Tuesday, March 31, 2015

A Timeless Question Posed To Jesus...


At the church where I serve we have been spending the weeks leading up to this Easter week looking at various encounters that people had with Jesus that are recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. And as we look at these encounters with Jesus, we have discovered several timeless truths that will have the potential to powerfully impact our lives today.

This week I would like for us to spend our time together looking at another encounter that Jesus had while here on earth. And as we jump back into an account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in the Bible called the gospel of Luke, we are going to discover another timeless truth that can occur when we encounter Jesus. So let’s discover that timeless truth together, beginning in Luke 18:18:

A ruler questioned Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

Luke begins this section of his account of Jesus life by explaining that as Jesus and His disciples traveled to Jerusalem to attend the Passover celebration, a ruler stopped Jesus to ask Him a question. This ruler, who would have been considered a leading political and social figure in the Jewish culture of the first century, asked Jesus "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

In other words this political and social leader was asking Jesus “What must I do to be right with God so that I can be with God in Heaven?” This political and social leader was looking past this life and was wondering what would happen to him after this life. And this political leader wanted to be in a position that he could experience life with God in Heaven. 

And it is this question that has been asked by humanity throughout history. You see, there is something within us that recognizes that there is more to this life. And that recognition leads us to seek and search for answers when it comes to what is beyond this life. And this ruler, who grew up with a knowledge of God, wanted to make sure that he knew what he had to do so that he would be with God for all eternity in Heaven.

You see, word had reached this ruler that Jesus was a teacher that seemed to have all the answers. Jesus was not only able to answer all the questions that the religious leaders were asking Him; Jesus was asking questions that the religious leaders were not able to answer. So, as far as this ruler was concerned, Jesus was a good teacher that would be the natural choice to ask this question. Luke reveals for us how Jesus responded to the ruler’s question in verse 19:

 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.

Luke explains that Jesus responded to this ruler’s question with a question of His own: "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” Now a natural question that arises here is “Well Dave, why would Jesus respond to the ruler that way? Why answer his question with a question?”

The reason why Jesus responded to this ruler the way that He did was because Jesus wanted to question and challenge this ruler’s view of goodness. You see, in the Jewish culture of the first century, just as it is today, people tended to view good on relative terms. We tend to view good on a sliding scale, don’t we?

You know what I mean. We may look at our life and rate ourselves as an 85 on the good scale. We see someone that we work with and find ourselves saying, that guy is only a 70 on the scale, I am better off than he is; but that guy, well he is a 90 and I am not nearly as good as he is.

Here, however, we see Jesus redefine the concept of good by revealing the reality that God is the only source of true goodness. But why would Jesus do that? Why would Jesus redefine that ruler's concept of what good is? The reason why Jesus redefined good for this ruler was so that He could challenge the ruler’s view of who He is.

Jesus is basically saying to this ruler “so you believe that I am good. Well the only source of true goodness is God. So since you are calling Me good, do you believe that I am God?”  Jesus is, in essence, asking the ruler if he believed that Jesus is God.

Now I want us to take a minute and imagine ourselves in this event from history as this ruler. I want us to take a minute and place ourselves in his shoes. You have heard the word on the street about Jesus. You have heard that Jesus is an amazing teacher that can answer any question and that asks questions that no one else can answer.

And you have questions. You have questions because there is something within you that senses that there is more than this life. You recognize that there is a God and you want to make sure that you are with God for all eternity in Heaven. So you approach Jesus and ask Jesus what you need to do to make sure that you will be with God in Heaven because you believe that Jesus is a good enough teacher to provide you the answer to that question.

And instead of answering your question, Jesus asks you a question. Instead of immediately answering your question about being right with God, Jesus asks you if you believe that He is God. You are this ruler. What would you be thinking? How would you be feeling? How would you respond?

If you were this ruler, wouldn't you be caught off guard? However, before the ruler could answer Jesus question, Jesus continues to engage this ruler by beginning to answer his question in verse 20:

"You know the commandments, 'DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.'"

Luke tells us that Jesus continued to engage this ruler and his question by quoting the 7th, 6th, 8th, 9th and 5th commandments of the Ten Commandments that God had given the Jewish people through a man named Moses. In a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament of our Bibles called the book of Exodus, God had given the Jewish people a series of commands that were designed to reveal God’s nature and character and the nature and character that the Jewish people would need to posses in order to live in a right relationship with God, which the Jewish people referred to as the Law.

In Exodus 20, God began to give Moses what would become known as the Law by giving Ten Commandments that were written on two stone tablets to be taken by Moses to the Jewish people. Now when Jesus quotes the 7th, 6th, 8th, 9th and 5th commandments, these commandments are all horizontal in nature and deal with our relationships with others as we live in community with one another.

Jesus is basically saying to this ruler “You know the answer to this question because God already answered this question. Remember the Ten Commandments that God gave Moses? Remember all those commandments that deal with how you treat others. You need to keep those commandments”. 

Tomorrow, we will see how the ruler responded to the answer that he received from Jesus…

Friday, March 27, 2015

Encountering Jesus will challenge us to see that our gratitude for God’s activity in our lives reveals the reality of our relationship with God.


This week we have been looking at an encounter that ten lepers had with Jesus that is recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. Wednesday we looked on  as the ten lepers realized that they had been miraculously healed by Jesus, one of then returned to Jesus, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him.

In other words, while the remaining nine lepers continued on their way to the priest, one leper went back to Jesus so that He could make much of God’s activity through Jesus. This leper who had been miraculously healed by Jesus was demonstrating the reality that he was submitting his life to Jesus in a way that recognized Jesus as being large and in charge of his life. This leper who had been miraculously healed by Jesus wanted to thank Jesus for God’s activity through Jesus.

We looked on as Luke explained that this man who had been miraculously healed by Jesus was a Samaritan. We discovered that Samaritans were viewed by Jewish people as outsiders that were far from God.

And yet this Samaritan, who would have been viewed as being an outsider who was far from God, responded to God’s activity in his life through Jesus by making much of God and thanking God as though he was an insider who was close to God. We see how Jesus responded to this Samaritan in Luke 17:17:

 Then Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine-- where are they? "Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?"

Now Jesus statement here to the Samaritan, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “Hey didn’t I just miraculously heal ten of you guys? But the other nine guys who I miraculously healed, where are they at? Didn’t any of the other guys that I miraculously healed want to make much of God’s activity in their lives? So you are telling Me that only this outsider wanted to thank God and make much of God for His miraculous activity in his life?”

You see, while the nine other lepers, who were Jewish people who were supposed to be insiders when it came to a relationship with God, were miraculously healed physically, they were not grateful for what Jesus had done for them. The other nine lepers, who were Jewish people who were supposed to be insiders when it came to a relationship with God, did not recognize who Jesus was and were not grateful for what Jesus had done for them.

By contrast, the one leper who was a Samaritan who was viewed as an outsider when it came to a relationship with God, returned to Jesus and expressed his gratitude for being healed physically and his recognition of who Jesus was and his need for Him spiritually. Luke then concludes this section of his account of Jesus life by recording a statement that reveals for us a timeless truth that can occur when we encounter Jesus. So let’s look at that statement and discover that timeless truth together in Luke 17:19:

 And He said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has made you well."

Luke tells us that Jesus responded to the Samaritan man who had returned to make much of God and thank God for what He had done through Jesus for him by stating "Stand up and go; your faith has made you well." Now question that could pop into your mind at this point is “Well Dave, the Samaritan man was already made well by Jesus. As a matter of fact, all ten men with leprosy were already made well by Jesus. So why would Jesus tell this Samaritan man who he had already miraculously healed from leprosy to get up and go, your faith has made you well, when he already was made well?”

You see, while Jesus had miraculous healed all ten lepers physically, that did not mean that He had healed them spiritually. Remember, the ten lepers did not ask Jesus to deal with their spiritual condition. Instead, they only asked Jesus to deal with their physical condition. And Jesus was willing to extend grace to them and do the miraculous for them so that they would be healed physically.

However, while Jesus had done the miraculous for them physically, nine of the lepers, who were Jewish people who were supposed to be insiders when it came to a relationship with God, failed to express gratitude for what Jesus had done for them physically. While Jesus had done the miraculous for them physically, nine of the lepers, who were Jewish people who were supposed to be insiders when it came to a relationship with God, failed to recognize who Jesus was in light of what He had done for them physically.

Only the one leper, who was a Samaritan who was viewed as an outsider when it came to a relationship with God, expressed gratitude for what Jesus had done for him physically. Only the one leper, who was a Samaritan who was viewed as an outsider when it came to a relationship with God, recognized who Jesus was in light of what He had done for him physically. And it was this leper’s response of faith in Jesus and his faithful response of gratitude for what Jesus had done for Him that revealed that he recognized that he had been rescued by Jesus and desired to follow Jesus by faith as Lord and Leader.

Only the one leper, who was a Samaritan who was viewed as an outsider when it came to a relationship with God, responded with gratitude for what Jesus had done for him physically in a way that revealed the reality that he had placed his confident trust in Jesus in a way that would miraculously heal him spiritually so that he would experience the forgiveness and the relationship with God that he was created for.

And it is here, in this event from history in the life of Jesus involving an encounter between ten leprous men and Jesus, that we discover a timeless truth that can occur when we encounter Jesus. And that timeless truth is that encountering Jesus will challenge us to see that our gratitude for God’s activity in our lives reveals the reality of our relationship with God. Just as it was for these ten lepers, just as it has been throughout history, encountering Jesus will challenge us to see that our gratitude for God’s activity in our lives reveals the reality of our relationship with God.

You see, the reason why the nine lepers, who were Jewish people who were supposed to be insiders when it came to a relationship with God, were ungrateful for God’s activity in their lives through Jesus was due to the reality that while they wanted something from Jesus physically, they did not want a relationship with Jesus spiritually. The reason why the one leper, who was a Samaritan who was viewed as an outsider when it came to a relationship with God,  was grateful for God’s activity in his life through Jesus was due to the reality that he not only saw his need for something from Jesus physically, he wanted a relationship with Jesus spiritually.

So here is a question for us to consider: If you were to find yourself in this event from history as a character in this event from history, which character would you be? Or better yet, if those who knew you best were to put you into this event from history, who would they so you would be?

Would you find yourself in this event from history as one of the nine lepers? Do you consider yourself an insider when it comes to a relationship with God but are not really grateful for what God has done for you through Jesus? Do you consider yourself an insider when it comes to a relationship with God but in reality only accept what Jesus does for you without being grateful for who Jesus is? Do you consider yourself an insider when it comes to a relationship with God but only want something from Jesus not a relationship with Jesus? Would those closest to you view you as being ungrateful, even demanding?

Or would you find yourself in this event from history as the one leper? Do you respond with gratitude for what God has done for you through Jesus that flows into a lifestyle that is marked by gratitude? Do you respond with gratitude for Jesus because you desire a deeper relationship with Jesus, not just something from Jesus? Would those closest to you view you as being gracious and generous to others?

If you were to find yourself in this event from history as a character in this event from history, which character would you be? Are you grateful for what Jesus does for you? Or do you accept what Jesus does for you without showing gratitude to Jesus for who He is?

Because, as we see from the ten lepers encounter with Jesus, encountering Jesus will challenge us to see that our gratitude for God’s activity in our lives reveals the reality of our relationship with God.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

A Mixed Bag Of Gratitude For The Miraculous...


This week we are looking at an encounter that ten lepers had with Jesus that is recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. Yesterday we looked on as these lepers had followed Jesus from a distance until an opportune time came so that they could approach Him at a distance. And because they believed that Jesus had the authority to do the miraculous, when an opportune time came, these ten lepers asked Jesus to show mercy on them and do the miraculous by healing them from their leprosy.

We looked on as Jesus commanded the ten lepers to travel to see the local priest in accordance with God’s command to the Jewish people that is recorded for us in the Law, which are the first five letters that are recorded for us in the Bible today. We talked about the reality that the reason why Jesus commanded the ten men that He healed from leprosy to show the priests that they had been healed from leprosy was due to the fact that this miracle was only for the priest to demonstrate that the Messiah had come.

Remember, the only people in the Bible who had ever been healed from leprosy were those who were healed by God. Only God, or a prophet of God, ever healed someone who was a leper. So Jesus here is calling the ten men who had leprosy to follow the commands of the Law in Leviticus to let the Jewish religious leaders know that the Messiah had arrived. But Jesus hadn’t healed the ten men from leprosy, had He? Jesus only told them to go show themselves to the priests.

We looked on as the lepers were miraculously healed by Jesus as they traveled to go see the priest. Now imagine being one of these lepers. You realize that you have been miraculously healed by Jesus. You realize that you are no longer separated from the community as outsiders, but you can rejoin the community as an insider. What would you be thinking? How would you be feeling? How would you respond? Luke reveals for us how the ten lepers responded in Luke 17:15:

Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan.

Luke explains that as the ten lepers realized that they had been miraculously healed by Jesus, one of then returned to Jesus, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. In other words, while the remaining nine lepers continued on their way to the priest, one leper went back to Jesus so that He could make much of God’s activity through Jesus.

And as this leper made much of God’s activity through Jesus, Luke tells us that this leper fell on his face at Jesus feet. Now to fall on one’s face at someone’s feet was a sign of submission and recognition of one’s authority. So this leper who had been miraculously healed by Jesus was demonstrating the reality that he was submitting his life to Jesus in a way that recognized Jesus as being large and in charge of his life. This leper who had been miraculously healed by Jesus wanted to thank Jesus for God’s activity through Jesus.

Luke then explains that this man who had been miraculously healed by Jesus was a Samaritan. Now a natural question that arises here is “Well Dave, why would Luke mention that this man was a Samaritan? Is the fact that this man was a Samaritan a big deal?” To understand why Luke would mention that this man was a Samaritan, we first need to understand who the Samaritans were.

Samaritans were people who lived in Samaria, which was located in what is now central Israel. And at one time, Samaria was a part of the northern Kingdom of Israel. Then, in 722 B.C., the Assyrian Empire conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel. In order to help control the regions that they conquered, the Assyrians developed a strategy that involved deporting large numbers of Jewish people and replacing them with large numbers of people from the nation of Assyria. The Assyrians who moved to Samaria worshipped false gods and simply added the worship of the One True God to their worship of their false gods.

Over time, the Jewish people began to intermarry and adopt the religion and culture of the Assyrians. The Samaritans then rejected all of the Old Testament except the first five books and refused to worship at the temple in Jerusalem. Instead, the Samaritans built their own temple on Mt Gerizim in 400 B.C.

Now as you might imagine, the Jewish people did not respond well to what was happening in Samaria. And over time a great deal of animosity built between the Jewish people who lived in southern Israel and the people who lived in Samaria. The closest cultural comparison to how the Jewish people viewed the Samaritans would be that the Samaritans were viewed in a similar way to how a black and white married couple would have been viewed in the southern United States in the 1950’s.

The Jewish people came to view the Samaritans as “half breeds” and wanted nothing to do with them. Samaritans were viewed as outsiders. Samaritans were viewed as people who were outsiders that were far from God. Samaritans were viewed as the enemy. And yet this Samaritan, who would have been viewed as being an outsider who was far from God, responded to God’s activity in his life through Jesus by making much of God and thanking God as though he was an insider who was close to God. We see how Jesus responded to this Samaritan in verse 17:

 Then Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine-- where are they? "Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?"

Now Jesus statement here to the Samaritan, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “Hey didn’t I just miraculously heal ten of you guys? But the other nine guys who I miraculously healed, where are they at? Didn’t any of the other guys that I miraculously healed want to make much of God’s activity in their lives? So you are telling Me that only this outsider wanted to thank God and make much of God for His miraculous activity in his life?”

You see, while the nine other lepers, who were Jewish people who were supposed to be insiders when it came to a relationship with God, were miraculously healed physically, they were not grateful for what Jesus had done for them. The other nine lepers, who were Jewish people who were supposed to be insiders when it came to a relationship with God, did not recognize who Jesus was and were not grateful for what Jesus had done for them.

By contrast, the one leper who was a Samaritan who was viewed as an outsider when it came to a relationship with God, returned to Jesus and expressed his gratitude for being healed physically and his recognition of who Jesus was and his need for Him spiritually. Luke then concludes this section of his account of Jesus life by recording a statement that reveals for us a timeless truth that can occur when we encounter Jesus.

Friday, we will look at that statement and discover that timeless truth together...

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

An Encounter From A Distance...


At the church where I serve we have been spending our time together looking at various encounters that people had with Jesus that are recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. And as we have looked at these encounters with Jesus, we are going to discover several timeless truths that will have the potential to powerfully impact our lives today.

This week I would like for us to look at another encounter that an individual had with Jesus. And as we jump back into an account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in the Bible called the gospel of Luke, we are going to discover another timeless truth that can occur when we encounter Jesus. So let’s discover that timeless truth together, beginning in Luke 17:11:

While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; and they raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"

Luke begins this section of his account of Jesus life by providing for us the context for this encounter with Jesus that we are going to look at this morning. As Jesus was traveling through what is now Northern Israel, Jesus and His disciples approached a village. And as they approached the outskirts of this village, Luke tells us that ten leprous men, who stood at a distance, met Him.

In other words these leprous men wanted to engage Jesus, but did so at a distance. And as they engaged Jesus at a distance, these ten leprous men yelled out to Jesus “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Now you might be wondering “Well Dave, why are these men standing at a distance from Jesus? Why are these guys yelling at Jesus instead of approaching Jesus so that they could engage Jesus up close?”

To understand why these ten lepers stood at a distance from Jesus, we first need to understand what leprosy is. Leprosy is a slowly progressing, contagious, and incurable skin disease characterized by scabs or crusts and white shining spots appearing to be deeper than the skin. And in the Jewish culture of the first century, leprosy left its victims in a place that rendered them unclean. In other words, a person with leprosy was not allowed to participate in the life of the community of the Jewish people in any way.

A leper was not allowed to enter into any town or village and was required to live out in the country away from people. So these ten leprous men would not have been tolerated to enter the village. Instead, these ten lepers lived separated from the community as outsiders and outcasts for the rest of their lives, or until they were healed. The problem was that no one was ever healed of leprosy. In the Bible, the only people who ever recovered from leprosy were those who were miraculously healed by God.

By calling Jesus Master, these ten lepers were acknowledging that they believed that Jesus had the authority to do the miraculous. Because they believed that Jesus had the authority to do the miraculous, these lepers had followed Jesus from a distance until an opportune time came so that they could approach Him at a distance.

And because they believed that Jesus had the authority to do the miraculous, when an opportune time came, these ten lepers asked Jesus to show mercy on them and do the miraculous by healing them from their leprosy. Luke then reveals how Jesus responded to these ten lepers and their request in verse 14:

  When He saw them, He said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests."

 Luke tells us that Jesus responded to these ten lepers request by commanding the lepers to "Go and show yourselves to the priests." Now I want us to take a minute and imagine ourselves in this event from history as one of the lepers. Let’s take a minute and walk in their shoes. You are one of these ten lepers. You have been living your life separated from the community as an outsider and outcast. You have been unable to enter any community, but have lived outside the community in the countryside. And word on the street is that Jesus can and has healed people who had leprosy.

So you have been following Jesus from a distance because you have heard the word on the street and believe that Jesus has the authority and the ability to heal you from your leprosy. And now you see an opportunity to approach Jesus and ask Him to have compassion on you so as to heal you and your friends from leprosy. And as you ask Jesus to heal you of your leprosy, Jesus simply says "Go and show yourselves to the priests."

You are one of these ten lepers. Is that the answer that you would be looking for? Is that what you would have expected from Jesus? I mean, wouldn’t you expect Jesus to say you are healed and be healed? So what is going on here? Why would Jesus ask them to go and show yourselves to the priests?

To understand why Jesus would answer these ten lepers that way that He answered them, we first need to understand what God had commanded the Jewish people concerning the healing of leprosy. Jesus here is commanding the ten lepers to travel to see the local priest in accordance with God’s command to the Jewish people that is recorded for us in the Law, which are the first five letters that are recorded for us in the Bible today.

In a section of a letter in the Old Testament called the book of Leviticus, in Leviticus 14, God had given the Jewish people specific commands concerning how to handle a person who had contracted leprosy. As part of those commands, if a person who had contracted leprosy was believed to be healed from leprosy, that person would participate in a week-long process to evaluate whether or not they had in fact been healed.

You see, the reason why Jesus commanded the ten men that He healed from leprosy to show the priests that they had been healed from leprosy was due to the fact that this miracle was only for the priest to demonstrate that the Messiah had come. Remember, the only people in the Bible who had ever been healed from leprosy were those who were healed by God. Only God, or a prophet of God, ever healed someone who was a leper. So Jesus here is calling the ten men who had leprosy to follow the commands of the Law in Leviticus to let the Jewish religious leaders know that the Messiah had arrived.

But Jesus hadn’t healed the ten men from leprosy, had He? Jesus only told them to go show themselves to the priests. So imagine yourself as one of these ten lepers. Instead of healing you, Jesus tells you to go show yourself to the priest. But you still have leprosy, so why are you going to the priest?

So if you are one of these ten lepers, what are you going to do? What would you be thinking? What would you be feeling? How would you respond? Would you go see the priest? Or would you ask Jesus why am I going to the priest if I still have leprosy? How would you respond? We see how the ten lepers responded in the second half of verse 14:

And as they were going, they were cleansed.

This morning, can you imagine what that must of looked like? Can you imagine walking away from Jesus to go see the priest, still covered with leprosy? Can you imagine looking back as Jesus and His disciples disappeared in the distance? Can you imagine looking over at one of your leper friends to see that his leprosy had disappeared?

“Joe, look at you; your leprosy is gone! You no longer have leprosy! Jake look at yourself, your scabs and crusty lesions are gone! You have been healed! Can you imagine stopping in your tracks to examine your body and discovering that your leprosy was also no longer there?

You are one of these lepers. You realize that you have been miraculously healed by Jesus. You realize that you are no longer separated from the community as outsiders, but you can rejoin the community as an insider. What would you be thinking? How would you be feeling? How would you respond?

Tomorrow, we will see how the ten lepers responded…

Friday, March 20, 2015

Encountering Jesus will challenge us to pursue outsiders and celebrate when outsiders become insiders...


This week we have been looking at an encounter that a group of self righteous religious people had with Jesus that is recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. Wednesday, we looked on as a father's youngest son, after rebelling against his father and experiencing the consequences of his selfishness and rebellion, came to the conclusion the his father treated his servants in a way that was way better off than he was being treated. And as a result of coming to that conclusion, the younger son made the decision to return to his father and ask to be hired on as one of his servants.

We looked on as the youngest son came to the conclusion that he did not deserve to be in a relationship with his father as a result of how he had treated his father. So the son made the decision to confess his selfishness and rebellion to his father in hopes that that his father would hire him and provide for him as a slave.

We looked on as the father saw his son approaching in the distance, he had pity for what his son had been through. And in his compassion, the father ran to the son. We looked on as the father, instead of hiring his son as a servant, welcomed his son home as a son. And a part of that welcome home the father ordered his servants to make all the preparations necessary so that the father could throw a huge party to celebrate that the younger son had returned home.

The father ordered the servants to prepare to throw a huge party for his son because his son who was separated from him had returned back home to live in relationship with him. The father ordered the servants to prepare to throw a huge party for his son because his son who was an outsider that was lost and far from him had been found by the father who had been searching for him. Jesus then reveals how the fathers oldest son responded to what was happening in Luke 15:25:

             "Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. "And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. "And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.'

Now I want us to take a minute and imagine ourselves in this parable as the older brother. I want us to take a minute and place ourselves in his shoes. You are out working for your dad in the field. And after a hard day's work, as you are returning home from work, you hear the sounds of a party going on. And when you ask why your dad decided to throw a party, you discover that the reason for the party was due to the fact that your younger, rebellious brother who had wished that your dad was dead had returned home.

Your younger brother, who did not want a relationship with his father, but just wanted what he could get from his father had returned home. And your dad is throwing a party for him. You are the older brother. What would you be thinking? How would you be feeling? How would you respond? We see how the older brother responded in verse 28:

                "But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him. "But he answered and said to his father, 'Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.'

Did you notice what the older brother did here? did you notice how the older brother referred to his younger brother? "But when this son of yours came". You see, in his judgmental anger, the older brother had disowned the son. While the father had been searching for the younger brother, the older brother was done with his younger brother.

After all, he was an insider with his father, while the younger brother was an outsider. After all, he was better than the younger brother. He was faithful to his father, his younger brother was faithless. He kept all the rules for his father, while his younger brother broke all the rules. Yet dad was throwing a party for this outsider, younger brother, instead of for the insider, older brother?

And in his anger, Jesus tells us that the older brother wanted nothing to do with the younger brother. In his anger, the older brother would not go into the home where the party was. Jesus then concludes His parable by explaining how the father responded to the older brother in verse 31:

            "And he said to him, 'Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. 'But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.'"

Now did you notice what the father did here? Did you notice how the father referred to the younger brother? "for this brother of yours". You see, the father desperately wanted the older brother to welcome the younger brother back into the family. The father basically said to the son "You have always been with me, you never left me. And remember, I already gave you the half of the inheritance that was coming to you as a result of being my son. But son, we had to throw a party because your brother was separated from us and has now been reunited in relationship with us. We had to throw a party because your younger brother was an outsider that was lost, but now he is an insider that has been found".

Now if you grew up in or spent any time in church, you know that this famous parable has a famous name that is attached to it. This famous parable is referred to as the parable of the prodigal son. But Jesus point in telling this parable was not to focus on the behavior of the younger son who was the prodigal. Jesus point in telling this parable was to focus on the behavior of the older son.

You see, just like the older son, the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled and complained about those who were outsiders that were lost and were far from God hanging out with the Son of God. Just like the older son, the Pharisees and scribes, in their judgmental anger, had disowned those who were outsiders that were lost and were far from God. Just like the older son, while God the Father had been searching for the those who were outsiders that were lost and far from God, the Pharisees and scribes were done with those who were outsiders who were lost and far from God.

After all, the Pharisees and scribes thought that they were insiders with God the Father, while viewing those who were lost and were far from God were outsiders. And in their anger with Jesus, the Pharisees and scribes were threatening to not go into the home of Heaven where the party was going to be held for those who were outsiders that were lost and were far from God but had been found by God through Jesus.

And it is here in this event from history from the life of Jesus involving a series of parables addressed to self righteous religious people, that we see revealed for us a timeless truth that can occur when we encounter Jesus. And that timeless truth is this: Encountering Jesus will challenge us to pursue outsiders and celebrate when outsiders become insiders. Just as it was for these self righteous religious people, just as it has been for humanity throughout history, encountering Jesus will challenge us to pursue outsiders and celebrate when outsiders become insiders.

Encountering Jesus will challenge us to see that while self righteous religious people often view those who were outsiders that were far from God as being insignificant, God views those who were outsiders that were far from God as being very significant. Encountering Jesus will challenge us to see that while self righteous religious people often are not concerned about those who are outsiders that are far from God,  there is great concern in Heaven for those who are outsiders that were far from God.

Encountering Jesus will challenge us to see that while self righteous religious people often have joy about being an insider, there was more joy in Heaven when an outsider becomes an insider than there is over those who are already insiders. And encountering Jesus will challenge us to see that while self righteous religious people often disown those around them who are outsiders that are lost and are far from God, Jesus passionately pursues outsiders that are lost and far from God and celebrate when outsiders become insiders who experience the forgiveness and the relationship with God that they were created for by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader.

So here is a question to consider: if you were to find yourself as a character in this parable, which character would you be? Or better yet, if those who knew you best were to put you into this parable as a character in this parable, which character would they say you would be?

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

A Father's Response To A Rebellious Son...


This week we are looking at an encounter that Jesus had with a group of self righteous religious people who were grumbling and complaining about Jesus hanging out with those who they considered to be outsiders who were far from God. Jesus responded to the grumbling and complaining of these self righteous religious people by telling two parables.

Jesus point in telling these parables was that while the self righteous religious people viewed those who were outsiders that were far from God as being insignificant, God viewed those who were outsiders that were far from God as very significant. While the self righteous religious people were not concerned about those who were outsiders that were far from God,  there was great concern in Heaven for those who were outsiders that were far from God. While the self righteous religious people had joy about being an insider, there is more joy in Heaven when an outsider becoming an insider than there is over those who are already insiders.

Today we see Jesus hammer His point home with a third parable, beginning in Luke 15:11:

             And He said, "A man had two sons. "The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' So he divided his wealth between them. "And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.

In this parable, Jesus explains that there was a father who had two sons. Now when Jesus states that the younger son said to his father "Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me", here is what the younger son was really saying to his father: Father, I wish you were dead so that I would not have to deal with you. But since you are not dead, give me what I should get from you once you are dead.”

You see, the younger son did not want a relationship with his father, he just wanted what he could get from his father. Jesus then explained that the father responded to his sons request by granting his request. The father divided up his estate between his older and the younger sons. Now here is a question to consider: If your child talked that way to you, would you have given him what he asked for?

No, you might have given him something else, but you wouldn't have given him an inheritance from you, would you? After all, your child does not want a relationship with you, he just wants something from you. To give your child an inheritance after saying such a thing would seem foolish, wouldn't it? You would have to be incredibly gracious and forgiving to do such a thing, wouldn't you?

Jesus then explained that after receiving his share of the inheritance, the youngest son gathered his inheritance and "went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.” Now, if Jesus was telling this parable today, this parable might have sounded something like this: the younger son took all that he received from his father and moved to Vegas. And once in Vegas, the younger son hit all the strip clubs and crap tables. The younger son called all the numbers that he got from the flyers that they hand out on the strip and had some fun. The younger son got his groove on at all the local clubs."

In other words, the younger son did everything that his father had taught him not to do. The younger son went as far away from his father as he could and lived a life that was as far from his father's lifestyle as he could. We see what happens next in verse 14:

              "Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. "So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. "And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him.

Now, if Jesus was telling this parable today, these verses might have sounded something like this: After the younger son spent all the money that he had received from his father's inheritance, there was a severe economic downturn. And as a result of the severe economic downturn, the younger son ended up broke and without a job. As a matter of fact, things became so bad that the only job that the younger son could get was to work for a local casino cleaning out their garbage dumpsters with a toothbrush. And while he was so hungry that he wanted to eat all of the food that had been thrown into the dumpster, his bosses would not allow him to eat the food that had been thrown into the dumpster. So every day the younger son spent his day cleaning out nasty casino dumpsters with a toothbrush, while desperately wanting to eat the food that others had thrown away as being no good to eat."

Now, here is a question to consider: If you were the younger son, could it get any worse for you? You have burned your relational bridges with your family. You are broke and without a job. You have no friends. You are lost and alone. You have hit rock bottom. If you were the younger brother, what would you do? What could you do?

Maybe you can relate to the younger brother. Maybe you feel like you have hit rock bottom. We see what the younger brother did in verse 17:

             "But when he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! 'I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men."'

Jesus explained that, at rock bottom, the younger son had a V-8 moment and came to his senses. And as he came to his senses, the younger son came to a conclusion and a decision. The younger son came to the conclusion that his father's servants had it much better off than he had it off. The younger son came to the conclusion the his father treated his servants in a way that was way better off than he was being treated.

And as a result of coming to that conclusion, the younger son made the decision to return to his father and ask to be hired on as one of his servants. The younger son made the decision to own his selfishness and rebellion against his father in hopes that his father would take him in as a servant instead of a son.

You see, the son came to the conclusion that he did not deserve to be in a relationship with his father as a result of how he had treated his father. So the son made the decision to confess his selfishness and rebellion to his father in hopes that that his father would hire him and provide for him as a slave. And with that the son prepared and practiced the speech that he would give to his father and headed off to meet his father. Jesus then tells us what happens next in the second half of verse 20:

                "So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

Jesus explained that while the younger brother was a long off, his father saw him and had compassion for him. Now the reason the father saw him was because the father was looking for him. Every day, the father spent a good part of the day looking and scanning the horizon in hopes that the younger son would return home. Can you imagine looking on as the father spent day after day looking and hoping that his son would return home?

Then one day, as the father looked over the horizon for his son, in the distance he saw the faint outline of a figure. And as the faint outline of that figure came closer and closer, soon the father recognized that the figure in the distance was his son. The father recognized the familiar way that his son carried himself as he walked. The father recognized the familiar frame of his son. And as the father came to the realization that it was his son that was coming toward him, Jesus explained that the father felt compassion for him and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

You see, as the father saw his son approaching in the distance, he had pity for what his son had been through. The wear and tear of a life lived in rebellion against him was evident. The life of a lack of sleep and a lack of food caused his figure to be gaunt and tired. The lifestyle of whiskey, wine, and women had resulted in his son looking worn and weak.

And in his compassion, the father ran to the son. In other words, the father would have had to pick up the robe that he was wearing up to his waist and hold it there as he ran to his son. Now in the Jewish culture of the first century, no self respecting man would have done such a thing. After all, to act in such a way would be embarrassing. But the father did not care what others thought; the father just wanted to get to his son.

And once he got to his son the father embraced him and kissed him. The father was so glad to have his son in his arms that he did not care about appearances. And at that point, the son began to give the speech that he had been preparing and practicing throughout the journey from Vegas to his home. 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' However, the father would have none of it, as we see in verse 22:

             "But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.' And they began to celebrate.

Jesus explained to the crowds listening that instead of hiring his son as a servant, the father welcomed his son home as a son. And a part of that welcome home the father ordered his servants to make all the preparations necessary so that the father could throw a huge party to celebrate that the younger son had returned home.

The father ordered the servants to prepare to throw a huge party for his son because his son who was separated from him had returned back home to live in relationship with him. The father ordered the servants to prepare to throw a huge party for his son because his son who was an outsider that was lost and far from him had been found by the father who had been searching for him.

Friday, we will see how the father's oldest son responded to what was happening...

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Jesus and Judging Outsiders...


At the church where I serve, we have been spending our time together looking at various encounters that people had with Jesus that are recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. This week I would like for us to pick up where we left off last week. And as we jump back into an account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in the Bible called the gospel of Luke, we are going to discover another timeless truth that can occur when we encounter Jesus. So let’s discover that timeless truth together, beginning in Luke 15:1:

            Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."

Luke brings us into this section of his account of Jesus life by providing for us the context in which this encounter with Jesus would take place. Luke explains that as Jesus was traveling toward the city of Jerusalem, large crowds were accompanying Him. And part of these large crowds consisted of tax collectors and sinners.

These tax collectors and sinners were people who did not measure up to moral standards of the day in a way that resulted in them being viewed as outsiders. These were people who were far from God and who were viewed as outsiders by others.    

Luke explains that as these tax collectors and sinners who were far from God and who were viewed as outsiders were listening to the message and teachings of Jesus, both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them".

Another section of the crowd, composed of the self righteous religious people of the day, responded to Jesus welcoming and engaging with those who were outsiders that were far from God by grumbling and complaining out loud. "How can this Jesus want to be around these outsiders" they grumbled out loud. "How can Jesus be friendly, engaging and teach people like these who are far from God" they complained.  "How can Jesus go out to eat and hang out with such people".

Because that is what self righteous religious people do. Self righteous religious people unlovingly judge others as being outsiders, while considering themselves to be insiders who are better than anyone else. After providing for us the context for this encounter with Jesus, Luke gives us a front row seat to this encounter with Jesus in Luke 15:3:

             So He told them this parable, saying, "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? "When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. "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!' "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.

Luke tells us that Jesus responded to the grumbling and complaining of these self righteous religious people by telling a parable. Now a parable is an earthly story that reveals a deeper spiritual truth. Now this parable, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this:

"What one of you, if you were a teacher and you had 100 children with you on a hiking trip to the Hualapai's and realized that you had lost one child, would not leave the 99 children with another teacher and go search for the child who you had lost. And once you found that lost child, wouldn't you take that child by the hand and bring him back to be with the other children, And wouldn't you rejoice with your fellow teachers in the fact that you found that lost child?  I tell you, that in the same way there is more joy in Heaven over one person who was an outsider who was far from God that changes the trajectory of their life that was moving away from God back to God so that they become right with God than over the 99 people who are already insiders who are right with God". Jesus then told a second parable to the crowd, which Luke records for us in Luke 15:8:

             "Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? "When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!'  "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Now this parable, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: "What one of you, if you had $1,000 in your wallet, and lost $100, would not get out your flashlight and look over and under everything in your house until you found that $100? And when you found that $100, wouldn't you let everyone know on Facebook and Twitter what had happened? Wouldn't you ask everyone around you to rejoice in the fact that you had found that $100? I tell that in the exact same way there is rejoicing by the angels in Heaven over when one person who was an outsider that was far from God changes the trajectory of their life that was moving away from God back to God so that they become right with God".

Jesus point in telling these parables was that while the self righteous religious people viewed those who were outsiders that were far from God as being insignificant, God viewed those who were outsiders that were far from God as very significant. While the self righteous religious people were not concerned about those who were outsiders that were far from God,  there was great concern in Heaven for those who were outsiders that were far from God. While the self righteous religious people had joy about being an insider, there is more joy in Heaven when an outsider becoming an insider than there is over those who are already insiders.

Jesus then hammers His point home with a third parable. A parable that we will begin to look at tomorrow…