READING IN LUKE 15
READING IN LUKE 15
The great supper having been proclaimed, there comes up the question of moral suitability, what material will be used to fill the house. “This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them”. What the heart of God is is opened out from this. None of those that were bidden should partake, but those who had no standing in this world the Lord would take up. The great thought running all through is the value of man as such to God and the divine activities to reach man. The whole is the parable of the love of God. He lost man: now He recovers him. The work of Christ connected with the activity of the Holy Spirit leads up to the sphere of relationship in [p. 76] the love of the Father. Hence there is joy emphasised with each finder. God has regained His seat in man’s affections. Man is recovered, and so is opened up the light of reconciliation. The preciousness of man is emphasised by “if he lose one of them”. With sovereign choice in the universe, divine wisdom chose man as the subject of purpose. What is wrought is not at random. Redemption is based on ownership. It is “my sheep which was lost”.
The younger son is the figure of man as such; the elder son is a figure of the Jew in the place of privilege. “Israel is my son, my firstborn”. The thought of man from the outset has been to go out from the presence of the Lord and to form his sphere of enjoyment away from and independent of God. He has received the portion of goods that falleth to him and has gone to the utmost distance of departure. The world is so built up.
The principle which comes in here is of individual recovery. Hence the principle of repentance is emphasised in each instance, yet with a change of illustration in each. First the effect of the work of Christ, then the persistent activities of the Holy Spirit discovering in the light every whit of what belongs to Christ as the gift of the Father, then the younger son as one who has intelligence and capacity to respond to love. Man was derived of God, hence he has heart and intelligence and now conscience Paul quotes to the Athenians, “We are also his offspring”.
In recovery the great thought is not place; the house is only mentioned incidentally, it is moral suitability to God. The awakening comes when the power of Satan is broken and there is soul famine. There is a consciousness produced (new birth) of soul famine and of goodness with God. So it is the goodness of God which leads to repentance. There could be no idea of recovery apart from repentance,
[p. 77] which is fundamental, and when wrought, heaven and the unjealous angels are affected with joy. The light in the house is doubtless connected with the saints, the house of God becomes the sphere of the Holy Spirit and they are His instruments. The light is in the house.
The return of the prodigal is the effect of need and consciousness of the plenty in the father’s house. As yet moral suitability is not in evidence. The prodigal as such receives the embrace of the father; God commendeth His love towards us when we were yet sinners. The question of suitability follows with the best robe — Christ.
The relationship of Father is the outflow of God in sovereignty. A man could have a house and fill it with friends, servants, paupers, whom he would. God in sovereignty chooses not angels or servants. He will fill His house with sons, and all take character from Christ. It is not only man, but man in relationship, hence the pleasure of God.
There was bread enough and to spare. There is plenty for Jew and Gentile. The fatted calf brings in the thought of the peace offering. “Let us eat, and be merry”. In the peace offering there is the joy of all set out in sweet blessing. All meet on common ground, fruit of the death of Christ. There God meets with the offerer and the offering priest; the high priest with his family, all are found partaking in the common joy.
It is very affecting to see the father goes forth and preaches glad tidings even to the elder son; that is the Jew seen officially in the scribes and Pharisees. He is out in the field — the world. “All that I have is thine”. “Whose is the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the law-giving, and the service, and the promises; whose are the fathers; and of whom, as according to flesh, is the Christ, who is over all. God blessed for ever”, Romans 9: 4,5.
[p. 78] Yet he has the effrontery to say, “thou never gavest me a kid”!
Historically the work of Christ accomplished, the ministry of reconciliation went to “the Jew first”, and so continued even to the end of the Acts from Paul in prison at Rome. They drew near to the house as we see early in the Acts, where they heard great things going on, and they became greatly embittered at the evidence of divine grace. The spirit of the elder brother goes out ever in religious persecution, which ever opposes the sovereign mercy of God. Eventually in the day to come the Jew has to come in on the same ground, but not to the same measure of blessing.
The robe, ring, sandals, all speak the complacent pleasure of God. The things are true for every believer, but every believer, alas, is not in the good of them. Even as to sonship itself, “ye are all God’s sons by faith in Christ Jesus” Galatians 3: 26; but it is too true that many are unconscious of it. The elder brother in chapter 14 makes excuses to keep away from the house; in chapter 15 he is in the field, the world, and in chapter 16, he has become there rich and atheistic, seeing too late Abraham’s bosom occupied by the despised and scorned.
The house of God is established down here and is connected with responsibility; the Father’s house is connected with relationship and privilege and is now morally entered into.
What we get set out in this chapter is condition, now made possible by divine love; the significant thing being what is brought out. “Bring forth”.
We are met in our lost condition by divine Persons and brought into the circle of divine love in moral suitability.