Luke 14:1 ¶
And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief
Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. 2 And, behold, there was a certain man before
him which had the dropsy. 3 And Jesus
answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on
the sabbath day? 4 And they held their
peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go; 5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall
have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out
on the sabbath day? 6 And they could not
answer him again to these things.
Dropsy is the old name for any excessive swelling caused by an
accumulation of water. We would be more specific today, for instance, saying
the person had edema due to congestive heart failure. Dropsy expresses itself mostly in swelling of the lower legs and
feet after having been on them all day. Here, Jesus taught the importance of
mercy and compassion over a rigid following of religious obligation. In a
similar vein, James wrote;
James 2:13 For he shall
have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
Jesus used this analogy
before in 13:15 saying that if you would help your animal on the Sabbath why
would it be wrong to help a person. His reference to assisting a beast goes
back to Old Testament expressions of mercy and compassion toward animals belonging
to oneself or others.
Exodus 23:5 If thou see the
ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to
help him, thou shalt surely help with him.
Proverbs 12:10 A righteous man regardeth the
life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the
wicked are cruel.
The Pharisee would show
compassion for his beast, why not a fellow Jew? There really was nothing they
could say against that.
A certain man or a
certain woman are two phrases in the Bible that speak a profound truth. God
has used countless anonymous people throughout history to further His plan of
the redemption of mankind, the great reconciliation. Their names are not
recorded but they provided an important step in the journey. Most of us are
like that. I have accomplished nothing important in life. I will be quickly
forgotten. In a short time after I die, it will be as if I never existed. But I
want to imagine it being said in eternity, “Once, there was a certain man who
wrote a blog about the Bible that encouraged others to read it even if they
disagreed with him and just wanted to prove he was wrong.”
Luke 14:7 ¶ And he put
forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out
the chief rooms; saying unto them, 8
When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the
highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; 9 And he that bade thee and him come and say to
thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.
10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit
down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto
thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of
them that sit at meat with thee. 11 For
whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall
be exalted. 12 Then said he also to him
that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor
thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they
also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. 13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor,
the maimed, the lame, the blind: 14 And
thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be
recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
A similar sentiment to
verses 7 through 11 is expressed in Proverbs.
Proverbs 25:6 ¶ Put not
forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men: 7 For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou
shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.
Humility, rather than
seeking preeminence, is appreciated by God. Peter wrote;
1Peter 5:5 ¶ Likewise, ye
younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility:
for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty
hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth
for you.
James expressed a
similar sentiment when talking about exalting a social class as so many
working-class conservatives in America do in their worship of the very wealthy.
James 2:1 ¶ My brethren,
have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2 For if there come unto your assembly a man
with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile
raiment; 3 And ye have respect to him
that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place;
and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and
are become judges of evil thoughts? 5
Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world
rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that
love him? 6 But ye have despised the
poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?
7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name
by the which ye are called?
A very important
principle is expressed in verse 14. In the ancient Greek and Roman world
charity was a political act. You gave to someone who could do you some good.
You sponsored something, gave to a temple, had something built in your name, or
distributed bread to the poor, but whatever you did you expected a return on
your investment; some preference, some prayer, some acknowledgment of your
importance, or support politically.
In fact, in
Graeco-Roman culture the poor were never singled out as the object of charity.
Philanthropy had to do with your own family or to help someone who deserved to
be helped. Almsgiving and Greek or Roman moralists never preached that people
with money should help people without unless, as I said, there was some benefit
involved or some great value in the recipient. An important thing that Jesus
will teach later is that your neighbor includes any stranger, even of a
different ethnic group or religion than yourself, that you come across in
desperate need.
The highest level of
Christian giving is to give to someone who cannot possibly benefit you and may
not even know you were their benefactor. You will expect acknowledgment in
heaven, not here on earth.
Matthew 6:1 ¶ Take heed
that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no
reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2
Therefore when thou doest thine
alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the
synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say
unto you, They have their reward. 3 But
when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy
Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
In addition, verses 12
and 13 set up a prophetic passage on a specific feast in the next verses.
Luke 14:15 ¶ And when one
of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed
is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. 16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a
great supper, and bade many: 17 And sent
his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all
things are now ready. 18 And they all
with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have
bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me
excused. 19 And another said, I have
bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
20 And another said, I have married a
wife, and therefore I cannot come. 21 So
that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the
house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and
lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt,
and the blind. 22 And the servant said,
Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. 23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out
into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house
may be filled. 24 For I say unto you,
That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
Here, Christ again admonishes
the people whom God created out of the Gentiles in Ur of the Chaldees of old. They’ve
made many excuses and those who have will have their invitation to have a meal
at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb rescinded.
Revelation 19:9 And he
saith unto me, Write, Blessed are
they which are called unto the marriage
supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are
the true sayings of God.
Matthew gives a more
complete rendition of this lesson when Jesus is teaching in the temple
indicting the nation of Israel for their historical disobedience and violence
against God’s prophets. Matthew introduces a figure who some say is the
Antichrist, the Beast of Revelation himself, although this may simply be a
representation of the tares, the phonies, in the church. The Gentiles again
will play a part in spreading the gospel of the kingdom as the nation of Israel
refuses to stop making excuses and follow their Messiah.
Matthew 22:1 ¶ And Jesus
answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, 2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain
king, which made a marriage for his son, 3
And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the
wedding: and they would not come. 4
Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden,
Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are
killed, and all things are
ready: come unto the marriage. 5 But
they made light of it, and went
their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 6 And the remnant took his servants, and
entreated them spitefully, and
slew them. 7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent
forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
8 Then saith he to his servants, The
wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as
many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 10
So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all
as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with
guests. 11 And when the king came in to
see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest
thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him
hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of
teeth. 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
Luke 14:25 ¶ And there went
great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, 26 If any man come to me, and hate not
his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea,
and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and
come after me, cannot be my disciple. 28
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first,
and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the
foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it
begin to mock him, 30 Saying, This man
began to build, and was not able to finish. 31
Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down
first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that
cometh against him with twenty thousand? 32
Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an
ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. 33
So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath,
he cannot be my disciple. 34 Salt is
good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?
35 It is neither fit for the land, nor
yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear,
let him hear.
A word should be said
about the word hate here. In a
different context, when Jesus commissioned the twelve apostles as reported in
Matthew 10 it is recorded;
Matthew 10:37 He that
loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth
son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
By comparing passages
that express the same or similar sentiment we can determine the meaning of
passages that are difficult for us. Clearly, to hate, in this context, is to hold one in lower regard than one
would reasonably expect rather than to hold in contempt, to despise, to abhor,
and reject as in other contexts. You cannot properly interpret the Bible
without cross-referencing. Any version that destroys the cross-referencing
traits of the Bible should be dismissed outright. If we believe that the Bible
was given by inspiration as it says it was, that the Holy Spirit had a hand in
translations and copies, then we must understand that the ultimate author was
God Himself and in order to understand a word or phrase we need to look within
the text itself.
Verse 27 has led to a
lot of guilt feelings on the part of Christians who do not live in countries
where they are persecuted horribly. It has even prompted some Christians to
make themselves as obnoxious as possible to try to get a taste of what they
perceive is persecution so they can feel justified. However, remember, first
that Jesus is talking to the people He deals with every day in the flesh and
those who would follow Him in His hour of suffering. Tradition tells us that
every single Apostle, save John, died a martyr’s death and it wasn’t for lack
of trying that John was not martyred.
The cross was a type of
execution that was very painful and the process of death was often prolonged as
the sufferer tried to breathe and had to experience the agony of having hands
and feet nailed to the wood.
Many of the people that
would have heard this saying about taking up one’s cross daily left following
Christ when things got tough. The disciple had to be willing to give up all
that he had, all earthly connections, to follow Christ as we can see by verse
26 and Matthew 10:28-30. The end result of that discipleship could be
imprisonment, torture, and death as we can see by Luke 12:11; Acts 7:59; Acts
12:2. The hope and treasures of the
heart of a disciple, as a result, had to be focused on heaven, not earth as we
can see in Matthew 6:19-20.
Even if you are not
persecuted, though many are in many parts of the world today and are called to
see this verse in their lives, you do have the burden of bearing your own Cross
of suffering and pain in this life and bearing it in faith with a testimony
before others who have not trusted Christ or are weak in their faith. We have
this burden of being fenced in with bones and sinews, our souls trapped in the
body of this death, every day dying and yet alive as we can see in Job 10:11
& Galatians 2:20. If we are not willing to suffer these things, although we
will whether we do it in faith or not, then we should count the cost before we
profess faith in our Saviour and declare ourselves redeemed of the Lord as this
passage then reveals. Like salt, we can be completely useless, in our case, in
the disciples of this time’s case, if we or they are unwilling to follow our
Saviour to death. The disciples here are warned that this way is not going to
be painless for them while they are in the flesh.
Suffering in this life
is real and inevitable, whether you do it in faith, trusting your Creator, or
do it in anger and bitterness and denial, and unbelief. For the Christian this
life is the only Hell they will ever know. For the rejector of Christ the
suffering you experience here is only the beginning of woes.
The early Christians
and many now throughout the world are faced with a choice, to renounce Christ
or face the loss of everything they hold dear. To confess Christ or to renounce
Him. Chapter 12 had a reference to this.
Luke 12:8 Also I say unto
you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also
confess before the angels of God: 9 But
he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.
And so Paul and John
will write;
2Timothy 2:12 If we suffer,
we shall also reign with him:
if we deny him, he also will
deny us:
13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot
deny himself.
Revelation 3:7 ¶ And to the
angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy,
he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man
shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; 8
I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no
man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and
hast not denied my name.
Preachers are fond of
using these verses to indict you for not handing out a tract at a certain time
or going door-knocking and those may be valid ways of projecting the text onto
the relatively painless, when it comes to persecution for Americans (at least
the persecution that comes from humans and not the spirit world), but the
context is life-and-death persecution enacted at times by the Romans and later
the Roman and Protestant churches and other religions. The secular state and
Islam are the greatest physical persecutors today.
This context, the
literal meaning of verses, like this has to do with the persecution they faced.
Jesus warned His
disciples to expect it.
Matthew 20:20 ¶ Then came
to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of
him. 21 And he said unto her, What wilt
thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy
right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. 22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what
ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be
baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are
able. 23 And he saith unto them, Ye
shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am
baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to
give, but it shall be given to them
for whom it is prepared of my Father.
Don’t whine when you
are forbidden to hang up a verse from your office cubicle condemning
homosexuality. Save your whining for when someone is standing over you with a
sword and threatening to cut off your head if you don’t renounce Christ as a
Christian in the Sudan might experience today. The question is, are you
prepared to die guiltless of any violence for your faith and to trust Christ
for your resurrection? It is a question many Christians faced throughout
history. The comfortable Christian culture of America, the self-congratulating
way we practically fall over patting ourselves on the back for “choosing” to be
on the right team, is an echo-chamber where you eventually only hear what
affirms you and justifies you. I suspect in the face of the kind of persecution
a Christian in Vietnam might experience or a Christian in Iran might have to
endure most of us would be running for the hills and swearing allegiance to
anything but Christ to keep evil from being done to us.
Luke, chapter 15
Luke 15:1 ¶ Then drew near
unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured,
saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
4 What man of you, having an hundred
sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the
wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it
on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when
he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying
unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in
heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just
persons, which need no repentance. 8
Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece,
doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find
it? 9 And when she hath found it,
she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying,
Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the
presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
Here, Jesus teaches one
of the great lessons on how God will receive a sinner who is repentant. First,
on a direct level He is speaking to Jews about Jews. This is not about someone
who has never known of God. This is about someone straying from the fold who is
welcomed to return. Jesus uses metaphors and a parable explain what He is
saying.
The Jew could stray and
walk away from God’s care and mercy. He could choose to not return and would be
lost forever. But, if he did return there was to be much rejoicing in heaven. In
the Old Testament God pleaded with His people to return to Him, to receive His
mercy and not perish.
Ezekiel 18:30 Therefore I
will judge you, O house of Israel,
every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves
from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
God who, as His talk
with Job in Job 38 and beyond said, controls events in the far reaches of space
and on earth that no man has seen, who makes dust turn to clods in a farmer’s
field and controls how far the ocean waves wash onto the dry land, who has drawn
millions of people back to Him in the great apostasy after the Fall of Adam and
Eve, reconciling them to Himself, rejoices when one seemingly insignificant one
of His people repents and turns to Him and to His mercy. That is an amazing
thing to consider.
It is not unreasonable
to assume that the inhabitants of Heaven rejoice when a Christian who has
strayed from their faith returns to try to live for Christ. Although I do not
believe a Christian, someone truly experienced the indwelling of the Holy Spirit
of God and Christ, can ever be happy while engaged in open or secret sin
against God and facing the consequences of it on earth in their flesh, I also
do not believe a Christian can lose their salvation. Salvation is an act of God
whereby you become a part of Christ’s body on earth, the church. It is not
something you did yourself. It was an act of God.
John 1:12 But as many as
received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his
name: 13 Which were born, not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
James 1:17 Every good gift
and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of
lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of
truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
We are now His body
operating on the earth, the church.
Colossians 1:24 Who now
rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the
afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
In fact, not only are
we in His hands but we are a part of His hands.
John 10:28 And I give unto
them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Many Christian groups
practice a works-religion where they try to earn their way to eternal life or
at least to pay for it on installments but there is only one true work of God.
John 6:28 ¶ Then said they
unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is
the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Strong-willed children
and childish adults, when they have spent their last argument and have nothing
more of value to say will end things with something like, “I know what you’re
saying, but still…” and that is what some will do when they want to control the
Christian, to dominate their behavior and time, and insist they can lose their
salvation that they neither earned nor can pay for but no matter, let’s
continue. Many people come to a religion or a political movement that seek not
truth but the ability and right to control others even if they aren’t aware of
that drive consciously. Let’s dismiss them and surrender only to Christ.
This passage is about
the repentant Jew, a lesson taught by Christ in the first century to Jews
before the Cross and the Resurrection. We can use it to apply to the
backsliding Christian but it is not about people that were never God’s in the
first place but were in Satan’s camp.
Ephesians 2:1 ¶ And you hath he quickened, who were dead in
trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time
past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all
had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the
desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath,
even as others.
So, this isn’t a very
good lesson for soul-winning today but is a very good lesson for trying to get
a Christian to return from a bad life to the protection and mercy of God in
this mortal existence.
Luke 15:11 ¶ And he said, A
certain man had two sons: 12 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. 13 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. 14
And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and
he began to be in want. 15 And he went
and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his
fields to feed swine. 16 And he would
fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man
gave unto him. 17 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! 18 I
will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned
against heaven, and before thee, 19 And
am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20 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. 21 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. 22 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: 23
And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat,
and be merry: 24 For this my son was
dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be
merry. 25 Now his elder son was in the
field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
26 And he called one of the servants,
and asked what these things meant. 27
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. 28 And he was angry, and would not go in:
therefore came his father out, and intreated him. 29 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: 30 But as soon as this thy
son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for
him the fatted calf. 31 And he said unto
him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. 32 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.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and
when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 29:3 ¶ Whoso
loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father: but he that keepeth company with harlots
spendeth his substance.
The assurance in the
verse in Proverbs is that children will often stray from the lessons and habits
they learned in their childhood but will return to what they remember as being
a stable and comforting part of their early life when life has dealt them the
hand they so richly deserved for their apostasy. Many young adults who have
strayed, when they have their own children, want a little of what they were
given spiritually that they walked away from for their own. It is tragic when
that does not happen because a parent was hateful, implacable, or just plain
mean-spirited in the way they lived in front of their child. Sometimes there is
no going back because if the person who abused them emotionally or otherwise is
in heaven they certainly don’t want to be there. What they don’t understand is
the choice they are making if they are not saved is a terrible one and if they
would just put aside the sorrowful memory of the idiot parent or parents they
would understand something God has recorded for us.
Psalm 27:10 When my father
and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.
Here, in this parable,
one way of viewing it is with the father as a type of Christ as God, the elder
son is like Israel, and the younger son who went away is like the bulk of
mankind who left the first worship of the Creator and wallowed in idolatry and
self-worship for four-thousand years. God rejoices that they have chosen to
cease swimming in filth and have returned to Him in repentance and humility but
Israel resented the father’s embrace of the wayward, the so-called prodigal
son.
It can also be viewed
with the father as a type of God the Father embracing the repentant Jew who
returns to the fold, even with those who stayed true to the Law given to Moses
angry at His reception of them. There are several other ways to view it I’ve read
with the far country being pagan
religion and the swine being false
teachers and prophets as in 2Peter 2:22. Read the entire chapter.
2Peter 2:22 But it is
happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and
the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
Remember how Jesus
warned against casting your pearls, new converts, before swine, false preachers
and teachers who would corrupt them?
Matthew 7:6 Give not that
which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and
turn again and rend you.
The point is, though,
no matter how you color it to make your point in preaching or teaching, is that
this parable underscores what was said just before it, that there is great
rejoicing over one returning to the faith. It can be used to be about new
converts but it is most literally applicable for the backsliding Jew who has
wondered away from the flock and how God and His angels rejoiced when that one
returned. You apply it to our own dispensation of Christianity but be careful
with the limitations of that application.
Simply put, God is ecstatic when a believer stops wallowing in the muck
and the mire and realizes His need for God’s truth and mercy. No matter how far
a Christian strays he or she is never not God’s own child and God will never
reject them.
Hebrews 13:5b … for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
I would say one more
thing about this parable and applying it to our modern times. When you have a
child who persists in a sin that you know will wreck their lives it is not good
to go to war with them. Even if you have to not be a part of their lives for a
time, always leave the spiritual door unlocked, so to speak, give them a way to
return, and embrace them when they do. “You are no longer my child,” is not a
Christian sentiment and woe be it to us if our Lord felt that way with our
apostasy.
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