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The last few days we've been looking at the parable of the prodigal sons - one who left home and lost everything but came back, and the other son who never left home but was so full of self-importance, self-pity and self-righteousness that he could never be at home anywhere. The main figure of the parable is the loving father who had two lousy sons. One saw his father as a bank credit. The other son saw him as a deposit account!
Today examine the first two verses of Luke Chapter 15 and you will find that the audience who first heard the three different ways of being lost were on one side, (outcasts, publicans and sinners, yam.ha.aretz (Hebrew), scoundrels), and on the other, the Holy Club (Pharisees and goodies) in Hebrew, 'the Haberim'. Each would have cheered as the other 'son' was portrayed in the story. 'Serve him right!' 'Hypocrite!'
It was to these two parties that Jesus told the story of a loving father, who had two incredibly insensitive sons. Now this parable is not the Gospel. No parable is the Gospel. There is no cross within the parables. No atoning sacrifice. They were not intended to be. Jesus had another object in view.His parables were like spears, with one point at a time to thrust home.His was a call to see the Father's heart- to see how God feels about his warring, bitter, spoiled and selfish children, ever in competition, jealous of each other and frustrated. This is how the parable ends:
"My son", the father said, "you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost, and is found." Luke 15: 31-32
A prayer: Thank you Father in heaven, that I know you are my Father and continue to love me in spite of what I am. You also love those against whom I feel angry.
Now read Matthew Chapter 7.
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