This is the third part of the study of some awesome parallels found in the fifteenth chapter of Luke's gospel. The thing that I love the most about this chapter is that three separate events form one incredibly beautiful picture!
Two weeks ago, we looked at the parable of the lost sheep in The Scandal of Grace: The Lost Sheep (Click here), and brought out a point that can make some people uncomfortable. People can get lost by neglect and the laziness of someone who holds a religious title and honestly, it happens every single day. I have been privileged to correspond with people all over the world because of this blog and one of the common threads of conversation is found in helping people understand that God desires them even if their church does not. The statement, "Believe the preacher no matter what!!!" is a good way to run a cult, but a poor way to conduct a functioning church because men fail and men are not always right.
Not every church is harming people through a performance based acceptance mindset, but there are some that do. So the beauty of the story last week is that if you find yourself wounded, is to understand that Father allows hirelings to have a fold in order to bring people to Him! Hirelings wound because they do not care for the sheep, but the Father heals and His desire has always been relationship with nothing, and no one in between. He will use whatever platform is necessary to bring and individual into a relationship with Him.
There is second part of the story that we looked at last week was The Scandal of Grace: The Lost Coin (Click here), and it parallels with a second group of people. The sheep parallel those people who are lost by NEGLECT and the coin parallels those people who are lost by IGNORANCE. It is possible to be "found" in your salvation, but remain "Lost" in your identity to the one who places value on you.
The scandal of grace is brought to the surface in this last parallel. The first two seem so deserving of grace, but the third? Lets look at this one for just a moment.
" And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. ~Luke 15:11-32
The Child: Lost by Intention.
The story of the lost child is very interesting because it deals right where we spend the majority of our lives. Relationship.
Life is relationships and regardless of your financial status, everyone deals with relationships.
Life is relationships and regardless of your financial status, everyone deals with relationships.
If you read the list of what the boy wanted, it was not a bad list. He wanted his own security, significance and intimacy. He wanted the very things that every single one of us want and the painful part of this story is that he went about satisfying those "thirsts" from some of the same wells that we have run to in our desire to quench a thirst.
We read this story and, from the outside looking in, we have very little patience for him because he deliberately chose to waste what was most precious.
He traded his identity as a son for riotous living, loose women, and a lifestyle that identified him with a pig, literally and figuratively. We read the story and see the redemptive love of his father as this broken child returns and we are touched by this love and are quick to say, "Boy this kid sure had a lot to be grateful for! I hope he realises how awesome his father is."
Let's just be honest. We still refer to him as the "Prodigal" even after he has been restored and walks into the house as a son don't we? I mean we have the brother who stayed and then, the prodigal.
We are really proud of the son that stayed at home because this is how we tend to view ourselves in light of those we know that deliberately know better but run off in search of empty wells. They waste everything, or so it seems, and we stay with the father working in his fields.
We love our prodigals, but we have a hard time seeing them receive the status that they had before if not better because part of us wants the "prodigal" to never forget that they were in fact a prodigal! After all, they made the choice to run away and break the father's heart right?
I mean the Father was gracious and we all love that but there has to be some expressed level of constant sorrow for all that you wasted while we were here and faithfully working for the Father... right? I mean, let's be honest here. This is a blog so no one will see you raise your hand to signify that you have had these feelings before about people that have "returned home" to God. Glad your back, but...
You know the ones that want to teach Sunday school or serve in the church but are still looking like they have "Prodigal" brand clothing. The ones with tattoos and facial jewelry and discolored wild hair? They are late to functions and they just don't fit in as well as the more "established and seasoned Christians".
The responses of the two boys to their father is what is amazing to me!
And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
The way I am reading this series of events would be, son is home, repents, dad restores the boy with his identity and party. I never find mention again that the son ever doubted his restored identity as the father's son. The prodigals never have to doubt their restored identity to the Father because the elder sons always want to do that job for them.
And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
The older son felt that his faithfulness merited better than what he saw displayed for his prodigal brother.
Look at this picture below for just a moment and let's talk about the scandal of grace!
The scandal of grace is that it is truly radical injustice! In the real world of man's thinking, the idea that He likes me for what I have brought to the relationship is hard to accept. That is scandalous and that is injustice we say. It is not fair, and the Lord says, "It is not supposed to be fair. I am God and my Son paid for the injustice." That is the scandal of grace.
And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
Both sons got it wrong, and we often miss the true beauty of this story by trying to identify with the behavior patters of the boys.
The younger felt the father would not love him because of something he did wrong, and the older thought the father should love him because of things that he did right.
The Father's love for you is not based on what you do or do not do. He loves you because you are His child!
I don't encourage anyone to live like they don't care, but if you have messed up, you have a tremendous opportunity to see that as His child, your identity is not found in your actions but rather your identity is found in the action of the Father on your behalf.
We can justify grace to the person who is wounded by neglect, or is lost in ignorance but we have a hard time letting someone who is restored enjoy their identity as the Father's child because we truly do not understand our own.
You present to others the God that you know.
I want to ask you a question with this post.
Which brother are you?
Do you feel that you messed up and wasted years and are not worthy of the identity that God gave you at salvation?
Do you feel that you have been faithful to do all that you know and keep the rules and that God should be more pleased with you than with a "prodigal"?
Do you have a hard time accepting a prodigal because they are acting like they never ran away?
It comes down to identity. Who are you in Christ? What did he make you at salvation? If He has restored your identity in Him, who can ever hope to change that?
He wants you to know that if you are His child, you need to never forget that His love for you is not determined by you. It was settled by Him!
It was the scandal of grace that reaches across all three parallels and says, "I was made to cover all." Fair? Nope! It was not fairness that sent Jesus to the cross.
"God's purpose, not His fairness dictates the circumstances of our lives."
Climbing with you,
~Dan
No comments:
Post a Comment