Luke 15: 11-32
The Prodigal Son
And He said, A certain man had two sons:
And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me to inherit. So he divided his wealth between them.
So the father gave both his sons now what they would inherit when he died, because the younger son didn't want to wait until his father died.
And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country,
This son didn't want to stick around; there must have been an issue in the family that he didn't want to face.
and there he squandered his estate with loose living.
And he never learned how to handle money.
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.
Okay, he got a job. Looks like not much was available in the job market.
And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him.
There was no welfare state there, people were expected to be responsible for themselves.
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!
Now he began to think clearly, instead of selfishly and foolishly.
I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.
Here's his confession and repentance, he's ready to turn over a new leaf.
So he got up and came to his father.
And was probably rehearsing his speech on the way.
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.
Dad was on the watch for him, looking for when he would be returning, not knowing if he would, but eternally hopeful.
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.
This is only the first half of his speech. It looks like Dad cut him off from saying the rest.
But the father said to his slaves, Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him (have to dress up for the party), and put a ring on his hand (The ring was the credit card to put the family seal on the legal documents) and sandals on his feet;
And bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate (Party, party, party!);
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.
Dad ran to him because he could see his demeanor as he walked, rehearsing his speech of submission, and knew he was ready to receive the family honor.
Now his older son was in the field (Nobody thought to go get him for the occasion?), and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing (Uh-oh!).
And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be (What's going on here?).
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.
Just the facts.
But he became angry and was not willing to go in;
This anger is telling, now we can see what has been going on between these two brothers.
and his father came out and began pleading with him.
Parents always want their children to get along.
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;
This son seems to have taken this as a personal insult, a slight from his father in favor of the one who left.
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.
Now he's competing with his brother for his father's love.
And he said to him, Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours.
He had all the advantages, Dad had given him his share, too, all the rest; the double portion as the elder son. It all belonged to him, and he could have had a party any time he wanted.
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.
Dad's right. This is a very appropriate occasion to have a party.
The younger son just didn't want to compete with his brother, so he left.
But the father still loved them both. Parents do that.
No matter what kind of personality our kids develop as they grow up, we still accept them and love them and want the best for them. Even when they abandon us.
We're not told if the older brother ever came in to the party, or if he just sulked until it broke up and everybody went home. We don't know if these two brothers ever reconciled their differences to be able to get along.
They may have. It's a possibility. This gives me hope for my two daughters: they seem to have lived out this drama in my own family.
I pray that they will both face the realities of their childhoods together, and each confess their part, and forgive each other, and learn to accept each other in their similarities and in their differences.
O my Father, I was that prodigal in Your family: I ran away and left, and wandered into dangerous paths. But You never gave up on me; Your eye was continually upon me, to draw me into better paths, all the way back home to You, Father.
Now You have rescued me, lifting me out of the miry clay I was caught in, and You set my feet upon the Rock of my Salvation (Psalm 40:2). When I was sinking in the quicksand of the World, You pulled me out and set me in a wide space where I cannot fall off. I may stumble, but I will never fall, with Your hand securely holding mine.
And Father, please draw my children to Yourself. Please show them Your Love for them, in wanting them all to come to repentance so they can be saved from destruction. You are not willing that any should perish, Father; so be the Hound of Heaven to dog them until they return to the Shepherd and Guardian of their souls (II Peter 2:25).
And help me, Father, to be the parent to them that You are to me: lead me to love them as You love them, and to say Your words, and do Your works, and display Your attitudes of grace and compassion and aceptance. Show me how to do this, Father, instead of pushing them away.
And every eye will see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess Your glory and honor and praise and blessing and riches, forever and ever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Matthew 19: 16-30
And, look, one came and said to Him, Good Master, what good thing should I do to have eternal life?
And He said to him, Why are you calling Me good? There is only one that is good, God. Are you testifying that I am the Son of God? The Lord God of Creation?
But if you want to enter into eternal life, then keep the Commandments. Obey what you already know God wants you to do.
He asked Him, Which commandments?
Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, honor thy father and thy mother; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
Just don't do anything against anyone else, always treat them as you want them to treat you. All the second Tablet of the Ten Commandments.
The young man said, All these I have kept since I was a child; but it doesn't seem to be enough; What else do I need to do?
Jesus said to him, If you want to be perfect enough to live with God in Heaven, then go and sell what you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven; and then come and follow Me.
But when the young man heard Him saying this, he went away sorrowful, because he owned a great amount of possessions. And he valued his possessions over having eternal life!
Then Jesus said to His disciples, Truly I say to you, that a rich man has a very difficult time entering the Kingdom of Heaven.
And again I say to you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.
When the disciples heard this, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
The prevailing opinion of that culture was that God would bless the most godly with the most material possessions.
But Jesus looked at them and said, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. God does the impossible as a matter of course.
Then Peter said, Look, we've given up all our stuff and are following You; What will we get out of it?
And Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, that you who have followed me, in the Regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit on the Throne of His glory; you also will be sitting on twelve thrones ruling over the twelve Tribes of Israel.
And everyone who has given up houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or real estate, for My Name's sake, shall receive a hundred times more in this life, and shall inherit eternal Life.
But many that are first in this life shall be last in the next, and the last shall be first.
The whole point here is about our priorities. Those that are wealthy in this World's goods most likely gained their riches by focusing on getting more stuff, rather than focusing on building their characters to be like God. Their priorities are skewed, putting material possessions over spiritual values.
That's why it's so hard for "rich people" to get saved. But when God draws even a rich person (No one can come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me draws him ... Jesus, in John 6:44), then He changes his heart, and shows him his need; then he can be saved.
And it's not always necessary to give up stuff, only the stuff that gets in the way. But even then, Jesus says we'll receive a hundred times as much in this life, and still inherit eternal Life!
And the impossible is possible with God. He's God and can do anything He wants! What I think is impossible for me, He can do for me, no problem! Wow!
O Father, You are so good! You are so generous! You Love me so much! You Love us all more than we can imagine! You want for all of us to come to You, but so many of us are still caught up in trying to "make ends meet," so we're focused on gathering this World's goods.
Father, don't let us get so caught up in the "rat race" that we forget who we are in You! And let those who don't know You yet realize how much better You are to Your own than the World is to those who belong to it.
Father, Your riches come without regret, without sorrow (Psalm 10:22); unlike the World's riches, that come with problems and troubles.
Father, help me always to remember how Your good is so much better than anything this World can give me, even if I am able to amass a great fortune, eventually. Teach me to use it wisely, for Your Kingdom; not foolishly waste it on my own comfort.
And send me and my words out over this whole World, Father, into every Nation, every tribe, every language; so that every creature will hear and have a clear, informed choice to choose You, and come to You, and willingly bend every knee, unlike all the rest who will be compelled to bow.
And every creature in Heaven and on Earth and under the Earth will bow the knee, and every tongue in every language will proclaim Your authority and glory and praise and riches and blessing.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
John 6: 26-69
After Jesus fed the five thousand and went back to Capernaum on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, the people He had fed followed Him, and Jesus said that they were looking for Him not to see the miracles that validated His identity, but they only came for the food.
So Jesus talks about food, the Bread of Life.
Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.
So they asked what they should do, and He said to believe in Him. So they asked, "Why You?" and then quoted Scripture about Moses, that, "He gave them bread out of Heaven to eat" (Psalm 78:24).
So Jesus tells them,
Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the Bread of Heaven, but it is My Father Who gives you the true Bread of Heaven; it's He who has come down out of Heaven to give Life to the World.
Then they said to Him, Lord, always give us this bread.
Jesus said, I am the Bread of Life. ...
(Read my blog entries of January 25 & 26, 2013 about, "Real Food And Real Drink," and "Nourishing My Real Life," for the basics on this.)
So those people grumbled about Jesus; they knew His parents and family, and who did He think He was, anyway!
When Jesus explained that the Bread of Life was His own body and blood, many of His disciples considered this too hard to understand, so they left Him.
So He asked The Twelve, "Are you going to leave, too?" And here's where we get Peter's wonderful confession, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the Words of Life eternal life. We have believed You, and we have learned that You are the Holy One of God.
Peter's statement shows the proper order: #1-believe; then, #2-see, come to know and understand.
We must first decide to believe whatever He would say to us, even if it doesn't make sense. Then, and only then, will we be able to come to understand the reasoning and logic of it all, how it all fits together sensibly.
All life is spiritual; when the spiritual part leaves a living thing, it is dead, whether it is a plant, an animal, or a person. The spirit of life in the Earth is what gives life to everything that lives. Ecclesiastes says that the spirit of life of the beast returns to the Earth, and the spirit of Man returns to God who gave it (3:21; 12:7).
God put a spirit of living into this Earth that produces all the living matter upon it (Genesis 1:11-12, 20, 24). But then God made Man and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and Man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). So Mankind has more than the natural spirit of living, he also has a supernatural soul!
Only Mankind has a soul. So this soul is what gives us our intelligence, our will, and our ability to create ideas and communicate them to one another with language. We are creative, because we are made in the image and likeness of the Creator.
And only Mankind has a future beyond this Earth, because of his supernatural soul. Only Man will spend eternity with God or without Him. Living with God is eternal Life; living forever without Him is an eternal death.
To have the Life that will let us live forever, we need more than the food and drink this Earth provides--we need the food and drink that is spiritual. We need to nourish our bodies; we also need to nourish our spirits and souls.
Jesus explained this to His desciples. His words that He spoke, and that His prophets and evangelists wrote, is the spiritual nourishment we need for our spiritual life.
That is why I take such personal delight in studying Scripture--it is His Word, whether they are in red letters or black, they're all His love-letter to me.
O my Father, thank You so much for loving me so much! You know me, and yet You love me anyway! You have given me Your love-letter, and You have granted to me the intelligence and education to be able to understand so much of what You're telling us.
Thank You, Father, for allowing me to be able to share the wonderful things I am learning with others who are seeking You, also. May this missive help them to understand how wonderful and gracious You are, Father, and come to love You as I love you!
The more I learn of You and what You have done, and what You have planned for me; the more I am drawn to You. And the more I want others to know You, also.
Father, I look so eagerly to the culmination of this great Story of Scripture! I can hardly wait for all Your children to come to You and my Bridegroom/King returns to assume His Throne!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Luke 14: 25-35
Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them,
If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.
Jesus is not advocating hatred here, He is comparing our love for our dear ones to the love we are to have for Him; it's an issue of priorities, what or who will come first in our loyalty.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
The cross was an instrument of execution. The one carrying a cross is admitting that they deserve death, and is on their way to die on it. We must live our lives daily in an attitude that we would die for Him; therefore we are living for Him, ready to follow His direction, regardless of what our loved ones tell us. Our first priority must be to do what is right, according to the Righteousness of God, and not let even our closest family members deter us from it.
For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?
Otherwise, when he has laid an foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it will begin to ridicule him,
saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish.
Even if we want to accomplish something like building a building, it's only practical to make sure you can finance it before you start. If you run out of money or time, then people will make fun of you for leaving it half-finished.
There was a man in the city I lived in who bought a lot of the buildings in town and started to fix them up, but he seemed to lose interest before he finished anything. The other townspeople talked disdainfully about him, for leaving their town in a half-finished state. He couldn't seem to focus on one project long enough to get it done.
Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.
Here is a political example of looking before you leap. If the king with ten thousand cannot come up with a strategy to defeat the one with twice as many soldiers, then he would be better served not facing them in battle, but negotiating for peace instead. Reasoning and logic and planning.
God gave us brains and thinking powers that He wants us to use. And a will to choose what we would consider the best course to take.
Likewise, Jesus is saying we need to count the cost of following Him. He says:
So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.
If becoming a Christian will cost you your family or your possessions, if you are living in a non-Christian country; or if you will lose your job in an evil society; or if you will face some other "undesirable" result of your turning from sinning to righteousness--then you will need to decide if He would be worth it. Is Jesus really your source of everything you really want, and is more valuable than anything you will end up giving up?
When God came to me to save me, I knew that I would be giving up all my boyfriends. But since He loved me so much, I didn't need those guys any more, anyway. And the life He gave me to live ever since that day has been so much better than it would have been, there's really no comparison.
Therefore, salt is good: but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
We are to be the salt of this World. Salt is used to season, give flavor, to food; it is also used to preserve food from rotting. And it is also used to make the soil unable to grow the weeds we want to kill, and to sanitize a manure pile.
But if salt loses its saltiness, then it's not good for anything at all.
If we're to be salt in our cultures and societies, then we need to give the flavor, kill the viruses, sanitize the stink, and preserve what is good. Unlike artificial antibiotics that kills everything, we need to discern what needs to be changed, and also what needs to be kept and improved.
And everyone who has ears, that means everybody, needs to listen to what Jesus is teaching us. Even non-Christians can do good in the World, and many do. But as Christians, the good that we can accomplish would not be mixed with anything that is not pure and righteous; it would be genuine and beneficial for everyone, without harming anyone.
O my Father, thank You for teaching us what is right. Thank You for showing us what seems to be good in the World, but really harmful to people or our environment. Father, give us the discernment to see how to love You and one another, to do what is right and righteous, and to avoid everything that would spoil or tear down the good that You have made in us and for us.
Strengthen us, Father, to give up all the things that will not help or be good for us, regardless of what we hear from others. All that You have for us is so much better than any things or possessions or people or wealth that this World gives.
No eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has it ever entered our imagination of what good things You are preparing for those who love You (Isaiah 64:4; I Corinthians 2:9). Even family members--Your own Family!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Luke 14: 15-24
When one of those who were reclining at the table with Him heard this, he said to Him, Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the Kingdom of God!
But He said to him, A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many;
and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, Come; for everything is ready now.
But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.
Another one said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.
Another one said, I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.
And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.
And the slave said, Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.
And the master said to the slave, go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.
For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.
Jesus had one more story to tell these dinner guests at the Chief Pharisee's house that day. When one of the guests commented about God's Dinner Party, Jesus replied with a story about all the invited guests who gave excuses to get out of going; they all had something that was more important to them.
Jesus was telling them that the twelve tribes of Israel had the invitation to God's Kingdom, but since they had hardly ever really bought into God's program, then the way would be open for all the imperfect, Gentile and Barbarian and disabled and other non-acceptable people, to come and enjoy God's Reception into His Kingdom.
A lot of people give their own plans a higher priority than they do to God's program. They figure God can take care of His own plans, they have better things to do for themselves.
So anyone; Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, healthy or sick, city-slicker or country-bumpkin; has the opportunity to accept God's invitation, through His servants, the prophets and evangelists, to enter His Kingdom, through His Son, Christ our Lord.
Many today also have their own excuses, and think that they can always come to God later, at a more convenient time. But Scripture says that today, right now is the day of salvation (II Corinthians 6:2); we don't know what tomorrow holds, or even if we will have a tomorrow. We never know when we are in the last day of our life.
Today is the only time we really have; yesterday is gone, and tomorrow may never come. So what would you be doing if you knew that today was your last day? Are you sure of your Eternity? Have you loose threads that need to be tied up in your relationships? Have you debts to pay?
No excuse will stand up for you when you face your Judge at the moment of death. And whenever you do decide to come to Him, you will wish you had done so a long time ago, because you missed out on so much, even in this life.
O my Father, thank You that You have opened the door to Salvation to every person alive. You are so generous and lavish in Your giving! Everyone is loved by You, and You are not willing that any should perish in a forever without You, but that every one of us would come to repentance and faith, trusting You. (II Peter 3:9.)
I know that most people are not willing to turn to You, because they are deceived by the enemy into thinking they don't need to, or have never heard. But, there are also those who do want to, but are putting You off, with their own ideas and plans, not realizing how much better Yours are for them.
I pray for all Your lost sheep, Father; those who haven't found their way to You yet, that You would be the Hound of Heaven to dog them until they turn to You, thay they would have no rest until they rest in You.
Send more workers into Your fields, Father; find them all, draw them all into that One Fold with One Shepherd.
And every knee will bow, every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. And You will receive all the glory and honor and blessing and riches and praise, forever and ever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Luke 14: 12-14
And Jesus also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may invite you in return and that will be your repayment.
But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.
Jesus is still at this dinner that the prominent Pharisee had invited Him to. And He is still lecturing them.
Now He's turning to His host, and telling him who to invite to the next party. If you remember, this religious leader had wanted to trap Jesus into doing something that their additional rules forbade that they had added to God's Law so that they would be able to accuse Him, but He had seen through their plot.
Now it seems like He is going on and on about the right way to go about things, to this group of people who just didn't get it.
So He told His host to just simply look for rewards that will last forever, instead of what will blow away or burn up. Jesus knew people, He could see into their hearts, to discern their motives. He could see that this man wanted to be repaid, rewarded for his good deeds, so He told him how to get valuable rewards that will last, instead of the cheap trinkets he had been gathering.
Jesus really did want to help him and his guests to do right. He wants us all to do right. That's why the Holy Spirit had Doctor Luke write these teachings for us to learn, too.
If we're only being nice to people who are nice to us, then we're not "being Christ" to those we associate with. Even worldly and evil people do this.
Jesus associated with the out-casts, the shunned, the rejected people of His day. When was the last time you did something for someone who could never return the favor? What is your attitude toward those others are disgusted with?
O my Father, help me to always see others through Your eyes, to look for what is good in others, regardless of how they look or act or smell. You have made each of us members of Mankind in Your own image and likeness, even though we have marred and twisted that image.
Help me to look past all the mistakes and dirt and infirmities of others in my world, to see the desire in their hearts for good, even when they don't realize You are that good they want. Just as I didn't know that You are the Truth I was looking for.
Father, send me to those who are seeking You, in whatever aspect of Your personality they are looking for. Show me how to show them Who You are, that You are the Source of everything they could ever want or need.
Continue to send workers into Your fields to reap those who are ripe for harvest. Continue to cultivate Your fields, Father, preparing Your lost sheep to come to You when You have made them ready. Then have Your worker there to show You to them, and You will draw them into the safety of the One Fold with One Shepherd.
And You will receive all the praise, all the credit, all the glory and honor and blessing; when every knee will bow, every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord of all, to the glory of God the Father, forever and ever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Luke 14: 7-11
And He began speaking a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table, saying to them,
When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him,
and he who invited you both will come and say to you, Give your place to this man, and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place.
But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, Friend, move up higher; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you,
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
When Jesus went to dinner on the Sabbath at this prominent Pharisee's house, He had a lot to say to him and his other guests. But He wasn't very complimentary at all.
Here He's dressing them down for their self-promotion.
The culture He lived in was very aware of the varying degrees of importance of each member of the society, and the seating arrangements at every social gathering was rather precise. So where someone was seated at the table was a reflection of their importance in relation to everyone else.
A parallel I can think of right now would be at a wedding reception, where the wedding party is at a table separate from all the other tables. If one of the groomsmen would take the central seat of the groom, he would be asked to move.
But the principle here applies to anywhere we would want to promote ourselves over someone else. I remember how my husband would sometimes look in the mirror and compliment himself on his good looks, and I would respond by telling him that was for me to say; now that he said it, I couldn't. I didn't want to put him down; I did consider him to be very good-looking, but I felt he was preventing me from saying it by taking that place himself.
Self-promotion is one exteme, and putting oneself down is the other extreme. But to measure ourselves by ourselves, and to compare ourselves among ourselves, is not wise, is lacking understanding (II Corinthians 10:12).
We need to have true humility: recognizing our true worth, without elevating it or lowering it, or being competitive with one another. We are all valuable, and God loves us all more than we can imagine; He has gifted each of us in our own way, according to each of our personality and ability. We are to use our talents and skills to help one another, to lift up one another, and to bless one another with God's blessings.
O my Father, thank You for all Your gifts and giftings to us all. You are so generous, Father, to have given all of us Your wonderful and useful gifts.
Help us, Father, to not be envious of others' gifts, but to recognize how You have made each of us differently, with varied combinations of gifts, abilities, personalities, intellects, skills, experiences, and heart desires. Help us to be grateful and thankful for what You have given to each of us, using all these traits unselfishly to benefit one another, and bring You praise.
And You will receive all the credit, all the glory, all the fame and renown; because only You deserve it all, from every knee bowed and every tongue in every language, throughout all eternity, forever and ever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
