Lucas 15
Charles Spurgeon · Citado em PreceptAustin
Lucas 15
Spurgeon - The Pharisees and scribes formed the outside ring of Christ’s hearers, but the inner circle consisted of the guilty, the heavy-laden, and the lowly. They pressed as near to Christ as they could, that they might catch his every word; and besides, there was an attractiveness about his manner that drew them towards him. His mercy attracted their misery. They wanted him, and he desired them; they were thus well met. There will be an inner circle tonight when the gospel is preached, and it will not consist of the self-righteous. They that are full will not press to the table on which the gospel feast is spread, the hungry will be found nearest to the heavenly provision. (Luke 15 - exposition) Tax collectors (publican) (5057) (telones from telos = tax + onéomai = to buy) means a reaper of the taxes or customs, tax-collector, one who pays to the government a certain sum for the privilege of collecting the taxes and customs of a district. The public revenues of the Greeks and Romans were usually farmed out. Among the latter, the purchasers were chiefly of the equestrian order and were distinguished as being of a higher class because they rode horses, or they were at least persons of wealth and rank like Zacchaeus who is called the chief tax collector (architelones in Lu 19:2). These farmers also had subcontractors or employed agents of the Roman government who collected the taxes and customs at the gates of cities, in seaports, on public ways and bridges. These, too, were called telomnai (pl.), publicans, or eklégontes (n.f.), (ek = out of, + légo = in its original sense meaning to collect), those who collected out of the people. In summary the tax collectors were Jews who worked for the Roman Empire collecting taxes from their countrymen, often charging more than was required, pocketing the difference, and enriching themselves (cf Lk 3:12–13). It is no surprise that they were hated and detested, to the point that no one but individuals of worthless character were likely to be apply for these positions. Given this background, one can readily understand why the religious leaders so strong frowned upon Jesus fraternizing with these vermin, who were considered traitors and outcasts from Jewish society. Telones - 20v - collector(1), tax collector(5), tax collectors(15). Matt. 5:46; Matt. 9:10; Matt. 9:11; Matt. 10:3; Matt. 11:19; Matt. 18:17; Matt. 21:31; Matt. 21:32; Mk. 2:15; Mk. 2:16; Lk. 3:12; Lk. 5:27; Lk. 5:29; Lk. 5:30; Lk. 7:29; Lk. 7:34; Lk. 15:1; Lk. 18:10; Lk. 18:11; Lk. 18:13 Sinners (268)(hamartolos from hamartáno = deviate, miss the mark which some lexicons say is from a = negative + meiromai = attain -- not to attain, not to arrive at the goal) is an adjective (e.g., "that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful" - see Ro 7:13+) that is often used as a noun (as in this verse and Ro 5:19+) to describe those who are continually erring from the way, constantly missing God's mark, living in opposition to His good and acceptable and perfect will. Thus a sinner is one who lives his entire life, every facet of it, in opposition to the divine will. In a more selective use, in the view of the Pharisees a sinner was a Jew who is one not careful in the observance of ceremonial duties (Mt 9:10ff, Lk 15:1ff, Mk 2.16). Finally,the Jews called the Gentiles sinners or despisers of God and considered them heathen or pagan, tá éthne = the nations (Mt 26:45). Jesus' purpose for coming into the world was to save sinners (Mt 9:13 1Ti 1:15) It was these poor people who no one cared about that Jesus reached out to! Hamartolos - 47x/44v - sinful(4), sinner(12), sinners(31). Matt. 9:10; Matt. 9:11; Matt. 9:13; Matt. 11:19; Matt. 26:45; Mk. 2:15; Mk. 2:16; Mk. 2:17; Mk. 8:38; Mk. 14:41; Lk. 5:8; Lk. 5:30; Lk. 5:32; Lk. 6:32; Lk. 6:33; Lk. 6:34; Lk. 7:34; Lk. 7:37; Lk. 7:39; Lk. 13:2; Lk. 15:1; Lk. 15:2; Lk. 15:7; Lk. 15:10; Lk. 18:13; Lk. 19:7; Lk. 24:7; Jn. 9:16; Jn. 9:24; Jn. 9:25; Jn. 9:31; Rom. 3:7; Rom. 5:8; Rom. 5:19; Gal. 2:15; Gal. 2:17; 1 Tim. 1:9; 1 Tim. 1:15; Heb. 7:26; Heb. 12:3; Jas. 4:8; Jas. 5:20; 1 Pet. 4:18; Jude 1:15 Were coming near (1448)(eggizo) means to approach, draw closer to, draw near, be near, come near, all these uses referring to moving in space and drawing closer to some point. Eggizo can describe the nearness of various aspects of the spiritual kingdom including the hour of betrayal (Mt 26:45), redemption (Lk 21:28), and the Second Coming (Heb 10:25-note, cf James 5:8). The writer of Hebrews uses eggizo to explain For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the Law made nothing perfect) (THE LAW WAS ONLY PREPARATORY FOR RECEPTION OF THE GOSPEL AND FAITH IN CHRIST - Gal 3:23-24-note), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope (THE NEW COVENANT IN JESUS' BLOOD), through which we draw near (eggizo) to God. (Heb 7:18-19-note, cf Acts 13:39)
Lucas 15
Spurgeon wrote that "A heavy wagon was being dragged along a country lane by a team of oxen. The axles groaned and creaked terribly, when the oxen turning around thus addressed the wheels, "Hey there, why do you make so much noise? We bear all the labor, and we—not you—ought to cry out!" Those complain first in our churches who have the least to do! The (UNSPIRITUAL) gift of grumbling is largely dispensed among those who have no other talents, or who keep what they have wrapped up in a napkin." (Luke 15 - exposition) This man (This fellow = NRSV) receives (prosdechomai - "welcomes") sinners (hamartolos) and eats (sunesthio) with them - This man is the Pharisees' derogatory, contemptuous way of identifying Jesus, similar to the use of the same phrase this man in Lk 14:30+. (cf similar disparaging uses of "this man" - Mt 12:23, 24, Mt 13:54, 56, especially Mt 26:61, et al). Receives sinners is rendered in NIV as "welcomes sinners" and the NLT as " associating with such sinful people." Receives and eats with are both in the present tense indicating that this was the habitual practice of Jesus to continually associate with the "riff raff rejects." As noted below the prefix of the verb eats with (sunesthio) is sun/syn which speaks of Jesus' intimacy and of Jesus' willingness to rub shoulders with sinners. So what is the big deal about Jesus eating with them? In the East eating meals together was a gesture of intimate fellowship and no Pharisee would stoop so low as to eat with (in their eyes) "low life!". Jesus, as he would demonstrate in the parable, had come to search out and save those who were lost. THOUGHT - Jesus receives sinners and none are too sinful to come to Him, if they would but come! If you know someone who thinks they are simply beyond the reach of Jesus because of the heinous character of their sins, you need to bring them to this passage and show them that Jesus still receives sinners! This verse gives incredible hope to all sinners (I ought to know as I am one saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and by the Spirit - 2Cor 13:14+)! William
Lucas 15
Spurgeon - “This man receiveth sinners.” —Luke 15:2 Observe the condescension of this fact. This Man, who towers above all other men, holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners—this Man receiveth sinners. This Man, who is no other than the eternal God, before whom angels veil their faces—this Man receiveth sinners. It needs an angel’s tongue to describe such a mighty stoop of love. That any of us should be willing to seek after the lost is nothing wonderful—they are of our own race; but that he, the offended God, against whom the transgression has been committed, should take upon himself the form of a servant, and bear the sin of many, and should then be willing to receive the vilest of the vile, this is marvellous. “This Man receiveth sinners”; not, however, that they may remain sinners, but he receives them that he may pardon their sins, justify their persons, cleanse their hearts by his purifying word, preserve their souls by the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, and enable them to serve him, to show forth his praise, and to have communion with him. Into his heart’s love he receives sinners, takes them from the dunghill, and wears them as jewels in his crown; plucks them as brands from the burning, and preserves them as costly monuments of his mercy. None are so precious in Jesus’ sight as the sinners for whom he died. When Jesus receives sinners, he has not some out-of-doors reception place, no casual ward where he charitably entertains them as men do passing beggars, but he opens the golden gates of his royal heart, and receives the sinner right into himself—yea, he admits the humble penitent into personal union and makes him a member of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. There was never such a reception as this! This fact is still most sure this evening, he is still receiving sinners: would to God sinners would receive him. Luke 15:3 So He told them this parable, saying, told them this parable - cf Lk 5:36 ("And He was also telling them a parable") Luke 15 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 15 Jesus: The Seeking Savior, Part 1 - John MacArthur Luke 15:1-2 Heaven's Joy: Recovering the Lost - John MacArthur Luke 15 The Seeking Savior - Pt 1 - John MacArthur So He told them this parable - As Dwight
Lucas 15
Spurgeon - And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; There generally does arise” a mighty famine” in such cases. Famines and other miseries are God’s messengers, which he sends after his wandering children. (Luke 15 - exposition) He began to be impoverished (hustereo) - NLT = "began to starve." He began to be in need, that is in need of food. And so in simple terms he began to starve. Isn't this typical of "the corruption (Greek = phthora from phtheíro = to shrivel, wither, spoil, ruin = so describes that which is decomposing or decaying, becoming rotten!) that is in the world by lust (epithumia = strong desire, passionate craving) " (2Pe 1:4+, cf 2Pe 2:19+)? Sin invariably corrupts us and leads us on a downward spiral, morally, physically, spiritually, etc. His pocket book was empty, but even worse his heart was empty. Mattoon has an interesting note on the verb began - The word "began" is from the Greek word archomai which means "to be the first to do anything. It means to be chief or leader." This young man was the first to be in need. He was the leader in being needy because he lived each day without the anticipation of tomorrow. He lived for "Now." He ran away from his father and the tide of his troubles was coming into shore. He lived high on the hog and is about to live with the hogs. (Treasures from Luke)
Lucas 15
Spurgeon - “Father, I have sinned.”—Luke 15:18 It is quite certain that those whom Christ has washed in his precious blood need not make a confession of sin, as culprits or criminals, before God the Judge, for Christ has for ever taken away all their sins in a legal sense, so that they no longer stand where they can be condemned, but are once for all accepted in the Beloved; but having become children, and offending as children, ought they not every day to go before their heavenly Father and confess their sin, and acknowledge their iniquity in that character? Nature teaches that it is the duty of erring children to make a confession to their earthly father, and the grace of God in the heart teaches us that we, as Christians, owe the same duty to our heavenly Father. We daily offend, and ought not to rest without daily pardon. For, supposing that my trespasses against my Father are not at once taken to him to be washed away by the cleansing power of the Lord Jesus, what will be the consequence? If I have not sought forgiveness and been washed from these offences against my Father, I shall feel at a distance from him; I shall doubt his love to me; I shall tremble at him; I shall be afraid to pray to him: I shall grow like the prodigal, who, although still a child, was yet far off from his father. But if, with a child’s sorrow at offending so gracious and loving a Parent, I go to him and tell him all, and rest not till I realize that I am forgiven, then I shall feel a holy love to my Father, and shall go through my Christian career, not only as saved, but as one enjoying present peace in God through Jesus Christ my Lord. There is a wide distinction between confessing sin as a culprit, and confessing sin as a child. The Father’s bosom is the place for penitent confessions. We have been cleansed once for all, but our feet still need to be washed from the defilement of our daily walk as children of God. Luke 15:19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men."' KJV Luke 15:19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. I am no longer worthy to be called your son Lk 5:8; 7:6,7; Ge 32:10; Job 42:6; 1 Co 15:9; 1 Ti 1:13-16 make me as one of your hired men Joshua 9:24,25; Ps 84:10; Mt 15:26,27; James 4:8-10; 1 Peter 5:6 Luke 15 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 15:11-32 The Tale of Two Sons - John MacArthur Luke 15:17-21 The Tale of Two Sons - Part 2 - John MacArthur Luke 15:17-24 The Loving Father - John MacArthur I am no longer worthy (axios) to be called your son - As John Bunyan might say he is in the slough of despond. This self-assessment is a sign of his humility, which is an important step in his return to the father, because we know from James that "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6-note). The prodigal was placing himself in an advantageous position to receive grace from his father.
Lucas 15
Spurgeon - I hardly know which to admire most, the love of the father when he fell upon the neck of the prodigal, or the love of the father when he went out to talk with his elder son: “Therefore came his father out, and treated him.” Oh, our God is very good to us when we give way to naughty tempers! If we begin to think that we are very holy people, that we have been long the servants of God, and that there ought to he some little fuss made over us as well as over great sinners that come into the church, then our Father is very gentle, and he comes out and entreats us. (Luke 15 - exposition) And his father came out and began pleading with him - The verb pleading is encourage (exhort, comfort, implore) (parakaleo) which pictures one coming alongside to comfort or encourage, which the father was undoubtedly doing. The other sense of parakaleo was also active in the father's response to his elder son as he pleaded, implored, begged and appealed to him, sadly all to no avail. Mattoon notes that parakaleo "is the same word used to describe the work of the Holy Spirit, our Comforter. This father is not chewing out his son. This gracious father is gently speaking and appealing to his son to rejoice over the arrival of his brother and to join the celebration. His older son, however, is very upset." (Treasures from Luke) The father's reaction pictures God's pleading through his Son for sinners to be reconciled and come to salvation. As Jesus said "the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Lk 19:10). The lost younger brother came to his senses and recognized he was lost while the older brother failed to recognize that he was also lost. He was like the hypocritical Pharisees and like them he was externally doing all the "right behavior" to merit his father's pleasure, but internally he was filled with anger, jealously, etc, just like the Pharisees, about whom Jesus declared "So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." (Mt 23:28). The lost younger son was found, while the lost older son was lost. His self-righteousness like the Pharisees blinded him and prevented him from seeing he was just as wretched a sinner as his younger son. And as Jesus said "I did not come to call the righteous (SELF-RIGHTEOUS), but sinners.” (Mt 9:13). MacArthur on the father...began pleading with him - "This yet again would have surprised the self-righteous Jews, who would have expected the older son to be honored for his unwillingness to mingle in a celebration for a sinner led by a host whose love overpowered his devotion to the law." He became angry (enraged) (3710)(orgizo from orge = wrath) describes a brooding, simmering anger that is nurtured and not allowed to die. It is seen in the holding of a grudge, in the smoldering bitterness that refuses to forgive. It is the anger that cherishes resentment and does not want reconciliation. Luke 15:29 "But he answered and said to his father, 'Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; BGT Luke 15:29 ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ· ἰδοὺ τοσαῦτα ἔτη δουλεύω σοι καὶ οὐδέποτε ἐντολήν σου παρῆλθον, καὶ ἐμοὶ οὐδέποτε ἔδωκας ἔριφον ἵνα μετὰ τῶν φίλων μου εὐφρανθῶ· KJV Luke 15:29 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: NET Luke 15:29 but he answered his father, 'Look! These many years I have worked like a slave for you, and I never disobeyed your commands. Yet you never gave me even a goat so that I could celebrate with my friends! CSB Luke 15:29 But he replied to his father, 'Look, I have been slaving many years for you, and I have never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ESV Luke 15:29 but he answered his father, 'Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. NIV Luke 15:29 But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. NLT Luke 15:29 but he replied, 'All these years I've slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 'Look! For so many years I have been serving you Lk 17:10; 18:9,11,12,20,21; 1 Sa 15:13,14; Isa 58:2,3; 65:5; Zech 7:3; Mt 20:12; Ro 3:20,27; 7:9; 10:3; Phili 3:4-6; 1 John 1:8-10; Rev 3:17 yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends Lk 15:7; 19:21; Mal 1:12,13; 3:14; Rev 2:17 Luke 15 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 15:11-32 The Tale of Two Sons - John MacArthur Luke 15:25-32 The Legalistic Son - John MacArthur Luke 15:28-32 The Tale of Two Sons - Part 5 - John MacArthur THE ELDER BROTHER'S EMOTIONAL OUTBURST Leon
Lucas 15
Spurgeon - I do not read that the prodigal had devoured his father’s living with harlots; that is the elder brother’s version of it. I dare say that it was true, but it is always a pity to give the roughest interpretation to things. He had spent his substance “in riotous living.” When we are cross, we generally use the ugliest words we can; we may think that we are speaking forcibly, but indeed we are speaking naughtily, and not as our Father would have us speak. (Luke 15 - exposition) You killed the fattened calf for him - In spite of all the younger brother's transgression. For this rebel, this profligate, this sinner! MacArthur sums this up - The picture is striking. The legalistic older brother stood alone in the dark reviling his gracious father, who at the same time was being honored at the joyous celebration of his lost son’s recovery. His actions graphically picture the scribes and Pharisees. They were unrepentant, self-righteous, hypocritical externalists, choosing to revile and scorn Jesus Christ, God incarnate, for reconciling sinners whom all Jewish religious society had rejected, instead of joining the heavenly banquet with those praising God for their salvation. (See MacArthur Commentary) Devoured (consumed) (2719)(katesthio from kata = down + esthio = to eat) means to eat up, consume, devour (Lk 8:5). Friberg - Katesthio - (1) literally eat up, consume, devour (Mt 13.4); (2) figuratively destroy; (a) of fire consume, burn up (Rev 11.5); (b) of illegal exploitation rob, take complete advantage of (Mk 12.40); (c) of strife within a group cause great division, destroy (Gal 5.15) (Borrow Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament) Katesthio - 15v - ate(4), consume(1), devour(5), devoured(2), devours(2), eat(1). Matt. 13:4; Matt. 23:14; Mk. 4:4; Mk. 12:40; Lk. 8:5; Lk. 15:30; Lk. 20:47; Jn. 2:17; 2 Co. 11:20; Gal. 5:15; Rev. 10:9; Rev. 10:10; Rev. 11:5; Rev. 12:4; Rev. 20:9 Luke 15:31 "And he said to him, 'Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. KJV Luke 15:31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. Lk 19:22,23; Mt 20:13-16; Mark 7:27,28; Ro 9:4; 11:1,35 Luke 15 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 15:11-32 The Tale of Two Sons - John MacArthur Luke 15:25-32 The Legalistic Son - John MacArthur Luke 15:28-32 The Tale of Two Sons - Part 5 - John MacArthur THE FATHER'S TENDER WORDS And he said to him - Instead of slapping him for his blatant disrespect and wicked accusations, he responded with gentleness. Son (teknon), you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours - Son is not huios (the noun used in Lk 15:11, 13, 19, 21, 24, 25 30) but teknon, which is explained below. "The father reassures his son of his fellowship and financial security." (Mattoon Treasures from Luke) POSB - The religionist has the same privileges as the repentant prodigal. Note the words, "All that I have is thine." He has the worship, the Word, the promises, the preaching, and the teaching. He has constant exposure to all that is God's (see outline—• Romans 9:1-5 and notes—• Romans 9:1-5 for more discussion). He can enter God's "house of salvation" anytime. All he has to do is repent, and turn from trusting the field of religion, and enter God's house. He simply needs to believe in and trust the love of God. He is to stop opposing God's love to the prodigal sinner and come in himself. (Borrow Luke Commentary) Leon Morris on all that is mine is yours - He had it all. But he, like the Pharisees, did not realize the extent of his privileges. (Borrow The Gospel According to St. Luke: An Introduction and Commentary) Crawford - The response of the father shows a tenderness toward this elder son which gives us a vivid picture of the yearning of God over Israel. We are reminded of Hos 11:4, 8: "I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love ... How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel?". Even toward the Pharisees the Lord Jesus expresses a tender love and concern. All that is mine is yours - The inheritance had been divided, so the elder brother was assured of his share of the estate when his father died (Lk 15:12). THOUGHT - Does this passage not make your heart jump for joy in anticipation of our Blessed Hope's return and our entrance into our inheritance (cf Eph 1:18b+) which Peter described as "an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.(1Pe 1:4-5+) and Paul described as "if (SINCE WE ARE) children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him." (Romans 8:17+) Amazing truths which should motivate us powerfully to like holy, "other worldly (heavenly)" lives during our short sojourn on planet earth. Spurgeon - Oh, what a word was that! How it reminds Christians of their privileges, if they would but appropriate them! It is yours, beloved, to live always with your God, and to know that all that he has is yours. You ought to live in a perpetual festival; for you there should be one joyful Christmastide that lasts from the beginning of the year to the end of it: “Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.” (Luke 15 - exposition) Steven
Lucas 15
Spurgeon - It was the fit thing, and the proper thing, and the right thing, that there should be extraordinary joy over a returning sinner. There ought to he, there must be, there shall be, special music and dancing over sinners saved by the grace of God. The Lord give us some such tonight, and make us glad over them! Amen. (Luke 15 - exposition) For this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live (zao) and was lost (apollumi) and has been found (heurisko)- (see note on Lk 15:24) A sheep, a coin and now a son. “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Lk 19:10+) - For (hoti) means because and functions here as a term of explanation. Always pause to ponder, asking what is the Spirit explaining, a discipline which will usually force you to re-read the preceding verse or verses to establish the context. Such repetition is always a good thing, for it facilitates a more accurate interpretation, it helps you memorize the text (see Memorizing His Word) and it functions as a form of meditation on the text (see Meditation). Not "my son was dead" but "your brother." The father would not let him forget their relationship. And has begun to live (zao) - This is a beautiful picture of conversion as Paul describes in Ephesians 2 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins....even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), (Eph 2:1-note, Eph 2:5-note) Peter speaks of living after "dying"... He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. (1 Peter 2:24-25+) NET Note - Jesus argued that sinners should be pursued and received back warmly when they returned. Keener - The final response of the elder brother is never stated, providing the Pharisees with the opportunity to repent if they are willing. Inrig - Did the older brother enter or not? We are not told because that is precisely the issue the Lord sets before the Pharisees and before us. To reject the Father’s gracious treatment of the most unworthy of sinners is to deceive ourselves about our need for grace and to forfeit the fellowship with God that is based on grace alone. As long as the Pharisees stayed angry at the grace shown to sinners, they stood outside the Father’s house. The awful possibility is that we, too, can be in the Father’s fields as servants but not really in His house as sons or daughters. We may be moral and respectable, but, because we have never truly known the Father who is loving, gracious, and welcoming, we are “older brothers.” To such, the Father’s appeal is “Come in.” Or we may be in the far country, scattering the resources of which He is ultimately the Giver. Perhaps the money has run out and the famine has come in, and we have reached the pigpen. We despair of ever being accepted in the Father’s house. To all such, the Lord’s story shouts, “Come home.” The bottom line is this. What we know of God is seen in how we view ourselves as lost and how we deal with others as lost. God’s heart aches over those who are lost; God’s heart rejoices over those who are found. How well we know Him is revealed by whether or not we ache and rejoice as He does. (Borrow The Parables : Understanding What Jesus Meant) Steven
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Spurgeon - “The truth here taught is just this: that mercy stretches forth her hand to misery, that grace receives men as sinners, that it deals with demerit, unworthiness and worthlessness; that those who think themselves righteous are not the objects of divine compassion, but the unrighteous, the guilty and the undeserving, are the proper subjects for the infinite mercy of God; in a word, that salvation is not of merit but of grace.” (Luke 15 - exposition) Spurgeon - So if there be any here that do not take the joy which they ought in the conversion of great sinners, let them hear the gentle persuasive voice of God. You, as believers, have everything. Christ is yours. Heaven is yours. You are always with God, and all that he has belongs to you. But it is proper and fit that, when a sinner returns from the error of his ways, they should ring the bells of heaven and make a fuss over him, for he was dead and is alive again. I hope that you and I will never catch the spirit of the elder brother. Yet I remember that Krummacher says that he found that same spirit in himself sometimes. There was a man in the village where Krummacher lived, who was a great drunkard and everything that was bad; and on a sudden he came into a very large sum of money and became a wealthy man. Krummacher felt, “Well, this hardly looks like the right thing — so many good, honest, hard-working people in the parish still remaining poor, and this worthless man has suddenly become wealthy and well-to-do.” It seemed a strange way in the order of providence. Oh! we ought to rejoice and be glad when another person prospers, and wish that his prosperity may be blessed to him. I remember a minister years ago, when first Mr. Moody came, saying that he did not believe that Mr. Moody was sent of God “because,” said he, “I find that many of the people who are converted under him never went to a place of worship before. It is only the riff-raff that are brought in.” There is a nasty elder brother spirit. The riff-raff were just the people that we wanted to bring in, and if they had never been to a place of worship before, it was time that they should go. It was a mercy that they were brought in. Oh! instead of ever sniffing at sinners as if we were better than they, let us welcome them with all our heart and praise the heavenly Father that he so lovingly takes them in. (Luke 15 - exposition) Had (must, it is necessary)1163) (dei from deo = to bind or tie objects together) refers to what is not optional but needful (binding) out of intrinsic necessity or inevitability. Dei refers to inward constraint which is why it is often translated "must". Dei describes that which is under the necessity of happening or which must necessarily take place, and conveys a sense of inevitability. Dei uses in Luke and Acts - Lk. 2:49; Lk. 4:43; Lk. 9:22; Lk. 11:42; Lk. 12:12; Lk. 13:14; Lk. 13:16; Lk. 13:33; Lk. 15:32; Lk. 17:25; Lk. 18:1; Lk. 19:5; Lk. 21:9; Lk. 22:7; Lk. 22:37; Lk. 24:7; Lk. 24:26; Lk. 24:44; Acts 1:16; Acts 1:21; Acts 3:21; Acts 4:12; Acts 5:29; Acts 9:6; Acts 9:16; Acts 14:22; Acts 15:5; Acts 16:30; Acts 17:3; Acts 19:21; Acts 20:35; Acts 23:11; Acts 24:19; Acts 25:10; Acts 25:24; Acts 26:9; Acts 27:21; Acts 27:24; Acts 27:26; Live (2198)(zao) can refer to physical life (and often in the Old Testament sense), or it can refer to spiritual existence. When zaō is used of spiritual life, it is joined with many other words to help shape its meaning—such as being with or in Christ or God, with power, good, faith, love, light, and holiness. It is also contrasted with separation from Christ or God, evil, powerlessness, death, darkness, hate, unbelief, and sin. Zao means to live—1. of natural, physical life Mt 4:4; Lk 24:5; Ro 7:1, 2, 3; 1Co 15:45; Phil 1:22. Of the conduct of life Lk 2:36; Ac 26:5; Ro 14:7; 2Co 5:15. Be well, recover Mk 5:23. Of God Mt 26:63; Heb 3:12; zo ego = as surely as I live Ro 14:11. to zon = life 2Co 1:8. Figuratively = Jn 4:10, 11; Acts 7:38; Pe 1:3; 2:4.—2. of the life of the child of God Lk 10:28; Jn5:25; Ro 1:17; 2Co 13:4; Gal 2:20; 1Th 5:10. Friberg - live; (1) of natural physical life; (a) live, be living, be alive ( 1Co 15.45), opposite (die); (b) of return from death become alive again (Mt 9.18); (c) of recovery from sickness - get well, recover, be well (Jn 4.50); (d) with mention of the sphere or basis of life - live in (Acts 17.28); live by (Mt 4.4); (2) of supernatural, spiritual life, including resurrected life for the body and eternal life for the soul (Jn 11.25, 26); (3) of the conduct of life = live (as) (Gal 2.14); continue (to sin) (Ro 6.2); live (for) (2Cp 5.15); (4) participle zon = living, of things deriving from God as the source of life (1Pe 1.3) (Borrow Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament) Zao uses in Luke and Acts - Lk. 2:36; Lk. 4:4; Lk. 10:28; Lk. 15:13; Lk. 15:32; Lk. 20:38; Lk. 24:5; Lk. 24:23; Acts 1:3; Acts 7:38; Acts 9:41; Acts 10:42; Acts 14:15; Acts 17:28; Acts 20:12; Acts 22:22; Acts 25:19; Acts 25:24; Acts 26:5; Acts 28:4; Ray Pritchard has an interesting application of the parable of the prodigal - I begin with a very simple observation: It is possible to know God and yet be far away from him. Most Christians know what that is like. Perhaps you have had the experience of drifting away from God. You never meant it to happen. You didn’t start intending to drift away from the Lord. But somewhere along the way, you made some wrong choices and one day you woke up to find that God was far away from you. This is something that happens irrespective of your spiritual pedigree. You might be an elder or a deacon and still be a long way from God. You might be a Sunday School teacher, a youth leader, an usher, a member of the choir, a Moody Bible Institute student, and still be far away from God. You may have been raised in a Christian home only to grow up and reject your heritage. You may have been deeply hurt by someone who claimed to be a Christian and that deep hurt has kept you from coming close to God. You may have decided that no one can truly live up to what the Bible commands. Perhaps you feel discouraged over repeated personal failure. You tried and tried and tried … and finally, exhausted, you gave up. A Crucial Distinction - So I want to talk to you about what you do when you find yourself out of God’s will. Before I do that, we need to carefully distinguish between two different ways we use that phrase: “out of God’s will.” Sometimes we use it to describe decisions we would like to make over again. You bought that house but now you don’t like it. You bought a Ford Aerostar but you’re having trouble making the payments. You got your master’s degree and then quit school, but if you had to do over again you would have stayed until you got your doctors degree. You blew $10,000 on IBM stock because you thought it was going to go up. It didn’t. Those examples describe non-moral decisions, defined as decisions about which the Bible gives no direct guidance. You are free to make those decisions any way you like. You can stay in school or quit, buy the stock or not, buy an Aerostar or a MPV or a Cherokee or just keep the Caravan you already have. The Bible doesn’t tell you what to do in situations like that. There is, however, a second common use of the phrase “out of God’s will.” It also refers to those times when you suffer because you have done that which is wrong in the eyes of the Lord. You are suffering personally, internally, relationally, emotionally and in every other area of your life because you have done that which is wrong. You committed adultery and now you are out of God’s will. You had an abortion and now you are out of God’s will. You assassinated somebody’s character and now you are out of God’s will. You are nursing a grudge and a bitter spirit and you are out of God’s will. You killed somebody. You lied. You’re a thief. And now you are out of God’s will. You wonder, “What do I do now?” Somewhere along the way you walked through the wrong door. The only way back to God’s will is back through that same door. You decided to leave God’s will; you must now decide to return to God’s will. You left on purpose; you must return on purpose.(Luke 15:11-32 Tapped On a Dead-End Street) Webster - Prod’i-gal a. [L. prodigus, from prodigere to drive forth, to squander away; pro forward, forth + agere to drive; cf. F. prodigue. See Agent.] Given to extravagant expenditure; expending money or other things without necessity; recklessly or viciously profuse; lavish; wasteful; not frugal or economical; as, a prodigal man; the prodigal son; prodigal giving; prodigal expenses. Remember that Jesus used only 504 words to tell the Parable of the Prodigal Son, judged by some to be the greatest story ever written. (Luke 15:11–24) —James Hastings David