The majority of Luke's 15th chapter is spent on telling the story of the prodigal son. And because we've recently heard this story excellently retold by our recent guest speaker, I'm going to leave that portion of the chapter to you to ponder.
The rest of the chapter tells how Jesus has been attracting all sorts of attention for hanging out with those less "perfect" and "worthy" than the religious leaders of the day. This grumbling prompted the story of the missing lamb and the missing coin.
Both stories have been made real in our household over the last few weeks. A missing coin, doesn't cause much anxiety for us adults. Unless of course it's a rare gold coin found on a sunken pirate ship. But kids have this fascination with those shiny pieces of currency. And trust me when I say that if a kiddo starts off the day with six shiny quarters, and then winds up with only five, there is going to be an intense search until that sixth coin is found. (Note that names have been omitted and coin counts have been altered to protect the youngster's ego.) When that sixth coin was found, there was a definite sigh of relief and an exuberance of joy!
And then there's the case of the missing pony. We currently have five miniature horses as part of our animal menagerie. The youngest, not quite a year old yet, is pretty good at finding her way to the "wrong side" of the fence. I think it's a mix of her small size, her curiosity and her very independent nature. But if there is someway to get to that greener grass on the other side of the fence, then she is going to find it. Most days she doesn't wander to far off from the rest of the family on the "right side" of the fence. However, every once in awhile, she'll hide herself in a grove of trees. Some folks would say this is because she'd hiding from the wind or the rain. I think it's because she enjoys her games of hide and seek with her human parents. And even though we're used to these games of hide and seek, I'm always relieved and happy to find her.
If we as humans can get so excited about coins and horses, how much more excited does Jesus get when that person he's been searching for comes home. He loves his saints who have been with him for years. Much like the found coins and horses above are loved and appreciated. But when that soul that Jesus has been chasing for years finally comes home, how sweet that feeling must be. I imagine it to be a million times our feelings when a loved one makes a decision for Christ.
Jesus continues to surprise me with just how unique he is in chapter 16, but at the same time reminds me just how unchanging he will always be.
The chapter begins with the story of a crooked manager. Long story short, a manager is caught running up personal expenses via his job with the owner. The owner calls for a complete audit of the books and fires the manager. The manager, quite accustomed to the life he is leading, figures out a way to cook the books and avoid being tossed into the street as a homeless person. In today's society the manager would be subject to trial and punishment. But in this story the owner is impressed with the manager's ingenuity.
Jesus wants us to be like this manager. He wants us to look for new angles and methods to accomplish what needs to be done. He wants us to find new ways to handle the adversity that comes our way. Many times, the existing ways will work just fine. However, sometimes we need to think outside of the box and come up with a new way to solve a problem. Much like many animals will look for alternative ways to solve problems based on the tools and things around them. For instance, a certain species of bird will pickup a twig in his beak to reach ants and bugs inside a narrow crevice. The bird doesn't have hands, but by using the twig as an extension of his beak, he's able to reach that tasty snack.
The second section reminds us that even though we may do a really good job of acting the part of Chisttian, Jesus knows our heart and how we truly live. Whether it be as a Christian doing their best to honor him, or as a Christian actor trying to pull a fast one.
The last section of chapter 16 is the story of the rich man and a poor man named Lazarus. (I find it interesting that the rich man is not named....) Lazarus was not only poor, but had been afflicted with sores all over his body. His best friends were the dogs that would join him at the city gate and lick his sores. Both men pass away. Lazarus goes to heaven and the rich man is sent to hell. As part of his punishment, the rich man is able to look up and see Lazarus reclining with Abraham. The rich man begs for Lazarus to dip his hand in water and then let him lick the cool water off of his finger tips. No go. Then the rich man begs for Lazarus to be raised from the dead so that he can go to the house of the rich man and warn his relatives. Again a negative response.
Abraham's explanation to the rich man is that for years, people have been blessed with visits by prophets and teacher sharing the word of God's kingdom. And for years people have refused to listen. Even if Lazarus was to be given life again, chances are the rich man's family wouldn't believe it.
Hmmmmm.....sounds a little bit like how we treat Jesus. We didn't listen while he was here. He died and came back from the dead, and we still don't listen. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty grateful that our Father in Heaven is a bit more loving and forgiving than we are in our day to day lives. He doesn't give up on us, and keeps sending those messengers to our lives that remind us of his love for us.
Maybe we should be looking at how we can be a messenger for others.
No comments:
Post a Comment