God is Committed to Finding the Lost

1. Context
   1. Literary
      1. Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem (Lk. 9:51)
      2. Jesus’ defense over how to reach sinners (Lk. 5:29-32; 7:36-50; 19:1-10; 15:1-2)
         1. Tax collector & sinners ate with Jesus & listened to him
         2. The Pharisees & scribes’ complaint: “This man welcomes sinners & eats with them.”
   2. Theological
      1. Revealing God’s heart that’s committed to finding the lost (1 Tim. 2:3b-4; Lk. 19:10)
      2. God’s desire for his heart to be replicated in us (Matt. 28:19)
      3. The link between the three parables is the theme of lost, found, & rejoicing (Lk. 15:6, 9, 24, 32)
   3. Cultural
      1. The oldest son’s responsibilities
      2. Attitudes towards prodigals
      3. Taking care of pigs
2. Three Parables Illustrating God’s Joy in Finding the Lost (Lk. 15:3-32)
   1. A lost sheep found (vv. 4-7)
      1. Personalizing the parable: “What man among you…”
      2. Loses one of 100 sheep & goes to find it
      3. He doesn’t stop searching “until he finds it” - tireless & relentless
      4. When he finds it, he joyfully carries it back home
      5. He rejoices with his friends & neighbours
      6. Jesus gives insight to the Pharisees & scribes: “I tell you, in the same way…” (v. 7)
         1. There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
         2. Than over 99 righteous people who don’t need to repent - in their own eyes?
   2. A lost coin found (vv. 8-10)
      1. Personalizing the parable: “What woman among you…”
      2. Loses one of her 10 silver coins & searches diligently to find it
      3. She doesn’t stop searching “until she finds it” - tireless & relentless
      4. When she finds it, she rejoices with his friends & neighbours
      5. Jesus gives insight to the Pharisees & scribes: “I tell you, in the same way…” (v. 10)
         1. There is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents
   3. A lost son found (vv. 11-32)
      1. The younger of two sons (vv. 11-20a, 21)
         1. asks his father for his inheritance
         2. traveled to a distant country & squandered his inheritance foolishly
         3. can only secure work feeding pigs & longs to eat what they’re eating
         4. came to his senses & realises he’s better off in his father’s house, even if he was a servant
         5. with a repentant heart, he went back to his father
            1. addressed him appropriately: “Father…”
            2. confessed his sin: “I have sinned against heaven & in your sight.”
            3. contrite heart: “I am not worthy to be called your son.”
      2. The father’s response to his young son (vv. 20b-24) - “he was lost & is found” (v. 24b)
         1. saw him a long way off
         2. filled with compassion, he ran to his son, threw his arms around his neck & kissed him
         3. instructed servants to:
            1. put the best robe on his son
            2. put a ring on his son’s finger & sandals on his feet
            3. bring fattened calf, slaughter it, because everyone was celebrating his son’s return
         4. motivation: “This son of mine…was lost & is found!”
      3. The elder son (vv. 25-28a, 29-30)
         1. came in from a long day of working in the field
         2. heard music & dancing
         3. asked servant what was going on
         4. servant informs him: “Your brother is here & your father has called a feast”
         5. he became angry & didn’t want to join the celebration
         6. scolded his father & justified his own actions
         7. we don’t know how the story ends
      4. The father’s response to his oldest son (vv. 28b, 31-32) - “he was lost & is found” (v. 32b)
         1. when he heard his older son refused to join them, he went outside to him
         2. he spoke to his son
            1. “You are always with me.”
            2. “Everything I have is yours.”
            3. “We had to celebrate & rejoice because your brother was lost & is found.”
3. Hearing Jesus’ Challenge

1 All the tax collectors & sinners were approaching to listen to him. 2 And the Pharisees & scribes were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners & eats with them.” 3 So he told them this parable: 4 What man among you, who has a hundred sheep & loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open field & go after the lost one until he finds it? 5 When he has found it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders, 6 & coming home, he calls his friends & neighbours together, saying to them, "Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!” 7 I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who don’t need repentance. 8 Or what woman who has ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, & search carefully until she finds it? 9 When she finds it, she calls her friends & neighbours together, saying, “Rejoice with me, because I have found the silver coin I lost!” 10 I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.

11 He also said, A man had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.” So he distributed the assets to them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had & traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living. 14 After he had spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, & he had nothing. 15 Then he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to eat his fill from the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one would give him anything. 17 When he came to his senses, he said, “How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food, & here I am dying of hunger! 18 I’ll get up, go to my father, & say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven & in your sight. 19 I’m no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired workers.’” 20 So he got up & went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him & was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, & kissed him. 21 The son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven & in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.” 22 But the father told his servants, “Quick! Bring out the best robe & put it on him; put a ring on his finger & sandals on his feet. 23 Then bring the fattened calf & slaughter it, & let’s celebrate with a feast, 24 because this son of mine was dead & is alive again; he was lost & is found!” So they began to celebrate. 25 Now his older son was in the field; as he came near the house, he heard music & dancing. 26 So he summoned one of the servants, questioning what these things meant. 27 “Your brother is here,” he told him, “& your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe & sound.” 28 Then he became angry & didn’t want to go in. So his father came out & pleaded with him. 29 But he replied to his father, “Look, I have been slaving many years for you, & I have never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me a goat so that I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.” 31 “Son,” he said to him, “you are always with me, & everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate & rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead & is alive again; he was lost & is found.” (Luke 15:1-32)

1. Context
   1. Possibly points to Israel’s exile & restoration (Jer. 31:18-20)
      • “According to N.T. Wright the parable portrays the exile & restoration of Israel; it is Israel’s story in miniature. The background of the parable is Jer 31:18-20, a text about exile & repentance that refers to Israel as God’s dear son.” (Klyne Snodgrass, Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to Jesus’ Parables, p. 190)
   2. Lukan
      1. Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem (Lk. 9:51) - readying his disciples to carry on God’s mission
      2. Jesus’ defense over how to reach sinners (Lk. 5:29-32; 7:36-50; 19:1-10; 15:1-2)
         • “After the scene at a Pharisee’s table in 14:1–24 (7:36-50; 11:37–54), the focus turns to the much less conventional meals that Jesus enjoyed with social & religious outsiders. This theme was earlier raised by the meal in Levi’s house (5:27–39) & by the ‘sinful woman’ who disrupted another more conventional meal (7:36–50), & it has been reflected in Jesus’ subversive ideas about who should be at the messianic banquet (13:28–29; 14:15–24). The issue for Jesus is…a matter of…God’s plan of salvation, which will be gloriously summed up at the table of an arch-sinner in 19:10. So a trio of parables here challenges the reader to rethink who is ultimately acceptable to God.” (R.T. France, Teach the Text Commentary: Luke, pp. 478-9)
         1. The Pharisees & scribes’ complaint: “This man welcomes sinners & eats with them.”
            • “The scribes & Pharisees cannot believe that Jesus is spending so much time receiving sinners & eating with them. Such table fellowship represents an absence of the separation they think righteousness demands. Jesus argues, however, that the call of God demands time be spent seeking lost.” (Darrell L. Bock, NIV Application Commentary: Luke, pp. 406-7)
            • “The three parables in Luke 15 are told because Jesus was making a habit of having celebration parties with all the ‘wrong’ people, & some others thought it was a nightmare. All three stories are ways of saying: ‘This is why we're celebrating! Wouldn’t you have a party if it was you? How could we not?’ In…them all we get a wide open window on what Jesus thought he was doing - &, perhaps, on what we ourselves should be doing.” (N.T. Wright, Luke for Everyone, p. 136)
            • “Jesus has a different idea to his critics of what repentance means. For [the Pharisees & scribes, repentance] was nothing short of adopting their standard of purity & law-observance. For Jesus, when people follow him & his way, that is true repentance.” (N.T. Wright, Op. cit, p. 137)
            • “These parables…respond to the Pharisee’s grumbling over Jesus’ practice of eating with outcasts.” (Alan Culpepper, The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary Vol. VIII, Luke John, p. 243)
            • “The Pharisees & scribes murmur because Jesus eats with the tax collectors & sinners. The verb for ‘to murmur’ (diagongyzo) has been used earlier in a similar context (5:30), but its more significant overtones arise from its use in the Exodus narratives, where the Israelites ‘murmur’ against Moses (Exo. 16:7-12).” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 244)
         2. Tax collector & sinners ate with Jesus & listened to him
            • “In a series of three parables in Luke 15, Jesus defends his involvement with the lost…[He] explains how heaven rejoices at the arrival of one lost sinner back into the house of God. This hope drives Jesus to pursue the lost…” (Darrell L. Bock, Op cit, p. 406)
            • “At the heart of the trouble was the character of the people Jesus was eating with on a regular basis. The tax-collectors were disliked…because they were collecting money…& nobody cared for them at all.” (N.T. Wright, Op. cit, pp. 136-7)
            • “Those designated as ‘sinners’ by the Pharisees would have included not only persons who broke the moral laws but also those who did not maintain the ritual purity practiced by the Pharisees.” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 244)
   3. Theological
      1. Revealing God’s heart, that’s committed to finding the lost (1 Tim. 2:3b-4; Lk. 19:10)
         • “God is committed to finding the lost.” (Darrell L. Bock, Op. cit, p. 406)
         • “God’s attitude is seen in the longing father…” (Darrell L. Bock, Op. cit, p. 414)
         • “Pharisees…kept their distance from sinners & refused to accept a spiritual leader [Jesus] who seems to love & associate with them. Jesus challenges their attitude - not only in his ministry but especially in his death for the lost, which restores sinners to relationship with God.” (Darrell L. Bock, Op. cit, pp. 408-9)
         • “[Luke 15] says much about the heart of God in engaging those who are not interested in him. He cares enough for them to go looking for them, even when they have stayed away consciously…The search is not always easy, but the joy at the end makes the effort worth the cost.” (Darrell L. Bock, Op. cit, p. 409)
         • “The point of the parables is…clear…[There’s] a party going on: all heaven is having a party, the angels are joining in, & if we don’t have one as well we’ll be out of tune with God’s reality.” (N.T. Wright, Op. cit, p. 137)
      2. God’s desire for his heart to be replicated in us (Matt. 28:19) - elder brother was out of synch
         • “The parables also explain why Jesus urges those alongside the prodigal to receive them with open arms in hope, rather than with doubt, jealousy, or bitterness. God calls us to pursue the lost.” (Darrell L. Bock, Op. cit, p. 406)
         • “God wants servants who understand his heart to restore sinners…[who] share the goal of winning the lost to him.” (Darrell L. Bock, Op. cit, p. 408)
         • “The question posed by the parables is whether we will join in the celebration. [To] celebrate with God one must also share God’s mercy.” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 244)
         • “The older brother adds a further dimension. God’s ‘faithful’ people are called on to share his outgoing love & his willingness to accept the repentant. If they fail to do so, it is they, rather than those whom they look down on, who will miss out on the blessings of salvation.” (R.T. France, Op cit, p. 483)
      3. The link between the three parables is the theme of lost, found, & rejoicing (Lk. 15:6, 9, 24, 32)
         • “...Luke presents three parables that have a common theme: the joy of finding what was lost or recovering one who was estranged (the lost sheep, the lost coin, & the lost son).” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 243)
   4. Cultural
      1. The oldest son’s responsibilities
         • “Particular responsibility fell to the eldest son in a family, but he also got a double portion of the inheritance since the primary care of the parents would fall to him. Other children still had responsibility for their parents. The eldest son was also expected to take a leadership role in other family matters.” (Klyne Snodgrass, Op cit, p. 187)
      2. Attitudes towards prodigals
         • “Attitudes toward prodigals were strongly negative...According to Lucian, prodigality was a crime that entitled a father to disown his son &, along with neglect of the father, a basis for censure by society.” (K. Snodgrass, Op cit, p. 187)
      3. Taking care of pigs
         • “Taking care of swine was viewed with disdain even in the Greco-Roman world, but Jews were prohibited from raising swine at all since the OT labels them as unclean, to be neither eaten nor touched. The Mishnah states explicitly ‘None may rear swine anywhere’ (m. Baba Qamma 7.7), to which the Talmud adds ‘Cursed be the man who would breed swine & cursed be the man who would teach his son Grecian Wisdom’ (b. Baba Qamma 82b). The analogy between the prodigal who joined himself to a Gentile to feed pigs & tax collectors who joined themselves to the Romans is obvious.” (Klyne Snodgrass, Op cit, p. 187)
2. Three Parables Illustrating God’s Joy in Finding the Lost (Lk. 15:3-32)
   1. A lost sheep found (vv. 4-7)
      1. Personalizing the parable: “What man among you…”
      2. Loses one of 100 sheep & goes to find it
      3. He doesn’t stop searching “until he finds it” - tireless & relentless
      4. When he finds it, he joyfully carries it back home
      5. He rejoices with his friends & neighbours
      6. Jesus gives insight to the Pharisees & scribes: “I tell you, in the same way…” (v. 7)
         • “Verse 7 is not part of the parable. Rather, it is Jesus’ comment to the Pharisees & scribes regarding the meaning of the parable. The joy in heaven characterizes God’s celebration at the repentance of a sinner…” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 245)
         • “Jesus was declaring that heaven was having a great, noisy party every time a single sinner saw the light & began to follow God’s way. If earth-dwellers wanted to copy the life of heaven, they’d have a party, too. That’s what Jesus was doing.” (N.T. Wright, Op. cit, p. 137)
         1. There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
            • “The whole point of the parable is that the ‘only’ thing different about this sheep is that it was lost. Imagine the impact of this on the repentant sinners who've heard the story. They didn't have to earn God's love or Jesus' respect. He loves coming & looking for them, & he celebrated finding them…And what Jesus was doing…was what God was doing. Jesus’ actions on earth corresponded exactly to God’s love in the heavenly realm.” (N.T. Wright, Op. cit, p. 138)
         2. Than over 99 righteous people who don’t need to repent - in their own eyes?
   2. A lost coin found (vv. 8-10)
      1. Personalizing the parable: “What woman among you…”
      2. Loses one of her 10 silver coins & searches diligently to find it
      3. She doesn’t stop searching “until she finds it” - tireless & relentless
      4. When she finds it, she rejoices with his friends & neighbours
      5. Jesus gives insight to the Pharisees & scribes: “I tell you, in the same way…” (v. 10)
         • “Jesus was declaring that heaven was having a great, noisy party every time a single sinner saw the light & began to follow God’s way. If earth-dwellers wanted to copy the life of heaven, they’d have a party, too. That’s what Jesus was doing.” (N.T. Wright, Op. cit, p. 137)
         • “Neither sheep nor coins can repent, but the parable aims not at calling ‘sinners’ to repentance but at calling the ‘righteous’ to join the celebration.” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 247)
         • “Whether one will join the celebration is all-important because it reveals whether one's relationships are based on merit or mercy. Those who find God mercy offensive cannot celebrate with the angels when a sinner repents. Thus they exclude themselves from God's grace.” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 247)
         1. There is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents
            • “…[W]hat Jesus was doing…was what God was doing. Jesus’ actions on earth corresponded exactly to God’s love in the heavenly realm.” (N.T. Wright, Op. cit, p. 138)
   3. A lost son found (vv. 11-32)
      • “This third parable…is by far the most detailed. It is unique to Luke & highlights God's willingness to receive sinners. It also discusses…how people should respond to one who repents.” (Darrell L. Bock, Op. cit, p. 412)
      • “This parable is preeminently about God the Father, revealing his character as compassionate & forgiving.” (Darrell L. Bock, Op. cit, p. 414)
      • “[This third parable] drawn from the experience of family dynamics, with which everyone can identify, contrasts two responses to the return of the younger brother. In both, the role of the father is featured.” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 248)
      1. The younger of two sons (vv. 11-20a, 21)
         1. asks his father for his inheritance
         2. traveled to a distant country & squandered his inheritance foolishly
         3. can only secure work feeding pigs & longs to eat what they’re eating
            • “So complete was the younger son's fall & so desperate was his need that he desired to be filled with the pods the swines were eating…Carob pods, common in the Mediterranean area, were used primarily as animal fodder, but human beings ate them in times of famine…The younger son’s destitution was complete. He had reaped the bitter fruit of his foolishness.” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 249)
         4. came to his senses & realises he’s better off in his father’s house, even if he was a servant
            • “He ‘comes to his senses.’ How foolish to starve when his father's slaves live better than he does. So he resolves to confess to his father & ask for status as a slave. He has sinned against heaven & his father, & he knows he should admit it. Here Jesus pictures the humility of one who comes & places his spiritual welfare in God's hands, demanding nothing but his grace. He will rest in the father's mercy.” (Darrell L. Bock, Op. cit, p. 413)
            • “The younger son's return begins in the mire of the swine pen. There he ‘came to himself.’ This pregnant phrase leaves much to the reader's imagination. The younger son reclaims his identity. No longer deserving to be called his father's son, he nevertheless resolves to leave the far country & return to his own land & to his father, as Jacob long before had responded to God's call for him to return to your country & to your kindred (Gen. 32:9).” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, pp. 249-50)
            • “The expression ‘he came to himself’ affirms the human capacity to renounce foolish error & reclaim one's heritage & potential.” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 250)
         5. with a repentant heart, he went back to his father
            • “The report that the son has ‘come to himself’ controls all that follows. He is not just seeking to improve his circumstances; he realizes that he has sinned against both God & his father. His speech when he meets his father will consist of four parts: an address, ‘father;’ confession, ‘I have sinned;’ contrition, ‘I am no longer Worthy;’ & a petition,’ treat me like one of your hired hands.’” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 250)
            • “The prophets of Israel spoke of repentance as returning.” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 250)
            1. addressed him appropriately: “Father…”
            2. confessed his sin: “I have sinned against heaven & in your sight.”
            3. contrite heart: “I am not worthy to be called your son.”
      2. The father’s response to his young son (vv. 20b-24) - “he was lost & is found” (v. 24b) - motivation? mercy, love -
         • “The most remarkable character in the story is the father himself. One might even call this ‘the parable of the running father’: in a culture where senior figures are far too dignified to run anywhere, this man takes to his heels as soon as he sees his young son dragging himself home. His lavish welcome is of course the point of the story: Jesus is explaining why there was a party, what it’s something to celebrate when people turn from going their own way & begin to go God’s way.” (N.T. Wright, Op. cit, p. 139)
         1. saw him a long way off
         2. filled with compassion, he ran to his son, threw his arms around his neck & kissed him
            • “Before the son can ask to be received back as a servant the father interrupts him, giving instructions to his servants.” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 250)
         3. instructed servants to:
            1. put the best robe on his son
            2. put a ring on his son’s finger & sandals on his feet
            3. bring fattened calf, slaughter it, because everyone was celebrating his son’s return
               • “The son begins to confess, but does not even get through his response before the father makes it clear that full restoration awaits him. The son is received back into the family with full honor & privileges, as if nothing has happened…The feast declares that the lost son has been found. Here is God's joy at a sinner returning to him.” (Darrell L. Bock, Op. cit, p. 413)
               • “The father publicly receives the son back into his house. It is a sign to the rest of the village that the boy is to be treated as his son again. He is a freed man, an honored guest, a son. The lavishness of the father's reception is signaled by the order to bring the fattened calf & kill it.” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 250)
         4. motivation: “This son of mine…was lost & is found!”
            • “Where new life is bursting out all around - it is not only appropriate, it is necessary to celebrate. Not to do so is to fail to meet generosity with gratitude.” (N.T. Wright, Op. cit, p. 142)
      3. The elder son (vv. 25-28a, 29-30)
         • “In its original setting the parable clearly has the Pharisees in view in the older brother. They stand close to God, at least in an apparent way, & appear to have an inside track.” (Darrell L. Bock, Op. cit, p. 415)
         • “The older brother provides the real punchline of the parable. This is Jesus’ response to his critics. They were so focused on the wickedness of the tax-collectors & sinners, & on Jesus himself for daring to eat with them despite claiming to be a prophet of God’s kingdom, that they couldn’t see the sunlight sparkling through the fresh spring leaves of God’s love. Here were all these people being changed, being healed, having their lives transformed physically, emotionally, morally, & spiritually; & grumblers could only see..the human garbage that they normally despised & avoided.” (N.T. Wright, Op. cit, p. 141)
         1. came in from a long day of working in the field
         2. heard music & dancing
         3. asked servant what was going on
         4. servant informs him: “Your brother is here & your father has called a feast”
         5. he became angry & didn’t want to join the celebration
         6. registers his complaint to his father & justifies his actions
         7. we don’t know how the story ends - ponder it for yourself
      4. The father’s response to his oldest son (vv. 28b, 31-32) - “he was lost & is found” (v. 32b)
         1. when he heard his older son refused to join them, he went outside to him
            • “Again the plot is characterized by distance, & physical separation signifies alienation…[Once again,] the father…leaves his house & goes out to meet one of his sons.” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 251)
         2. he spoke to his son
            • “The conversation between the elder brother & the father forms the climax & focus of the entire parable. The elder brother speaks first, venting his anger. His emotion is signaled subtly. Every time the younger brother has spoken to his father he has always respectfully addressed him as ‘Father.’ The elder brother, however, refuses to acknowledge his relationship either to his father or to his brother.” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 251)
            1. “You are always with me.”
            2. “Everything I have is yours.”
            3. “We had to celebrate & rejoice because your brother was lost & is found.”
   4. The three parables make their point effectively
      • “The three parables in this chapter make their point effectively. The position of the Pharisees & scribes who grumbled because Jesus ate with tax collectors & sinners has been unmasked as the self-serving indignation of the elder brother who denied his relationship both to his father & to his brother by his refusal to join the celebration. In the world of the parable, one cannot be a son without also being a brother.” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 251)
3. Hearing Jesus’ Challenge - Alpha
   • “This parable…points…beyond the immediate situation of Jesus’ ministry & into the early church. There, Gentiles were coming into the church, & Jews & Jewish Christians often found it very difficult to celebrate the fact.” (N.T. Wright, Op. cit, p. 142)
   • “When a storyteller leaves us from the edge of our seats we are supposed to think it through, to ask ourselves where we fit within the story, & to learn more about ourselves & our churches as a result. Which role in the story do you & your church find comes most naturally to you? How can we move towards becoming people through whom [salvation] happens to others? How come we celebrate the party of God's love in such a way as to welcome not only the younger brothers who have come back from the dead, but also the older brothers who thought there was nothing wrong with them?” (N.T. Wright, Op. cit, pp. 142-3)
   • “The parables that are Jesus' response to the Pharisees’ murmuring still have the power to expose the roots of bitterness that dig their way into us…Typically, we want mercy for ourselves & justice for others, but the Lukan parables call for us to celebrate with God because God has been merciful not only to us but to others also, even to those we would otherwise have accepted into our fellowship.” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 247)
   • “Much of the fascination of this parable lies in its ability to resonate with our life experiences: adolescent rebellion; alienation from family; the appeal of the new & foreign; the consequences of foolish living; the warmth of home remembered; the experience of self encounter, awakening, & repentance; the joy of reunion; the power of forgiveness; the dynamics of ‘brotherly love’ that leads to one brother’s departure & the other’s indignation; & the contrast between relationships based on merit & relationships based on faithful love.” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 252)
   • “The journey home begins with coming to oneself. That means that the most difficult step is the first one. The youngest son had to face himself in the swine pen of his own making before he faced his father on the road. Pride can keep us from admitting our mistakes; self-esteem may require us to take decisive action to set right the things we have done wrong.” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 252)
   • “Although the opportunity to restore relationships & remedy wrongs begins with coming to oneself, it requires more. We must go to the person we have wronged. Was the younger son just seeking to improve his situation, or was he seeking a reconciliation with his father? The direct confession in his interior monologue confirms the sincerity of his intent. Neither the youngest son's pride nor his shame mattered as much as his need to restore his relationship to his father. He did not ask for his filial privileges to be restored. He did not even ask for forgiveness. He merely stated his confession.” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 252)
   • “The temptation a parent faces is to allow the child’s separation to become reciprocal. If the child separates from the parent, the parent may be tempted to respond in kind. The parable’s model of parental love insists, however, that no matter what the son has done he is still the father's son. When no one else would even give the [son] something to eat, the father runs to him & accepts him back. Love requires no confession & no restitution. The joyful celebration begins as soon as the father recognized the son's profile on the horizon.” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 253)
   • “The elder brother represents all of us who think we can make it on our own, all of us who might be proud of the kind of lives we live. Here is the contrast between those who want to live by justice & merit & those who must ask for grace. The parable shows that those who would live by merit can never know the joy of grace. We cannot share in the father's grace if we demand that he deal with us according to what we deserve. Sharing in God's grace requires that we join in the celebration when others are recipients of that grace also. Part of the fellowship with Christ is receiving & rejoicing with others who do not deserve our forgiveness or God's grace. Each person is of such value to God, however, that none is excluded from God's grace. Neither should we withhold our forgiveness.” (Alan Culpepper, Op cit, p. 253)
   • “If Scripture seeks to give us an identity, which it does, this parable is a prime identity-shaping text. It says, in effect, that humans are not legitimately inhabitants of the far country, that they are not prodigals or slaves. Rather, they are children of their father & belong with their father. The prodigal declares that he is not worthy of his own identity & wants something less, but he is no hired hand. Grace lets you be who you are supposed to be even though you do not deserve to or may not want to.” (Klyne Snodgrass, Op cit, p. 207)
   • “The parable sounds a note of joy that should mark disciples of the kingdom. If the kingdom is present & forgiveness is being dispensed, even if evil is still in the world, joy should characterize those who recognize what is happening. Christians sometimes are not a joyful lot. They either take faith for granted or forget what they have, or worse, like the elder son who hears music and does not want to get too close, they are suspicious of joy…Joy is not an optional feature of the faith, nor can it be attained by smiling more & singing louder. [Joy] must emerge from an awareness of the mercy & forgiveness of God enacted in the kingdom.” (Klyne Snodgrass, Op cit, p. 208)
   • A True Elder Brother - “What do we need to escape the shackles of our particular brand of lostness? The first thing we need is God's initiating love. Notice how the father comes out to each son & expresses love to him, in order to bring him in. He does not wait for his younger son on the porch of his home, impatiently tapping his foot, murmuring, here comes that son of mine...The father also goes out to the angry, resentful elder brother, begging him to come into the feast. It shows that even the most religious & moral people need the initiating grace of God, that they are just as lost; & it shows there is hope, yes, even for Pharisees.” (Tim Keller, The Prodigal God, pp. 82-3)
     • “We will never find God unless he first seeks us…How can you tell if he is [seeking] you? If you begin to sense your lostness & find yourself wanting to escape it, you should realize that that desire is not something you could have generated on your own. Such a process requires Help, & if it is happening it is a good indication that [God] is even now at your side.” (Tim Keller, Op cit, p. 84)
     • “Over the years many readers have drawn the superficial conclusion that the restoration of the younger brother involved no cost…That is an oversimplification…Mercy & forgiveness must be free & unmerited to the wrongdoer. If the wrongdoer has to do something to merit it, then it isn't mercy, but forgiveness ‘always’ comes at a cost to the one granting the forgiveness. While Act 1 of the parable showed us how free the father's forgiveness is, Act 2 gives us insight into its costliness. The younger brother's restoration was free to him, but it came at an enormous cost to the elder brother. The father could not just forgive the younger son, somebody had to pay! The father could not reinstate him except at the expense of the elder brother. There was no other way. Jesus does not put a true elder brother in the story, one who is willing to pay any cost to seek & save that which is lost. The younger son gets a Pharisee for a brother instead. But we do not!…Jesus invites us to yearn for a true [elder brother]...We need one who does not just go to the next country to find us but who will come all the way from Heaven to earth. We need one who is willing to pay not just a finite amount of money, but, at the infinite cost of his own life, to bring those into God's family, for our debt is so much greater…The point of the parable is that forgiveness always involves a price - someone has to pay...Our true elder brother paid our debt, on the cross, in our place…On the cross Jesus was treated as an outcast so that we could be brought into God's family freely by grace. There Jesus drank the cup of eternal justice so that we might have the cup of the Father's Joy. There was no other way for the heavenly Father to bring us in, except at the expense of our true elder brother.” (Tim Keller, Op cit, pp. 92-96)

Ask one person to pray at the beginning of your meeting.

Check-in

Check in with each other about how everyone is doing.

Bible Reading: Luke 15:1-32

Sermon Summary:

Jesus saw things differently from the religious leaders of his day. They practiced keeping their distance from tax collectors & sinners. They saw that as a way to be right before God. Jesus, on the other hand, had no issue having meals & conversations with the very same people. What’s the difference? Jesus mirrored God’s heart & mission. He came to seek & to save the lost (Lk. 19:10). Because of these differences, the religious leaders openly grumbled & complained when Jesus ate & spoke with ‘outcasts.’ How does he help us to see that our hearts & lives are sometimes out of kilter with God’s heart? He tells 3 parables in Luke 15 around the theme of lost, found & rejoicing. And while his audience was the religious leaders, there is much for us all to learn from these simple stories that ask us to check where our heart is at when it comes to the lost people in our lives.

Discussion:

1. What’s the context for Jesus speaking the 3 parables? (Lk. 15:1-2) Read Luke 5:29-32, 7:36-50 & 19:1-10 to see the religious leaders raising the same issue.
2. What kind of heart posture do we see in Lk. 19:10? How is that different from that of the religious leaders?
3. What do you think the crucial theme for the parable of the lost sheep & coin is?
4. How is the same theme from the first 2 parables duplicated in the third parable?
5. How did the younger son become lost? What was the turning point for him?
6. The father responds to his returning son graciously. How does it mirror God’s heart? What’s the reason the father wants to celebrate?
7. Have you ever considered that the older son was lost? Talk about what lostness looks like for him & for us at times. Have you ever despised someone’s coming home who was lost? Share that experience with your group.
8. Undoubtedly, the vast majority of us at CIT are not like the younger son at this point. But, knowing that we can be like the older brother at any time, what can we do to guard our hearts against that happening? What are some safeguards we can have in place to ensure our hearts continue to beat in sync with God’s heart for all people?

End with Prayer.

• Pray for God’s heart to be duplicated in each of ours.
• Pray for one another’s concerns.

This week's set list:

Love Of God – Phil Wickham, Brandon Lake

O Come To The Altar – Elevation Worship

Goodness Of God – Bethel Music

Build My Life – Pat Barrett