gregoryfl
09-06-2008, 01:48 PM
God's Perspective:
Luk 15:4-7 'Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost, until he found it? When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 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 even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.
Luk 15:8-10 Or what woman, if she had ten drachma coins, if she lost one drachma coin, wouldn’t light a lamp, sweep the house, and seek diligently until she found it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma which I had lost.’ Even so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting.'
Man's Perspective:
Luk 15:11-32 He said, 'A certain man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ He divided his livelihood between them. Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living. When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need. He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs. He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any. But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I’m dying with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.'’
'He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 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.’
'But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate; for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’ They began to celebrate.
'Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the servants to him, and asked what was going on. He said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and healthy.’ But he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore his father came out, and begged him. But he answered his father, ‘Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this, your son, came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’
'He said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’'
Jesus gives 3 separate parables, with different situations, yet each of them are really the same, spoken from different perspectives. Let's see what we can glean from considering these.
In the first 2 parables, the lost sheep and the lost coin, both were sought after by the owner, and in each case they were found. These first 2 give us God's perspective, whereby he is pictured as the one looking for that which is lost. Let me repeat that. He goes after the lost, and not only that, but he doesn't give up until he finds them.
Another thing I get from this is that there is not one lost person who is not valuable enough to God that he will not go out of his way to find. Not one! As the last parable will show, the worse you think you are, the more unworthy you think you are, the more horrible you think you are, none of that matters to God. Not one bit! To him you are cause for celebration. That's what your heavenly Father thinks of you.
The last parable now switches perspectives to show us things from how we look at them, from our point of view. It is likewise the most intimate of the 3 and so has more detail to drive home the point of the value of "sinners".
The son makes the decision to leave his father, and do what he wants with his life. He responds to his father's love by rebelling. Notice that in this parable, it is the son who realizes what a mess he made of his life. He came to his senses. This is our perspective. There is nothing said here about the father going out searching for his son, but remember, this is given from our perspective. The 3 parables all blend together as I will show in a moment.
The lost son decides he isn't worthy to be called a son and so hopes that he can at least be taken back as a hired servant. Certainly better than wallowing in pig muck. What is the father doing? He sees his son from far off, which tells us that he is always on the lookout for the lost son to return home. He never gives up! He takes the initiative and runs to his son and kisses him, despite how he must reek and look horrible.
Before the son can get out everything he wants to say, the father basically ignores what he says and welcomes him back without question. He totally eradicates any sense of guilt this son has. The brother of course gets all upset and complains to his father about this unfair treatment. Notice what the father says to him. He says "all that is mine is yours". Remember when the other son wanted his part of the inheritance? The father gave everything of his to BOTH his sons at that time. I think in reading we tend to miss that part. This brother had his portion of the inheritance all that time, and he chose to stay with his father. Did he appreciate his father though? We may think he was the "good" son, but actually, they both did not appreciate their father.
The son who ran away got lost by rebellion. The son who stayed with his father got lost by service. Both needed a dose of just how truly loving their father was. And most of God's children today need the same. Most get caught up in either religious service, or in rebellion. Very few recognize that they live in Father's love, nor do they appreciate it.
One more small point to make. At what point in any of the parables did the sheep not belong to the shepherd, or the coin not belong to the woman? Never. They always belonged to them. More importantly, at what point was the son not the son of his father? NEVER! He was always his son, and loved by choice just the same as the son who was with him the whole time. I am a living testimony to that truth. He loved me even when I was cursing him to his face, hating him with everything I had, and weeping because I saw no way out of my misery.
Thankfully though, we are never left there. God seeks out every one of us who gets lost from time to time in this life until we are found, We eventually do come to our senses. When that takes place, there is no need for prepared speeches, for there is not enough time for that. Father needs to celebrate!
Luk 15:4-7 'Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost, until he found it? When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 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 even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.
Luk 15:8-10 Or what woman, if she had ten drachma coins, if she lost one drachma coin, wouldn’t light a lamp, sweep the house, and seek diligently until she found it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma which I had lost.’ Even so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting.'
Man's Perspective:
Luk 15:11-32 He said, 'A certain man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ He divided his livelihood between them. Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living. When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need. He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs. He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any. But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I’m dying with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.'’
'He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 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.’
'But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate; for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’ They began to celebrate.
'Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the servants to him, and asked what was going on. He said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and healthy.’ But he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore his father came out, and begged him. But he answered his father, ‘Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this, your son, came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’
'He said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’'
Jesus gives 3 separate parables, with different situations, yet each of them are really the same, spoken from different perspectives. Let's see what we can glean from considering these.
In the first 2 parables, the lost sheep and the lost coin, both were sought after by the owner, and in each case they were found. These first 2 give us God's perspective, whereby he is pictured as the one looking for that which is lost. Let me repeat that. He goes after the lost, and not only that, but he doesn't give up until he finds them.
Another thing I get from this is that there is not one lost person who is not valuable enough to God that he will not go out of his way to find. Not one! As the last parable will show, the worse you think you are, the more unworthy you think you are, the more horrible you think you are, none of that matters to God. Not one bit! To him you are cause for celebration. That's what your heavenly Father thinks of you.
The last parable now switches perspectives to show us things from how we look at them, from our point of view. It is likewise the most intimate of the 3 and so has more detail to drive home the point of the value of "sinners".
The son makes the decision to leave his father, and do what he wants with his life. He responds to his father's love by rebelling. Notice that in this parable, it is the son who realizes what a mess he made of his life. He came to his senses. This is our perspective. There is nothing said here about the father going out searching for his son, but remember, this is given from our perspective. The 3 parables all blend together as I will show in a moment.
The lost son decides he isn't worthy to be called a son and so hopes that he can at least be taken back as a hired servant. Certainly better than wallowing in pig muck. What is the father doing? He sees his son from far off, which tells us that he is always on the lookout for the lost son to return home. He never gives up! He takes the initiative and runs to his son and kisses him, despite how he must reek and look horrible.
Before the son can get out everything he wants to say, the father basically ignores what he says and welcomes him back without question. He totally eradicates any sense of guilt this son has. The brother of course gets all upset and complains to his father about this unfair treatment. Notice what the father says to him. He says "all that is mine is yours". Remember when the other son wanted his part of the inheritance? The father gave everything of his to BOTH his sons at that time. I think in reading we tend to miss that part. This brother had his portion of the inheritance all that time, and he chose to stay with his father. Did he appreciate his father though? We may think he was the "good" son, but actually, they both did not appreciate their father.
The son who ran away got lost by rebellion. The son who stayed with his father got lost by service. Both needed a dose of just how truly loving their father was. And most of God's children today need the same. Most get caught up in either religious service, or in rebellion. Very few recognize that they live in Father's love, nor do they appreciate it.
One more small point to make. At what point in any of the parables did the sheep not belong to the shepherd, or the coin not belong to the woman? Never. They always belonged to them. More importantly, at what point was the son not the son of his father? NEVER! He was always his son, and loved by choice just the same as the son who was with him the whole time. I am a living testimony to that truth. He loved me even when I was cursing him to his face, hating him with everything I had, and weeping because I saw no way out of my misery.
Thankfully though, we are never left there. God seeks out every one of us who gets lost from time to time in this life until we are found, We eventually do come to our senses. When that takes place, there is no need for prepared speeches, for there is not enough time for that. Father needs to celebrate!