Today in God’s Word

Today in God's Word—August 2023

East Tallassee Church of Christ

August 8, Luke 15

Does grace upset you? Your answer depends on how you see yourself. Jesus attracted tax collectors and sinners who knew they were unworthy and broken. But the Pharisees (who saw themselves as righteous) grumbled when Jesus associated with people they despised. Their “righteousness” prohibited contact with such sinners, lest their “holiness” be defiled.

In three stories, Jesus showed how the Pharisees who imagined themselves very near God were really far from him. Teachers often liken the intensive search for the lost sheep and coin to God’s great quest to restore sinners. I don’t think that’s the point. The stories contrast the Pharisees’ concern for lost things with heaven’s concern for lost people, and the Pharisees’ joy at finding a lost sheep or coin with heaven’s joy when a sinner repents. The Pharisees cared more about possessions than people. They were not like God at all.

In the same way, “The Prodigal Son” isn’t really about the younger boy. It’s not even about the father, except to show the difference between him and the older brother. The Pharisees were the targets of the story, and the older son’s actions and attitudes mirrored theirs toward sinners and Jesus who accepted them. The older brother represents the Pharisees whose duty to God was cold and loveless. They were distanced from their ‘sinner’ brothers, but they were also far from the loving Father. They thought service earned something, that God owed them for obedience. They failed to see what they wanted for their service was theirs to receive as sons. But that would relate them to the brothers who received it by grace, and they could not stand that. They saw their brothers’ sin, but denied their own. They resented God’s grace that invites and celebrates our repentance.

We identify with the prodigal or the father, based on our experience. Every sinner who knows he’s a sinner can see himself in the prodigal. No wonder he’s the title character.

His folly reflects what sin has cost us. Our hope of restoration lies in the Father’s grace for returning prodigals. We who are parents feel our hearts beating in sync with the father’s great heart. We love our children so much! We want them to know and rejoice in our love for them. But we need to get the point of the story. The older brother shows that God’s acceptance is not granted as compensation for our service, but because we are his children. Self- righteousness is the way of misery, pouting outside the party, refusing to embrace the unreasonable extravagance of grace.

So let’s shed some tears as we identify with the wasteful, rebellious son. Then let’s dry those tears and rejoice in the Father’s willingness to receive us when we return to our senses and come home from the far country. But let’s keep the poisonous plant of self-righteousness from taking root in our hearts. Its ugly fruit is judging our brothers, despising grace and distancing ourselves from the Father’s love.

From The Abiding Companion: A Friendly Guide for Your Journey Through the New Testament, Copyright © 2010 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.