Redeemed Redeemer: The Good Samaritan Examined

"In a seminary missions class, Herbert Jackson told how, as a new missionary, he was assigned a car that would not start without a push. After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car off. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running. He used this ingenious procedure for two years.

Ill health forced the Jackson family to leave, and a new missionary came to that station. When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started, the new man began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, "Why, Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable." He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson's astonishment, the engine roared to life. For two years needless trouble had become routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting that power to work.

J.B. Phillips paraphrases Ephesians l:19-20, "How tremendous is the power available to us who believe in God." When we make firm our connection with God, his life and power flow through us." -Ernest B. Beevers.

We’re talking about God’s kingdom today. How does God’s kingdom system work practically? How does it all fit together?

We’ve talked about the prodigal son, that the purpose of God’s kingdom is to bring us home safely to God. We’ve also talked about being born again, that it is a necessity that we be thoroughly transformed by God through Jesus. Now we’re going to be looking at the parable of the good Samaritan.

And the good Samaritan is all about taking the kingdom out to others. Sharing the love of God with others.

But as we discuss service to others, I want you to keep thinking back to the missionary with the car problem. It made everything he did more difficult. He had to roll the car to start it. But then it was realized, there was a loose cable, and once that problem was fixed, suddenly everything worked so much better.

Here’s the point: If you have a vibrant deep connection with God, you pray everyday, you read your Bible every night, you are focused in on God, then service to others will come naturally.

But if your relationship with God is weak, service to others will be more difficult and a strain.

Now that we have the power, we can do all the good things God has given us to do in Christ. If we find ourselves struggling to do so, we should go back and see what needs to change in our relationship with God. Perhaps a closer connection is needed. Then we can move forward in strength.

Let’s take a look at our context for today. From Luke 10:25-26: “On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

Jesus is asked the most important question in the universe. But we’re told the man’s intentions are not really right. He’s asking the question for the purpose of testing Jesus.

Jesus wisely responds by asking him questions. What’s written? What’s in the word?

The man responds to Jesus’ questions. Verses 27-28: He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

Now that we’ve entered God’s kingdom, as the prodigal son, and God’s kingdom has entered us through the transformation of new birth, now, God’s kingdom is going to flow out of us toward others.

We are now ambassadors of the kingdom of God. Every person here today is called to minister to people around them, family, friends, strangers, and to show them how to become part of God’s kingdom.

How? How can we do that? By loving God with all of your heart. And with all your soul. And with all your strength. And with all your mind. And then you will naturally love your neighbor as yourself.

We must all train ourselves to love God more and more each day.

So this man has asked Jesus how to receive eternal life. Jesus has asked him what the law says. The man replies sharing the command to love God and love others. Jesus approves of this response, and tells him good, do that and you’ll live.

But the man asks Jesus another question. Verses 29-30: But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.”

There are certain parts of any city you wouldn’t want to be walking around at night, but two thousand years ago, many roads were very dangerous 24/7. In fact, Martin Luther King Jr. once traveled in Jerusalem along this very road in his car, and later he made this comment about it: “I remember when Mrs. King and I were first in Jerusalem. We rented a car and drove from Jerusalem down to Jericho. And as soon as we got on that road, I said to my wife, "I can see why Jesus used this as the setting for his parable." It's a winding, meandering road. It's really conducive for ambushing. You start out in Jerusalem, 1200 feet above sea level. And by the time you get down to Jericho, fifteen or twenty minutes later, you're about 2200 feet below sea level. That's a dangerous road.”
— Martin Luther King Jr., "I've Been to the Mountaintop" (April 3, 1968)

It’s a low road, a dangerous road. But sometimes you have to take difficult roads to get where you’re going.

Similarly you have this man traveling this dangerous road, and the worst case scenario happens. He’s jumped. He beaten up, maybe stabbed. He has everything stolen and he’s left on the road half dead.

Let’s see what happens next, verses 31-33: "A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.”

As you live your life, you will have moments when time seems to slow down, you see someone in need, and your heart will be moved with compassion for that person.

I’m sure you can remember many times when you felt a pull toward someone who was hurting. Maybe it was a family member or friend. Perhaps it was someone you didn’t know but you could just tell they were having a tough day.

This is something my mom is really good at. Shes incredibly talented at starting a conversation with a stranger, and finding out what they’re feeling, and then listening and encouraging them. It’s a beautiful gift. She was a nurse for 30 years, so she had a lot of practice engaging with people who she didn’t know, but knew she needed to serve.

This is the central point of this entire message, if you can understand this, you'll be able to live out every detail of what it means to be the good Samaritan: Your love for God will inspire you to serve. Out of the love of God, which God pours out into your soul, that love will overflow in your life toward love for your neighbor. And it will happen naturally as you receive God's love and allow God to love you. Then, you'll love like the good Samaritan. 

Here's my word to you: Be bold. Stay on mission. Remember, it’s your job, as a Christian to help people. Take that seriously. Keep it in your mind throughout the day. Watch for situations where you can help. And let the Holy Spirit lead you.

You can’t meet every need. God knows that. So you need to listen for the leading of the Spirit, sometimes I’ll see someone in need and God will say no. Sometimes I’ll see someone, and God will say yes. Sometimes God will say, feel free (extra credit assignment). 

The Samaritan's heart was moved with compassion. Not so with the priest or the Levite.

Let’s see what happens next, verses 34-35: "He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’"

We see in the parable a priest and a Levite, religious leaders walk by and they don’t help the man who has been beaten. But then a Samaritan comes along.

Fascinating, because Jews hated Samaritans.

We see several important factors in the Samaritans response to the situation.

First of all, he pities the man. He has an emotional response to the situation that calls his heart to action. When we see someone in need, when we see a bad situation, when we see someone suffering, we should first respond in our hearts with pity, with a sense of compassion. We join in the sorrow with them.

Second, he went to him. He changed direction. Sometimes we’re going so fast we see a need and we just keep going. We’re so locked in to the course. But no, slow down, and change your course.

Third, he bandaged his wounds. He poured ointment on the wounds so they would heal more efficiently.

I suppose he could’ve stopped there, right? Well, I did my good deed. But he didn’t stop there. He knew if he just left him on the road bandaged, he might not be able to make it anywhere safe. So he puts him in his car, and brings him somewhere safe. He puts him on the donkey. And bring him to a safe place.

Not only that, he brought him to an inn. It even says he took care of him at the inn. He apparently stayed there with him for the night. Because then the next day, he took our two denarii, two days wages, probably about $300.00 in modern money, and gave it to the guy at the front desk, and tells him to look after the man, get him whatever he needs further. And he even says I’ll check back later, and reimburse any further costs in regard to the incident. In modern terms this is probably like bringing him to the hospital, staying with him at his bed side through the night, and then paying his medical bills. This Samaritan gets into the situation even though he has nothing to do with it. And he brings in not just a little help, but helps in an extended, full, complete way. Now that’s powerful.

As those who carry the kingdom of God within us, we are commanded to do something similar with people God calls us to. You will know in your heart when God calls you to help someone. You’ll do it naturally. Or you’ll resist it in your heart. But you’ll know God’s call. Listen to it, and follow it. God will help you. And you’ll help many others to know Jesus Christ as their savior.

You’ll be like the good Samaritan. Most times it won’t be this exhaustive. Sometimes it’s pretty simple. But if you’re a true Christian, your life will be marked by these encounters from time to time. You’ll develop a lifestyle of service to others.

So Jesus tells this parable, then he turns to the man and references the levite, priest,and Samaritan from the parable.

Verses 36-37: “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

First, we want to see that this is what God did for us. We were the man who was attacked by robbers and left half-dead. And Jesus came to us, bandaged our wounds, brought healing and hope to our lives, and brought us to a place of safety. We have been redeemed. We have been washed and made new.

Now, see from the second angle. We are like the Samaritan, who provides for the lost and struggling person.

We’ve gone from redeemed to redeemer. Now, we bring people who are hurting and lost to our master, the Lord Jesus Christ, and when they encounter him, he changes their lives forever.

We have a new mission in life. We used to live for self and pleasure. Now we live for the salvation of others. We live to serve those who are in need. We even put ourselves at risk for others, just like the Samaritan on the road. The road was dangerous in those days. Yet he stuck his neck out for someone else.

God gave us two great commands, Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself.”

The love of God is made manifest in the love for neighbor. The Samaritan treats the injured man as if he were family. He bandaged his wounds, took him on his own donkey and paid for hotel room. That is Christ-like love. We are called to model that level of heartfelt interest in the needs of others.

We find a manifestation of God’s love in the radical mercy shown by the Samaritan to a complete stranger. The challenge is in adjusting our lives to show that kind of radical mercy, when prompted by God, in various situations we find ourselves.

Next Steps:
A. Living the parable of the good Samaritan means loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength

B. Living the parable of the good Samaritan means seeing yourself as someone on a mission to preach the gospel and meet human needs.

C. Living the good Samaritan means understanding you are a redeemed redeemer

D. Living the good Samaritan means following the Holy Spirit’s leading when the Spirit says to help someone

Discussion Questions:
1. What does it mean to you that you are redeemed?

2. How do you feel about the responsibility you have to bring others to the feet of Jesus?

3. Describe a time when you were able to meet the needs of someone who was struggling.

4. Describe a time when you saw a need but decided not to meet it. Did you feel convicted?

5. Why do you think some Christians struggle to share their faith openly? How will you overcome that?

What would it take to see the tide turn in the great salvation war?

This moment in time, in 2024, feels like being caught up in things too big for us. Tides are turning. Culture is changing. Certainly this must be our doom. 

Armies once numbering in the thousands now number in the dozens. Able soldiers have gone home or switched to the other side. 

The spiritual power has departed from the sanctuaries, though not completely. A remnant of glory remains though it seems to fade. 

Compromise, secret sin, and lukewarmness appear as the hallmarks of the modern era. 

Though a remnant remains, true, and steady, hidden like resistance fighters in thousands of congregations across the globe. They are the remnant. 

A tidal wave, a wall of water seems to dwarf the sleepy remnants of the body of Christ, just on the horizon, towering over us, threatening to sweep in at any moment. 

Yet hope remains, while the body is true. 

It feels like Mordor at the edge of the Osgiliath. It feels like the withdrawal at Dunkirk.  It feels like the battle of Britain. It feels like Thermopylae or the battle of Hoth. 

We all know what is needed. Revival is needed. But what would it take to get there? 

Would it take praying for 24 hours straight? Would it take fasting for 40 days? Would it take deep corporate repentance? Would it take sorrow and tears? Would it take sleepless nights? Would it take strenuous activity? 

Yet I feel so tired and drained, and beaten by the recent battles in my life, the thought of revival seems a far off reality. I'm sure many of you can relate. 

If you're the remnant out there, the last four years since the deep dive of 2020 have meant severe trials and tribulations, struggles, and stretching, and humbling experiences. You've been deeply humbled. You've been purged of double-mindedness. You've been driven to your knees in prayer. You've been crushed internally. Your hopes have been dashed to pieces. Yet you had to keep going. 

You've hit the edge of your ability to stand it, and then it went beyond that. You've been shaken to the point of being on the edge of sanity. Circumstances have burst past your upper limits and left you in a puddle on the floor. 

I know, I've experienced it.

Your entire soul has felt like it were hot in the refiner's fire, like a series of black and blue bruises across your whole body. 

God is getting us ready for something. This something requires us to be thoroughly tested, and shaken to the point that we are unshakable. He is getting us ready. 

We weren't ready in 2020. And we found ourselves in retreat. 

How about now? 

I find myself looking at the future and wondering how I could face it. Each day I bear the concern of the situation we live in each day. Declining corps. Disappearing finances. Lists of soldiers remain, but the seats are empty. Unpaid bills stack up. Prayers and prayers go up, but the enemy fights desperately everything we attempt. Even strenuous effort with unsaved men and women seem to yield only limited results. Fellow denominations around us seem poised toward either apathy or apostasy. Multicolored flags appear on buildings of once faithful denominations. Bland tautologies appear on historic chapels, once complex and glorious theologies reduced to "in this church we believe science is real, kindness is everything... etc." Children disappear from the corps. Families weaken. Elders and the infirmed make up the body. Even our movement seems utterly divided, unable to hold the center. What once appeared as bold, cutting edge, and visionary now appears old, tired, empty, declining, even pathetic. A history so glorious it marched through the streets in the thousands, now so few. 

Clarity is power. -Billy Cox

I was walking down a street, and on the other side of the street I saw the endless marching troops of The Salvation Army in 1800s England. And then I saw myself and a few others on the other side of the street, walking, and there were so few of us. 

I did not expect to carry the weight of this decline on my soul. So it is best we let Him carry it. Only God could. 

Yet I feel so beaten up by the battles of the last five years that I can't even think of the future, much less make some sort of plan or strategic initiative to try to turn the tide. Lately it's been one day at a time. Just put one foot in front of the other. And God has been beautifully faithful in that. 

There will be a time to plan the defeat of the enemy. There will be a time to plot revival fires throughout the land. I hope that time is soon. I really do. I long to plot the downfall of Satan, and triumph of the church, in the Spirit of truth. Those days will come. 

I pray they come quickly. The center cannot hold. It reminds me of a song by Kings of Convenience, they wrote, "Your kind is gonna fall, Your ship is sinking fast and all your able men are leaving" -Kings of Convenience, "Rule my World", Declaration of Dependence. 

Can a brighter day come? I believe it can and it will. But first we must face the great deep before the plunge.  We find ourselves at a turning point in human history. Will we be swept along by it? Nothing is inevitable. Decline and fall is not inevitable. Our God can change it all. History turns on heroes. Will you be one of those heroes? 

Wait on the Lord. Don't give up. Now is not the time to leave this work behind. Now is the time to dig in and go deeper with God. Now is the time to believe in the impossible. History turns now. God is at work. Can you perceive it? He is making a way is the desert. Wait on the Lord. History turns on heroes. God sets up heroes. He has fashioned you for this time. You were called for a time such as this! History is turning, turning and turning, always turning...

"Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?" -Yeats, The Second Coming

The Prodigal Son: Entry Point of the Kingdom

On March 12th 1928 a man was driving by the St. Francis dam in California and noticed a small crack had appeared, and sediment was moving through it. The dam watcher also noticed the leak, and reported it. Mulholland the general manager inspected the dam and decided it was no problem, as the dam was expected to leak from time to time. It was the biggest mistake of his life, and the dam failed, pouring an avalanche of water into the Santa Clarita River Valley. 431 people were killed.

Now consider the same principle morally. Think about the USA 50 years ago, divorce was unthinkable in most families. Now divorce is the norm. 70 years ago sex outside of marriage was unthinkable, now it’s the norm. Small decisions, small compromises, can very quickly lead to massive shifts in society.

One small thing, one crack in the gate, can lead to massive consequences.

It goes all the way back to the garden of Eden, a paradise, planted by God, for humans to live in harmony with God. That was God’s perfect design.

Imagine yourself standing in the garden of Eden. A perfect, pristine, bright sunny day.

Sometimes I’m out on a sunny day in a beautiful area and I think to myself, I’m seeing just a small piece of what Eden must’ve been like. So perfect, so beautiful.

God setup a garden, but he also had to make sure free will, choice was maintained, so he set up one tree in the middle of the garden that they were not allowed to eat from.

Many think well that’s the first one they’d go to. Not really actually. Adam and Eve were innocent they had no sin nature. So they would not be unnaturally tempted to go directly to the wrong tree like we might think today.

Yet we know that the fallen angel Lucifer tempted Adam and Eve in the garden, telling them that if they disobeyed God and ate from the tree, they would become gods themselves.

Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate of the forbidden fruit. As a result, God cursed them, and they became fallen. And so because of that one choice, to choose sin, the entire human race began a downward path toward sin.

I want you to remember this: The choices you make today will impact in huge ways, your entire family line. They will affect your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. That’s just how it works. Our decisions affect the future. More than we realize. Much more.

So we find ourselves in a desperate situation, lost in sin, and under the judgment of God. God will judge all sin, and send it to hell. Why? To remove sin from the universe forever. So we have two options, be quarantined with sin in hell, or be purged of sin and made ready for heaven.

The only reason there is a second option, to go to heaven is because of God’s kingdom system.

We are going to be looking at the way out. How does it work? How does God rescue us? How does the Kingdom of God function on the Earth to save sinners?

For that we turn to the parable which is really the entry point of the kingdom of God system, the parable of the prodigal son.

It begins like this…

Luke 15:11-32, “Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.”

There are two passage ways I’ve seen people take to enter God’s kingdom. It’s kind of like the two sons.

The older son is talked about later in the parable, but I’ll compare him to the child who is brought up in the faith.

Many, many people who are faithful Christians today were raised in it. You may have had a short prodigal season, but overall, you were taught the truths growing up, your parents took you to church, and at some point you made it your own. You decided like my parents, I’m really going to follow Jesus and believe in Jesus.

That is a beautiful thing. It’s the design. Train your children in the way they should go and when they grow older they will not depart from it (Proverb 22:6).

The second way is the prodigal way. You may have been raised in it, maybe you weren’t, but, you decided to reject the faith, or you never encountered it, and you went your own way.

And you ended up much like the prodigal son, who received his share of the estate and went off in search of adventure.

Next, in verses 13-16, “Not 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.”

How does God’s kingdom system facilitate our return? That’s the main purpose of God’s kingdom, to bring us home safely. But how?

God allows things to play out in your life. Notice a famine develops. It’s similar for us, as the years go by of life without God.. a famine develops in my heart. I get more and more thirsty for God. I need Him. Just like the prodigal who is in need.

The consequences of our bad choices begin to convince us that we need God. Notice even then the prodigal doesn’t come home. He hires himself out. He tries to serve in the kingdom of the world. But the wages aren’t so good.

The sin life is fun for a while, parties, drinking, drugs, power, entertainment, pleasure, but eventually the money runs out. The fun disappears. God will often bring a famine into that life, to bring us back to Himself.

He had become so in need, he longed to eat the pods, the Greek word there is keration (ker-ah-tee-on) which is a bug like fruit of a tree. But he doesn’t even get this.

Next, the prodigal realizes he should go back.

Verses 17-20, “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s 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.’ So he got up and went to his father.”

He came to his senses. The KJV says he came to himself. All this suffering prior to our return to God brings us back to our senses. We go from excited, pleasure-seeking, and selfish, and slowly in sorrows and pain, we begin to ask hard questions, “Why am I here? What is my purpose? Who made me?”

Eventually we realize, “I need God.” It starts out as an idea. Something similar happened for me. God formed the idea in my heart, to come home to Him, and admit my sins. As the idea forms in the heart, eventually, we follow it. It goes from an idea to an action.

Similarly, the prodigal son goes from thinking about it, to actually going home. And he heads off.

In verses 20-21, “But 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.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

The Father embraces the son before he repents. Before he has said anything. He embraces him.

This is wild for ancient culture. Dads were not nice like this back then. You would be getting a whooping if he saw you after squandering the inheritance. But God is not like that. He wants to forgive us. He wants to welcome us home.

The Kingdom system has worked. It’s brought the son back home into the arms of the Father.

Then the son repents. He admits he has sinned. He claims he is unworthy to be his son any longer. There is an intense humility here.

The prodigal son before had been very prideful, rebellious, out of control. But all the pain and sorrow of the world has humbled him, and brought him to a point of surrender, to return home.

The father’s generosity to the son is out of this world.

Look what it says next, verses 22-24, “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! 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’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.”

This is God’s heart toward you. This is His heart toward every single human being on planet Earth right at this moment. He wants every single one of them, like the prodigal son, to return home, and be welcomed by Him. And God will celebrate. All of heaven will celebrate.

It reminds me of the scripture which says, “there will be rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents…” (Luke 15:7)

I kid you not, when I called out to Jesus Christ, at rock bottom in 2012, I swear to you I could hear the cheers of millions of angels in heaven at that moment, as that cry echoed up into the highest heavens. It’s a moment I’ll never forget.

The gifts of the Father are symbolic of the gifts God gives us when we enter His kingdom through His son Jesus.

We received a robe of righteousness which covers us.

We receive a ring, which symbolizes the covenant arrangement we enter into through Jesus Christ. That his blood covers our sins, and our part is to repent of our sins and keep ourselves clean and in the love of God.

We receive sandals on our feet, two-fold meaning, it symbolizes our inheritance that we’re now a son with the right of inheritance. It also symbolizes service, that we’re expected to work in the Father’s fields now.

And we celebrate a great feast together with God. The first of many, leading up to the ultimate feast at the marriage supper of the lamb in heaven.

And this is how God’s kingdom works. The Kingdom System which Jesus taught about in the parables instructs us how God’s kingdom is designed to bring people home safely to God.

But the parable isn’t over. It continues, in verses 25-30: “Meanwhile, 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. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve 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!’”

Here is another principle of the kingdom. We who have come home, and have been home with God for a while now may be tempted to be jealous or angry with God’s grace and mercy to sinners.

We have to guard against that. If someone kills someone, harms a child, if someone does terrible things, they can still be completely forgiven by God. I know that’s hard to accept. Particularly when we’ve been hurt ourselves. But God is willing to forgive anyone, of anything, as long as they are willing to come to Him, repent, and seek forgiveness.

Notice that the older son refuses to go in. He won’t accept it. Be cautious that your own desire to judge doesn’t become a stumbling block to you. It’s God’s right to forgive someone who comes to Him through Jesus. We must accept it. Even if they come in last minute, right before they pass away, they are still welcome.

Lastly, verses 31-32, “My son,’ the father said, ‘you 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.’”

Last key for the kingdom of God: God takes dead people, people dead in our sins, completely lost, and brings us back to life again. We go from lost, to found. And it’s a miracle of God. It’s not something we achieve or attain. It’s something God does in us. And it would otherwise be impossible. But God does an impossible miracle when we call on the name of Jesus Christ, and repent of our sins.

To Review, the parable of the prodigal son helps us first understand our situation before the Creator of the universe. We find ourselves having gone astray. Along with the rest of the human race, we’ve squandered our inheritance.

The entire Bible’s chief end and goal is to bring us home safely to God. This brings God glory. Our part is to respond to the conviction of our sins, repent, and return home to our Heavenly Father. Or not. Free will still applies. If we refuse to return home, then we will not return home.

In the end we will either face paradise or God’s judgment. Either way, God is glorified. But the Father’s heart and desire is that all would be saved.

If we choose to return home, our Father runs out to meet us, and covers us in a garment of righteousness, and celebrates our return with a great celebration. Notice that the son returns, and admits his wrong doing. He repents. And the Father responds with great love to welcome him home.

Applications:
A. Living the parable of the prodigal son is seeing the sorrows and sins of the world as opportunities for lost people to see their need for God

B. Living the parable of the prodigal son is seeing your own life journey as a process of bringing you home to God.

C. Living the parable of the prodigal son is seeing the lives of others as a journey to bring them home to God

D. Living the parable of the prodigal son is seeing someone who is completely broken , sinful, and guilty of terrible things as a prodigal who God is fully able to bring home if they are willing to return.

Discussion Questions:
1. Describe your life prior to knowing Jesus Christ as savior.

2. Describe how it felt when you experienced God’s grace in your life.

3. What is your life like now, after being welcomed home by God?

4. What might cause someone to refuse to return home to God? 

5. Is there anything in you that resists the concept of amazing grace for the prodigal? Does the older brother’s response make sense to you?

How Jesus Ministered to a Divided Society

There were many divides in society during the time that Jesus walked the Earth. Jews held a disdain for gentiles, thought of them as dogs, unworthy of God's kingdom. Israelites despised Samaritans, and Samaritans were opposed to Israel. Samaria had sided against Israel, their own people in warfare. Gentiles had trampled the temple. Gentile Romans had conquered and now occupied Israel itself. They enforced heavy taxes. The people of Israel were controlled and influenced by the Pharisees, a religious sect of the time. The Pharisees fought with another group the Sadducees. The zealots fought the Romans. The Romans attempted to keep order. 

Yet Jesus seemed to walk across these lines effortlessly. He ministered to the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1-26). He ministered to the Roman centurion whose child was sick (John 4:49). The Samaritan woman was oppressed and excluded by society. The Roman centurion was an oppressor of the Jewish people. It didn't matter to Jesus, both were welcomed into the kingdom of God. A rich young ruler was ministered to. A prostitute was ministered to. An affluent Pharisee was taught about being born again. A poor woman with a bleeding issue was healed.

I think when considering how to have a heart of compassion toward those we've placed outside our "we" circle, we have to look to the example of Jesus. Jesus kept breaking social norms and cutting across lines that others didn't want to cross. He didn't do this to show how tolerant he was, or to embrace diverse lifestyles, or to party with sinners, Jesus did this to bring the whosoever to a place of repentance and faith. And this was accomplished through love, kindness, miracles, acts of service, and relationship. The outcast and the affluent both found an open door with Jesus. The conditions were always the same: repent and believe the good news (Mark 1:15).

It definitely takes seeing beyond our own socio-economic grouping. I remember experiencing this. I had been raised lower-middle class, Wisconsin style. Cheeseheads, beer, Packer parties, roller rinks, snowmobiling, fishing, going up north, and everything else included in that. But my dad worked at The Salvation Army in town. He was a GED teacher for those who had dropped out of high school before getting their degree. And I was always surprised when I went there, because I just didn't know such a group of people existed. I saw the people eating the free meals. I saw the people who came over from the homeless shelter. And it was such a different group than I was used to. But I will always remember how my dad treated them. They didn't wear the same clothes we did, they didn't talk like dad did, but dad always treated them as equals. And I realized that's because they are equals.

I tried to always embrace that attitude of dad, to treat everyone I meet as my equal. Now my dad wasn't perfect, I recall a time he talked down to one of my uncles because he wasn't college educated. But he treated his students well.

And at my current appointment in Michigan, my ministry is to a similar group of people. But they are my friends. They are my "we." Now sometimes, I have a harder time remembering that when I see someone who is wealthy and affluent, they also needed the gospel I carry! That's the challenge, to continue to see all humanity as my "we."

I think the best way to do that is to go do it. I'll give an example. There was a young man who comes to our daily meals at the corps, we'll call him Bob. I nearly had to ban Bob for a while, because he puts his hands around the neck of my one of my volunteers in a rage. In the end I decided not to. But I saw him yesterday, and one of my volunteers Larry was sitting with him by the bathrooms. And something inside tugged at me, saying, go minister to him. To my shame I must admit that I'd begun to write off Bob. Bob couldn't be helped. Bob was headed in the wrong direction, and nothing could stop it. That may be the case, but I can never assume that. It's just not the right approach to take. It's like the Calvinist who says that person must not be pre-destined to salvation, and if they are, it'll happen anyway. So then should I bother to do anything?

So I obeyed the leading of the Holy Spirit. I went and I talked with Bob. He listened quietly as I told him about the love that Jesus has for him, and that there was still hope, he had expressed being very depressed and hopeless. Apparently when I left Bob threw something at the wall, and left. I figured well, I tried, but just as I expected, it had not yielded fruit.

Then something happened later. I was sitting downstairs as I often do at our daily meals looking for opportunities to chat with people, and after everyone else had left Bob started talking with me. He slowed down, Bob's very fast, and he opened up. He shared about things that had happened to him growing up. He shared his struggle toward faith in God. He talked about losing his mom. And I saw a side of Bob that I'd never seen. I saw someone who was wrestling with God, and faith and Jesus, and the Bible, and church, and trying to find his way through deep hurts, post-traumatic stress, addictions, and even gang violence. I was astonished. I was touched.

And it helped me to see, Bob is a "we." He's one of my people. I think it comes down to "Do it!" Go walk across that room and dialogue. Talk with people, hear their stories, and we can learn to empathize with those we perceive as the "other."

As we empathize with those outside of our circle, everyone becomes part of our circle. The purpose of all of this is to help bring human beings to the valley of decision. 

You are no longer other, you are no longer outside the circle. You are loved and the doorway is open. But now you must walk through it. See the love of God. Let it convince you to repent of your sins, to turn away from past lifestyles that were destructive, and put all your faith, hope, and future in Jesus Christ. Then, everything will change. 

If not, we fade back into divisions. We fade back into sin. We fade back into darkness. But, light is offered through Jesus. 

Jesus ministered to a divided society by crossing all the lines that had been setup by others. Yet at the same time Jesus setup a new line. As much as Jesus crossed the boundary lines, he made it very clear, either you are with me, or you are against me (Matthew 12:30). Enter into the kingdom of God, or face destruction (Luke 13:3-5). Jesus didn't come to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34). Jesus said, his message would divide families against each other (Matthew 10:35-36).  So while at the same time Jesus brought together many disparate groups, he also brought division, as some would accept the message of salvation, and some would reject it. He knew this would be the case. 

So in our approach to ministering to a divided society, we must remember to cross all lines to minister to the whosoever. At the same time, we should not expect to find total unity at the end of the journey. We should expect to see a different kind of division, the division between the born again, and the rebellious lost. 

Many of us have a strong instinct for complete unity, as we should. This concept is built into western civilization from the Greek school of thought. We constantly in the west seek to build syncretism. We attempt to sync different systems and ideas and religions and philosophies together all under one banner. But this is not the Christian pathway. Nor it is feasible. One could argue that western civilization is in collapse now, because we've taken our egalitarian equalization so far that we've attempted to sync and harmonize such diametrically opposed philosophies that our society has gone schizophrenic and no longer knows what it believes. Some in the body of Christ seek to bring this Greek philosophical construct in the church, harmonize all ideologies and viewpoints under the banner of equality and acceptance. This is not biblical however. 

The balance Jesus struck was this: The message of the gospel crossed every line imaginable in society, while at the same time a new line formed, between those who would accept the message and those who would reject it.