Luke 15:31-32

This is the last reading until the new year. We will start back up the week of Jan 8^th. I will send out the reading at that time. Merry Christmas!!

Rachel Workman: ³¹ “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. ³² We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

What can I say about that? This Christmas Season is a good time to reflect on our hearts. We need to guard our hearts against the things that don't line up with Christ.

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Mike Grimm:  ³¹ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” In Jesus’ parable, the older brother represented the Pharisees, who were angry and resentful that sinners were being welcomed into God’s kingdom. After all, the Pharisees must have thought, we have sacrificed and done so much for God. It’s funny how we always seem to consider others far worse sinners than ourselves. But when our self-righteousness gets in the way of rejoicing when others come to Jesus we are no better than the Pharisees.

People who repent after leading notoriously sinful lives are often held in suspicion; we are sometimes unwilling to accept them back into our lives. Instead, we should rejoice like the angels in heaven when an unbeliever repents and turns to God. Like the father, accept repentant sinners wholeheartedly and give them support and encouragement that they need to grow in Christ.

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Luke 15:25-30

Rachel Workman: ²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, ²⁶ and he asked one of the servants what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

²⁸ “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, 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. ³⁰ Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

Honestly, I can understand the brother’s initial reaction. What he failed to see is if his brother had not had that experience he wouldn't have come humbly to his father. He wouldn’t have had confessed his unworthiness. In fact, he would have went the rest of his life thinking he had never done anything wrong. It's when we confess to God and repent, as the son did with his father that he picks us up off the floor.

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Mike Grimm:  ²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

²⁸ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 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. ³⁰ But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him! 

’ In the story of the lost son, the father’s response is contrasted with the older brother’s. The father forgave because he was filled with love. The older sons refused to forgive because he was bitter about the injustice of it all. His resentment rendered him just as lost to the father’s love as his younger brother had been. We shouldn’t let anything keep us from forgiving others. If we are refusing to forgive people, we are missing a wonderful opportunity to experience joy and share it with others.

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Tomorrow’s reading for Luke 15:31-32

³¹ “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. ³² We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

Luke 15:22-24

Rachel Workman: ²² “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. ²³ And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, ²⁴ for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

If you can imagine this is exactly how Christ feels about every one of us.

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John Burnett:  ²² But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; ²³ and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; ²⁴ for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.  This parable is really a bibliography for every person on the planet that has repented and put their trust in Jesus Christ.  We were all dead in our sins but granted eternal life and the angels in heaven celebrate like Luke 15:7 states.  This is why it is called amazing grace, because it is so amazing yet undeserved like the celebration in verse 22.  Thank you Jesus for your grace and mercy.

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Mike Grimm:  ²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

The sheep was lost because it may have foolishly wandered away (15:4); the coin was lost through no fault of its own (15:18); and the son left out of selfishness (15:12). God’s great love reaches out and finds sinners no matter why or how they got lost.

It’s important to remember that we are in a parable where a sinner is represented to us under the notion of a prodigal son; God, under the notion of an indulgent father; a repenting sinner, under the notion of a prodigal returning to his father, confessing his error, petitioning his father for mercy, acknowledging he deserves none, but casting himself upon his father’s goodness and mercy.

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Tomorrow’s reading for Luke 15:25-30

²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, ²⁶ and he asked one of the servants what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

²⁸ “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, 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. ³⁰ Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’