Sermon $ 42 - God Of Restoration Series

We read in Luke 15:20, “And he rose up and went to his own father. But while he was yet a long way off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell upon his neck, and covered him with kisses.” (Darby)

We meditated a little on this passage in the last sermon, considering the whole aspect of reconciliation between the father, and his wayward son. The above mentioned verse is taken from the parable of the prodigal son, which most of us are familiar with.

There are two methods that Jesus widely used in his teaching. One was to exaggerate a truth with an illustration, so as to drive home the point he was teaching in a vivid manner. For example, when trying to explain the difficulty that a rich man would have to enter the kingdom of heaven, He used the metaphor of a camel passing through the eye of a needle, which he said would be far easier. In another passage, when teaching on how people find it so easy to find fault with others, he used the analogy of a man being annoyed at a speck of dust in his neighbor’s eye, and not being bothered or ignoring the huge log that is in his own eye. The other method that Jesus used often in his teachings was parables, a story from their everyday life that could convey deep secrets of the kingdom of God. The difference between Jesus’ teachings and those of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law was that, the ones who heard Jesus’ teaching experienced transformation in their lives.

The reason for the parable

Luke 15:1-2, One day when many tax collectors and other outcasts came to listen to Jesus, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law started grumbling, "This man welcomes outcasts and even eats with them!" (GNB)

The express purpose of Jesus teaching this parable is described in the above two verses. The ones who came eagerly to listen to Jesus’ teachings were not the so called righteous people or religious leaders, but those whom society rejected as outcasts and sinners. While Jesus was welcoming the sinners, instructing them about the kingdom of God, and explaining to them the way to get in, there were the Pharisees and teachers of the Law who were grumbling against Jesus. The leaders who were chosen to love and accept sinners, forgot their calling, and were instead sitting with a judgmental attitude against Jesus who was lovingly accepting of such people.

The church of God is meant to be a place that embraces those who have been hated, despised, and rejected by people of the world. Not sure how many of us are murmuring about the present situations in our lives. There are many believers, who are disgruntled like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day because they are comparing themselves with others who don’t believe, and are led to believe that they are being dealt with unfairly. Murmuring is a perilous habit, and many are unaware of its ill effects. While praises to God upset the enemy’s camp and drives him away, grumbling enhances his evil schemes, and allures him to take control of our lives.

Have we caught ourselves murmuring when we see others being blessed, may be with a better job, their own house or a good marriage alliance and feeling that they don’t deserve it while we do? Maybe we presume that we have lived a more righteous life than others, and so deserve much more than someone else does. Sometimes we may not express our dissatisfactions, but nevertheless, the Lord who searches deep down is aware of all our thoughts of murmur against others and that is why the psalmist said in Psalms 139:4, “Before a word is on my tongue, you know all about it, LORD.” (CSB)

In Luke 15:3, we read, “So Jesus told them this parable:” (GNB). There are 3 stories in this parable, all of which convey one and the same message.

The Lost Sheep

• When we are in the right place there is protection

We read in Luke 15: 4-5, “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. (RSV)

The first part of this parable is the story of the lost sheep. A shepherd has a hundred sheep and he lost one, which means that he lost just 1%. He was not content that ninety nine of his sheep were safe, but rather went seeking after the one sheep that went missing only because he knew that his one sheep was not in the place that it should be in. The shepherd knew that the sheep on its own was vulnerable, and prone to attack by all sorts of wild animals. If the sheep has stayed with the flock, it would have experienced the safety, and protection that all of the other sheep enjoyed.