Jesus Loves and Finds the Lost.

Jesus Loves and Finds the Lost.

In Luke 15:1-32 we read: "Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of G-d over one sinner that repenteth. And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found."

Jesus truly did and does eat (Revelation 3:20) with the sinners and publicans - this was something the religious Pharisees and scribes would never do>. These sinners neither knew nor followed the strict dietary laws which the Pharisees and scribes meticulously followed. In answering the Pharisee’s and scribe's criticism of His habit of receiving sinners and eating with them, Jesus gives them three parables to clearly show that G-d loves sinners, seeks them out, and all heaven rejoices when they are found, showing that He is merely doing what His Father wants, contrary to what the religious "leaders" want to do with sinners and publicans. The three parables include:
1. (The Lost sheep)- A well-known example from life: A shepherd will leave the flock and go and search for his lost sheep until he finds it and brings it home on his shoulders rejoicing - this lost sheep is compared to the joy in heaven over one sinner who repents and in this manner finds his way to his heavenly home. Here is a story of one in a hundred.
2. (The Lost Coin): A housewife who seeks a lost coin and rejoices with friends when she finds it - is compared to the spiritual truth of G-d’s loving, seeking, and rejoicing over lost sinners that are finally found. Here is a story of one in ten.
3. (The Prodigal Son): The Holy Spirit emphasizes His main point (G-d’s love for and joy over repentant sinners) by giving a third parable wherein the illustration shifts from lost sheep and coins to a lost son, This younger Son chooses to leave and chooses to come back repentant (= Choice) and his father was waiting and looking for him (= Predestination). Here is a story of one in one.

The story of the prodigal son is one of Jesus' most famous parables even though the word prodigal is not found in Scripture. The main character in the Prodigal Son parable, is really the forgiving father, whose character remains constant throughout the parable, is a picture of a loving and forgiving G-d and His ongoing concern for the lost. The younger son symbolizes the lost, and the elder brother represents the self-righteous. The major theme of this parable is not so much the conversion of the sinner, but rather the restoration of a lost sinner into complete fellowship with the Father. The main difference being that the owners went out to look for what was lost in the first two parables, whereas in this third parable the father patiently waited and watched eagerly for his son's return. We see a progression between the three parables from the relationship of one in a hundred, to one in ten, to one in one; demonstrating G-d’s love for each individual and His personal attentiveness towards all humanity. We see in this parable the graciousness of the father overshadowing the sinfulness of his sons, as it is the memory of the father’s goodness and kindness that finally brings the prodigal son to true repentance.

In this parable the younger son asks his father for his share of his estate; which would have been half of what his older brother would receive; in other words 1/3 for the younger, 2/3 for the elder (Deuteronomy 21:17). Though it may have been within his rights to ask, it was not a loving thing to do. A Jewish son would never normally request nor receive his portion of the inheritance prior to his father's death. To even ask for this - was seen to mean that you wished your Father dead! Jesus' parables are intentionally packed with high emotion. Jesus' Jewish listeners would have expected the father in this parable to explode in anger and unbelief at his youngest son's unbelievable request. But in Jesus' parable, the father lovingly grants his son's request and divides his living—literally meaning that he literally divides his life to accommodate his youngest son's selfish desires. In this parable Jesus paints a picture in which the son prefers to live a sinful, selfish extravagant life with strangers rather than with his family - obviously not caring about what G-d wanted either. Instead of rebuking his son or denying him his "share" the father patiently granted him his request. This is a picture of G-d letting a sinner go his own way (Deuteronomy 30:19). We all possess this foolish ambition to be "on our own" - needing neither G-d nor family, which is the reason why sinners persist in their sins (Genesis 3:6, Romans 1:28). A sinful state is simply a departure and distance from G-d (Romans 1:21). A sinful state is also a state of constant discontent. Luke 12:15 says, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” This prodigal son learned the hard way that covetousness, greed and selfishness leads to a life of dissatisfaction and disappointment. He also learned that the most valuable things in life are the things you cannot buy.

This younger son traveled to a distant country and this physical departure was a display of his willful disobedience to all the goodness His father had offered (Proverbs 27:19, Matthew 6:21, 12:34). In the process, he squandered all his father had worked so hard for, on selfish, shallow fulfillment, losing everything. His financial disaster was followed by a natural disaster in the form of a famine (we are just now entering into another famine and we are just beginning to be in want) which he failed to plan for (Genesis 41:33-36). At this point he sold himself into physical servitude to a Gentile and found himself feeding pigs, a detestable position and job for any Jew (Leviticus 11:7; Deuteronomy 14:8; Isaiah 65:4; 66:17). Needless to say he must have been incredibly desperate at that point to willingly enter into such a loathsome position. And what an irony that his choices led him to a position in which he had no choice but to work, for a stranger at that, the very things he refused to do for his father. To top it off, he was paid so little that he longed to eat the pig’s slop. But, he couldn’t even find even this little "mercy" among the people. Obviously, once his wealth was gone, so were his "fair-weather friends". The text clearly says, “no man gave unto him.” . Even these unclean animals seemed to be better off than he was at this point. This is a picture of the state of the lost sinner who has returned to a life of slavery to sin (2 Peter 2:19-21). It is a picture of what sin really does in a person’s life, when they reject the Father’s will (Hebrews 12:1, Acts 8:23). “Sin always promises more than it gives, takes you further than you wanted to go, and leaves you worse off than you were before.” Sin promises life and freedom but brings slavery and death (John 6:23).

The prodigal son began to reflect on his condition and realized that even his father's hired servants had it better than him. His painful circumstances helped him to see his father in a new light and brought him hope (Psalm 147:11, Isaiah 40:30-31, Romans 8:24-25, 1 Timothy 4:10). This is reflective of the sinner when he/she discovers the destitute condition of their life because of sin. It is a realization that apart from G-d there is no hope (Ephesians 2:12, 2 Timothy 2:25-26). This is when a repentant sinner “comes to his senses” and longs to return to the state of fellowship with G-d which was lost when Adam sinned (Genesis 3:8). The son’s original reason for going home was to fill his empty stomach, not to reconcile with his father. The prodigal son was simply trying to find a way to save himself. In order to facilitate this, the son crafts a speech to manipulate, not to repent. The Pharisees know the Exodus scriptures well and knew that Pharaoh used a similar speech to placate Moses in a carnal attempt to stop the plagues. Clearly, the son is not returning to become a slave, he wants to become a hired craftsman so that he can survive and perhaps to repay what he had lost (Luke 19:8, Leviticus 6:4-5). . It is in this condition that the son starts his journey back to the father—literally covered with filthy (Isaiah 64:6) rags to wear and a contrived speech to manipulate his father. Regardless of his real motivation - his return to his father demonstrates true humility and true repentance, not based on what he said but was willing to do and eventually acted upon (Acts 26:20). He realized he had no right to claim any further inheritance upon return to his father’s household, nor did he have anything to offer to repay his debts, except a life of service, in repentance of his previous actions. With that he was prepared to fall at his father’s feet and hoped to at least be able to eat again.

As the prodigal son comes closer to his home, he feels fear and shame. He had wished his father dead; left his family and community; and now he has lost everything. He expects to face both his father’s anger and rejection. Further, the Jewish community would reject and banish him—as was their custom. Any Jew who lost his money among foreigners would face the Kezazah (literally “the cutting off.”) The Kezazah would be performed by breaking a clay pot at the feet of the prodigal as visual symbol that the community rejected him forever. Jesus portrays the father as waiting patiently for his son's return, daily searching the distant road hoping to finally catch a glimpse of his Son's return, Jesus notes that the Father first saw his prodigal Son from a long way off. During that time it was not the custom of men to run, yet the father ran to greet his son. Why would he break conventionalism for this wayward child who had sinned against him? The obvious answer is because he loved him and was eager to show him that love and to restore their relationship. But the prodigal son is now struck with fear seeing his father run at him. In the Middle East, it was considered humiliating for men over age forty to run. As the father ran, he would have had to lift his robe and expose himself—another humiliation. As the father drew closer, the son did not see his Father's hate or anger—but only his Father's love and joy.

When the father finally reached his returning son not only did he throw his arms around him but he also greeted him with a kiss of love (1 Peter 5:14). He was so filled with joy at his son’s return that he didn’t even let his son finish his contrived confession. Nor did he question or lecture him; instead he unconditionally forgave him and accepted him back into his family. The father running to his son, greeting him with a kiss and ordering the celebration to begin is a picture of how our Heavenly Father feels towards sinners who repent. G-d greatly loves us, patiently waits for us to repent so he can show us His great unmerited mercy, because he does not want any of us to perish nor suffer (Ephesians 2:1-10, 2 Peter 3:9, 1 Corinthians 3:15). Experiencing his father’s visible joy and complete forgiveness, the prodigal Son's manipulative speech is simply not necessary. All that is left - is the feeling that he is is not worthy. The love and forgiveness are too overwhelming. Then the father restores the son—covering him with the best robe, providing shoes for his feet (slaves were bare-footed, sons wore shoes), placing a ring on his finger (a signet ring would give him the power to transact business). The imagery here is that of the son returning with filthy rags on his back and a contrived speech. Yet it was the father’s costly, unexpected outpouring of visible love that really turns the son’s heart toward him. The son’s work (repentance) is simply to accept that he was forgiven by his Father's love. The related parable of The Lost Sheep provides a beautiful image of this saving grace. When we fully realize the magnitude of G-d's unmerited grace and unconditional forgiveness for us - we can then truly forgive others. When we understand that G-d takes the responsibility (with joy) to find and completely restore (Joel 2:25) us, we can truly love and help others.

This prodigal son was satisfied if he could simply return home as a hired servant, but to his surprise and delight was restored back into the full privilege of being his father’s son. He had been transformed from a state of complete destitution to complete restoration. That is what G-d's grace does for any penitent sinner (Psalm 40:2, 103:4). Not only are we forgiven but we receive a spirit of sonship as His children, heirs of G-d and co-heirs with Christ, of his incomparable riches (Romans 8:16-17, Ephesians 1:18-19). The father then ordered the servants to bring the best robe (a sign of dignity and honor, a covering for his filthy rags and proof of his acceptance back into the family), a ring for the son's hand (a sign of authority and sonship it was like our credit cards) and sandals for his feet (a sign of not being a servant, as servants did not wear shoes, or for that matter rings or expensive clothing). All these things represent what we receive in Christ upon our salvation: clothed in the robe of the Redeemer's righteousness (Isaiah 61:10), made partakers of the Spirit of adoption (Ephesians 1:5), feet fitted with the readiness that come from the gospel of peace prepared to walk in the ways of holiness (Ephesians 6:15). A fattened calf was prepared, and a party was held (notice that blood was shed = atonement for sin ~ Hebrews 9:22). Fatted calves in those times were saved for special occasions such as the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:26-32). This was not just any party; it was a rare and complete celebration. Had the prodigal Son been dealt with according to the Law there would have been a funeral, not a celebration. “The Lord does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.” (Psalm 103:10-13). Instead of condemnation, there is rejoicing for a son who had been dead but now is alive, who once was lost but now is found (Romans 8:1; John 5:24). Note the parallel between “dead” and “alive” and “lost” and “found”—terms that also apply to one’s state before and after conversion to Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:1-5). This is a beautiful story/picture of what occurs in heaven over one repentant sinner (Luke 15: 7, 10).

Now to the final and tragic character in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the oldest son, who symbolizes the Pharisees and the Scribes and today's religious leaders and self righteous "beLIEevers". Outwardly they lived blameless "holy" lives, but inwardly their attitudes were abominable (Matthew 23:25-28). This was true of the older son who worked hard, publically obeyed his father, and brought no visible disgrace to his family or townspeople. It is obvious by his words and actions, upon his brothers return, that he is not showing any love either for his Father or his brother. One of the duties of the eldest son would have included reconciliation between the father and his son. He would have been the host at the feast to celebrate his brother’s return. Yet he remained in the field instead of in the house where he should have been. This act alone would have brought public disgrace upon the father. Still the father, with great patience, went out to plead with his angry and hurting eldest son. He did not rebuke him as his actions and disrespectful address of his father warranted (he says “Lo” (look) instead of addressing him as “Father” or “My Lord”), nor did his compassion cease as he listened to his complaints and criticisms. The boy pleaded to his father's righteousness by proudly proclaiming his own self-righteousness in comparison to his brother’s sinfulness (Matthew 7:3-5). By saying “this thy son was come,” the older brother avoids acknowledging that the prodigal is even his own brother. Just like the Pharisees, the older brother was defining sin by outward actions, not inward attitudes (Luke 18:9-14). In essence the older brother was saying that he was the one worthy of the celebration and his father had been ungrateful for all his work. Now the one who had squandered his wealth was getting from the father what the elder brother deserved. The father tenderly addresses his oldest as “Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine" and corrects the error in his thinking by addressing the prodigal son as “this thy brother". The father’s response, “It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad” suggests that the elder brother should have joined in the celebration of his brother’s return.

The older brother’s focus was on himself and as a result there was no joy in his brother’s arrival home. He was too self-consumed with issues of self-righteousness, justice and equity that he failed to see the value in the fact that his brother had repented and returned. He failed to realize that “anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there I nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him” (1 John 2:9-11). He allowed the devil's anger to take root in his heart to the point that he was unable to forgive or show compassion towards his brother, and for that matter the perceived sin of his father against him (Genesis 4:5-8). He preferred to nurse his anger rather than enjoy fellowship with his father, brother and the community. He personally chose suffering and isolation over restoration and reconciliation (Matthew 5:24, 6:14-15). He saw his brother’s return as a threat to his own inheritance. After all, why should he have to share his remaining portion with a brother who had already wastefully squandered his? And why hadn’t his father rejoiced in his presence through his faithful years of service? This son complained that he had “slaved" all these years. Both sin and self-righteousness separate us from G-d's love and forgiveness! We all require and need to be saved by G-d’s grace (His unearned, unmerited love for us) but, self righteousness is far more difficult (if not impossible) for a person to repent of - because they always think they are right!. The sinner knows he is wrong! Religious people do not need G-d as they beLIEve they are earning their way and they get very angry when anyone they feel has not earned their own way gets blessed/saved. The publicans and sinners draw near to hear Him (John 10:27) - the religious leaders do not want Him to talk! The Jews and many denominational "Christians" today all labor under the law - true Christians are saved only by grace.

The wise and loving father seeks to bring restoration by pointing out that all he has is and has always been available for the asking to his eldest son, as it was his portion of the inheritance since the time of the allotment. He never utilized the blessings at his disposal (Galatians 5:22, 2 Peter 1:5-8). Just like the eldest son, the Pharisees and scribes (and Denominational churches today) have a religion of good works. They hope to earn blessings from G-d and in their carnal "obedience" merit eternal life (Romans 9:31-33, 10:3). They never ask - so they will never receive salvation! They fail to understand the unmerited grace of G-d, and failed to comprehend the meaning of true forgiveness and mercy. It was therefore not what they did that became a stumbling block to their growth but rather what they did not do, which completely alienated them from G-d (Matthew 23:23-24, Romans 10:4). They were irate at the fact that Jesus was receiving and forgiving “unholy” people, failing to see their own tremendous need for a Savior. We know that the Pharisees and scribes continued to oppose Jesus and separate themselves from his followers. Despite Jesus' parables pleading for them to “come join in” they continued to refuse and were the ones who instigated the false arrest, beating and crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 26:59). A tragic ending to all these three parables filled with such hope of unmerited salvation, mercy, joy, and forgiveness. Throughout Jesus' ministry, the Pharisees and scribes expressed seething anger toward him. And the hate of the religious leaders reached it end when they freely chose to crucify Jesus. Even then, Jesus continued to express unconditional, unexpected love which eventually lead to Paul's conversion, who himself, was previously a seething, anger filled Pharisee. This is a wonderful picture of the great love of G-d has towards us - who are so unworthy. He continually seeks after us, reaches out to us and calls to us from whatever level of despair and hell we have fallen into. When we finally come to Him, He completely washes away all our filth and sins, not holding them against us nor even remembering any of them. “He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:19).

The picture of the elder Brother refusing to receive the prodigal Son back into brotherly relationship is a warning to us dear one on how we should personally respond to any repentant sinners (1 John 4:20-21, Luke 17:3, Galatians 6:1, James 5:19-20). “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). We are included in that "all" and we must remember that “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” apart from Christ (Isaiah 64:6, John 15:1-6). It is only by G-d’s grace that we are saved, not by works that we may boast of some goodness that we perceive to be our own (Ephesians 2:9, Romans 9:16, Psalm 51:5). That is the core message of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Jesus is saying that he came to earth to find and restore sinners. Through these parables, Jesus is redefining repentance to mean “accepting being found.” Jesus equates himself with the good shepherd. In the Middle East, a lost sheep can take two to three days to find and restore. When a sheep realizes that it is lost, it freezes and can only cry out. Yet even when the sheep hears the voice of his shepherd, it can’t move because it is so terrified. This is why the shepherd must carry the sheep back to the fold on his shoulders. In the Middle East with its rugged terrain, carrying a sheep on your shoulders is a difficult, dangerous task. Jesus would eventually carry the cross on His shoulders to save us - because we clearly can not save ourselves!.

Shalom! And Selah!