Below is part 3 of an outreach and discipleship booklet I put together for my church based on an April 2013 sermon series by the same name. You can find Part 1: Give Up Your Life for Jesus, here; and Part 2: Value Jesus Above All Else, here.
To Follow Jesus, Know Who You Are and
Delight in the Father’s Love[1]
In Luke 15, Jesus was surrounded by two groups of people. One was a group who disregarded God’s commands, lived how they wanted to live, and sought pleasure in whatever sins they could commit. This group included those who became rich by robbing their very neighbors (the Roman tax collectors). They came to Jesus because his message and methods were different than what they had seen from other religious people.
The second group was just that—very religious people, leaders in fact, called scribes and Pharisees. They thought everything they did was right and that by following all sorts of rules they were pleasing God. They also thought they were better than everyone else around them, and they despised anyone who didn’t measure up. In fact they despised the “sinners and tax collectors” coming to Jesus, and they despised Jesus for accepting them.
So, Jesus, with all these people gathered around told a story that goes like this:
11 “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out toone of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”‘ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants,‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29 but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'” ~ Luke 15:11-32 (ESV)
When Jesus told this story, he sought to speak to the hearts and lives of everyone who listened. The younger brother in the story represented the sinners and tax collectors—those who had abandoned God, lived for themselves, and sought all sorts of pleasures from the world. But, they had come to the end of themselves when they realized all they had lost and the mess they had made their lives. And so they were looking for something better, something different.
In the story, the younger brother has a plan. He will go back to the father and beg forgiveness, and offer to work and pay back as a hired servant all he owed the father. The father, however, would have none of it and out of love and grace received the young man back to himself as his son, and even threw him a large, loud, and joyous party.
The older brother represented the scribes and Pharisees. They had stayed at home (been religious), worked hard, and followed all the rules. Yet when they saw the sinners and tax collectors being accepted by Jesus, they became angry.
In the story, the father goes out to meet the older brother and reminds him that he has always had his share of the father’s possessions. And he invites him to come and join the celebration, to delight in his love.
The younger brother wanted the father out of the picture so he could live life as he pleased. The older brother wanted to act like he loved the father, but really all he wanted was to be rewarded for his work. Both wanted the father’s wealth and possessions, but neither (at least at the start) wanted a relationship with the father.
In the story, the father represents God. The Bible says that every good and perfect gift comes from the Father above (James 1:17). God wants to give us good things and an abundant life, but he wants to do it in a father-to-child relationship with us. He gave Adam and Eve the goodness of the garden, and asked simply for their trust and obedience. They rejected God and we reject God.
Each of us fits into the story of the two sons as either the younger brother or older brother. If we are younger brothers, we have gone and lived as we pleased, treated others as we have wanted, and not had a concern for what God says. If we are older brothers, then we act very religious, follow a bunch of rules (at least the ones we want to follow), do a bunch of good works trying to earn God’s favor, and think that our goodness and good deeds should please God, and we despise those who aren’t as religious as us.
Some of us might be younger brothers who are not quite in the pigpen, and we might not realize our need for God. Some of us might be older brothers who use to live as a younger brother but became religious to try to clean up our lives. And some of us might be younger brothers who use to be older brothers but became tired of all the rules and regulations.
{ Who are you? }
There is another brother in this story—the one who is telling the story, Jesus. He is God running out to us. In fact, he is like an older brother who was always with the Father in both obedience and relationship. And he is the brother who came, sent by the Father, to pursue us while we were either in the filth or in the fake goodness of our own religion.
As this brother, he is God’s gift to us. When we think we need to pay God back, Jesus says, “I already did the good works for you. My life is your life, and my obedience is your obedience. Come delight in the love of the Father, and rejoice with me.” And when we think we have done good but lack a relationship with God, Jesus says, “I am your way to the Father, I am your relationship restored. My life is your life, and my obedience is your obedience. Come delight in the love of the Father, and rejoice with me.”
In both cases Jesus is calling us to abandon ourselves, whether it is in the filth of sin or the bitterness of self-righteousness. He calls us to abandon ourselves and find true joy in a relationship with the Father and our other brothers and sisters in him through the Bible, prayer, worship, and the community of church.
Again, I ask: Who are you?
If you are a follower of Jesus who has left a life (good or bad) of living for yourself and have come back to the Father—then rejoice and celebrate! Share this joy with others (which we will talk about in the next section; keep reading…)
If you are not a follower of Jesus, then you have a choice: you can continue to live in the filth of sin or the filth of your “good religion,” or you can turn to Jesus and listen to the invitation of the Father. If you are ready to become a follower of Jesus, then…
…Abandon. Admit you are in your sins and that you do not have a relationship with God through Jesus. Admit you cannot save yourself, and abandon all attempts. Abandon your life of sin and false religion (an act the Bible calls “repentance”), and…
…Believe. Believe the good news of Jesus and salvation, which the Bible teaches. Believe that Jesus is the Christ—he is the (he is your) Savior-King. Trust in him and the life he lived on your behalf. Trust that he is the way and the hope for life now and life in eternity to come, and…
…Commit. Commit your life to following Jesus and all that entails. Commit to get to know God through his word—the Bible, and learn what he has in store for your life and future, both now and after death. Commit to belong to a church in your area, a church that makes much of God through Jesus and teaches the Bible. Commit to be baptized there as a sign of trust (faith) that you belong to Jesus, you have died to yourself, and you live for him (see: Romans 6 for such a description of baptism. If you have any questions about baptism, you can talk to the pastors or leaders of that church).
Next Up: Part 4 ~ Help Others Follow Jesus
[1] For many of the elements in interpreting this story, I am indebted to Timothy Keller’s book The Prodigal God (New York: Riverhead, 2008).