The Reason for Christmas is You: Luke 15
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Outline of the Bible Study
a. The Gospel of Luke
i. Overview of the Gospel
ii. The Author
iii. Audience: IT id for the Gentiles but it can also be to the Jewish readers.
b. Setting (15:1–3)
i. Approach of sinners and tax collectors (15:1)
ii. Grumbling of Pharisees and scribes (15:2)
c. Parable of the lost sheep (15:4–7)
d. Parable of the lost coin (15:8–10)
e. Lessons
i. Search
ii. Repentance
iii. Rejoicing
A. The Gospel of Luke
A. The Gospel of Luke
i. Overview of the Gospel
First, it is the longest gospel. Second it is a gospel with a sequel, where it connects the relationship between Jesus Ministry and the Church era during that particular point in time.
Four main Questions are answered by Luke in the Gospel:
First was the question of salvation. How could Gentiles be included as God’s people on an equal basis with Jews, extending even to matters like table fellowship and the exclusion of circumcision?
Second, the seeming paradox exists that while God’s plan was at work the most natural audience for the message, the Jewish nation, was responding largely negatively. Indeed Jews even persecuted Christians who preached God’s hope to them. Why was God’s plan meeting so much hostility? Was this new community cursed for being too generous with God’s promise or was it blessed? If blessed, where was evidence of such blessing? Had God ceased to reach out to Israel? Had the new community withdrawn itself from the old community of faith? The Lucan answer to this question is that the church did not separate itself from Israel; it continued to preach to the nation and did not withdraw. Rather, Israel turned the church out, forcing it to form a new community. Luke’s Gospel lays the groundwork for this reply in detailing how the nation and especially its leadership reacted to Jesus.
The third issue was how the person and teaching of a crucified Jesus fit into God’s plan. How could Jesus, despite his physical absence, continue to exercise a presence and represent the hope of God? How could the church exalt such an “absent” figure and regard him as the center of God’s work? How could a slain figure bring the consummation of God’s promises? How would and could consummation come through him?
Fourth, what does it mean to respond to Jesus? What is required, what can one expect in making such a commitment, and how should one live until the day Jesus returns and the hope is realized? In short, what are believers and the new community to be? This is a major burden of the Gospel of Luke: to define Jesus’ mission and that of the disciples who follow him.
“Luke’s Gospel highlights the activity of a mighty and faithful God through Jesus, the Promised One who shows the way.” Darrel Bock
ii. The author: It seems he is a gentile and a doctor.
In sum, it seems very likely that Luke was a Gentile, though it is unclear whether his cultural background was Semitic. In any case, he probably had religious contact with Judaism before coming to Christ.
So Luke is Paul’s “sometime” companion. He is likely to be a medical doctor, possibly from Antioch of Syria, who is not Jewish, though whether he is Syrian or a Greco-Roman is not clear.
b. Setting (15:1–3)
Audience: The tax collectors and sinners, and the Pharisees and the Scribes.
Wider Context:
Immediate context:
Luke 15:1-3
Luke 15:1–3 (NASB)
1 Now all the tax-gatherers and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him.2 And both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”3 And He told them this parable, saying,
i. Approach of sinners and tax collectors (15:1)
One of the purpose of Luke’s gospel is to show that Jesus loves sinners. The tax collectors are the most hated group in the society. and the sinners constitute the prostitutes, the drunkards, the thief and so on.
ii. Grumbling of Pharisees and scribes (15:2)
The Pharisees: They are legal experts of the law. they always try to be in line with the laws of the Torah, which are the first five books of the Bible. They are like lawyers of today but unlike the secular lawyers, they are the religious lawyers.
The Scribes: They are the ones who writes and copies the manuscripts of the Bible. They learn the torah by heart. each and every word. It is said that if a scribe made a mistake in copying the words of the Bible, they will have to rewrite it again and they will have to take bath nearly three time before they can write again. It is a very well to do job because they are also paid a very high salary.
These two groups are the audience of Jesus during that time, the tax collectors and the sinners and the Pharisees and the scribes.
iii. Jesus tells a parable (15:3)
Since, there was grumbling among the Pharisees and the Scribes, Jesus defended his actions by telling them the parable.
c. Parable of the lost sheep (15:4–7)
New American Standard Bible (The Lost Sheep)
4 “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it?
Jesus started the parable with a question, whether one will go and search the lost sheep and leave the ninety nine behind. In Greek, we know that the answer to this question is a resounding “YES!.” The Shepherd will go and search for that one sheep which is lost. (Give an example).
The Shepherd here is not a poor shepherd at all because during Jesus’ time, anyone who has more than 20-30 sheep are not poor at all. But still this shepherd went out and search for the one sheep that was lost.
The sheep in the animal kingdom are considered as the dumbest animal. they cannot live by themselves, they will always need a shepherd. They also get lost very easily.
This Shepherd has 100 sheep but he left the 99 at the cost of the one sheep. He even left them in an open pasture without anyone’s help just to get that one sheep that was.
God here is represented a shepherd who cares for his sheep, not matter at what cost, he is going to search for his own sheep. We are just like the sheep, we are dumb and foolish like the sheep but God’s purpose is: No matter how far we run from him, he is trying his best to find us back for himself, no matter what the cost is.
This is also a fulfillment of the Prophecy in Ezekiel 34, where the elders of the People of Israel are considered as false prophets and God as the the true shepherd.
This question will surely ring into the minds of the Pharisees and the scribes on that time. In verse 2 of Luke 15, they grumbled against Jesus for sitting with Tax collectors and sinners and now here Jesus is reminding them they instead of him being a true shepherd, the Pharisees and the scribes should be the one receiving the sinners and tax collectors.
New American Standard Bible (The Lost Sheep)
5“And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
Note here in verse 5, the Shepherd has found the sheep that was lost. Where the shepherds take the sheep on his shoulders and rejoice. Here in this verse, we do not see the shepherd scolding the sheep for going astray but he takes it on his shoulders and was joyful for finding the lost sheep.
Does this verse remind you of anything?
Who do you think the shepherd here is?
This verse reminds of of Jesus. Jesus represent as the Shepherd here.
Let’s read together John 10:27-28
27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;28 and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.
We also know Psalm 23.
He bore our sins on his shoulders. 1 Peter 2:24
24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
Jesus does not only search for us and bring us back to himself, he carried even our sins upon his shoulders, so that when we stand in front of God in the day of judgement, he does not see our sins but Jesus who died for our sins, and that is how we receive eternal life.
Let us now go to verse Luke 15:6
6 “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’
Just imagine, who will call for a party when one finds a lost sheep? not one will. But the shepherd here is so joyful that he invited his neighbours for a party to celebrate with him for finding the lost sheep.
Then Jesus goes on to say in Luke 15:7
7 “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Jesus here is trying to compare the celebration of the shepherd and his neighbors and the celebration in heaven, which is much more than the shepherd celebrates with his neighbors. That is how much heaven rejoice when one lost soul is found.
And Jesus said, heaven rejoices not for the 99 who does not need repentance but for the one who was lost but repented.
The 99 here are a representation for the Pharisees and the scribes but he one sheep is represented for the sinners and tax collectors.
The pharisees don’t want to repent but the sinners and tax collectors repented for their sin.
So, what is repentance all about?
The word repentance here comes from the Greek word μετανοέω, which is a verb, meaning a doing word. The main meaning of this word is to have a change in one’s mind. To start being conscious on one’s sins and changing ones’s way from the wrong path to the right one. It all starts from the mind. When the mind realizes that sin is wrong, the change in actions will eventually kick in.
Repentance here according to Timothy Keller is not only a repentance from the sins that we have done but also from the self-righteous deeds that we have done in life.
We will understand this more by reading Romans 12:2
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
True repentance according tot he Apostle Paul is the renewing of the mind, so that we may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
So that is the repentance that Jesus wants from the Pharisees and Scribes and also the sinners and tax collectors. ultimately Jesus wants the same from us as well. Not to be adamant like the Pharisees and scribes but to repent freely like the sinners and tax collectors.
When it comes to the part of rejoicing in heaven of one sinner who repents, does it reminds anything about Christmas? What does it remind you?
or do do you remember anything about rejoicing in the gospels when Jesus was born?
It reminds us of the shepherd who received the message from heaven regarding the birth of Jesus Christ. Read Luke 2:8-20
8 And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over their flock by night.9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.10 And the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people;11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.12 “And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger.”13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”15 And it came about when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”16 And they came in haste and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.17 And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.20 And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
I used to wonder how can the angels rejoice the coming of Jesus, they should have wept because they know that he is going to suffer on the cross but they did now, why? because they knew and foresee that Jesus is going to bring into heaven many sinners along with him.
And that is why there is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents.
d. Parable of the lost coin (15:8–10)
