LOST SONS, EMBRACING FATHER

American Standard Version Chapter 15

15 Now all the publicans and sinners were drawing near unto him to hear him.

2And both the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 3And he spake unto them this parable,

The Gospel of Luke f. The Gospel for the Outcast (15:1–32)

There can be no doubt that ch. 15 forms one self-contained and artistically constructed unit with a single theme. The theme is announced at the outset: Jesus is criticised for welcoming sinners and having fellowship with them, and he gives parabolic teaching to justify his attitude. The introduction (15:1–3) is followed by two short, similarly constructed parables (15:4–7, 8–10) and one longer parable (15:11–32) which all make the same point: the joy which is experienced by a person who recovers what he has lost. The applications of the first two parables make it quite explicit that such joy is a reflection of the joy felt by God when he recovers what he has lost (cf. E. Rasco*). The third parable, however, broadens out the theme by investigating the situation of the lost person and by looking at the attitude of the person who was apparently not lost and yet resented the joy felt over the returning prodigal

I will like us to study this passage a little closely. One of the ways the ways to do this is to pay close attention to the historical, cultural and textual context of this passage.

Many scholars like Paul Herbert, Philip Jenkins and recently Graig Keener, Gerald West of South Africa, have mentioned the need to context: “the need to hear the voices from various culture speaking and interacting with our biblical interpretation”

The earlier part made us to know that the religious people were not happy that Jesus who is supposed to be Holy Rabbi is not supposed to be interacting with sinners.

Context: Jesus welcome sinner and Eat with them:

Lost coin

Lost sheep

Lost Son

Most Westerners will assert the young person for knowing right and being confident

Problem was that he didn’t manage his portfolios well, No investment, No 401 K etc. But eventually he came out of Adversity into Prosperity.

Down Africa- Problem with the Asking

Asia

He wants his father dead

He moved everything out

He went out of the far Country: He did not want to be submissive to any authority or monitoring

He wasted everything

There was famine

American Standard Version Chapter 15

15And he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

He wish he could eat from the pig’ s food

THEN HE CAME TO HIMSELF: Hunger is an effective agent

American Standard Version Chapter 15

17But when he came to himself he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with hunger! 18I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: 19I am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20And he arose, and came to his father

Adversity/ crisis and troubles are instruments in drawing us back to our father. Good news: He is waiting for us.