Gospel Centeredness: Part Two
Preached by Jason Abbott
September 22, 2013
What does a life marked by the gospel of grace look like? How does the gospel enable us to change? What does it mean to be gospel-centered?
Luke 15:11-32
11 And he said, “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 to one 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.’”
1. What happens in this story?
Here is my “notes for dummies” version of this parable.
a. The father is gracious toward his younger son.
In order for us to see the depth of the father’s grace as he interacts with his younger son, we must first better understand the implications of the son’s request. For, when Jesus originally told this story, everyone in the audience would have perfectly understood the implications of such a request, and they would have been shocked and appalled by it!
When this younger son says: “Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me” (v. 12), he is doing one of the most disrespectful things a child could do in first century Palestine. Inheritances were usually received only at the death of the father. Thus, in a sense, what the younger son is asking of his father is for all that the father’s life will bring to him.1 He is, in essence, saying: “I want to begin to live as if you were dead! My inheritance is much more important to me than you are!”
What would those listening to Jesus’ little story have expected from the father at this point?
Well, they would likely have expected this to be a tipping point in the narrative. They would probably have wanted a quick rebuke from the father—quick justice from the one who has been insulted. But, Jesus plays off of this expectation. Instead, he reports rather casually to his audience: “And, he [the father] divided his property between them [his two sons]” (v. 12).
Why didn’t the father rebuke, even disown, this sinner son?
The only answer is that the father is being patiently gracious with this shamefully acting younger son.
Yet, Jesus isn’t finished with this younger son yet. He now relays to the audience the embarrassing way this boy chooses to use the inheritance. First, he leaves home and squanders the “property in reckless living” (v. 13). Then, a famine comes quickly upon the land, and this sinner son finds himself in real need (v. 14). So he takes a job feeding pigs (v. 15); a job only an extremely desperate Jew would ever take. In fact, his situation is so dire that the pig slop, Jesus explains, looks pretty darn good to him (v. 16).
What does the boy do next?
Well, he decides to humble himself and go home, but he doesn’t presume to go as an heir anymore. Instead, he decides to go to his father and say:
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 (vv. 18-19).
No doubt this plan would have thrilled the listening crowd. Now the son will get what he deserved from the start! Now the father will be able to rebuke him for his disrespect and give him the “I told you so!” treatment. Now the crowd is thinking: “Justice will be done!”
Yet, again, Jesus dashes their hopes!
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. 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.’ 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. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate (vv. 20-24).
At this turn in the narrative, the crowd listening must have been completely incredulous! What is the father doing here!? Does he have no sense of justice!? How can he embrace such a sinner son!?
Yet, Jesus does not answer these questions. Instead, he turns his attention now to the father’s relationship with his older son. And we find that:
b. The father is gracious toward his older son also.
How does the father do this? For, it doesn’t seem to most of us that the father is being gracious with the older son. Nonetheless, he is! And, even Jesus’ original audience (though sympathetic toward this older son) would have recognized how he sins against his father here. One commentator sums up the older son’s sins against the father in this way:
He is dishonoring his father by refusing to come into the party…. [Furthermore] he shames his family in front of everyone by accusing his brother of spending his father’s property on prostitutes…. The elder brother claims to have not been loved but treated as a servant…. [And finally,] it is important to notice that not only are his words self-righteous and accusatory, they are appallingly wrong…. [For, his father] was the most kind-hearted, loving, and generous father imaginable.2
At this point in the narrative, Jesus’ original audience would have cringed! For them, it would have been one of those shrink down in your seat, because of embarrassment, kind of moments—a just stop talking kind of a moment. They would have been thinking: “You’ve been behaving so well. Just stop! I know you feel like this isn’t right but don’t sin in your anger! Just go in to the party and bite your tongue! Just be respectful of your father.”
However, the older brother does sin against his father in his anger. So, the audience would (once again) have considered a harsh rebuke in order. And (once again) they would have been surprised by the father’s response.
For, the father doesn’t rebuke this older boy at all! Rather, he pleads with him to come into the party and to celebrate his brother’s return. In the face of his older son’s disrespect and sinful anger, the father treats him graciously.
Yet, what kind of grace is this? Is this cheap grace? Is this forgiveness without cost? Is this a free pass without penalty for wrongs committed?
Indeed, it is not! For:
c. The father must pay in each instance in order to be gracious.
“Wait!” we might say, “How is the father paying? What cost does he incur for his two sons’ sinful and disrespectful behavior?” Well, he incurs all the costs.
The offer of grace costs him financially. Those two boys’ inheritances were presumably out of his hands (his use) and into the hands of his two sons. There is nothing left of his younger son’s inheritance! The father has already paid that cost! Nonetheless, he spends even more on this returned son—the best robe, a ring for his finger, shoes for his feet, and a fattened calf for a celebration! Grace costs this father financially!
The offer of grace costs him socially. Through his compassionate offers of forgiveness—by not being a harsh disciplinarian—the father again and again is made a fool in the eyes of his own community and Jesus’ audience.
For example, as the father sees his returning son in the distance, what does he do? He runs to meet him! This would have been a completely humiliating thing for a man of his age and status to do! He would have needed to have taken his robes up and stuffed them into his belt in order to run. (Not graceful running but old man running!) His legs would have been exposed. (Not tanned toned legs but old man legs!) All this—in first century Palestinian culture—would have been incredibly humiliating! With each awkward step, we feel his social status falling! Grace costs this father socially!
The offer of grace (perhaps) costs him relationally too. When the father extends forgiveness to the younger son, the older son is very offended. (Note that the older son will not even refer to the younger son as his brother!) We are not told how the older boy finally responds to his father’s plea to come into the party and celebrate with them, but it is quite possible that he refuses. Consequently, this father’s graciousness with his youngest son has (perhaps) cost him his oldest son! Grace costs this father relationally!
In the end, the father pays a high price when he extends grace to his two sons. Such forgiveness always costs something. Someone always pays the price. Either these sons must pay for their sins, or the father must pay for them!
2. How does this gospel story transform us?
Well, by itself, it doesn’t. By itself, it cannot…unless, we factor in the one who told this story and where he was headed when he told this story.
Someone has to pay for our sins. If there is to be justice then sins must be paid for. Yet, what if the one whom we have sinned against also desires to forgive us? Well, if this is the case then the only answer is that he must absorb the cost of our sins for us—much like the father in Jesus’ story absorbs the cost of the younger son’s sins. Only then can justice and mercy co-exist!
Jesus (the one telling this little story) understood this. He knew exactly what the cost of the Father’s graciousness toward his rebellious children would be. And, he told this story (and lived his entire life) with his eyes firmly set on paying that price at the cross.
Jesus clearly and profoundly understood the cost of grace! He knew that his Father must be just; and, he simultaneously knew that his Father desired mercy. For this reason, he came—incarnate God—to see that the two (both justice and mercy) were accomplished! God, in the person of Jesus, paid the price in full for all those (like the younger son) who would turn to him for mercy!
If you have turned to God—believing that he has paid the price for your sins in the person of Jesus Christ—then you have been transformed and are being transformed. How does that look? How does that look at Community Evengelical Free Church?
We will be humbled as we recognize how much our sin has cost God.
But, we will simultaneously be awestruck and exalted by how much God loves us when we count those costs!
This humiliation and exaltation should then constantly grow as we continue to grasp the gospel message evermore deeply through study and meditation on God’s word—whom he is and what he has done for us!
And, we should also be evermore deeply committed to reaching a lost world with this good news that has so transformed our lives!
What does gospel transformation look like? It looks like Jesus! And, in us, it will look like Jesus! We will progressively become a people who bear our own crosses so that a lost world might hear and believe the good news and be saved!
1Darrell Bock explains: “The son requests the portion of what his father’s life will leave him.” Darrell Bock, Luke 9:51-24:53, 1309.
2Jerram Barrs, Learning Evangelism from Jesus, 120-121.
