There were four people sitting in a train compartment: an elderly lady who was knitting, a young woman who was reading a book, a Professor who was talking about his research, and his young student whom he was taking to a conference, and who was listening to his professor and taking down notes.
This situation continued for quite a while. The lady was knitting, the young woman was reading, the professor was talking away, and the student was listening. Then the train went into a tunnel, and the compartment was plunged into darkness. No-one could see anything. Suddenly there came the sound of a loud kiss, followed by a hearty slap. As the train came out of the tunnel, everyone was in the same position as they had been before.
Now the lady thought that she knew what had happened. Good for her, she thought, that young man has just kissed the girl, and she slapped him.
The young woman thought that she knew what had happened. She liked the kiss but she couldn’t believe the older lady had the audacity to slap the young man.
The professor thought that he knew what had happened. It’s not fair, he thought, my student kissed that girl, and she slapped me by mistake.
The student thought This is the greatest day in my life I just kissed the young woman, then slapped his professor.
If you want to Grow spiritually you have to make the most out of every opportunity.
Luke 15.17-26
I. God Is Willing
A. In Spite of Negative Influences
1. Pharisees and Torah-Teachers
a. Pharisees were Rabbis with Authority to make judgments/give new interpretations
b. Torah Teachers could only teach what was already revealed
c. Wide Range of Pharisees and Torah Teachers present
2. Present for Criticism and Debate
a. [NASCAR – people often do not attend to see the race but to see the wrecks
b. Yeshua’s Self-Defense – Matthew 5.17-19
17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
B. Because of the Friends’ Compassion
1. They were acting in harmony with God – he is compassionate
2. They expressed faith in Yeshua (Jesus) – v. 20
There’s a familiar old story that’s told about a tightrope walker who did incredible stunts. All over Paris, he would do tightrope acts at tremendously scary heights. Then, he would do it blindfolded, then he would go across the tightrope, blindfolded, pushing a wheelbarrow.
As the story goes, there was an American promoter who read about this in the newspapers and wrote a letter to the tightrope walker, saying, "Tightrope, I don’t believe you can do it, but I’m willing to make you an offer. For a very substantial sum of money, besides all your transportation fees, I would like to challenge you to do your act over Niagara Falls."
Tightrope wrote back and said, "Sir, I’d love to come." Well, after a lot of promotion and setting the whole thing up, a crowd of people came to see the event. Tightrope was to start on the Canadian side and come over to the American side on this rope suspended over the falls. After a suspenseful drum roll, he came across blindfolded.
The crowds went wild, and he came to the promoter and says, "Well, Mr. Promoter, now do you believe I can do it?" He said, "Well of course I do. I mean, I just saw you do it." "No," said Tightrope, "do you really believe I can do it?" "Well of course I do, you just did it." "No, no, no," said Tightrope, "do you believe I can do it?" "Yes," said Mr. Promoter, "I believe you can do it." "Good," said Tightrope, "then get in the wheelbarrow."
You see, faith is never something just to be talked about. It is something that must be demonstrated in the way we live. Paul Harvey once said, “If you don’t live it, you don’t believe it.” There’s Biblical basis for that statement. James said, “Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18).
3. They expressed chutzpah – persistence – widow/Syro-Phoenician Woman
C. Because of the Man
1. Yeshua (Jesus) sees the individual – not the crowd/critics/friends
2. Yeshua (Jesus) values the individual as well as the crowd
II. God Is Able
A. To Forgive
There was always this ceiling that seemed to keep us from God.
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson go on a camping trip, set up a tent, and fall asleep. Hours later, Holmes wakes his friend. "Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see."
Watson replies, "I see millions of stars."
Sherlock: "What does that tell you?"
Watson thinks for a minute. "Astronomically speaking, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. It also appears to be approximately a quarter past four. Astrologically, it tells me that sun is in Leo. Theologically, it’s evident the Lord is all powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?"
Holmes is silent for a moment, then speaks. "Watson, someone has stolen our tent."
1. Nothing can separate us from God and his forgiveness (except our rebellion)
31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36As it is written,
"For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."
37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8.31-39
2. Yeshua (Jesus) probably used a unique word for forgiveness that only God would use
a. He is not looking to keep us out
b. He is looking to include us
c. Ark – long time in preparation – Longsuffering
d. Abraham bargaining for Sodom
e. Leviticus – book of Grace
• Marriage proposal – Exodus 19.4-6
• Ceremony – Exodus 24
• God to live with his Bride via Tabernacle – Exodus 25.8
• Moses’ Extended stay on the Mountain – Exodus 32-38
o Sin of the people – Golden Calf
• God could not live with them – Exodus 33.1-6
• Moses’ Intercession – Exodus 33.14-16
Here’s the problem – How can a Holy God live with unholy people?
Here’s the solution – Leviticus and the sacrificial system (Leviticus 17.10ff)
• The Idea was from God
• The power of the blood in atonement came from God
• The animals for sacrifice came from God (17.11)
• Israel’s atonement was by grace as ours (Ephesians 2.8-10)
3. He is claiming to be God – he is not hiding it!
B. To Heal – Isaiah 42.6-7
1. It is part of the good news
6"I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
2. Not just salvation from sin
C. To Do More Than We Imagine (Ephesians 3.20)
III. God Is Glorified
A. In the Presence of a Critical Spirit
1. Pharisees & Torah Teachers are outraged and critical (Luke 5.21-22)
2. They do not recognize his authority
3. They accuse him of blasphemy
a. Questioning in their hearts – Mark 2.6
b. Yeshua’s (Jesus’) response to them – Mark 2.8-11
c. His response to the man
B. In the Peoples’ Amazement – Luke 5.26
1. End of the Sermon on the Mount – amazed
2. This is good fear/awe (extraordinary/strange/wonders)
C. In the Peoples’ Blessings
David Stern relates in hid Jewish NT Commentary, pp.115-116 that there are many blessings given by the Hebrew people. There are blessings for wine (Matthew 26.27-29); for bread (14.19); The Talmud (circa 5th century CE) had specific formulas for dozens of blessings that the people would say all day long; these included blessings for fragrant herbs, grasses, or flowers; seeing a rainbow; seeing unusually beautiful people, trees, or fields; seeing strange-looking people or animals; hearing especially beneficial good news;
Perhaps the people in our story blessed God with the sixth blessing of the Amidah (a daily Jewish prayer) – “Blessed are you, Adonai, who is gracious to forgive abundantly.” Or the 8th – “Blessed are you, Adonai, who heals the sick of his people, Israel.” Or, maybe there was a spontaneous blessing: “Blessed are you, Adonai our God, King of the universe who cures the incurable.”
Yeshua made a positive judgment for the man out of grace and a new interpretation about himself by using the special word for forgiveness that only God would have used
It was the first day of basketball practice at Wingate High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Coach handed a ball to each player.
"Boys," he said, "I want you to practice shooting from the spots you might expect to be in during the game."
One of the boys (who was pretty much there as a substitute for the star players - in fact he was substitute #12) immediately sat down on the bench and began shoot the ball toward the basket from there.
You might say that boy didn’t expect to get to play much. And I suppose he was just trying to get a laugh out of his team mates. But, there are some people who sit the bench, because that’s where they’ve gotten used to being. They never strive to much more than that - because they don’t believe in themselves enough to put in the extra effort and practice to change their status. And because of that: they’re always going to sit the bench.
The friends of this man got into the game and got him into the game. They did not sit back hoping; they acted in faith and achieved a miracle.
Our call is to believe and act
Through nothing inherently good within us God blesses with various gifts
Healing
Daily bread
Forgiveness of sin
We must ACT
