Bible Studies
The Treasure of A Loving Father (Lk. 15:20b-24, 28b, 31-32)
Series: Additional StudiesIntroduction to Reading:
1. This is one of my favorite passages in all the Bible. 2. I have three lessons on it.a. One on the prodigal.
b. One on the older son.
c. And one on the compassionate father.
3. My favorite lesson of the three is the one about the compassionate father, because I need him so much. And so I am very happy to talk with you about “The Treasure of A Loving Father.” Without Him there is no “Precious Book Divine,” no “Treasure of the Gospel,” no sacrifice of a beloved Son. 4. The context: Lk. 15:1-2; the third in a series of parables addressing God’s desire to save sinners. 5. Read 15:11-32.Introduction:
1. Recommendation of The Return of the Prodigal Son, Henri Nouwen. Nouwen is a Catholic priest. His book analyzes Rembrandt’s famous painting The Return of the Prodigal Son. I recommend the book as a tool to help you slow down and meditate on this passage of Scripture. 2. The central message of this parable is not only that God accepts tax-gatherers and sinners, but that we should become like the Father, welcoming and celebrating with him over each lost one that is found. 3. And so the lesson of this parable is a lesson of becoming. While we may see ourselves in the prodigal and in the older son, the message of the parable is to become like the Father. In many ways this parable describes a pilgrimage, a three stage development from the frivolity and wastefulness of youth, to the dutiful obedience and hard work of mid-life, to the compassionate acceptance, love, forgiveness and tolerance of old age. 4. Over each one of these characters I am tempted to place the following words.a. Prodigal–sin.
b. Older son—works.
c. Father—grace.
5. And so we ask in this lesson “Who is this Father?” And, “How do I become like Him?”Discussion:
I. A welcoming Father.A. Welcomed both his sons.
1. While the prodigal was a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him (v. 20).
2. When the older brother refused to come in the house his father came out and began entreating him (v. 28).
B. The father loves both, no more, no less.
1. While the father is truly filled with joy at his younger son’s return, he has not forgotten the older. He doesn’t take the older for granted. His joy was so intense that he couldn’t wait to start celebrating, but as soon as he became aware of his older son’s arrival, he left the party, went out to him, and pleaded with him to join them.
2. In his jealousy and bitterness, the elder son can only see that his irresponsible brother is receiving more attention than he himself. He concludes that he is the less loved of the two.
3. The father however, does not make such comparisons.
a. The world constantly compares. Ranking people as more or less intelligent, more or less attractive, more or less successful. Rank people on the basis of their material possessions: cars, money, land. Buy. Buy. Buy. And all for what? So we can prove how valuable we are? We even do it with goodness. “I’ve never neglected a commandment of yours.” How can one believe in a love that does not do this?
b. When I hear someone praised it is hard not to think of myself as less praiseworthy. When others receive trophies and recognition I ask why didn’t that happen to me?
c. The older brother is the one who is doing the comparing. For the father, all are his favorites.
4. Remember the parable of the laborers? The landowner went out early in the morning and hired laborers. At nine. At noon. At three. At five. Beginning with the last he paid them all the same. The early morning laborers grumbled because they expected to receive more. Why didn’t the landowner pay the early morning laborers first, let them go away, and pay all in descending order? Did you ever think he might have wanted them to rejoice in the graciousness of the landowner? Instead they were envious. Rom. 12:12 tells us that we are to rejoice with those who rejoice. Not as easy as it first appears. We are too self-centered.
C. You are the beloved of God. He is anxious for you to experience the blessing of his presence.
1. In the parable of the dinner he invited everyone, those with land, oxen, wives, the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame. He even went to the highways to compel people to come to his dinner (Lk. 14:16ff).
2. He went after the one lost sheep until he found it, and called together his friends and neighbors and rejoiced with them (Lk. 15:3ff).
3. He lit a lamp and swept the house looking for the lost coin until he found it. Called together friends and neighbors and rejoiced (Lk. 15:8ff).
4. Some think that God needs us and that that is why he searches so diligently. But he is not served as though he needed anything (Acts 17:25). He doesn’t need our love. He wants us to experience the blessing of his love.
5. Will you let him find you? Why are you hiding? Why are you staying lost?
II. A celebrating Father.A. He said, “Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found. And they began to be merry” (vs. 22-23).
B. “Quickly.” Denotes the divine eagerness to celebrate.
C. “Bring out the best robe.” Denotes the divine eagerness to lavish his son with the best.
D. This is what our Father has done for us.
1. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which he lavished upon us” (Eph. 1:7).
2. Can you hear the party? It is for you.
3. Will you come to the feast?
a. In Matt. 8:11 Jesus said, “Many shall come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.”
b. But some are too busy. Matt. 22:4-5 says, “Tell those who have been invited, ‘Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.’ But they paid no attention and went their own way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them.”
c. Rev. 19:6-9 says, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready… Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”
4. All that the Father has is yours. “My child… all that is mine is yours” (v. 31).
a. You may look at that from a materialistic perspective, as do those who are expecting a materialistic kingdom. “I’m going to have that nice farm. I’m going to be rich.”
b. Or you may look at it and be moved by how much the Father loves you. You are the beloved.
III. Becoming the Father.A. In this parable I see a pilgrimage, a progression toward spiritual maturity.
1. The prodigal--happy go lucky, wasteful, thoughtless, even rejecting of the Father’s call to maturity, reckless, in his ignorance he thinks he knows--this is the way we are in our youth. We are tax-gatherers and sinners.
2. The older son--dutiful, obedient, judgmental, self-righteous, doing the right things, scoffing at the foolishness of youth, telling others how to get their act together. We are the Pharisees and scribes. Middle-aged.
3. The Father--compassionate, welcoming, loving, forgiving, accepting.
B. As we learn to become the Father we will welcome both prodigals and older sons, tax-gatherers and sinners, and Pharisees and scribes.
1. I have seen people in the Lord’s church rejecting the tax-gathers and sinners. They make no allowance for their spiritual immaturity. Children will be children. I have seen congregations divide when some were intolerant and unwilling to accept the spiritually immature. New Christians coming into a group can cause problems.
2. I have seen it go the other way. A congregation of relatively new Christians have several others move in that thought they were more spiritually mature who divided the congregation because they were intolerant of the immature.
3. I have seen some that were unable to accept Pharisees and scribes. I have seen them leave congregations or be forced to leave by the Pharisees and scribes.
4. We must become like the Father.
C. We must learn to rejoice with the Father.
1. When prodigals come home.
2. We must invite Pharisees and scribes to celebrate.
Conclusion:
1. This parable is filled with so many rich lessons. 2. But the two that have impressed me the most isa. That I am the Beloved of God.
b. As the beloved of God I can rejoice over the good fortune of others who are also the beloved of God.
3. Will you come to the feast that your Father has prepared for you?
