The Humble People
Luke 2:8-20
The Humble People
Luke 2:8-20
Main Idea: Christmas is good news of great joy and an invitation to worship.
I. The Content of Christmas (2:8-12)
As the shepherds are keeping their flock by night, suddenly an angel of the Lord appears and the “glory of the Lord shone around them.” This ‘glory’ (God’s radiant beauty and perfection) produces a great (mega) fear within them, as they feel the weight of God’s holiness. At the bottom of all of our fears is the reality of our sin and guilt.
In the midst of their fear, the angel assures them: “Fear not, for behold I bring you good news (‘gospel’) of great (‘mega’) joy.” Each word in this ‘gospel’ tells us about the meaning of Christmas:
Unto you (and for all the people)
Is born this day in the city of David (the promise of a royal son from the Davidic line)
A Savior
Christ (‘Messiah;’ the long-promised anointed one of God)
The Lord (God himself; cf. Isa. 9:6-7)
“The crucial significance of the cradle at Bethlehem lies in its place in the sequence of steps that led the Son of God to the cross of Calvary… the Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity – hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory – because at the Father’s will Jesus Christ became poor and was born in a stable so that thirty years later he might hang on a cross. It is the most wonderful message that the world has ever heard or will hear.”
~ J.I. Packer, Knowing God
II. The Chorus of Christmas (2:13-14)
Suddenly a multitude of the ‘heavenly host’ appears with the angel. This language indicates the angelic army (cf. Josh 5:13-15). They are proclaiming a battle-cry:
Glory to God in the highest: of all the things this heavenly host had seen God do before, this moment of the incarnation of Christ spurs this response
Peace on earth: the coming of Christ brings peace and joy to those who have been stuck in the bondage of sin and fear, knowing that Jesus has come to accomplish peace through the hostility of the cross.
III. The Call of Christmas (2:15-20)
Christmas is an invitation to go and investigate further the claim of a Savior who has been born unto us. “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance, the only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” ~ C.S. Lewis
We see three exemplary responses in this passage:
Wonder & Amazement (2:18)
Treasuring & Pondering (2:19)
“The more we look at [the incarnation], the more we are astonished; the more we become accustomed to it, the more have we a sense of its surpassing splendor of love and grace. There is more of God’s glory and majesty to be seen in the manger and the cross, than in the sparkling stars above, the rolling deep below, the towering mountain, the teeming valleys, the abodes of life, or the abyss of death. Let us then give ourselves up to holy wonder, such as will produce gratitude, worship, love, and confidence, as we think of that great “mystery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh.”
~ Charles SpurgeonGlorifying & Praising (2:20)
The Humble Principle
Luke 1:46-55
The Humble Principle
Luke 1:46-55
Main Idea: The coming of Christ is the great reversal, putting the proud on notice and exalting the humble.
I. God is Mindful (1:46-48, 54-55)
Though the news from the Angel Gabriel to Mary would have been incredibly disruptive, she responds by searching (1:29; lit. ‘taking an audit’), then surrendering (1:38), and finally singing in praise (1:46ff). She responds in with humble gratitude and praise because:
1. Her eyes are focused on God (1:46-48)
Mary is able to “magnify” the Lord because she is caught up that the Lord of the universe is mindful of her (cf Ps. 8:1-4). Though she did not seek this out, and her circumstances will be difficult, she will be “blessed” because of what God is doing.
2. Her mind is filled with Scripture (1:54-55)
Nearly every line of Mary’s Magnificat is a Biblical quotation (most notably, Hannah’s song in 1 Sam. 2). While it would have been easy to believe that God had forgotten about his promises, he has “remembered” his word to Israel and Abraham (cf. 2 Pet. 1:8-9). His ‘mindfulness’ is seen supremely in the story of Christmas, as he moves toward those helpless and of humble estate in the incarnation of Christ.
II. God is Mighty (1:49-53)
Mary sings about the “mighty” works of God, and specifically, how he brings low those who are lofty in pride. She speaks in the past tense, echoing great stories of the OT where the might of God and his strong “arm” delivered his people. “[The gospel] is not only a complete reversal of everything that man has ever proposed, it condemns, it demolishes, it scatters everything in which man by nature trusts” ~ Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Magnify the Lord
Mary’s song identifies three specific areas of pride that will be overthrown by God:
The Pride of Intellect & Wisdom (1:51)
Through the cross of Christ, God has “made foolish” the wisdom of this world, “destroying the wisdom of the [so-called] “wise” (1 Cor. 1:18-25); God has hidden the truths of the gospel from the “wise and understanding” who are blinded in their pride, and “revealed them to little children” (Matt. 11:25).The Pride of Position & Power (1:52)
As the One who has the ultimate throne and the heavenly seat of authority, God is the one who “removes kings and sets up kings” (Dan. 2:21). The seemingly powerful by the standards of this world will be brought down, while the humble will be exalted.
Matthew 5:5: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”The Pride of Wealth & Riches (1:53)
The coming of Christ creates a paradox: the “full” will leave empty and hungry, while the hungry and the empty will be filled. Riches and wealth can create an illusion of “fullness” that leaves no room for God; those who are already satisfied with their life, status, and financial standing have no need of help or salvation from God.
Matthew 5:6: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
Christmas and the Magnificat tell the story of the “great reversal,” as God works in ways we would not expect. The wise of this world will be made foolish, those who occupy thrones will be brought low, and the rich will be sent away empty, all because the omniscient One comes as a baby, the King of all kings is born in weakness and obscurity, and the Heir of the universe becomes poor.
“When the King of kings and the Lord of lords came into this world, he came into a stable. If you do not feel a sense of holy laughter within you, I do not see that you have a right to think that you are a Christian. Thank God, this is the gospel, this is salvation. God turning upside down, reversing everything we have ever thought, everything we have taken pride in. The mighty? Why, he will pull them down from their seats. He has been doing so. He is still doing so. Let any man arise and say he is going to govern, to be the god of the whole world; you need not be afraid—he will be put down. Every dictator has gone down; they all do. Finally, the devil and all that belong to him will go down to the lake of fire and will be destroyed forever. The Son of God has come into the world to do that.”
~ Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Magnify the Lord
III. God is Merciful (1:50, 54)
If God is only mindful and mighty, but not merciful, we are all in trouble. But Mary’s song reminds us: “his mercy is for those who fear him” and he has helped the humble “in remembrance of his mercy.” But it is only those who take up the “low place” in the fear of the Lord and receive the humble principle of grace (cf. Mark 2:17).
1 Peter 5:5b-6:Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
The First Christmas Song (Christmas Eve 2021)
Luke 1:46-56
The First Christmas Song
Luke 1:46-56
Main Idea: Christmas is an invitation to humbly sing about the good news of Christ’s coming.
I. Why Mary Sings
Mary responds to the visit of the Angel Gabriel in stages:
Searching (1:29): she takes an “accounting” of this disruptive news
Surrender (1:38): she offers a simple surrender in faith
Singing (1:46-47): she is moved in her “spirit” and her “soul” to magnify the Lord, “my Savior”
II. What Mary Sings
Mary sings about:
God’s Character (1:49-50). He is mighty, holy, and merciful.
God’s Purposes (1:51-53). His strong ‘arm’ brings salvation; he humbles the exalted and exalts the humble.
God’s Promises (1:54-55). Though Mary had every earthly circumstantial reason to doubt God’s promises, he is faithful to his people and his word.
“There has never been a gift offered that makes you swallow your pride to the depths that the gift of Jesus Christ requires us to do. Christmas means that we are so lost, so unable to save ourselves, that nothing less than the death of the Son of God himself could save us. That means you are not somebody who can pull yourself together and live a moral and good life. To accept the true Christmas gift, you have to admit you’re a sinner. You need to be saved by grace. You need to give up control of your life.” ~ Tim Keller
III. How We Can Sing
We can join the song of Mary by:
Humbly receiving the mercy of God through Jesus Christ
“Christ is always born in Bethlehem among the little ones. Big hearts never get Christ inside of them; Christ lives not in great hearts, but in little ones. Mighty and proud spirits never have Jesus Christ, for he comes in at low doors, but he will not come in at high ones. He who has a broken heart, and a low spirit, shall have the Savior, but none else.” ~ Charles Spurgeon
Filling our minds with the holy wonder of Christmas
“The crucial significance of the cradle at Bethlehem lies in its place in the sequence of steps that led the Son of God to the cross of Calvary… the Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity – hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory – because at the Father’s will Jesus Christ became poor and was born in a stable so that thirty years later he might hang on a cross. It is the most wonderful message that the world has ever heard or will hear.” ~ J.I. Packer
Who Was Conceived by the Holy Spirit & Born of the Virgin Mary
Luke 1:26-38 | God’s grace is designed to meet our present faith.
Luke 1:26-38
God’s grace is designed to meet our present faith.
I. God’s Promise of Grace
II. God’s Design of Divinity
III. God’s Perfect Plan
“He cannot be our Lord if we insist on ruling ourselves. If he is Lord, then we are servants—glad servants of God. This is how faith replies to grace. When God promises you a Savior, say, “Let me have him!” When God announces his plan for your life, say, “Amen! Let it be so! Not my will, but your will be done, God!’” - Thabiti Anybwile
The Risen Redeemer
Luke 24:13-35 | The resurrection of Jesus is the fulfillment of promised redemption, securing hope and igniting faith.
Luke 24:13-35
“If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching, but whether or not he rose from the dead. That is how the first hearers felt who heard reports of the resurrection. They knew that if it was true it meant we can’t live our lives anyway we want. It also means we don’t have to be afraid of anything, not Roman swords, not cancer, nothing. If Jesus rose from the dead, it changes everything.” ~ Tim Keller
Main Idea: The resurrection of Jesus is the fulfillment of promised redemption, securing hope and igniting faith.
I. Life Without Resurrection (24:13-24)
1 Corinthians 15:17–19: And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
II. The Necessity of the Resurrection (24:25-27)
2 Corinthians 1:20: For all the promises of God find their yes in him
“That he died manifests his love and willingness to save. It is his rising again that manifests his power and his ability to save. We cannot be saved by a dead Christ, who undertook but could not perform, and who still lies under the Syrian sky, another martyr of impotent love. To save, He must not merely pass to but through death. If the penalty was fully paid, it cannot have broken him, it must need to have been broken upon him. The resurrection of Christ is thus the indispensable evidence of His completed work, of His accomplished redemption.” ~ B.B. Warfield
III. The Power of the Resurrection
Ephesians 1:18-20: “...having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead...”
The Crucified King
Luke 23:32-49 | The cross was God’s divine plan to overthrow evil and accomplish salvation for us in Christ.
Luke 23:32-49
“We can ignore pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” ~ C.S. Lewis
Main Idea: The cross was God’s divine plan to overthrow evil and accomplish salvation for us in Christ.
I. The Cosmic Plan of the Cross (23:32-43)
Genesis 3:15: I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise his heel.
1 Peter 2:24: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
“Jesus could not save himself, not because of any physical constraint, but because of a moral imperative. He came to do his Father’s will, and he would not be deflected from it... It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross; it was his unqualified resolution, out of love for his Father, to do his Father’s will—and, within that framework, it was his love for sinners like me. He really could not save himself.” ~ D.A. Carson
II. The Completed Work of the Cross (23:44-49)
Galatians 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
The Meaning of Christmas
Luke 1:76-79
Christmas is the good news that God has come into our broken and dark world in Jesus Christ.
Christmas Eve Service
Luke 1:76-79
“The great majority of people will go on observing forms that cannot be explained; they will keep Christmas Day with Christmas gifts and Christmas benedictions; they will continue to do it; and someday suddenly wake up and discover why.” ~ G.K. Chesterton
Christmas is the good news that God has come into our broken and dark world in Jesus Christ.
I. Christmas is about God’s Coming (1:76)
John the Baptist (“the prophet of the Most High”) plays a significant role in the redemptive history of God’s people. He breaks 400 years of silence from God and is the forerunner to the ancient promise of a Savior.
Christmas is not simply about a birth. Christmas is about a coming; it is the message that God himself has come in Jesus. He does not lose his divinity, but adds on humanity. Jesus is uniquely fully God and fully man in the incarnation. This is the glorious and unique mystery where Christmas finds its meaning.
II. Christmas is about Salvation (1:77-78a)
God’s coming is good news because he has come to offer salvation to his people. This salvation is marked by 2 things in this passage:
1. The Forgiveness of Sins: Jesus warns: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Lk. 5:31-32) All of us are infected with the sickness of sin & need the healing of forgiveness.
2. The Tender Mercy of God: This ‘tender mercy’ is the deep compassion of God toward us, evidenced most clearly at the crucifixion of Jesus.
“The crucial significance of the cradle at Bethlehem lies in its place in the sequence of steps that led the Son of God to the cross of Calvary… the Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity – hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory – because at the Father’s will Jesus Christ became poor and was born in a stable so that thirty years later he might hang on a cross. It is the most wonderful message that the world has ever heard, or will hear.” ~ J.I. Packer
III. Christmas is about Light (1:78b-79a)
Light represents a few things in the Bible:
Light illuminates & reveals while darkness covers & conceals
Light brings life while darkness is associated with death
Christmas is the good news that the “sunrise” from on high has visited those of us who dwell in darkness and in “the shadow of death.” Christmas proclaims: “the light shines in the darkness & the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). This is not merely wishful thinking, as the resurrection of Jesus from the dead powerfully proclaims that the darkness will not win. Light and life will conquer darkness and death.
IV. Christmas is about Peace (1:79b)
All of us have a longing and an aching for “peace” this time of year, but we are continually confronted with the fact that things are not the way they are supposed to be. This is an ancient longing that is as old as the Fall of man.
Christmas is the good news that Jesus has come to bring this peace we all desire. He does this in two directions: he reconciles our relationship and hostility with God himself, and then reconciles us to one another. Christmas was the beginning of this work, and we await the day when he will return and make all things new and set all things right.
“Son of Adam, Son of heaven, Given as a ransom;
Reconciling God and man, Christ, our mighty champion!
What a Savior! What a Friend! What a glorious mystery!
Once a babe in Bethlehem, Now the Lord of history.”
~ (from the hymn Joy Has Dawned)
“There has never been a gift offered that makes you swallow your pride to the depths that the gift of Jesus Christ requires us to do. Christmas means that we are so lost, so unable to save ourselves, that nothing less than the death of the Son of God himself could save us. That means you are not somebody who can pull yourself together and live a moral and good life. To accept the true Christmas gift, you have to admit you’re a sinner. You need to be saved by grace. You need to give up control of your life. That is descending lower than any of us really wants to go. Yet Jesus Christ’s greatness is seen in how far down he came to love us. Your spiritual regeneration will be achieved by going down the same path.” ~ Tim Keller
Two Lost Sons (Part II)
Luke 15:25-32
Self-righteousness is a dangerous, blinding, and suffocating sin that must be remedied through an encounter with the grace of God.
Luke 15:25-32
“You can leave without a bus ticket, of course. You can depart in your heart and take an existential journey to anywhere but the ‘here’ that’s stifling you. You can be sleeping in the same bed and be a million miles away from your partner. You can still be living in your childhood bedroom and have departed for a distant country. You can play the role of the ‘good son’ with a heart that roams in a twilight beyond good and evil. You can even show up to church every week with a voracious appetite for idols. Not all prodigals need a passport.” ~ James K.A. Smith
Main Idea: Self-righteousness is a dangerous, blinding, and suffocating sin that must be remedied through an encounter with the grace of God.
I. The Evidences of Self-Righteousness (15:25-30)
The older brother’s attitude & actions reveal 4 evidences of self-righteousness:
Instead of joy, there is skepticism (15:26). The son does not trust his father’s judgment and refuses to enter into the party until further investigation.
Instead of celebration, there is anger (15:28a). His younger brother has graciously been welcomed home “safe and sound” (‘clean’), and he is enraged by this perceived injustice.
Instead of assurance, there is insecurity (15:29). Rather than being confident in his father’s love, he feels slighted and is jealous.
Instead of love, there is distance (15:30). Self-righteousness inevitably leads to tribalism, as we stand over others in judgment and superiority.
Jesus is trying to show that even though the older brother never leaves home, he is lost too. Where are we seeing these evidences in our own life? Might we be lost, even though we’ve never left “home?”
II. The Danger of Self-Righteousness (15:28-29)
While both the younger and the older son are lost, only one of them realizes it. This is the great danger of self-righteousness: it blinds us from our true spiritual state and leaves us more lost than those who know their more obvious need for grace.
“It may be that Jesus is trying to say that while both forms of the self-salvation project are equally wrong, each one is not equally dangerous. One of the ironies of the parable is now revealed. The younger son’s flight from the father was crashingly obvious. He left the father literally, physically, and morally. Though the older son stayed at home, he was actually more distant and alienated from the father than his brother, because he was blind to his true condition… If anything, the idolatry and slavery of religion is more dangerous than the idolatry and slavery of irreligion, because it is less obvious. The irreligious person knows he is far away from God, but the religious person does not.” ~ Tim Keller
The younger brother knows his lostness, but the older brother can’t recognize this in his own life. He is blind to his own sin and need for mercy while simultaneously being praised by others for his morality. His “goodness” causes him to have a warped view of his Father, and his words betray him: “all these years I have served (lit. “slaved”) you…
“The obedient and dutiful life of which I am proud or for which I am praised feels, sometimes, like a burden that was laid on my shoulders and continues to oppress me, even when I have accepted it to such a degree that I cannot throw it off. I have no difficulty identifying with the elder son of the parable who complained: ‘All these years I have slaved for you and never once disobeyed any orders of yours, yet you never offered me so much as a young goat for me to celebrate with my friends.’ In this complaint, obedience and duty have become a burden, and service has become slavery… With all of that, there came a seriousness, a moralistic intensity - and even a touch of fanaticism- that made it increasingly difficult to feel at home in my Father’s house. I became less free, less spontaneous, less playful, and others came to see me more and more as a somewhat ‘heavy’ person.” ~ Henri Nouwen
These feelings cause the older son to weaponize his obedience and his goodness against his Father. He thinks that the father owes him for his service. Similar to the younger brother, he ultimately just wanted the Father’s stuff, but not the Father himself.
The most haunting part of the whole passage is that the younger son never enters the party. The ending is a cliffhanger. This is intentional from Jesus, as he tells this story to a group of older-brother types (Pharisees & Scribes - 15:1-3), inviting them to consider their own response to the celebration.
III. The Remedy for Self-Righteousness (15:28a, 31-32)
The remedy for both younger brother & older bother lostness is the same: it is an encounter with the love of the Father (cf. Rom. 2:4). Just as the Father bore the shame of running to meet his younger son, he embarrassingly left his own celebration to compassionately deal with his pouting sin.
He goes outside to “entreat” (lit. come alongside) the older brother (15:28b)
He reminds him of his status of son; he is not a servant or a slave but his very own heir (15:31a)
He reminds his son of his presence (“you are always with me”) and “all that is mine is yours”
He invites his son to see that it was “fitting” and necessary to celebrate his brother’s return; he was dead, but now alive; lost, but now found. How could we do anything else but celebrate?
There is a glaring difference between this parable and the two preceding. In the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin, a diligent search is conducted to find that which was lost. In the case of the lost son, no one goes on a search. It’s a glaring and obvious omission from Jesus.
The older son refuses to go on a search for his younger brother and refuses to celebrate his homecoming because it was going to come at a great cost to himself. If his son is truly welcomed back into the family, his inheritance would be divided once more, and it would be costly relationally.
The good news of the gospel is that we have not been given a Pharisee for a brother, but instead we have a true and better older brother in Jesus! He was willing to cross from heaven to earth on a rescue mission to “seek and save the lost” (Lk. 19:10). He has “not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance”
Two Lost Sons (Part I)
Luke 15:11-24
God joyfully runs with mercy to welcome his prodigal children home.
Luke 15:11-24
Main Idea: God joyfully runs with mercy to welcome his prodigal children home.
I. The Misery of Sin (15:11-16)
The younger son asking for his share of the inheritance is highly offensive; he is essentially asking for his father to liquidate his property (Gk. ousia & bios; “being” & “life”) and wishing he were dead. It is not only the younger son who breaks cultural customs; the Father in the story does the unthinkable by granting this wish to his son, at great cost to himself.
The younger son’s actions show us the essence of sin in story form. Sin is selfishly taking the good gifts of our Father for our own purposes while rejecting the Giver.
Romans 1:24–25: Therefore, God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!
Just like the younger son, when we are confronted with disappointments, difficult circumstances, or the feeling of the “mundane” in our ordinary lives, we can begin to think there is something better for us “out there.”
The younger son’s actions teach us at least 3 things about sin.
Sin is addicting: the son “squandered” his money in reckless ways until “he had spent everything”
Sin is enslaving: after being “mastered” by his sin, he offers himself to be hired by the Gentiles in the faraway country (cf. Jn. 8:34)
Sin is unfulfilling: the son is “longing” to be fed - even by the food of an unclean animal - but he was left starving and empty-handed
“Insofar as I keep choosing to try to find that satisfaction in finite, created things—whether it’s sex or addiction or beauty or power—I’m going to be caught in a cycle where I’m more disappointed in those things and more and more dependent on those things. I keep choosing things with diminishing returns, and when that becomes habitual, and eventually necessary, then I forfeit my ability to choose. The thing has me now.” ~ James K. A. Smith
II. The Joy of Repentance (15:17-21)
Hitting rock bottom, the son “came to himself.” This is one of many examples of God’s sovereignty tracking him down, putting him on the path toward repentance. The son’s “repentance” is incomplete in this moment, as he offers to work his way back into his Father’s household, not thinking about his need for grace and mercy.
The beauty of the gospel is seen profoundly in v. 20:
The Father was looking for his son, seeing him “a long way off”
He is filled with compassion, and his heart goes out to his wayward & prodigal son
He runs to greet his son with mercy and kindness, something that would have been shameful for a father in this society
“The prodigal son was resolved to come, yet he was half afraid. But we read that his father ran. Slow are the steps of repentance but swift are the feet of forgiveness... Though the father was out of breath, he was not out of love.” ~ Charles Spurgeon
The son is completely taken aback by this surprising act of kindness by his father, and responds with repentance in 15:21. He doesn’t offer to work as a servant, instead simply acknowledging his sin and unworthiness in response to the love of his Father (cf. Rom. 2:4).
“The wayward son is not defined by his prodigality but by the welcome of a father who never stopped looking, who is ever scanning the distance, and who runs to gather him up in an embrace. God is not tapping his foot judgmentally inside the door as you sneak in, crawling over the threshold in shame. He’s the father running toward you, losing his sandals on the way, his robes spilling off his shoulders with a laughing smile whose joy says, “I can’t believe you came home!” This is what grace looks like.” ~ James K. A. Smith
III. The Celebration of Heaven (15:22-24)
The parable of the Prodigal Son is the third story that Jesus tells in Luke 15. There is an obvious theme that runs through each: there is to be rejoicing when something that was lost is now found. The stories escalate the nature of what is lost, beginning with a sheep, then a coin, and now, a son.
The son’s restoration doesn’t remain on the road, as the Father ensures that he will be welcomed home as a son, and nothing less. He throws a massive party and celebration to make his restoration complete.
The robe would be for a guest of honor, and likely was the Father’s
The ring was the signet ring with the family seal to conduct business
Shoes were to signify that he was a son, as being barefoot was a sign of shame or enslavement
“Not only does the father forgive without asking questions and joyfully welcome his lost son home, but he cannot wait to give him new life, life in abundance. So strongly does God desire to give life to his returning son that he seems almost impatient. Nothing is good enough. The very best must be given to him. While the son is prepared to be treated as a hired servant, the father calls for the robe reserved for a distinguished guest; and, although the son no longer feels worthy to be called son, the father gives him a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet to honor him as his beloved son and restore him as his heir.” ~ Henri Nouwen.
The “fattened calf” was reserved for special occasions, meant to feed a large number of people in celebration.
The Bible continually talks about heaven and what awaits us in the future in terms of a “feast” or a great celebration involving a meal. The very thing the Pharisees were grumbling about (“this man receives sinners and eats with them”) will be a foretaste of glory when we dine at the wedding feast of the Lamb.
If you are the prodigal… what if you came home?
If you are already home… are you celebrating?
Love in the Kingdom
Luke 10:25-37
The Good Samaritan is a subversive story meant to draw us into the ultimate act and person of love.
Luke 10:25-37
Main Idea: The Good Samaritan is a subversive story meant to draw us into the ultimate act and person of love.
“Though we call it the story of ‘The Good Samaritan,’ the story really isn’t about a Samaritan at all. The story is really about the lawyer. It’s about the one who stood up to ask the questions. And beyond that it’s about God, it’s about neighbor and it’s about the kinds of questions we ask to protect ourselves from God.” ~ Russell Moore
I. The Problem of Love (10:25-29)
A lawyer (expert in the OT & Jewish Law) attempts to “test” Jesus, likely skeptical of his reputation of being a “friend of sinners.” He is not asking a genuine question, but is deceptively trying to trap Jesus.
The lawyer correctly summarizes that all of the law is summarized by loving God (with all of your heart, soul, strength, and mind) and loving others as yourself. The problem is that none of us can fully and completely love God and love others in this way! The issue is not with the commandments, but with our inability to carry them out because of sin.
In feeling the weight of this reality, the lawyer seeks to “justify himself” by questioning the bare minimum: “Who is my neighbor?” This is the kind of question we ask to “protect ourselves from God” (Russell Moore) and to lessen the standard of God’s Word on our lives. The parable of the Good Samaritan is meant to blow this up altogether.
II. The Price of Love (10:30-35)
The rocky road from Jerusalem to Jericho was a 17-mile downhill stretch through the desert. It was known for robbers and bandits, making it dangerous to travel alone. In Jesus’ fictional story, the traveler was stripped, beaten and left “half-dead,” making the usual cultural markers for his identity inaccessible.
3 different people come near the dying man in the parable:
Priest: responsible for issues related to worship & the sacrifices in the temple in Jerusalem; had to be extremely concerned with “ritual cleanness” and would have become unclean by coming near the “half-dead” man.
Levite: assisted the priests with various tasks at the temple; after coming closer to the man, he decides to pass by, potentially fearing this may be a trap set by the robbers
Samaritan: the Jews and the Samaritans hated each other, going back ~700 years. There was an extreme racial & religious divide between the two groups that often incited violence. The Jews viewed them as “half-breed heretics.” The audience would have been outraged by the mention of a Samaritan, but Jesus goes further and makes him the hero of the story.
The Samaritan’s actions show he is willing to pay an immense cost to truly love this man:
He has “compassion” on the man (to be moved deeply internally - cf. Matt. 18:27)
He binds up his wounds (presumably with his own clothing) and pours oil and wine to heal him (terms used in temple worship)
He set him on his own animal and stays the night with him at an inn
He pays for nearly a month’s stay & offers to cover more if necessary
The Samaritan displays a radical generosity that is at the heart of true neighbor love; he is willing to risk his own life, pay an immense price, and be inconvenienced - all for the sake of a stranger & an enemy. The Samaritan teaches us that all true love is costly; it is never easy or convenient.
“Love is willing self-sacrifice for the good of another that does not require reciprocation or that the person being loved is deserving.” ~ Paul Tripp
If the interaction ended there, we would all have the exact same problem as when the parable began: how can we actually love in this way?
III. The Power of Love (10:36-37)
Jesus has masterfully flipped the man’s question around; rather than answering the question “who is my neighbor?” Jesus ends by asking the man “who proved to be a neighbor?” The right question to ask is not “who is my neighbor?” but instead “am I a neighbor?”
As a master story-teller, Jesus knows the religious, Jewish audience would never identify with the Samaritan man (see 10:37); instead, the way he tells the story invites them (and us) to identify with the man on the side of the road.
“Jesus puts the Israelite into the road, and he puts the hated Samaritan on the steed, in the saddle. Here’s the question he’s asking the man. “What if you were in the road? What if your life was ebbing out? What if you were bleeding to death? What if your only hope was an act of free grace to you from an enemy who doesn’t owe you any mercy, in fact, owes you the opposite? What if that was the situation? Would you want grace?” ~ Tim Keller
The Samaritan in the parable is a dramatic demonstration of the love of God to us in Christ Jesus. The gospel is the story of Jesus crossing not merely the road or ethnic boundaries, but crossing from heaven and earth to seek and save those who were enemies of God and lost.
What does this practically mean for us?
How are we trying to “justify ourselves,” just like this lawyer?
Who can we be a neighbor to?
1 John 3:18: “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”
“The Christian church has often said that we need to see Jesus as the Samaritan, and indeed he is. But even more than that, Jesus is the beaten man. He will go to Jerusalem. He will go outside the camp. He will fall among thieves and be stripped and beaten, and the priests and the Levites and the businessmen and even the Samaritans will walk along the road. Many of them will point to their children as they see this man drowning in his own blood and will say simply, “You don’t want to end up like that. Let’s go over this way.” The crucified one shows up mysteriously, he tells us, “In the least of these, my brothers,” and the question is, when you encounter them, do you see his face?” ~ Russell Moore