Please turn with me to Luke 15. We're going to look at this chapter tonight, and I know it's a very familiar chapter, but I want to take a look at it and bring some things out that I pray will bless you and see this chapter in a different light. Most of the time when Luke 15 is taught, the primary focus is on verses 11 through 32 and the parable called the prodigal son.”
But when you look at Luke 15, two other parables come before the parable of the prodigal son. But that parable gets the most attention. But, you have to look at all three parables together to get the impact of what the chapter is saying, and so tonight that's what we're going to do.
But before we do that I was thinking about the relationship between Jesus and the Pharisees. Jesus was the person the Pharisees hated because he was rocking the boat. They had everything set up the way they liked it. The people looked to them for leadership. The people looked to them for religious thoughts and behavior. The people gave money them and they enjoyed having this “power” over the people.
Jesus, on the other hand, came talking about a God that they should have known and recognized but didn't. I almost look at look at the Pharisees as if they are the mafia. When Jesus comes in he is essentially taking over their territory. He's taking over their hearts and minds because they are seeing God in a different way by what He preaches and teaches.
The religious leaders are constantly looking for ways to sabotage Jesus, to discredit Him, and to minimize Him. And we're going to see Jesus, in Luke 15, once again teaching them what the Kingdom of God is really about. and this is something you should So, we're going to pick the record up in Luke 15, verse one.
(1) Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
The publicans were the tax collectors, so Jesus was already in the mud in the eyes of the Pharisees and scribes. And not only do you have the tax collectors, you have the sinners – those who are considered wicked and don’t know God. And the religious leaders have no concern for either one. And that’s the key to this chapter.
(2) And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
The Amplified Bible says, “they kept murmuring and indignantly complaining against Jesus.” So even before Jesus began teaching, the religious leaders were already on attack.
These first two verses set the whole context for the chapter. In these parables, Jesus is going to help the religious leaders see who they truly are compared to who they think they are.
One of the most important things about this chapter is that there are three different parables, but they are not three separate parables. There are three parables that have one message, and it is the same message.
(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?
Now, picture the Pharisees and scribes nodding their heads in agreement with Jesus.
(5) And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
We're talking about a wayward sheep. So, the sheep has run away, and we see that the man has found it and has it his on his shoulders. The reason he has the sheep is on his shoulder, and this is not pretty, is because he has broken the sheep’s leg. He wants it to be dependent on him.
And notice that the verse says the man put the sheep on his shoulder, not anyone else’s shoulder. It’s not the shoulder of one of the folks who worked with him. The wayward sheep would be on his shoulder until its leg was healed. And once the leg healed, the sheep would be just like a baby, following the man everywhere he went because the man had taken care of him, the man had fed him, the man had given him water, the man had cleaned him up, etc. The sheep knew that the man would take care of him and he would never run away again.
(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.
The thing I want to point out to you about this man is that he lost one of 100 of his sheep. So, he lost one percent of his sheep, and that one percent meant something to that man. Jesus says the man brings the lost lamb back on his shoulders and can't you just see the Pharisees nodding in agreement that what the man had done was the right thing to do? Now, let’s read verses six and seven again.
(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.
Now listen to what Jesus says.
(7) [But] I say unto you [murmuring and complaining Pharisees], that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Jesus is telling them that you find that one lost sheep is nothing compared to the rejoicing in heaven when one of these sinners [and can’t you see Jesus pointing to them and staring down the religious leaders?] who repents.
There is rejoicing in heaven when one sinner repents, just one. Just one. Okay, that's the first parable. Here's the second beginning with verse eight.
(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.
So, we have a lady, a woman, a wife who has lost one of her ten pieces of silver. She's lost 10% of the value that the silver represented. Now, there are two ways you can look at what we just read. You can look at it in terms of the monetary value of the silver, or you can look at it in terms of the value of the custom of the day.
When a woman was getting betrothed to be married, she would work to save money so she could buy 10 pieces of silver. The 10 pieces of silver are what she would bring to the marriage, and that would be the only property that she owned. The silver pieces were typically used in one of two ways. It was either worn around her neck or her head. A hole was drilled into the piece and then clipped to a piece of material and used as a necklace or headdress.
Because of its fragile nature, pieces of silver could be lost if she moved too quickly or bumped into something. If she lost one of those silver pieces, she knew that if she did not find it her marriage could be in jeopardy and that’s why she searched diligently until she found it.
Now, the whole time Jesus is telling this parable can’t you can see the Pharisees and scribes nodding in agreement? But then he closes the second parable just like he closed the first. The woman, finding that one piece of silver, no matter how precious and valuable it was to her, still would not have the impact in heaven when one sinner repents. One sinner. One sinner.
Okay, what have we seen so far in these two parables? A man with 100 sheep finds the lost sheep, and there’s a party because he's found that one sheep. That's how important that one sheep was to him. In the second parable, we see the woman who lost one of her silver pieces turn the house upside down until she found it, and when she found it, there was great rejoicing and another party.
Now let's look at the parable that has been commonly referred to as the parable of the prodigal son. We're going to see two sons. One hundred sheep. Ten pieces of silver. Two sons.
(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.
The word “living” refers to what the man had accumulated during his life.
The thing about the son’s request, ladies and gentlemen, is that according to Deuteronomy the son can only inherit the father's possessions when the father dies. So what the younger son was saying listen is this: old man you are living too long and I want my share of the of the inheritance now. I don't want to have to wait until you die because, the way things are going, you're going be here a while and I'm ready to go.
The father says fine. I will give you your portion, and what he's talking about is giving him property that could be moved like cattle, sheep, gold, silver, etc. So, the father is not talking about physical property. In Jewish culture, the elder son receives 2/3 of the movable property and the younger son receives the remaining one third.
(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.
I want you to think about what you are reading. He is Jewish and we know from Israel’s history the promised land meant everything. So, when you were not in the land of promise that meant you had sinned against God and now you are no longer in the promised land. For example, Syria was a far country, and they were in bondage. Babylon was a far country, and they were in bondage. Persia was a far country, and they were in bondage.
When the children of Israel were in a far country, they were there because they had they had messed up. Here you have the father's son who is leaving the land of promise and going to a far country on purpose! He's leaving everything he knows: the protection, the prosperity, everything his father has, he's leaving it behind to go to a land that doesn't care about the God he serves. So, he gets to the land, and then the Bible says he wasted all his substance on riotous living. He wasted his substance in living a sinful lifestyle in a far country.
(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.
The word “joined” means to cleave. He attached himself to someone so he could survive. Remember, he had substance when he arrived in the far country.
(16) And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
No man gave him food other than what he saw the swine eat. I did a little research on this and here’s what I learned. These swine were of some value when they were fattened for the market, but the swine herder himself, to the owner, had no value. The son had no value when compared to the swine.
The husk in question was the long beans snap pod of the carob tree, which I have no idea what that is, commonly used for fattening swine in Syria and Egypt. They contained a proportion of sugar, and the very poorest of the people occasionally used them as food. This is what the younger son's life when he worked for this man
(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,
The son repents, ladies and gentlemen. Now, can you see the expressions on the religious leaders’ faces? They know what’s coming.
Now, when we read the parable, we often think of ourselves as the prodigal son, but I want you to think about this. The person that they're referring to as the prodigal son was a wicked sinner. All the wicked sinners here tonight, raise your hand. This is not the point of the story. Who is Jesus talking to? He’s talking to the Pharisees and the scribes. The prodigal son is not them either.
The prodigals are the sinners, the ones Jesus spends time with that the Pharisees and the scribes say aren't worthy.
(19) And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
The son saw himself as no longer being a son. He saw himself no better than a servant. The important thing I want you to understand, ladies and gentlemen, when you are a son, that is a position that never changes. So even though he did not see himself as the son, the father still saw him as a son.
(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.
When I read this verse, the father does five things. The father saw him. The father had compassion for him. The father ran toward him. The father fell on his neck. And the father kissed him. Now, I'm not a person who spends a lot of time on numerology in scripture, but the number five is the number for grace, and that's what we see God's right here. The son had turned his back on his father and had taken everything he wanted, but his father extended him grace and took him back.
Ladies and gentlemen, that's our Father. No matter what we do or what we have done, our Father is always ready to forgive us when we repent. Always.
(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:
This is a very important verse. A servant did not wear shoes, did not wear sandals. The father is saying you are my son. I'm going to put the proper clothes on you, I'm going to give you the ring that signifies you are my son, and I'm going to give you sandals for your feet so that everyone will know you are a free man and not a servant.
(23) And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
The word “kill” means to sacrifice. The father was so happy that he prepared a sacrificial feast in honor of his son’s return.
(24) For this my son was dead, and is alive again*; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
Now, the point of this parable is the response of the elder son.
(25) Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
We now know that the elder son represents the Pharisees and scribes.
(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 [the murmuring, complaining and indignant Pharisees and scribes] was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
The word “intreated” is the same word used when describing the Holy Spirit and the role He plays in our lives. The father did everything he possibly could to get the elder son to join the feast. He hugged him. He pleaded with him. But the elder son was not having it.
(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:
Remember in verses one and two the Pharisees and scribes were upset with Jesus for spending time with the wrong people? Notice in this verse that the elder son essentially says I always did what you told me to do. I carried out the garbage. I fed the sheep. I never did what your son did, and you never even gave me a kid. You never prepared a sacrifice for me, threw a party for me, and I did everything you wanted me to do.
The scribes and Pharisees kept the law, and they thought keeping the law was what God really wanted.
And the thing I think about in verse 29 is the phrase “that I might make merry with my friends,” not with his father. Are you following me? Knowing that the Pharisees and scribes believed that He was spending time with the wrong type of people, Jesus, in verse 30, began to show the Pharisees and scribes the kind of people that they were.
(30) But as soon as this thy son [not my brother] was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
They were judging the father for loving his son. They were judging the father for loving his son, for loving the brother. We see that the Pharisees and scribes, if they could care less about anyone other than themselves, they would have. They didn't care about anyone else other than themselves and Jesus is pointing this out for them.
I'm going back in my notes because I don't want to get too far ahead. The younger brother is everything that is wrong with sinners. Greedy. Impatient. Selfish. Doesn’t honor his father. But he repents and has a heart change. Jesus says of the religious leaders, your heart is ruined, so you are not willing to allow part to be changed. You are not allowing your heart to be changed.
(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.
The younger son had received his portion, one-third of the inheritance. Everything that remained, everything remained, belonged to the elder brother. Everything. But he was just like his younger brother; he did not love his father, and we can see this in the interaction he had with him concerning the party for his younger brother.
This was the Pharisees and scribes. Jesus is showing them that they were no different from the sinners and the tax collectors. But unlike the younger brother, they didn’t see the need for the Father’s grace. They didn’t see a need for the father’s grace because the father owed them.
But it was the father’s grace on display in verse 20 when the younger brother returned home.
Ladies and gentlemen, our Father's heart is to throw a party in heaven for the person who does not belong to him, but repents and decides that he or she wants to belong to Him. There's going to be a party in heaven!
For us as sons and daughters, we have to decide whether we want to be part of the party. We have seen three parables, but there is only one message: heaven rejoices when one sinner
The eldest son did not rejoice at his brother coming home a sinner and repenting. The same was true for the Pharisees and scribes. They did not care if a sinner repented. In their minds they were already righteous because they had kept the law.
Ladies and gentlemen, God gave 100% of His Son, His only Son and still people struggle to rejoice when others find Him and that's because they have established a standard by which sinners can come to God or what or what a true saved person looks like.
We are in the midst of a revival, and we have a part to play. We are going to have men and women who come into this place who don't look like us. We're going to have some who could be a drug dealer, a drunk, an adulterer, or a prostitute. How we treat them will determine whether we are a Pharisee or a scribe.
We may have people who come in who don't smell good. How we treat them will determine whether we are a Pharisee or a scribe.
We may have people who come in and look at us to see what type of church we are. You know how people are sometimes, when they come in, they look over the congregation to size it up. They’re trying to determine who's going to be personable, who's going to be welcoming, and who's not. If you're not welcoming, you will be acting like a Pharisee or a scribe.
My point ladies and gentlemen is this: our Father's heart is when one sinner repents heaven rejoices. Now, I can only speak for Barry, but it is my plan to have heaven rejoicing a lot! I hope you want heaven to rejoice a lot too! Amen!
