LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Dec. 12: Remember the mercy God has shown to you_120604

Posted: 12/03/04

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Dec. 12

Remember the mercy God has shown to you

Luke 15:18-32

By Pakon Chan

Chinese Baptist Church, Arlington

In the beginning of chapter 15, Jesus is accused of eating and having fellowship with sinners by the Pharisees and scribes. The Pharisees' and scribes' high moral and religious standards would not allow them even to talk with sinners. If Jesus was a rabbi, a moral and religious teacher, why would he want to eat and fellowship with sinners, they asked? The Pharisees and scribes would protect their status. They did not understand Jesus and his work.

With their expectation of Jesus as a rabbi, they were disappointed by his behavior. Their disappointment came from their wrong expectations of Jesus and their lack of knowledge about his mission. Jesus did not rebuke them; instead, he was patient and shared three parables to explain why he had fellowship with sinners.

The first two parables

These two parables tell the same message–God loves to see a sinner repent. Both end their stories with a remark that God and his angels rejoice at a sinner's repentance (vv. 7, 10). The Pharisees judged people by their moral and religious achievements, so if people could not meet the requirements they set, the Pharisees condemned them. The Pharisees also judged people by their history. They had no hope for sinners and did not care if they repented.

God sees us differently. He looks at our hearts and attitude. We may not be perfect, but if we love God, he wants to have fellowship with us. He will not wait until we are perfect to have fellowship with us. God sent Jesus to save us and bring us to him. Because he has hope for us, when he sees people repent, he rejoices. Jesus and the Pharisees had different expectations for sinners, so they responded differently to their needs.

I was a high school teacher for several years in Hong Kong. We all wanted to teach the best students. Teaching the best students made us feel good. It was a happy and enjoyable teaching experience. But no one wanted to teach the bad students. Teachers felt they were falling into hell if they were assigned to teach the bad class. They would lose face among their colleagues. The Pharisees may have felt the same way about sinners. When they saw Jesus actively seek out the sinners, they felt disappointed.

The parable of the lost son

After the two short parables, Jesus gave a long parable to further explain why he loved to have fellowship with sinners. In Jewish tradition, as well as oriental tradition, no son will be given an inheritance before the death of the father. It is very rebellious for a son to request his share of inheritance early. Jesus may have wanted to make the point that the father must have loved his son very much to grant his wish and disregard his rebellion.

After wasting all his money, this son wanted to go home just to survive. He knew he did not deserve to be his father's son anymore. He only wanted to be a servant in his father's house. In his reflection and realization, this son truly repented of what he had done. He wanted to ask for forgiveness from his father and serve him forever.

This father was quite extraordinary he had never given up hope for his rebellious son. He saw him from a far distance and recognized him. It would not have happened if this father did not expect his son to return. A celebration was called, the son was forgiven and he resumed his place in his father's house.

The older brother didn't like that. He was very disappointed with his father. To the older brother, his young brother did not deserve mercy or forgiveness from his father, not to mention a big feast.

The anguish of the older son came from his disappointment with his father and the feeling of injustice. He expected his younger brother be punished with no forgiveness from his father. This brother deserved to lose everything and suffer for his rebellion and wrongdoing. The older brother did not understand the love and hope of his father had for his brother.

The parable does not tell us how the older brother responded to his father's comforting words. If the older son was like the Pharisees, there might not be any change in his attitude.

How to deal with disappointment

Jesus' behavior and action caused disappointment in the Pharisees and the scribes. These parables were used to encourage them to see from Jesus' perspective. If they had the right expectations, they would not have been disappointed with Jesus.

From these parables, we should at least learn a few things to help us deal with disappointment.

Re-examine our expectations. Wrong expectations will usually bring disappointment.

Keep hope alive even if we cannot see any change in the one that disappoints us.

Exercise grace and forgiveness toward people who disappoint us.

Discussion questions

Do you often feel disappointed?

Why was the father in the parable of the Lost Son not disappointed in his younger son?

Do you think the disappointment the older son felt was warranted? Why?