Large crowds were travelling with Jesus as he journeyed from town to town. Coming into a town they may have stopped for a rest and refreshment. While they relaxed from the heat of the day probably some would have asked questions and the rest of the crowd around him eagerly waiting to hear his answer.
Jesus often spoke in parables stories that he made up with an element of truth that he wanted to convey to his listeners. Luke records in Chapter 15 some of these stories, they consisted of characters and activities that were part of their every day life; like the shepherd who searched for the lost sheep and rejoiced when he found it and the woman who lost the coin and searched her house till she found it. After finding it she called her friends and shared with them her good news. The story of the prodigal son follows on, in this story the son after requesting from his father his inheritance, left home and made his way in life. Only to find that he soon lost all his money and his friends. Alone and weighed down by failure and guilt he returned back to his family were he received a tremendous welcome by his father.
In 2007 at our Diocesan Healing Day, Bishop Jack Nichols spoke on the ‘Prodigal Son’ during the course of his talk he said, “Forgiveness comes before confession, otherwise it’s earning forgiveness.” he went on to say ‘ the son rehearsed what he was going to say to his father when he returned home, verse 18 “I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants.” But before he had opportunity to say these words, on the road in the distance he saw his father running towards him with his arms outstretched ready to embrace him. When they met all was forgiven this was before he said he was sorry to his father.
Jesus was teaching the kingdom message receiving forgiveness without making a self sacrifice like the prodigal son who was offering to be treated as one of his father’s hired servants in order to make amends, to earn his forgiveness. Not only was it not necessary to make amends, he was not discredited either.
It still applies today it is not necessary to make amends, to justify oneself before receiving forgiveness from the Lord Jesus.
One of the many ways to receive the love of God into our hearts, is for the words received into our understanding our mind, which is head knowledge to drop into our heart, into our soul, that transition is the work of the Holy Spirit making Jesus known to us in a real way. The heart is strangely warmed with the love of God.
Justification - we are declared not guilty before God through faith in Jesus paying the penalty of our sin with his life's blood, to satisfy the demands of the law.
Romans 5: 8,9.
We cannot earn our forgiveness from God, we can only receive it as a precious gift of love.
Grace - undeserved giving from God out of love for us.
Jesus loves you.
I’m accepted, I’m forgiven
I am fathered by the true and living God,
I’m accepted, no condemnation,
I am loved by the true and living God.
There’s no guilt or fear as I draw near
to the Saviour and Creator of the world.
There is joy and peace as I release
my worship to You, O Lord.
Rob Hayward Thank you Music
“And to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3: 19
The Laws of Moses fulfilled in Love. Romans 13: 10
“Bear one another’s burdens so fulfil the law of Christ.”
Galatians 6: 2.
The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts through faith. The law of love in Christ
As we’re motivated by the Holy Spirit to bear the fruit of love we respond in obedience to his teaching and our salvation is worked out in the love of Christ.
Listed below are some of the references in scripture to our living out of our faith in love.
Love the Lord your God Mark 12: 30
Love Jesus John 21: 15
If you love me keep my commandments John 14: 15 Romans 13: 8-10
Love one another John 15:17
Walk in love Ephesians 5: 2
Speak the truth in love Ephesians 4: 15
Love justice Isaiah 61: 8
Love your enemies Luke 6: 27
Love righteousness Psalm 45: 7
Love not their lives Revelation 12: 11
Greater love has no man than this John 15: 13. 1John 3: 16
Pray love may abound Philippians 1: 9
Do it out of love Philippians 1: 16
Above all put on love Colossians 3: 14
Let love be genuine Romans 12: 9
Love builds up 1 Corinthians 8: 1
Love needed 1 Corinthians 13
Love covers all offences 1 Peter 4: 8. Proverbs 10: 12
Nothing can separate us from the love of God Romans 8: 39
Loved with an everlasting love Jeremiah 31: 3
The Parable of the Unjust Steward
Jesus’ followed the story about the prodigal son with the parable about the unjust steward. The content of this story is different, as it was directed at the Pharisees, who were listening to Jesus as he conversed with his disciples.
Luke 16: 1-14 “Jesus also said to his disciples, “There was a rich man who had a steward, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. And he called him to him and he said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn in your account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’ And the steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that the people may receive me into their houses when I am put out of the stewardship.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ’How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?” He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ The master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness; for the sons of this world are shrewder in dealing with their own generation than the sons of the light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of the unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they may receive you into eternal habitations.
“He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust you in the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. The Pharisees who were lovers of money, heard this, and they scoffed at him.”
Mammon meaning – riches, the god of riches.
After he ended the story there was a response from the Pharisees they scoffed at him as they discerned that they were the steward in the story.
Jesus has brought charges against the Pharisees
The Pharisees had wasted his goods by meddling with the laws of Moses in their interpretation and application of them.
The Pharisees encouraged the giving of a money gift to the temple to honour a person’s parents. Jesus saw this as not honouring to the parents were they needed practical help from their children.
Pharisees lovers of money
Jesus had observed the Pharisees giving their offering in the temple treasury.
Matthew 6: 1-4. 23:13. “When you give alms sound no trumpet before you, like the hypocrites." (meaning the Pharisees.)
These alms boxes were shaped like a trumpet and there were 13 of them in the treasury.
This is were the saying; ‘blowing your own trumpet’ comes from.
The Prophet Amos
Many years earlier the prophet Amos he spoke out against the leaders of the nation of Israel, they too were lovers of money.
Amos 8: 4-7 “Hear this, you who trample on the needy, and bring the poor of the land to an end, saying, “When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great, and deal deceitfully with false balances, that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and sell the refuse of the wheat?”
Israel had fallen away from the laws of Moses, the Sabbath had become like any other day. They had trade agreements with neighbouring countries. Ezekiel 27: 17. Acts 12:20.
The prophet Amos spoke out against their dishonest scales, the Sanhedrin had allowed poor quality grain to be sold at a high price.
The Messiah’s Secret page 43 True riches.
“Jesus was revealing the true essence of the Laws of Moses: sharing and caring for one another; dignity; honour; preservation of life; valuing the individual in mind, body, soul and spirit; and above all to understand the love that God has for his people. Jesus was peeling away the generations of ‘man made’ additions to God’s laws as given to Moses, there were so many added rules that they had become burdensome.”
In the parable the rich man’s response to the charges and evidence, the steward’s employment was terminated.
God’s Justice
Psalm 15
Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy hill?
2/ He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart
3/ And has no slander on his tongue
who does his neighbour no wrong and casts no slur on his fellow-man.
4/ Who despises a vile man but honours those who fear the Lord,
who keeps his oath even when it hurts.
5/ Who lends his money without usury and does not except a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things will never be shaken.
The law was given to give guidance and point out what God regards as sin.
Cheating will often lead to quarrelling and fighting, so the law showed that honesty payed the dividends of respect and peace.
Scales of Justice. Leviticus 19: 35 “Use honest scales and honest weights.”
• Fairness when weighing foodstuffs.
• Fairness also in dealing with legal disputes: weighing the claims and evidence of both sides and dispensing justice without favouritism.
• Not having a preconceived view of a person.
The Pharisees prejudged Jesus and jumped to conclusions about him. They had seen him consorting with tax collectors, prostitutes and lots of people who were regarded by them as outcasts and sinners. Luke 15: 1,2.
They didn’t believe John the Baptist or Jesus’ message of repentance and forgiveness in preparation for the coming in of God’s kingdom.
“(When they heard this all the people and the tax collectors, justified God, having been baptised with the baptism of John; but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptised by him)” Luke 7: 29,30.
The steward in the parable showed no remorse like the Pharisees who showed no remorse they refused to acknowledge the miracles and healing works and words of Jesus and they made it known that his followers would not be allowed in the synagogue. John 9: 22
The steward in the parable cunningly devised a plan to reduce his master’s creditor’s bills so that they became part of his wastefulness and therefore hoped he would not be discredited by them.
Jesus’ parable for today.
The steward actions in this parable can be seen reflected by the bankers in our recent banking crisis it arose out of bad judgements on lending and taking risks on the financial markets by a handful of people. No one has been discredited and somehow we’re all part of it.
No checks and balances put in place and no one spoke out as far as I am aware.
Checks and Balances - A measurement of Love in Christ
Nearly thirty years ago whilst I was at a house group meeting, I had an experience of knowing the measurement of God’s love in a person’s life. I was sat opposite our Vicar (now deceased) in the house group, as I looked across at him, making eye contact I saw deep within him a measurement of God’s love, it was 50/50 50% love for Jesus and 50% love for the lost in the world.
I didn’t fully understand at the time what it was about, it’s only over the last few weeks that I have had some understanding about it.
I wondered where I would find Jesus’ teaching on ‘checks and balances' in the gospels?
Luke 6: 35-38 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put in your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
Checks and Balances on our lives.
Jesus puts a check in place, making it clear that we are not to judge or condemn people and as we put this into practice, the love of God flows out of our hearts. The measure of God’s love is given to balance out what we have given out. The promise from the Lord is that he will give us more of his love running over in our lives and that’s by grace.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. . . . If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. If you abide in my Commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” John 15: 1-10
Jesus puts a check in place, making it clear that it is necessary that we live by his word (commandments) and as we put it into practice we bear the fruit of love. This is balanced by the Father pruning us to allow the sap of God’s love to rise and overflow to produce an abundance of grapes that are pleasant to the taste.
The fruit of love.
The Mother’s Union today seeks to help families: one way we help is by providing blankets for cots in hospital prem units, the blankets are hand knitted by MU members. These blankets are often taken home by the parents as a keep sake in association of their babies well being.
We also provide ventilator bonnets, angel pockets and various other garments for babies in hospitals. www.themothersunion.org
“A work of faith, a labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 1: 3
A Check on Worldly Love
The Television media brings into our homes worldly love. The choice of programs for a Christian is very limited. Making that choice by yielding to the Word and Spirit of Jesus; like a tree that bends in the wind we are called to yield ourselves to the Lord’s teachings.
But also we must be aware of the strategies of the devil that attacks the love of God. We are to be like the tree that puts down its’ roots deeper on the side were the Storm's strong winds would fell the tree.
“Do not love the world or the things in the world . . . the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. 1 John 2: 15.
“Love of money will not be satisfied with money.” Ecclesiastes 5: 10
“Love of praise of men more than the praise of God.” John 12: 42
“Those who I love I reprove.” Revelations 3: 19
“Put on the whole armour of God.” Ephesians 6: 10-18
Our anxieties can leave us vulnerable to the devil’s ploys. Peter wrote “Cast all your anxieties on Jesus for he cares about you. Be watchful the adversary the devil is like a roaring lion seeking some one to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you.”1 Peter 5: 7-10.
As we humble ourselves before the Lord, knowing that God our Father blesses us now in this life with an abundance of life. This abundance is given for us to share with others, the more we give, the more we will receive.
God is Love (short prayer by Dorothy Newton)
Blessed are you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You made the world in your love.
You redeemed the world by your love,
You sustain the world with your love.
May we ever abide in your love,
And give ourselves to you in love.
Blessed are you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Amen.
