. He made them uncomfortable from their cultural perspective. According to your culture, would a master reverse his role and serve his servants? At that time, the Jews divided their night into three watches. The first watch was from six o clock to nine o clock, the second watch was from nine o clock to midnight, and the third watch was from midnight to three o clock. The servants who were blessed were those who kept awake throughout the night and were ready to serve their master when he returned from a wedding feast (v.38). Blessed are those servants means the master would guarantee the well-being of his servants lives. Jesus spoke of himself as the good master. Unlike all other masters from any cultures in the world, Jesus would reverse his role to be a servant. He was the true Master. He created this world. But he came to the world not to be served by us, but to serve us. He washed his disciples feet while they reclined at a table. He came to sacrifice himself to die for the punishment of our sins as our substitute, in order that we can be made clean, righteous, and holy before God. He has washed all our sins our dirtiness. When we believe and put our faith in Jesus, trusting and surrendering our lives to him, God forgives all our sins Exploring Parables in Luke: Seeing the Beauty of Christ and His Redemptive Work, Jacob Jasin 16
and justifies us. God makes us holy and righteous, but not because of our own holiness and righteousness which we do not have but because the holiness and righteousness of Jesus is imputed or credited to us. Jesus changed the story of a master and his servants to a story of a house owner and a thief to teach his disciples more about watchfulness or readiness. How did Jesus teach them (v.39)? How did Jesus relate the story to his disciples concerning his return (v.40)? The Son of Man is a title that Jesus liked to use for himself to emphasize his humanity. Here Jesus taught his disciples that there would be a time that he would return to Earth. Read Luke 12:41-48 Peter asked Jesus if he was speaking about his core group of twelve disciples in particular, whom Jesus prepared for a special ministry, or about all his hearers in general (v.41). Jesus did not answer Peter but gave him another parable. How did Jesus describe a faithful, wise, and blessed manager of a master s household (v.42-43)? What reward would the master give him (v.44)? What would the master do to him if he acted wickedly and cruelly to the other servants under his oversight (v.45-46)? The image of cut him in pieces is indeed horrible. At that time, a powerful master such as a king could punish a servant with such a severe punishment or with severe beating (v.47). A servant who did not know his master s will and acted irresponsibly received a lighter punishment than a servant who knew his master s will but did not act accordingly. Jesus point here is that irresponsibility, either done purposefully or done out of ignorance, deserves punishment. A servant who is entrusted with more responsibilities will be expected to perform more by his master than those who is entrusted fewer responsibilities (v.48). Here Jesus indirectly describes the condition of all people. God has given us our lives daily, including our time, skills, talents, money, and other possessions. God requires us to use all these properly for the good of others and for his created world out of love for him. But none of us has perfectly done that, because we are self-centered beings and consumed by our own self-centeredness. We sin against God in our thoughts, words, and actions daily, either purposefully or out of our ignorance. Exploring Parables in Luke: Seeing the Beauty of Christ and His Redemptive Work, Jacob Jasin 17
Therefore, each of us deserves to be punished by God and literally cut into pieces, because we sin against the almighty God of creation the One that has the highest authority in the universe. The more authority a person has, the weightier is our sin against that person compared to someone who has less authority. None of us are faithful and obedient servants of God. However, there is one who is faithful. Jesus came to the world to be a servant and lived in perfect faithfulness and obedience to God to the end of his life. He died on the cross for us as our substitute. He lived a faithful and obedient life to God that we should do, and died for the punishment of our sins our disobedience, unfaithfulness, and ignorance that we deserve. He was cut into pieces on the cross and experienced hell for us. The judgment and wrath of God was upon him as he bore the punishment of our sins. Why? So that we can be saved by believing and putting our faith in him, trusting and surrendering our lives to him. God forgives our sins and imputes the faithfulness, obedience, and righteousness of Jesus to us. Consequently, when God sees us, he sees us as faithful, obedient, and righteous servants, not because of our own, but because of Jesus. Jesus covers us. His faithfulness, obedience, and righteousness imputed to us are the basis of our standing before God. In Jesus, we are faithful, obedient and righteous servants of God. Would you like to believe and put your faith in Jesus, trusting and surrendering your life to him? Exploring Parables in Luke: Seeing the Beauty of Christ and His Redemptive Work, Jacob Jasin 18
Lesson 7 The Fruit of Repentance Read Luke 13:1-5 Pilate was the Roman governor in the province of Judea. Pilate killed some Jewish Galileans residents of Galilee in northern Israel who went to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to God. Perhaps they were killed because they were criminals or were considered as threats to the Roman government. Did Jesus say that these Galileans were worse sinners than the other Galileans (v.2-3)? There was also an incident, the falling of the Tower of Siloam in Jerusalem, that killed 18 people. Jesus said that those who died in the incident were not worse sinners than the rest of the residents in Jerusalem. Bad things surely happen to good people in this broken world. Jesus used these incidents to point out that all people were born as sinners. We sin because we are sinners. We sin against God in our thoughts, words, and actions. Our sins are the fruits or manifestations of our sinful nature. Sinning against God, who is the Creator of the universe and the one who has the highest authority, deserves death for punishment. That is why Jesus says that unless we repent, we will all perish. To repent is to turn from sin with regret and sorrow and turn to God with full intention to be obedient. How do we know if a person has truly repented from his sin and has turned his heart to God? Jesus uses a parable to teach us about this. Read Luke 13:6-9 What did the owner try to find in his vineyard (v.6)? What did the owner ask his vinedresser gardener to do (v.7)? What was the vinedresser s request (v.8-9)? The fig tree in the parable did not bear fruit. Jesus did not say that the fig tree had some fruit, but it did not have fruit at all. This means if a person has truly repented from his sin and turns his heart to God with full intention to be obedient, he will bear fruit because of his repentant heart. If his life has been changed by God, his new life with God will be manifested in his thoughts, words, and actions. As he grows in spiritual maturity in his personal relationship with God, he will produce more and more fruit. He is still not a perfect person, because his sinful nature is still in his being, but God sanctifies him making him more and more righteous and the evidences will be manifested in his life. Therefore, there are only two kinds of people: either they have repented or they have not repented. Those who have not repented will never produce the fruit of repentance. People may be able to temporarily fake their behaviors to other people, but not to God. In contrast, the fruit of repentance is permanent, because it is genuine. Exploring Parables in Luke: Seeing the Beauty of Christ and His Redemptive Work, Jacob Jasin 19