Rejoice With the Lord, For He is Finding the Lord
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William H. Banegas
Scripture: Luke 15
Theme: Rejoice With the Lord, for He is Finding the Lost
Introduction:
Today, I want for us to consider from Luke 15 how we must Rejoice with the Lord for He is finding the Lost.
Transition: Before jumping right into the text of our passage today, I believe that it is best for us to get a bit of context that will serve as the catalyst for several of Jesus’ parables.
Context
Our passage begins with referencing how the tax collectors and sinners were listening to Jesus.
A critical piece for us to understand concerns what it was that they were listening to.
Luke 14 concludes with referencing the cost of discipleship.
Jesus demonstrates the cost of discipleship by emphasizing the priority of a relationship with Christ over all other relationships (Luke 14:25-26).
In other words, Jesus is Master.
Another way of understanding Jesus’ use of the term ‘hate’ concerns that of preference.
In Genesis 29, the same term is used to describe Jacob’s preference for Rachel over Leah.
Similarly, Jacob’s preference for Joseph is explained in the same terms in Genesis 37.
Thus, while I do not believe that we are to neglect any of these relationships, Jesus is to take priority of these relationships in being our Master.
Notice, also the use of a list consisting of 7 items.
Father, mother, wife, child, brother, sister, and self.
Jesus is underscoring how completely He must supersede even the closest of human relationships.
Jesus identifies the cost of discipleship is one’s own life (Luke 14:27).
The inescapable correlation of the cross with execution and losing one’s life was inevitable.
Jesus illustrates the cost of discipleship through 2 parables
In the parable of the builder, Jesus emphasizes the role of planning.
In other words, one must consider what it costs to follow Jesus.
What relationships must take a backseat in order to follow Christ?
In the parable of the nations, Jesus underscores the role of sacrifice.
In other words, what must I give up to follow Christ.
What possessions am I holding onto that pose a threat to following Christ the way that He deserves?
Jesus’ last parable transitions into His final point on the cost of following Him: possessions.
The term rendered ‘give up’ is a term that is translated elsewhere as a goodbye or farewell.
In other words, this attitude is a willingness to part with one’s possessions.
When it comes down to it, the things we own are all His anyway.
Thus, He has the right to establish for us what we should do with them for His glory.
Jesus concludes His discussion on the cost of discipleship by a comparison.
Jesus may have been referencing a kind of salt that was farmed nearby.
Most salt from this time came from around the Dead Sea.
In the event that it was carelessly processed, it had a poor taste.
It had to be discarded since it was not good for anything, but, instead, a liability.
In other words, just like useless salt, a follower of Jesus who prioritizes other relationships, personal desires, and things before Jesus is not good for anything or is not really following Christ.
Another way of looking at this concerns the fact that Jesus deserves this kind of priority!
Transition: In considering the cost of discipleship, I want to go ahead and summarize what we have considered so far.
Summary:
Jesus is our Master and deserves relationship preference over all others.
Jesus is worthy of any personal sacrifice that we can make of our wants and desires.
Jesus is the Master over our possessions, therefore, we relinquish them as necessary to follow Him.
Our Response:
He is worthy!
If He calls us to follow Him as Master, give up our lives, and turn away from holding too tightly to this world’s possessions, then He must be far greater than that which He calls us away from!
In other words, He’s worth following, no matter what.
We need to humbly recognize our dependence on Him to do this transforming work in our heart.
We want to value other relationships.
We don’t want to sacrifice because it hurts.
We want to hold onto possessions.
If Jesus is going to be our Master, if we are going to sacrifice for Jesus, if we are going to let no possession hinder us from following Him, then we need His power to transform our hearts.
Jesus’ audience.
There’s a striking distinction that is being made.
The tax collectors and sinners are seriously taking to hear what Jesus has said about the cost of discipleship.
Jesus concludes with encouraging others to hear and understand (Luke 14:35)
Luke 15:1 opens with this group listening/hearing Jesus.
They’re doing what they and everyone else is supposed to do: listen and receive God’s Word.
However, what are the Pharisees and Scribes doing?
Grumbling
Wouldn’t you know it that this phrase is used in the Old Testament, in Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy to describe the nation of Israel in grumbling/murmuring against the Lord.
In other words, nothing has changed in their hearts.
They claim to know God’s Word in the Law but they are still grumbling against the Lord.
Notice, though, does Jesus outright correct their evaluation?
You see, Jesus was not associating with tax collectors and sinners to be like them.
Instead, He was associating with them to give them the Gospel and the opportunity to repent and follow Him.
Transition: Sinners considering the meaning of discipleship and what it costs to follow Christ and those who would grumble against God’s Word forms the backdrop for the three parables before us in our passage today. Let’s continue by looking at …
The Parable of the Shepherd who Sought and Found (Luke 15:3-7)
For the parables that follow, it’s best to consider their name after the chief character in the content.
Each chief character is referenced first in each story.
Each chief character is referenced multiple times in each story.
Thus, our first parable should be entitled the parable of the Shepherd.
The next parable should be entitled the parable of the woman.
The final parable in our chapter should be entitled the parable of the father.
What we have presented here is how diligently the Lord finds the Lost.
There’s a word combination here that is very important to recognize.
It’s the combination of the words ‘until’ and finds.
This word pair was used in Genesis 44:12 to describe the search that Joseph undertook for his treasured cup that he placed in Benjamin’s belongings.
In other words, there is a great effort to search every in a detailed fashion.
Consider how the shepherd’s diligence remains undiminished when he finds the sheep.
Upon finding the lost sheep, he places it on his shoulders.
Such an action may have been prompted by the sheer exhaustion of the sheep in having wandered from the flock.
In other words, the sheep likely had no remaining strength to make the return on their own.
Transition: There's a great deal of overlap between the conclusions of these two parables, that I want for use to go ahead and consider the next parable and then reflect on the overlapping elements.
The Parable of the Woman who Searched and Found (Luke 15:8-10)
A drachma was a silver coin that was equal to a denarius or a day’s wage.
In other words, this woman had saved up about 10 days’ worth of wages.
The emphasis here concerns the value that is invested in the coin.
Notice how the passage builds in imagery.
She lights a lamp in order to see.
She undertakes a physical activity to uncover the lost coin.
The term used just makes us feel every movement of the instrument employed in the sweeping.
We can almost hear the instrument touch the ground and brush up against it in hope of uncovering the cherished coin.
‘Search carefully’ concerns great effort to search.
It carries with it every conceivable effort that one would voluntarily undertake to search for something.
No effort is spared to find the treasured item.
What we have presented here is the demonstration of how no obstacle can hinder the Lord from finding the Lost.
Consider the level of rejoicing that is found between both parables so far.
The reference to friends and neighbors is an interesting one.
It’s found in Luke 14:12, though in a negative context.
Indicates those that we would immediately prefer to have at a celebration
In other words, anytime that there's a celebration, these are the kinds of folks that you consider first in inviting over.
You’re so happy that you want your closest of friends and neighbors to join you.
Transition: The note of rejoicing provides the conclusion that serves to move us into the final parable of our passage.
The Parable of the Father who Finds (Luke 15:11-32)
Consider just how far this younger son/brother has fallen.
He’s completely out of resources.
All of his inheritance has been wasted.
He’s so hungry he believes he’s going to die.
The food for the pigs that he longs for is insufficient for human nutritional needs.
The food referenced for the pigs is a carob pod.
It is similar to green peas.
However, its main use was fodder for animals.
He works for a Gentile.
He went to a far country.
He’s feeding pigs.
He’s feeding pigs!
I can only imagine the scoffs that could have been audibly heard when Jesus got to this point of the story.
There are ancient texts that recognize a state of being cursed if you were a pig farmer at this time.
In other words, he’s at the end of his rope.
Consider the change in the younger son/brother.
‘When he came to his senses’ carries with it several connotations.
Clear thinking.
We see evidence of this reasoning skill.
He reasons that his father’s servants have more than enough food.
The phrase rendered ‘enough’ refers to an abundance.
It’s used in the feeding of the multitude narratives to describe how even when folks ate to the full there was still more left over.
Spiritual renewal.
The younger son/brother confesses his sin.
He recognizes how he sinned against God (heaven).
He recognizes how he sinned against his father.
The younger son/brother demonstrates humility.
He does not deserve his former position.
Instead, he would rather be a slave.
Consider the response of the father.
The intensity of this drama really builds.
Notice the actions.
Seeing a distance off
Running to the son
It is frequently reported that such behaviors were not becoming of older, respected men.
However, this father broke that tradition out of compassion.
Embracing him as his child
What evidences indicate that the father fully accepted his younger son as reconciled to the family?
What is presented here is a great demonstration of the father’s longing and compassion towards his lost son.
Declaring him as restored to the family
The son intends to ask to be a slave.
The father does not give a chance to have the son make this request.
Instead, the father makes visible demonstrations of complete restoration.
The new robe symbolizes status.
The ring evidences the authority that the son wields in full family restoration.
The sandals are particularly important.
During this time, slaves did not wear sandals.
Thus, the father’s final gesture of equipping his younger son with resources is the icing on the cake.
There’s no doubt about it, this son is fully reconciled to his father.
Celebrating this restoration.
The reference to the fatted calf is incredibly fascinating.
During this time, meat was not a staple entree of the eastern dinner table.
Instead, meat was considered a luxury food either enjoy by the wealthy or reserved for special times.
This was an animal that was specifically reserved for the purpose of fattening up for a time of unique celebration unlike any other.
The drama that has unfolded has presented to us complete reconciliation.
Notice how this corresponds with the other 2 parables so far.
Shepherd/Woman/Father find something that was lost.
Each calls together others within their immediate vicinity to rejoice.
Each holds a celebration over finding that which was lost.
Consider the response of the older son/brother.
He is described as angry.
Luke uses this phrase a total of 4 times.
In the other 3 places, it refers to God’s wrath against sin, which is justified.
This is the only instance in which it is reference concerning a human.
Thus, it implies that there is absolutely no grounds for this kind of behavior.
In other words, the older son/brother, has not right to be angry.
He seeks to justify himself.
He references how he has slaved for his father.
The older son’s attitude toward his father was not one of a family relationship.
Instead, he saw himself as being a slave, what his younger brother had hoped for out of his destitute condition.
Notice how illogical this is.
If he was a true slave, his expectation would have been to complete his tasks.
A slave does what they’re told and did not necessarily expect a reward
He references his righteousness.
He obeyed his father’s commands.
His younger brother wasted his inheritance.
How does the older brother know this?
There are 2 answers that we can surmise
He’s making an assumption
He has firsthand knowledge
However, the older brother is hanging onto history
What was the purpose for throwing this feast?
Was it to honor the past?
No - the younger son was considered as good as dead
It was to honor the present
The younger son who was lost in the pleasures of the world has returned/repented.
The celebration is over the repentance!
However, what did he identify was his intent behind these actions?
It wasn’t that he was moved by relationship.
He was moved by stuff.
In referencing a goat, this son is referencing a meat source that could be more readily available than the fatted calf.
Thus, he’s making a comparison between a lesser quality of meat to a higher quality of meat and calling into question the father’s goodness.
How is he any different from his younger brother who squandered his inheritance?
What is he really angry about?
He’s not angry at his brother.
He’s angry at his father for celebrating the reconciliation of his brother to the family.
Notice all the uses of ‘you’ in Luke 15:30.
It's interesting what the older brother does not say
He does not call his younger brother a brother at all.
Instead, he distances himself by referring to him as 'this son of yours’.
This son is indicting his father’s generous character.
It's over the abundant display of celebration.
Consider the similarity of the father’s response now to his older son.
The father sought him out and ‘found’ him outside of the celebration.
The father ‘pled’ with his older son, presumably, to join in the same celebration.
The father did not correct any of the older son’s statements.
The father referred to him in very familial terms, while the angry older son came close to deny familial relationship.
Conclusion: Notice how it ends: we’re left with a father pleading with his son to join the celebration of salvation in the father’s home. We have no resolution on if the older brother will join. Truthfully, it’s kind of eerie. But it’s an invitation: will we respond to the Lost with the father’s compassion or the older brother’s disdain and self-righteousness?