A party happens when those who reject God to do life on their own return to God to live in relationship with Him...

This week, we have been looking at an event from history that is recorded for us in a section of an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. So far this week, we looked on as Jesus responded to the grumbling and complaining of a group of self-righteous religious people surrounding Jesus willingness to warmly welcome and engage those who were far from God by telling a parable.

In this parable, Jesus explained that there was a father who had two sons. The younger son did not want a relationship with his father, he just wanted what he could get from his father. 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.

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. Jesus explained that, at rock bottom, the younger son had an “a-ha” moment and came to his senses. And as he came to his senses, the younger son came to a conclusion and a 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. 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.

However, 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. And in his compassion, the father ran to the son. 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 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. Jesus then revealed how the father’s oldest son responded to what was happening in verse 25-27:

             "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 28-30:

                "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 31-32:

            "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.'"

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 parable addressed to self-righteous people, that we see revealed for us a timeless truth about what would cause Jesus to party and celebrate something that He viewed as being significant and worthy of celebration. And that timeless answer is this: A party happens when those who reject God to do life on their own return to God to live in relationship with Him.

You see, while self-righteous religious people often view those who reject God to do life on their own as being insignificant, God views those who reject God to do life on their own as being very significant. While self-righteous religious people often are not concerned about those who reject God to do life on their own, there is great concern in Heaven for those who reject God to do life on their own. While self-righteous religious people often disown those around them who reject God to do life on their own, Jesus passionately pursues those who reject God to do life on their own.

And just like the father with his prodigal son, Jesus views those who reject God to do life on their own as being significant. And when a person who rejects God to do life on their own returns to God, Jesus views that as being worthy of celebration. And for Jesus a party happens when someone who rejects God to do life on their own returns to God and experiences the forgiveness and relationship with God that they were created for.

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?

Would you be the younger brother? Would you be the younger brother who has come to the conclusion that you did not deserve to be in a relationship with his father as a result of how you have treated God your Heavenly Father? Would you be the younger brother who has come the decision to confess your selfishness and rebellion to your Heavenly Father in hopes that He would forgive you and welcome you back home?

Or would you be the older brother? Would you be one of the Pharisees, a self-righteous religious person who thinks they are insiders when it comes to God? Would you be one of the self-righteous religious people who grumble and complain about those who reject God to do life on their own hanging out with followers of Jesus? Would you be one of the self-righteous religious people who, in their judgmental anger, had disowned those who reject God to do life on their own? Would you be one of the self-righteous religious people who is threatening to not go into the party of Heaven where there will be great joy over those who reject God to do life on their own returning to God?  If you were to find yourself in the event from history, who would you be?

And, how are you responding to Jesus coming to earth to invite those who rejected God to do life on their own to return to God to live in relationship with Him? And how have you responded when a person who rejected God to do life on their own returned to God to live in relationship with Him?

When a person who rejected God to do life on their own returned to God to live in relationship with Him., do you view that as being worthy of celebration? Do you have a party when someone who rejected God to do life on their own returns to God to experience the forgiveness and relationship with God that they were created for?  And are you doing what you can do to let those around you who have rejected God to do life on their own know that they are significant to God? Are you doing what you can do to help those around you who reject God to do life on their own come to the place where a party can happen because they have returned to God to live in relationship with Him?

Because, as we have discovered, a party happens when those who reject God to do life on their own return to God to live in relationship with Him.