Wednesday
Evening Bible Study
October 17, 2001
Introduction
We are in the middle of a section where Jesus is talking about finding
things that are lost.
Illustration
A carpet layer had just finished installing carpet for a lady. He stepped
out for a smoke, only to realize he’d lost his cigarettes. In the middle of the
room, under the carpet, was a bump. “No
sense pulling up the entire floor for one pack of smokes,” he said to himself.
He proceeded to get out his hammer and flattened the hump. As he was cleaning up, the lady came
in. “Here,” she said, handing him his
pack of cigarettes. “I found them in the hallway.” “Now,” she said, “if only I
could find my parakeet.”
God doesn’t take lost things lightly.
He finds them. He loves to find
them.
:11-24 The younger son, the
prodigal
:11 And he said, A certain man had
two sons:
:12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion
of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
younger – neos – recently
born, young, youthful
give – didomi – to give;
the verb is an imperative, a command the son has given to the father.
that falleth – epiballo –
to cast upon, to lay upon; it belongs to me, falls to my share
portion – meros – a part;
a part due or assigned to one
he divided – diaireo – to
divide into parts, to part, to tear, cleave or cut asunder; to distribute
living – bios – life; that
by which life is sustained, resources, wealth, goods
According to Jewish Law (Deut. 21:17), the firstborn (or elder) son would
receive a double portion. Since there
are only two sons in the story, the younger son would have received 1/3 of the
father’s wealth. The older brother
would be receiving 2/3 of the father’s wealth.
:13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took
his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous
living.
gathered – sunago – to
gather together, to gather; to draw together, collect; to bring together,
assemble, collect
took his journey – apodemeo (“from”
+ “the people”) – to go away into foreign parts, go abroad
country – chora – the
space lying between two places or limits; a region or country i.e. a tract of
land
far – makros – long; of
place: remote, distant, far off
wasted – diaskorpizo –
to scatter abroad, disperse, to winnow; to throw the grain a considerable
distance, or up into the air, that it may be separated from the chaff
It’s a picture of the guy taking wads of money and throwing it all up in
the air to be carried off by the wind.
substance – ousia –
what one has, i.e. property, possessions, estate
living – zao – to live,
breathe, be among the living (not lifeless, not dead); to enjoy real life; to
live i.e. pass life, in the manner of the living and acting
riotous – asotos –
dissolutely, profligately; wastefulness and riotous excess; reckless and
extravagant expenditure, chiefly for the gratification of one’s sensual
desires.
We find out later in the story (Luke 15:30), that he probably spent his money
on harlots.
Lesson
Sometimes you have to let go
It’s a difficult thing when someone you love goes into something that is
very destructive.
I think that most of the time we need to do everything we can to help that
person from destroying themselves.
(Gal 6:1
KJV) Brethren, if a man be overtaken in
a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness;
considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
But sometimes you will reach a point where you have to let go. Some people don’t learn until they do things
their way, and run the car headlong into a brick wall at 80 miles per hour.
Lesson
Sometimes God will let us go.
Some people have a silly idea that if God doesn’t want them doing their
favorite little sin, that God is going to stop them.
No. God will let you go. He will let you see the outcome of your sin.
:14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land;
and he began to be in want.
he had spent – dapanao –
to incur expense, expend, spend; in a bad sense: to waste, squander, consume
famine – limos – scarcity
of harvest, famine
mighty – ischuros –
strong, mighty; strong, violent, forcibly uttered, firm, sure
to be in want – hustereo –
behind; to come late or too tardily; to fail, be wanting; to be in want of,
lack; to suffer want, to be devoid of, to lack (be inferior) in excellence,
worth
:15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he
sent him into his fields to feed swine.
joined himself – kollao –
to glue, to glue together, cement, fasten together; to join or fasten firmly
together; to join one’s self to, cleave to
citizen – polites – a
citizen
country – chora – the
space lying between two places or limits; a region or country i.e. a tract of
land
fields – agros – land; the
field, the country; a piece of land, bit of tillage
to feed – bosko – to feed
swine – choiros – a swine
:16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine
did eat: and no man gave unto him.
would fain – epithumeo –
to turn upon a thing; to have a desire for, long for, to desire; to lust after,
covet
have filled – gemizo – to
fill, fill full
belly – koilia – the whole
belly, the entire cavity; the innermost part of a man, the soul, heart as the
seat of thought, feeling, choice
the husks – keration –
a little horn; the name of the fruit, Ceratonia silqua or carobtree
(called also John’s Bread [from the notion that its pods, which resemble those
of the "locust", constituted the food of the Baptist]. This fruit was
shaped like a horn and has a sweet taste; it was and is used not only for
fattening swine, but as an article of food by the lower classes.
Lesson:
There’s no end to what we can lust
for.
We get this idea that if we just satisfy our lust, that everything will be
okay, and life will be wonderful.
But the truth is, our lusts are never fully satisfied, and all they want is
more.
Pr 27:20 Hell and
destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
What starts off as a seemingly innocent little lust can become something
monstrous.
Uncontrolled lust only takes you one direction, downhill.
Illustration
From U.S. News & World Report, February 6, 1989 –
Just before he was executed last week in Florida, serial
killer Ted Bundy made a last-gasp grab for respectability as a crime expert.
Asked by religious broadcaster James Dobson what made him turn violent, Bundy
put the blame on graphic pornography.
“Like an addiction, you keep craving something that is harder,” intoned Bundy,
“until you reach a point where... you begin to wonder if maybe actually doing
it would give you that which is beyond just reading.”
What seems to you to be a harmless little diversion can lead to only bigger
and greater lusts. Don’t let it go any
further. Don’t let it get to the point
where you’re lusting after pig food yet.
Pig food in a distant land.
:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my
father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
himself – heautou –
himself, herself, itself, themselves
he came – erchomai – to
come
hired servants – misthios –
employed for hire, hired; from misthos –
dues paid for work; wages, hire
enough and to spare – perisseuo
– to exceed a fixed number of measure, to be left over and above a certain
number or measure; a thing which comes in abundance, or overflows unto one,
something falls to the lot of one in large measure; to abound, overflow
hunger – limos – scarcity
of harvest, famine
I perish – apollumi – to
destroy; to put out of the way entirely, abolish, put an end to ruin; to
perish, to be lost, ruined, destroyed
Lesson
Wake up!
It’s not until a person gets to the point where “he came to himself”, that
a change can take place.
It’s not until we can get to the point where we are sick of our situation
and we realize that we must change that change can occur.
:18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have
sinned against heaven, and before thee,
I will arise – anistemi
– to cause to rise up, raise up; raise up from laying down; to raise up
from the dead; to rise, stand up; of those who leave a place to go elsewhere;
of those who prepare themselves for a journey
I think it’s interesting that this is the same word that is used to
describe the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
I have sinned – hamartano –
to be without a share in; to miss the mark; to err, be mistaken; to miss or
wander from the path of uprightness and honour, to do or go wrong; to wander
from the law of God, violate God’s law, sin
against – eis –
into, unto, to, towards, for, among
before – enopion –
in the presence of, before; of occupied place: in that place which is before,
or over against, opposite, any one and towards which another turns his eyes
Sin is “against” God and “before” others.
Lesson
Healing starts with confession
Ultimately, sin isn’t just against the person you’ve hurt, but sin affects
God as well.
(Psa 51:4 KJV) Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and
done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou
speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
(Isa 59:1-2 NKJV) Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened,
That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. {2} But your
iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face
from you, So that He will not hear.
The Bible says,
(1 John 1:9 KJV) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We need to come to the place where we are willing to admit
that we were wrong. We need to admit
that we are needy of God’s help.
:19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired
servants.
worthy – axios – weighing,
having weight, having the weight of another thing of like value, worth as much;
befitting, congruous, corresponding to a thing; of one who has merited anything
worthy
hired servants – misthios –
employed for hire, hired
:20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way
off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and
kissed him.
he arose – anistemi – to
cause to rise up, raise up; raise up from laying down; to raise up from the
dead; to rise, stand up; of those who leave a place to go elsewhere; of those
who prepare themselves for a journey
a great way – makran –
far, a great way; far hence
was … off – apecho – have;
to hold back, keep off, prevent; to be away, absent, distant
saw – eido – to see
The Father was watching for the son
had compassion – splagchnizomai
– to be moved as to one’s bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have
compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity)
ran – trecho
– to run; of persons in haste; of those who run in a race course
neck – trachelos – neck
kissed – kataphileo – to
kiss much, kiss again and again, kiss tenderly
Lesson #1:
The Father’s Heart.
Some of us have the wrong idea of what our Heavenly Father is like as
apparently the scribes and Pharisees did.
Too often we have strange, perverted ideas about the Father. Sometimes it’s because the only thing we
know of fathers is a bad father we might have had.
For some of you, the word “Father” conjures up images of someone who is
always angry with you, someone who only likes you if you’re good, someone who
will abuse you if you even get near him, or someone who’s simply not there,
someone who has abandoned you.
This is not what God the Father is like. Not at all.
1)
He’s waiting.
his father saw him
He’s waiting for you to come home. He’s watching for you.
God isn’t off doing His own thing, thinking “good
riddance” about you.
2)
He understands.
had compassion – splagchnizomai
– to be moved in one's bowels, where the ancients thought the emotions of love
and pity came from.
God understands.
He cares. He’s moved with
compassion towards you.
(Psa
103:13 NASB) Just as a father has
compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
3)
He’s anxious.
ran – trecho – to run; of
persons in haste
You may think that you’re still a “great way off” from
coming home, but you’re only as far as it takes to turn around and start back.
You’ll find Him running to you. He wants you home.
4)
He loves you.
kissed – kataphileo – to
kiss much, kiss tenderly, kiss again and again.
God has such tender affection toward you. He loves you so much.
This isn’t the kind of affection that is conditional. This isn’t only when you’re good. Note that the son has yet to say that he’s
sorry. The Father starts loving on the
son before he even gets a word out.
Lesson #2:
Don’t give up on the prodigals.
Some of you have Prodigals, some even in your own family. Stay close to the Father’s heart and don’t
give up on them.
Letting a person “go” does not mean “giving up”.
This is from Sitting By My Laughing
Fire, by Ruth Bell Graham, and I wonder if it was written for her once
wayward son, Franklin –
She waited for the call that never came; searched every mail for a letter,
or a note, or card, that bore his name; and on her knees at night, and on her
feet all day, she stormed Heaven's Gate in his behalf; she pled for him in
Heaven's high court. "Be still, and wait," the word He gave; and so
she knew He would do in, and for, and with him, that which she never could.
Doubts ignored, she went about her chores with joy; knowing, though spurned,
His word was true. The prodigal had not returned but God was God, and there was
work to do.
:21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in
thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
Just as the son had planned to say (vs. 18-19), except he does not get a
chance to say, “make me as one of thy hired servants”,
:22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put
it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
servants – doulos – a
slave, bondman, man of servile condition
bring forth – ekphero – to
carry out, to bear forth
robe – stole – an
equipment; an equipment in clothes, clothing; spec. a loose outer garment for
men extending to the feet, worn by kings, priests, and persons of rank
best – protos – first in
time or place; first in rank
put it on – enduo – to
sink into (clothing), put on, clothe one’s self
put (a ring) – didomi
– to give; to give something to someone
ring – daktulios – a ring
(on the finger)
shoes – hupodema – what is
bound under, a sandal, a sole fastened to the foot with thongs
:23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be
merry:
bring – phero – to carry;
to bring, bring to, bring forward
calf – moschos – a tender
juicy shoot; offspring; a calf, a bullock, a heifer
fatted – siteutos (“grain”,
perhaps as in “grain-fed”) – fattened, fatted
kill – thuo – to
sacrifice, immolate; to slay, kill; slaughter
Could it be that there’s more than just a feast going on here? Could there be a sense of sacrifice as well?
It would seem that this would be a “Peace Offering”, since the whole family
is going to have a feast.
One of the reasons for having a “peace offering” was when you had made a
vow to the Lord, perhaps something like, “Oh God, if you will bring my son
back, then I will offering up a calf to You.”
This is a Father who really, really wants His son back.
let us eat – phago – to
eat
be merry – euphraino – to
gladden, make joyful; to be glad, to be merry, to rejoice; to rejoice in, be
delighted with a thing
:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is
found. And they began to be merry.
dead – nekros – properly;
one that has breathed his last, lifeless; deceased, departed, one whose soul is
in heaven or hell; spiritually dead
alive again – anazao –
live again, recover life; to be restored to a correct life
was lost – apollumi –
to destroy; to lose
This has been an important word for Luke 15:
Lu 15:4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if
he lose <622> one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine
in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost <622>, until he find it?
Lu 15:6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together
his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I
have found my sheep which was lost <622>.
Lu 15:8 Either what woman having ten pieces of
silver, if she lose <622> one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep
the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
Lu 15:9 And when she hath found it, she calleth
her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me;
for I have found the piece which I had lost <622>.
Lu 15:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How
many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish
<622> with hunger!
Lesson
God loves to find the lost.
This has been the message Jesus has tried to give to the Pharisees.
:25-32 The elder son
:25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the
house, he heard music and dancing.
elder – presbuteros –
elder, of age,
music – sumphonia –
music
dancing – choros – a band
(of dancers and singers), circular dance, a dance, dancing
:26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
called – proskaleomai – to
call to; to call to one’s self
servants – pais – a
child, boy or girl; servant, slave
asked – punthanomai – to
enquire, ask; to ascertain, by enquiry
:27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed
the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
hath killed – thuo – to
sacrifice, immolate; to slay, kill; slaughter
safe and sound – hugiaino –
to be sound, to be well, to be in good health
he hath received – apolambano –
to receive; of what is due or promised; to take again or back, to recover; to
receive any one hospitably
:28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out,
and entreated him.
he was angry – orgizo –
to provoke, to arouse to anger; to be provoked to anger, be angry, be wroth
would – thelo – to
will, have in mind, intend; to be resolved or determined, to purpose; to
desire, to wish; to love; to like to do a thing, be fond of doing; to take
delight in, have pleasure
go in – eiserchomai – to
go out or come in: to enter
came … out – exerchomai –
to go or come forth of
entreated – parakaleo – to
call to one’s side, call for, summon; to address, speak to, (call to, call
upon), which may be done in the way of exhortation, entreaty, comfort,
instruction, etc.
Lesson
God will come to where you are
You may not be in a good place. You
may be stubborn like the older brother.
But you will find that God will still come to meet you where you are.
But He doesn’t want to leave you there.
: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:
these many – tosoutos – of
quantity: so great, so many; of time: so long
do I serve – douleuo – to
be a slave, serve, do service; metaph. to obey, submit to
transgressed – parerchomai –
to go past, pass by; to pass by (pass over), that is, to neglect, omit,
(transgress)
a kid – eriphos – a kid, a
young goat
:30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living
with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
devoured – katesthio – to
consume by eating, to eat up, devour; to devour i.e. squander, waste: substance
living – bios – life; that
by which life is sustained, resources, wealth, goods
harlots – porne – a woman
who sells her body for sexual uses; a prostitute, a harlot, one who yields
herself to defilement for the sake of gain
All that the older son says makes sense, doesn’t it? It can almost seem as if the younger son is
being rewarded for having lived a horrible life. And that doesn’t seem fair, does it?
Lesson
Watch out for resentment
If you have come to the point where you resent those who don’t work as hard
at their relationship with God as you do, you’re beginning to sound like a
Pharisee.
A proper relationship with the Lord is not just about obedience, it’s about
joy in His presence.
(Psa 16:11 KJV) Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy
presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Yet too often we get like Martha (Luke 10:38-42), so busy serving that we
don’t remember to stop and sit at the Lord’s feet, listening to His Word, and
enjoying His presence.
:31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have
is thine.
son – teknon – offspring,
children; metaph. the name transferred to that intimate and reciprocal
relationship formed between men by the bonds of love, friendship, trust, just
as between parents and children; teknon
and uiov both point to parentage. teknon, however, emphasizes the idea of
descent, giving prominence to the physical and outward aspects; while uiov emphasizes the idea of relationship, and
considers especially the inward, ethical, and legal aspects.
ever – pantote – at all
times, always, ever
Lesson
Enjoy your relationship with the
Lord
All that is God’s belongs to us.
God wants us to enjoy our relationship with Him, not be resentful.
For example:
(1 Chr 4:9-10 KJV) And Jabez was more honourable than his
brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with
sorrow. {10} And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou
wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be
with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!
And God granted him that which he requested.
Jabez is called “more honourable” than his brethren.
His main claim to fame was in that he asked God to bless
him.
Do you ever think sometimes that asking something like
this seems like a “selfish” request?
How about,
(Rom 8:31-32 KJV) What shall we then say to these things? If
God be for us, who can be against us? {32} He that spared not his own Son, but
delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all
things?
God wants to bless you.
God wants you to enjoy Him.
:32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy
brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
we should make merry – euphraino
– to gladden, make joyful; to be glad, to be merry, to rejoice; to rejoice
in, be delighted with a thing
be glad – chairo – to
rejoice, be glad; to rejoice exceedingly; to be well, thrive; in salutations,
hail!; at the beginning of letters: to give one greeting, salute
was lost – apollumi – to
destroy
Jesus has been addressing the attitude of the Pharisees.
Keep in mind that the Pharisees aren’t out and out bad people who are part
of the society’s criminal element. They
were much like us, people who valued God’s Word, people who tried their best to
live in obedience to the Lord.
Jesus was at the house of a Pharisee, sharing a meal, when this entire
section started back in Luke 14.
Jesus had encouraged the Pharisees that when they throw a party, they ought
to consider inviting people who can’t pay them back. They ought to consider inviting the needy to their parties.
(Luke 14:13 KJV) But when thou makest a feast, call the poor,
the maimed, the lame, the blind:
As the supper progressed, a lot of people crowded in to listen to
Jesus. Jesus began to tell the people
of the high cost of following Him.
Following after Jesus isn’t something you do on a whim. It is something that requires commitment and
dedication.
(Luke 14:27 KJV) And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and
come after me, cannot be my disciple.
After He had challenged the crowd, the people left at the front of the
crowd were the most unlikely people, the tax collectors and “sinners”.
The Pharisees saw this happening and began to grumble that Jesus was
becoming associated with such lowly people.
It was at this point that Jesus again addressed the Pharisees with the
parables about finding lost things, and now He has wound up showing them their
own attitude as being the “elder brother”.
Lesson
Don’t neglect the lost
I think this is one of the main things Jesus is trying to say. His whole purpose in life was to bring the
lost people home.
I have a friend, Mike McNichols, who is the pastor of the Fullerton
Vineyard church (“SoulFarers”). He has
made it a practice to regularly eat at the same restaurant regularly. He has learned to tip well. And he has begun to establish a relationship
with some of the staff at this restaurant.
He then took a step and invited three of these people, all unbelievers,
to his house for dinner on a Tuesday night.
He set it up as a chance to give these unbelievers a place to ask their
questions about God. They’ve been
meeting regularly now every Tuesday night for some time. He’s expecting that they will come to the
Lord.
Lesson
Rejoice when the lost are found
I mentioned last week that I think it would be cool if we applauded the
next time a person comes forward in church.
I think the angels in heaven are doing it.