{"id":11950,"date":"2019-03-31T21:55:09","date_gmt":"2019-04-01T01:55:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/?p=11950"},"modified":"2019-04-01T22:02:04","modified_gmt":"2019-04-02T02:02:04","slug":"a-universalist-looks-at-the-new-testament-luke-15-the-lost-son","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/?p=11950","title":{"rendered":"A Universalist Looks at the New Testament – Luke 15 – The Lost Son"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Yesterday we looked at the first two parables in Luke 15 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the lost sheep and the lost coin<\/a>. Today we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to look at the beautiful parable of the lost son, otherwise known as the prodigal son. But as many have pointed out, the son is not the prodigal in this parable \u00e2\u20ac\u201c extravagantly generous. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the father.<\/p>\n

Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s look at the story:<\/p>\n

Jesus continued: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcFather, give me my share of the estate.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 So he divided his property between them.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153When he came to his senses, he said, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHow many of my father\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 So he got up and went to his father.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The son said to him, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcFather, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153But the father said to his servants, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcQuick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 So they began to celebrate.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcYour brother has come,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 he replied, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcand your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcLook! All these years I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u2122My son,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 the father said, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcyou are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Before I talk about this passage and universalism, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s think about this father. This<\/em> is how much God loves you!<\/p>\n

Notice that the father did not force someone to pay back what the son had squandered before he forgave him. He didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t require payment of any kind. He was watching the road for his son\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s return. It was the son who needed to be reconciled to his father, not the other way around.<\/p>\n

But this is also how much God loves other people!<\/p>\n

Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s think for a moment about the setting of this parable. Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s review when Jesus told it. Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s how the chapter starts:<\/p>\n

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I mentioned yesterday that the next two parables Jesus told are universalist parables. But looking at the context, the point Jesus was really making was this:<\/p>\n

Those sinners I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m eating with are going to be welcomed in heaven with great rejoicing!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Those tax collectors and sinners who were gathering around Jesus \u00e2\u20ac\u201c he was saying that his Father values them and would search for them until they were found.<\/p>\n

And then the parable of the Lost Son \u00e2\u20ac\u201c this is how much the Father loves those sinners and tax collectors \u00e2\u20ac\u201c He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eagerly watching for them and will run toward them when He sees them approaching.<\/p>\n

Obviously, Jesus was thinking of the Pharisees when he told about the older son who didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want the father to celebrate after all his brother had done.<\/p>\n

But where\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the universalism in that?<\/p>\n

Well, suppose I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m right about the first two parables. Suppose they are saying that ALL will be saved, that the Good Shepherd will keep searching for every single lost sheep until they are found.<\/p>\n

Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t argue with me for a second, just assume that universalism is true and examine how you would feel.<\/p>\n

If universalism is true \u00e2\u20ac\u201c will you feel aggrieved? Will you start asking God, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What did I follow you for if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to save these people in the end, anyway? Why have I been slaving for you and trying to please you \u00e2\u20ac\u201c when you get excited about these miserable sinners who only deserve hell? Why did I spend my life on earth trying to follow you?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Today is Transgender Visibility Day. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re convinced that being transgender is a sin (It is not \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the reasons why not are a post for another day.) \u00e2\u20ac\u201c will you be upset with God for welcoming them lavishly into heaven?<\/p>\n

Will you be upset if gays and lesbians and other queer people are in heaven? People who married someone of the same gender and people who were a different gender than the one on their birth announcement? Or how about cheating husbands? Murderers and *shudder* people of the opposite political party?<\/p>\n

If universalism is true \u00e2\u20ac\u201c if our Father\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s love is that big \u00e2\u20ac\u201c will you be angry with God?<\/p>\n

Back to the older brother — Notice that he has no joy in the service he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been doing for his father. He describes his work for his father as slaving for him.<\/p>\n

Notice also, though, the father\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s answer: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You are always with me and everything I have is yours.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The elder brother didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to nearly starve in the pigsty. I do believe there will be judgment, but that the Lord will win in the end. We can do it the easy way or the hard way. Those who choose to follow Jesus in this life have Him always with us and everything He has is ours.<\/p>\n

On the surface, the younger brother is the one doing things the hard way. And yet if the elder brother is finding no joy in being with the father, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got a drudgery of his own.<\/p>\n

And I suspect his pride is hurt by his little brother getting so much attention. But life with the Father isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t about comparison. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not about being better than the others in our human family. <\/p>\n

May we never begrudge anyone the lavish love of the Father \u00e2\u20ac\u201c He has more than enough for all of us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday we looked at the first two parables in Luke 15 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the lost sheep and the lost coin. Today we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to look at the beautiful parable of the lost son, otherwise known as the prodigal son. But as many have pointed out, the son is not the prodigal in this parable \u00e2\u20ac\u201c extravagantly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-universalist-looks-at-the-new-testament"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11950"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11950\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/sonderjourneys\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}