Tagged: parable
Easter with the Prodigal
You know the story. The parable of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15 is one of the most well known Biblical stories. It’s a simple story of redemption as a son leaves home but returns after frittering away his inheritance. The story captures our imagination because of the father’s response. The father asks no questions and welcomes the son home with a community banquet. The son receives grace, acceptance, forgiveness, and love when he’s done nothing to deserve it.
I’ve heard it suggested that we should more accurately title this story “The Parable of the Prodigal Father”. You see, the word ‘prodigal’ describes someone who is ‘extravagantly wasteful or lavishly generous’. The word emphasises adjectives like: reckless, extravagant, and lavish. While the son in the story recklessly blew through his inheritance, the father lavished him with grace and forgiveness.
As I read the story this time I noticed that the father in the story always loved the son. Even when the son thought he’d be better off without his father, the father granted him the freedom to pursue his own path. The father allowed himself to be vulnerable, susceptible to the pain of rejection. Although rejected by the son, he never returned insult for insult. His love was constant.
The story ends as the son celebrates his return. He celebrates restored relationships. He celebrates forgiveness. He celebrates safety. He celebrates acceptance. He celebrates a second chance. He celebrates…
The difference was not that the father now loved the son more. The son celebrates because he now appreciates the father’s love. He experienced grace. He felt the embrace of acceptance and value. It will take him time to fully grasp the depth of his father’s love, but he now lives a new life within his father’s embrace.
When I view the resurrection through this lens it reminds me that God always gives us the freedom to reject him. I’m reminded that Jesus death was necessary because I walked away from God. I don’t quite understand that equation, but I do understand that it communicates God’s love and forgiveness for me. As I examine the empty tomb I realise the prodigal grace that he’s “wasting” on me.
Perhaps the resurrection’s greatest revelation is not that God loves me, but that I begin to appreciate what it means to be loved by God.
So I celebrate. I celebrate God’s love. I celebrate God’s power. I celebrate God’s victory. I celebrate the grace and mercy God extends to me. I celebrate the hope I have to join Jesus eternally in his new life. I celebrate being accepted. I celebrate restored relationship and the forgiveness that makes it possible. I celebrate…
…and I hope you do too. My prayer for you today is that you may experience the wonders of life within the embrace of God.
Love Your Samaritan
We all have dreams, ambitions, and goals for our lives. Some of us have written “bucket lists”. We think of things we’d like to do, and perhaps people we’d like to do them with. God wants us to expand our dreams.
I didn’t really plan this intersection, but the day before Martin Luther King Jr. Day I spoke on the topic of “Love Your Neighbour.”
We all have dreams, ambitions, and goals for our lives. Some of us have written “bucket lists”. We think of things we’d like to do, and perhaps people we’d like to do them with.
In the parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus challenges us to expand our dreams.
At times, we can get so caught up in “loving one another” (Jn 13:34) that we fail to raise our vision outside ourselves. God’s mission isn’t neat. God is holy and pure, but his mission is messy. If we’re going to join God’s mission we’re going to find ourselves with people who need rescue, not just with those who God’s already rescued.
Children of God experience so much of God’s love and grace, but what will we do with these blessings? Will we sit around congratulating ourselves that God loves us, or will we allow God to use us in spreading his love and grace into a hurting world? Will we sit on our pew and criticize the world “out there”, or will we work to make a difference? Will we highlight hurt, or will we provide healing?
Sadly we often spend more time pointing at problems than loving those people.
What are your dreams? We all have some sort of dreams and ambitions don’t we? Meet the right person? Find the right job? Fund my retirement? Travel? See my Grandchildren? Pay off my mortgage? Get out of school?
Jesus’ dreams featured making the lives of others better. In Jesus’ dreams he died for me. He also died and for you. Do you have a dream? Do you have a dream not only for your own life, but for the life of your community, for the lives of your neighbours? Do your dreams include your friends? Do your dreams include the Samaritans in your life? The people you don’t like, or the people you don’t care about?
Loving our neighbours means including Samaritans in our dreams. It means making our neighbourhood, our community, our world a better place for everyone.
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.’” Do this and you will live.
The life of Martin Luther King demonstrates what it means to include your neighbours in your dreams. Here are some of his famous speeches and writings.
The full version of King’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.
The following is excerpts from Dr King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” and will take about 10 minutes to listen to. But you need to listen. Here is dispassionate discourse. Here is why Dr King was, and is, necessary. The person reading is not King. The images are commentary on the text. Please do yourself a favor and take the time to listen and watch.
The full recording of Dr King’s final speech before his death in Memphis. “I Have Been to the Mountaintop.”
Is Your Heart Good Soil… Always?
Today’s post is the latest in a series of guest posts centered around my church’s annual theme of “Healthy Hearts”. This month’s contributor is Shane Coffman. You can read his bio at the bottom of the post.
I had heard the parable a thousand times. You probably have, too. (Matthew 13)
The sower went out to sow his seed. Some seed fell on the path, where it was either trampled or the birds came and ate the seed before it had any chance to sprout. Some seed fell on rocky soil, and although it sprouted, its lifespan was short because it had no roots. Other seed fell among the thorns, and found itself choked out by its surroundings. The rest of the seed fell among good, rich soil – a friendly environment which allowed it to grow and reproduce.
The problem was that I had always considered this parable to apply only to when a person first hears the good news of Jesus. Some shrug it off, others accept but quickly fall away, others accept but slowly fade away, and others, like myself of course, were the good soil that accepted the Word and produced fruit for the Sower. I had passed the test. My soil (heart) was good.
Fortunately, one day God opened my ears to hear the rest of the story.
He said the seed is the Word of God.
That means anytime – no, every time, I find myself engaged in a study of the Bible or a time of worship with fellow believers, I have the potential to be any one of those four kinds of soil.
I must confess there have been times when I have heard the Word and have let it go in one ear and out the other. Times when a passage or a song have been so familiar that it was as if I was on auto pilot, repeating the words without allowing their message to sink in at all. Times when I’ve arrived on Sunday or Wednesday having already made up my mind that I was going to be bored and disengaged. Times I didn’t like the song leader or song selections, or I didn’t like the speaker or the text for that day, and thus checked out mentally. Times when I allowed the way someone dressed or the way someone spoke to distract me from their message. Times when I allowed my frustration with the whole set of unwritten and extra-Biblical rules of “church” keep me from finding the good in it at all. My heart has been the path – difficult, if not impossible, to penetrate.
At other times, I have been convicted and resolved to make changes to my life to conform to God’s desires for me, only to go back to my old habits by sun down. Times I have taken in an awe-inspiring message only to be unable to retell anything about it the next day at work. Times I have failed to commit to memory or to heart anything I heard. Times I have remembered the catchy tune, but not the rich message of the lyrics. My heart was the rocky soil – shallow and unfriendly to the seed.
Indeed, there have been other times when I was truly changed by what I experienced from God, yet over time I could not maintain the enthusiasm for holiness because I also coveted the trappings of Satan. I was able to live like a “good Christian” when I was at church, but I couldn’t keep it up at work or at school. My heart was choked by thorns. I was trying to serve two masters.
My goal, however, is that every time I gather with other disciples or break open the Word of God, my heart will be the good soil. Undistracted. Open. Allowing plenty of sunlight and moisture for growth and maturing into a branch that produces fruit a hundred times more than what was sown. I desire for my heart to take in every good word and apply it to myself and my own life before applying it to others. I desire to feast on the message of every song in order that I might learn more about Him and be equipped to give thanks and praise in all situations. I want to have a GOOD heart. Noble. Truthful.
How about you? What will the condition of your heart look like the next time you gather with brothers and sisters in Christ? It’s your choice.
What kind of soil will the seed find inside you?
Shane Coffman is simply a follower of Jesus who calls Owasso, Oklahoma his home. He is a husband to Alice and a daddy to Ada. Shane serves in the kingdom as worship minister for the Memorial Drive Church of Christ in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and helps direct The Tulsa Workshop each March. His passion is to help people connect with God and see Him in their everyday life, and to help them have a song in their heart of praise to Him.
A Dirty Story: Luke 8
In the parable of the soils found in the passage above, the good soil represents the kingdom of God. In this post I’m not interested in the other soils. I just want to identify the characteristics of God’s kingdom, and the people within it. 
We find Part A of the answer to this question in verse 8. “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” Elsewhere I’ve discussed how this phrase essentially means “Listen and learn“. I expect many people in the crowd that day heard Jesus’ story of dirt and seeds and either thought he was discussing agriculture or thought he was a little bit nuts. Particularly when Jesus didn’t offer a more detailed explanation to them.
But the disciples closest to Jesus made the effort to ask that Jesus explain the meaning of his story. They wanted to learn, were willing to listen, and adopted an attitude of humility. Rather than dismiss Jesus’ story as irrelevant because the meaning wasn’t immediately clear, they conceded that the problem might be with their understanding, not his teaching. People in the kingdom of God humbly listen and learn from God. I believe this is the first concrete step in the journey from unbeliever to disciple.
“People in the kingdom of God humbly listen and learn from God.”
Listening and learning from God is a prerequisite of being good soil. By learning I mean – hearing and applying Jesus teaching to my life. Jesus wasn’t just telling the crowd to stay there and listen to him. He was telling them to learn from him and return to their villages and live transformed lives. Similarly, he’s not telling us to attend every Bible class we can and do lots of listening, he’s telling us to apply God’s will in our lives.
We find Part B of the answer in v 15. “But the seed in the good ground—these are the ones who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, hold on to it and by enduring, bear fruit.” (HCSB)
People followed Jesus for many reasons:
- the food;
- the entertainment,
- curiosity, or
- rivals trying to trip him up.
When Jesus speaks of the good dirt [the kingdom of God] receiving his teaching with an honest and good heart, he reiterates v8. He’s looking for genuine, humble, and open hearts: people willing to learn an apply. Some translations make it sound as though God’s seed only falls on people who are already “good and honest”. For instance, the NIV reads, “the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart…“. Perhaps I’m just reading it from a strange perspective, but that seems counter to the message of the word.
The whole point of the Gospel is that “all have sinned” and that no one is good or noble without God. I’ve seen many people fall into the trap of thinking they have to make themselves noble and good before they can receive the Gospel into their lives. Perhaps this makes me over-sensitive to the wording. For this reason I believe the best translations connect the state of the heart with the manner of hearing. If we won’t allow God’s word to penetrate our hearts, then we more closely resemble one of the other soils.
People in God’s kingdom hang on to God’s word with a death grip.
Next, people in God’s kingdom hang on to God’s word with a death grip. This doesn’t just mean memorize it, although that can be beneficial. Jesus expects citizens of God’s kingdom to integrate his teaching into our lives. If we want to limit his teaching to an intellectual exercise and not retain it in our lives, in our behavior, in our values and in our relationships, then we’re misunderstanding the claim He’s making on our lives.
Lastly, the good soil is persistent and patient. I like the 
NRSV translation that uses the term “patient enduring”. Good soil knows that good crop takes time to grow. Jesus wasn’t offering a new life by Friday. It takes time for new habits to form, for behaviours to change and for values to realign. It takes patient enduring. Remember Psalm 1 that says the righteous person/life will “yield its fruit in season”.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit brings rapid transformation in our lives, but those changes still need to last a lifetime. The good dirt is all about living lives of patient endurance that God promises will bear fruit.
I’ve said my piece, but I’d love for you to join the conversation. Please leave a comment.
- What do you find to be the greatest barriers to hearing God’s word with an open and honest heart?
- Here’s a list of different terms used at the end of this verse by various translations. Which one do you identify with the most?
- bear fruit with patient. (NRSV);
- by persevering produce a crop. (NIV);
- Through their resolve, they bear fruit. (CEB);
- They last and produce a harvest. (CEV);
- they persist until they bear fruit. (GNT);
- and bear fruit with patience. (ESV);
- by enduring, bear fruit. (HCSB);
- sticking with it until there’s a harvest. (MSG);
- bear fruit with perseverance. (NASB);
- bear fruit with steadfast endurance. (NET);
- With patient dependability, they bear good fruit. (VOICE).
Hospitality: Making Room for Others
Hospitality. You know what I’m talking about. It’s that dreaded word that makes every Christian feel guilty for not keeping up with our housekeeping. It’s the word that says I’m a failure as a Christian if:
- “I don’t have all the kids toys picked up 10 minutes after they’ve finished playing with them.”
- “I don’t host a small group every year.”
- “I don’t have home made cookies just coming out of the oven when someone happens to drop by.”
- “I haven’t had a church member over for a meal at least once a month.”
- “My house isn’t always available for people to drop by, whether that be my next door neighbour or long forgotten ‘friends’ from out of town looking for a bed for a couple of nights.”
- “My kid doesn’t want to share toys when you bring your kid on a visit.”
- “I attend a cookout at someone else’s home, but never “fire up the barbie” myself – regardless of how many chips and drinks I bring.”
- “I can’t fit the entire church youth group in my living room.”
- “A guest spots a speck of dust I missed while frantically moving all the papers on the counter to a drawer as her car pulls into the driveway.”
- “My TV isn’t big enough for five people to watch ‘the game’ at the same time.”
The word “hospitality” can strike fear in the heart of the best housekeeper… let alone the worst. But I have GOOD NEWS for you. 🙂
“Hospitality is all about the heart, not the house.”
Since Jesus didn’t even have his own house, it can’t be about the house. The biggest question a study of hospitality raises is this: “Do you have enough room in your life for another person?” In the parable of the Great Feast in Luke 14 God keeps sending his servants out looking for guests until his house is full. Each time the guests already present could be excused for thinking, “but we already have enough people.” Or, “I’m just getting to know these folks and you want to go get more?”
Christian hospitality means Christians wear a t-shirt that says, “I genuinely want to be your friend.” We bring this attitude to new converts. We make the effort to meet new faces in our Sunday assemblies. We particularly wear this shirt when we’re out in public interacting with the world. We let people know that we have room for them in our lives.
“According to one study, new members who stay beyond their first year made an average of seven new friends in the church. Those who dropped out made fewer than two.” (From a good article here.)
In my experience churches/Christians are great at being friendly to each other and guests on Sunday. Hospitality and genuine friendship takes these relationships into the week. It might involve a meal. It might mean taking the kids to the part together. It might mean volunteering for a ministry together. It might mean going to the movies together. It might mean just exchanging phone numbers or looking someone up on Facebook.
Hospitality is the act of inviting someone else into my life.
We express our love for God by inviting Him into our lives. Similarly, we express our love for our neighbours when we invite them to share life with us. Sunday politeness is just that, politeness. Love for neighbour invests in a relationship.
- Do you have 7 friends at your church? Do you agree that 7 is a “must have”?
- Friendships come with many degrees of depth. What type of friendship are you looking for in your 7 people? Or what’s the minimum level for the 2? (Eg. I played golf with a couple of guys twice last summer, and that was(not) good enough for me.)
- Can you think of some more items to add to my list of hospitality related failures?
- How often do you gain new friends?
God & Sports
I’m excited to share a new blog that I’ve recently launched that brings together my greatest love and my favourite hobby: God & sports. Its URL is
Aussie Rules – Chris Judd
I was inspired by this article written by Josh Graves (who blogs here). Sports fields around the country and world provide a crucible of intense human experiences. Athletes frequently face moral choices: steroids in baseball, match fixing in international cricket and Italian soccer, the NFL’s bounty scandal. Sports often serve as a public face to social issues, for instance: Racial integration in US baseball, and rebel cricket tours to South Africa during apartheid in the 70’s & 80’s. Off the field, professional athletes also meet extreme challenges that most of us don’t consider. How will they use their new found wealth and influence? How will they handle the increased availability of sex, drugs, alcohol?
The recent publicity given to prominent Christian athletes, Tim Tebow & Jeremy Lin has added another layer of interest to professional sports. I have never really viewed sports stars as life role models. I’ve always managed to respect athletes for their performances on the field and ignore the rest of their life. However, social media and increasing media exposure in general have removed the concept of professional athletes having private lives. Their views, comments, and behaviours are exposed for everyone’s review, this includes the faith statements of sports stars.
Some athletes meet these challenges head on and come out triumphant. Others may be heroes on the field, but their lives are in shambles away from the spotlight. How do people react? What differentiates athletes? The intensity of the athletic experience makes sports a valuable lens through which to comment on the broader human experience. That’s the goal of this blog. Sometimes we’ll just talk sports, and other times I’ll reflect on a Christian response to particular situations. And sometimes, I might just talk a little God all by himself, after all, the Bible uses some sports analogies itself!
I’ll continue my (almost) weekly updates on this blog, but I hope some of you will also take the time to review my attempt at inculturating the Gospel. www.GodMeetsBall.blogspot.com
Matthew 24-25: Jesus is Coming Again
One evening, in Matthew 24:1, as Jesus walks home with his disciples across the Mount of Olives, his disciples point out the grandeur of the temple. Jesus responds that it will soon be destroyed which leads to the two questions that prompt Jesus final discourse in Matthew’s Gospel. “When will this happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Jesus’ response to these questions found in v4-35 has been the subject of a lot of debate. Let me just point out that the apostles seem to have believed that the only way for the Temple to be destroyed was for the world to come to an end. They were talking about one event, while Jesus’ answer describes two events: the fall of Jerusalem in 70AD, and the return of Christ at the end of time. However, it’s incredibly difficult to completely distinguish between each of these events in Jesus’ reply. The most important point we need to grasp is simply this: Jesus is coming again.
In light of the recent publicity surrounding predictions of the date of Jesus’ return, many people may roll their eyes at more talk on this topic, but it is in the Bible. Even many Christians go through life with Jesus’ return as merely a footnote in their biblical knowledge database. I rarely hear John’s prayer from Rev. 22:20 “Amen, Come, Lord Jesus.” In the circles I move. In a recent essay (available here) Richard Oster makes the point that most Christians have excluded the return of Christ and consequent judgement from their “core beliefs”, as though the God-story ended with Jesus’ resurrection.
In the section of teaching and parables from 24:36-25:46 Jesus describes how his return is more than an intellectual discussion. It impacts the lives of his disciples, you and I. The 5 parables in this section are as follows:
- The homeowner and the thief (24:42-44)
- The two servants (24:45-51)
- The ten virgins (25:1-13)
- The talents (25:14-30)
- The sheep and the goats (25:31-46)
Of the 5 parables Jesus tells in this discourse the 1st and 3rd have a similar message.”Be ready for the return of Christ.” We can prepare ourselves in many ways, but first and foremost, make sure you’re living in the kingdom of heaven.
The 2nd and 4th parables both describe this readiness in terms of our work in the kingdom. We’re not citizens of the kingdom of heaven just because we say so. The parable of the two servants demands that we behave toward those around us in a Godly manner. Can you serve others until Jesus returns? Can you live humbly until Jesus returns? Or will you give in to living for self rather than God? Will you give in to the temptation to “lord it over” those around & below you? Then the 4th parable also challenges the disciples of Jesus in a positive sense to use our giftedness for the benefit of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus is coming back so make sure you’re using the gifts he’s given you wisely.
Jesus then closes this sermon describing the scene of judgment with the sheep and goats. At the end of time people’s eternal destiny will be determined based on how we have treated others, particularly the disadvantaged. This is not to say that faith and obedience are unimportant, but that our faith and obedience will find expression in our attitudes and behaviours, particularly toward those less fortunate than us. (Do you remember 19:30? Many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.)
- Do you think churches spend too much time, or not enough time talking about the return of Jesus?
- What do you think of the suggestion that the return of Christ should be part of the core of Christian beliefs?
- Should the parable of sheep and goats be included in a response to the question, “What must I do to be saved?”
Matthew 13: Parables and Riddles
Chapter 13 of Matthew is a unique chapter in that it contains a collection of 7 parables. Jesus begins each of these parables with the words, “The kingdom of heaven is like…”. I’ve mentioned previously that the core message of Jesus ministry, is that “the kingdom of heaven has drawn near“. In this pivotal series of parables Jesus speaks to the crowds and challenges them to make a decision. Are you in? Or out? Even the use of parables is intended to weed out the serious followers from those seeking a sideshow. (13:11-17)
- Parable of the Soils (2-9, 18-23) – Remember Jesus is speaking to the crowds, not his disciples. When the the curious crowds hear this parable, they’re challenged to answer the question, “What type of soil am I?“
- Parable of the Weeds (24-30, 36-43) – According to v38 the field represents the world, not the church. Again, his audience needs to consider, “Am I wheat or weed?” The kingdom of heaven exists in the world, not separate from it. In many ways wheat and weeds look the same. “Which am I?”
- Parable of the Mustard Seed (31-32) – For those expecting the Messiah to arrive with a great army and fireworks, Jesus has some somber news. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed.” Tiny. It will one day be great, but that’s not how it arrives. “Can you accept this reality?” Will you stick around to be a bird living in the branches of the kingdom?
- Parable of the Yeast (33) – Similar to the Parable of the Mustard Seed. The idea of the kingdom (yeast) working “into all things”, is an interesting one. We can see today how this applies both individually, and globally. But it all began in little ole Galilee 2000 years ago.
- Parable of the Hidden Treasure (44) (see below)
- Parable of the Pearl (45-46) – Jesus makes a clear point in these two brief parables. The kingdom of heaven is worth the price. When you recognize the value of the kingdom, you’ll give up everything for it. The parables contain an implicit question, “Are you ready to be my disciples?” Whether you stumble across the truth of God’s kingdom, or whether you’ve been searching for it, “How much are you willing to give up to enter the kingdom of heaven?“
- Parable of the Net (47-52) – The kingdom of heaven is like a fishing net. We might think that the kingdom of heaven would be 100% pure, but that’s not the case. However, it’s not our job to sort out the fish, or the weeds. That’s a task reserved for the return of Christ. In the meantime, we keep living by kingdom principles, and we keep sharing the Good News. They’re our responsibilities. Determining one’s eternal destiny is Jesus’ job. This parable contains the warning, “How will you be judged at the end of the age?“
Yes, this is a confrontational discourse. This chapter represents a turning point in Jesus ministry. People, it’s decision time. Jesus is no longer a mere curiosity and wonder worker… if he ever was. Jesus is now a walking question mark. His presence and his message challenge us all to make a series of decisions. This cut and dried message may sit uncomfortably with a society that prefers ambiguity and compromise over truth claims and dogmatism. But I can’t change the message. It’s always DECISION TIME.
- Do you agree that “our society prefers ambiguity and compromise…”? How would you demonstrate your answer?
- Is your understanding of the Parable of the Soils changed by considering the audience? Do you agree with my summary?
- The Parable of the Weeds and the Parable of the Net both teach the church not to function as eternal judge. Why do you think so many churches have struggled to limit themselves in this area?
Luke 16: The Unjust Steward
This is a difficult parable to understand. A manager (or steward) is either incompetent or dishonest and has created a shortfall in the funds under his management. Before being fired he runs around reducing the debts of people who owe his master money. It’s his hope that by doing this one of these people will be grateful enough to find him another job, or at least keep him off the street.
The problem with this parable is that while the manager may be looking out for his own skin, he seems to be giving away (stealing?) his master’s money. Yet in v8 he’s commended, “the master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly.” This hardly seems like behaviour Christians should imitate.
In his huge, two volume, commentary on Luke, Bock suggests 3 possible ways to view the canceling of debts:
- The steward acted dishonestly; (but why would Jesus then praise him?)
- In Jewish law, Jews were prohibited to charge interest on loans to other Jews. Apparently, it was the ancient custom to get around this by demanding repayment of the loan in commodities that were the equivalent of interest. If this is the case, then it may be that the steward simply canceled the interest portion of the debt. This would create happy debtors, and leave the master without recourse, since charging interest was illegal anyway.
- In a twist on the second option, the interest may have been the steward’s commission, so canceling it prior to losing his job created a clever pretense of personal sacrifice.
Further demonstrating its complexity, Bock also survey six proposed meanings of the parable, which I won’t list here. I understand the parable to encourage Christians to use our money wisely for God’s purposes. Unlike the steward who pretended to be generous by giving away someone else’s money to protect his earthly future, Christians should be generous with our wealth and in so doing imitate a generous God and protect our eternal future.
This connection between generosity and eternal life may seem a little strained, but it seems to be the thrust of v10-12. Our attitude toward, and stewardship of, money demonstrates our priorities and influences the degree to which God will bless us and give us responsibilities. We’re then reminded in v13 of the temptations that accompany wealth.
None of these teachings say that Christians cannot be wealthy, but that we are to use our wealth wisely, for God’s kingdom, remembering that we are only stewards (managers) of the possessions God’s blessed us with. I believe we can use Jesus’ teachings in this passage to define greed as wealth without generosity. When we’re more interested in accumulating wealth for our purposes, than using it to bless others and glorify God, we’ve crossed the line.
- Do any of these interpretations of the manager’s behaviour make sense to you? How do you understand the message of this parable? Given the difficulties this parable contains, I expect there’s quite a few different view out there, so please leave your comments.
- In my experience, people get uncomfortable when churches start talking about personal finances. Given how much Jesus discusses the topic, why do you think we’re so reluctant to discuss it?
- “Greed” is a difficult thing to define. There’s no magic number that delineates wealth and greed. What do you think of my definition above?
BONUS: In a 2008 survey by the Pew Research Center, 53% or Americans described themselves as “middle-class”. That sounds like a very “middle” number and not very surprising. What’s interesting is that 40% of respondents making less than $20,000 defined themselves as middle-class, while at the same time 33% of those with an income over $150,000 also thought of themselves as middle-class. That’s a variance of over $120,000.
- Why do you think people, whether rich or poor, want to think of themselves as middle-class?
- Does this have any implications for Christians?
Luke 10: The Good Samaritan
I am grateful to Darrell R. Bock for using his commentary to point out the obvious regarding this parable. Jesus told the parable in answer to the question “Who is my neighbour that I should love?” If that was all the information we sought in this parable, the answer is simple, “the man in the ditch is the neighbour that needs to be loved.”
But Jesus doesn’t really address the question, “Who should I love?” Rather, he challenges his listeners to BE good neighbours. He regards as a given that we should love all we come in contact with. We should best understand the parable of the Good Samaritan as describing HOW we should love our neighbours: even though that’s not the question he was asked.
Interestingly, Jesus never articulates the applications of this parable. At its conclusion he asks, “Who was the loving neighbour?” I suspect I would have responded, “the Samaritan”, but the Jewish lawyers identifies the Samaritan by his character, “The one who showed mercy.” Jesus then concludes with the instruction to “Go and do likewise.” Is that the ultimate application of this parable? That if we love our neighbours, we will demonstrate mercy in our relationships with them?
In my sermon, I emphasised the need to put our love into action. Here are a couple of ways I see the Samaritan love his neighbour.
- The loving neighbour takes action. Godly love doesn’t stop at nice, but empty, words.
- The loving neighbour goes out of his way for others. I presume his journey was slowed down by helping a badly injured person.
- Loving others may (will?) cost us something. The Samaritan paid for the care and accommodation of the man who’d been robbed.
- Loving neighbours take risks at times. If one traveler’s already been robbed, is it safe for anyone else to stop?
I’m pretty sure Jesus wasn’t making all those points when he first told this story, but I believe it’s the responsibility of Bible students today to apply this parable to our own lives, times, and circumstances. Can you think of some more applications of this parable? How can churches enact these principles? How can individuals embody the example of the Good Samaritan? Be as specific as you like.
Peter's Patter 