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In Luke 15 Jesus is addressing tax collectors and sinners, much to the disgust of the Scribes and Pharisees. They are incensed and disgusted that Jesus is reported to eat with such people. Even though these tax collectors and others are fellow Jews, the Scribs and Pharisees are hard hearted toward them. They want nothing to do with such people. It is true that many of the sons of Israel had departed from God and were playing the harlot. The gospels are full of people in Israel possesed with evil spirits and even prostitutes and so the list goes on. It is true that many in Israel had become like the pagans round about them. While the Scribes and Pharisees were right to separate themselves from pagans, because of the call of God through Isaiah, to come out from among them and be separate from them that went with the promise, that when they did this God would receive them. This indeed was what was at the heart of laws given spesifically to the Jews. The food laws for example were in place to keep them apart from the gentiles, so they wouldn't be tempted to play the harlot and depart from God, but alas they failed to know God and His heart. All through the prophets we hear the prophets calling the harlot Israel, back to God. It was never the intention of God to abandon His people who had departed from Him, the way that the Scribes and Pharisees had abandoned their fellow Israelites. There was always hope, to those who would respond to the word of the Lord and return in repentance.
Jesus then answers these hard hearted men who slander Jesus, because He preaches to these people over the dinner table. Jesus says whats wrong with you, why do you complain? You do exactly what I am doing.Jesus then shows them how they do just as Jesus is doing. Jesus illustrates how when a sheep is lost, that they would leave the other sheep alone and go off looking for the lost sheep until it was found. When they had fouhnd it they would rejoice publicly and make their joy known to others. The obvious imagery is that of God being the shepherd of his sheep, the people of Israel. Jesus then likens this everyday reality to the facts about Gods kingdom. He tells how the angels in heaven rejoice at one sinner who repents, just as there is joy when their lost sheep is found or lost money is recovered. From this base Jesus leads on to tell them the parable of the prodigal son. The parable is of a father and his two sons. The younger makes a most unusual demand of his father. Most children would never dream of asking for their inheritance from their parents, before the father had died. Nevertheless this son does make this most unusual request. The son says to himself, I can't wait till my father kicks the bucket. It might take years and years and maybe I'll be so old by the time he dies that I won't be able to enjoy my inheritance. Amazingly the father gives the son his portion of the inheritance, he would usually only receive when the father was dead and buried. The son like so many youngsters today can't wait to get out of the house and see the big wide world out there. What is more is that he has a lot of money to enjoy life in the world with. The parable tells us that the son goes to a far country. it is imagery of a Jew who has gone out from among his people to play the harlot with the pagans round about them. For we are told he spent all his inheritance on prodigal or wild living. But like so many irresponsible people, the good times come to an end and the money dries up.He finds that hard times have come upon him and life has become very difficult. Besides the ruin that has come upon him, he finds himself in a foreign land as a nobody without money at a time when famine has come on them. Times are very, very hard all of a sudden and food is very difficult to come by. Famine is one of the curses of the law and a sign of Gods displeasure on a nation according to Moses. At this time such was the sons want, that from being in abundance he is reduced to doing the work of a labourer. Not only that, but he is to feed what is forbidden to Jews to eat. We are told that he as the servant would gladly even have eaten the pig swill to fill his tummy. It would seem that if he had eaten the pig swill, he may have been beaten by his master. Even so he was without food and probably below a subsistance standard of living. He had indeed been brought low and humbled from a very high height. We are told he eventually came to his senses by reasoning that his fathers servants had abundance and more to feed themselves. So he made the decision to return to his fathers house, but not as a son , but as a servant. My how the mighty have fallen!!! On his return he is no longer a proud and arrogant man, because we see that he comes to his father as a sinner and confesses his sin to his father and admits his sin and unfaithfulness. Even so he is prepared not to be accepted as a son but as a hired worker. He has abandoned all claims on his father, he has only mercy to beg. While he was on his way to his father's house, his father saw him from far off coming toward him. We see the father immediatly has compassion on his ruined son and moves toward him and falls on his neck and kisses him. It is almost the imagery of the father doing a summersault out of joy to see his returning son. At this meeting the son confesses his sin against his father and recognises he isn't worthy to be called his son. The fathers response to his returned son is that of complete forgiveness and also wonderful generosity and good will. He has sandals put on his bare feet and the best robe in place of what may have been rags and also the ring which identifies him as his son put on his finger.He then orders the fatted calf which is kept for the most special of occasions to be slaughtered for the feast, to celebrate the return and repentance of his son. It is a time of making merry and of enjoying onself. The father declares of his son that he was dead but now is alive again, he was lost but now he is found. Then they began to be merry to celebrate the prodigal sons return. We then see the son who remained behind came up from the fields and heard the music and dancing. He called a servant to find out what was going on. he was told that his brother had returned safe and sound and that his father was rejoicing at this. The brother was very angry at the treatment his brother was receiving and felt hard done by. His reaction to many would be a normal and justified reaction. he reasoned that his brother din't deserve this because he had squandered his fathers hard earned livelihood. His fathers reply to him was, Son , you're always here and all I have is yours." It is right to make merry, because your brother was dead and now is alive. The interpretation of the parable we must remember is Jesus' answer to the Scribes and Pharisees about why he is mixing and eating with the outcasts and sinners in Israel. The imagery is clearly that of Israels own story, in her dealings with God. God himself is Israels father and the sons are the sons of Yahweh,ie the sons of Israel. The two sons illustrate apostate Israel just like the tax collectors and sinners who have played the harlot. The other son is the Scribes and Pharisees who at least seem not to have played the harlot. These sons who have played the harlot against Yahweh and return to him and repent are gladly accepted and rejoiced over just as when a lost sheep or lost money is found. The Scribes and Pharisees see the sons who played the harlot as undeserving of Gods favour and are angry just like the older son. But though they claim to know the father, they do not. God has the right to accept and forgive who He will. Also thy have no understanding of mercy but only retribution. While they are right that sinners are under Gods wrath and receive retribution even as the son did by suffering famine and ruin. God does this to bring his sons to their senses even as the prodigal was brought to his senses. But what is more is that the son who plays the harlot and returns to the father, is not treated as he deserves, but is shown great favour and mercy. The other son has an attitude of receiving from God what they deserve, and not of receiving mercy because they have returned and repented. We see the sons who have no repentance are not shown this amazing undeserving mercy and are not rejoiced over. The time of Gods favour has come to Israel and many of her sons are returning to their father in humility and repentance and are not treated as they deserve. The time of Gods Kingdom has come , the year of Jubilee has been pronounced and all who owe God and cannot repay, but who return in repentance have their debt of their sin cancelled. Not because they deserve it but because of Gods good will. It is also a picture of Israels exile and return, when she has repented and her sins are forgiven. This return from exile is not like when they returned from Babylon, for then they still suffered hard labour in Israel, even till the time of Christ. But now the new way of return is made known through faith and repentanct in Jesus and the father. Now when they return from exile their sin will be forgiven, and if Israels sin is forgiven then the time of the Kingdom has come. This is what all the feasts and sacrifices pointed to, they pointed to Israels restoration to God. Yom kippur or the day of atonement looked forward to the day when they as the nation would be forgiven, so long as sacrifice continued to be offered year after year they were not yet forgiven their sins and trespasses. But when the day of their forgiveness came, sacrifice would be offered no more for their sins would be forgiven. If their sin was forgiven then indeed the time of her restoration to God had come and also indeed the beginnig of the restoration of all things had begun. Indeed in Jesus the time of the Kingdom had come, just as John the baptist had preached, now and not yet. |
