What is the meaning of the Parable of the Sower? What is the meaning of the Parable of the Talents? What is the meaning of the Parable of the Ten Minas?
What is the meaning of the Parable of the Sheep and Goats? What is the meaning of the Parable of the Fig Tree? What is the meaning of the Parable of the Ten Virgins? What is the meaning of the Parable of the Vineyard? What is the meaning of the Parable of the Wedding Feast?
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.
Instead, he is jealous that his father has not honored him. His father urges him not to resent his brother, but to instead be happy for him. He loved us while we were still sinners. Though we are demanding and do not remain faithful, God is still our faithful and loving Father. When we come to repent of our sins, He is willing to forgive us and welcomes us with open arms. The example of the elder son demonstrates how we should not treat other believers.
Jesus tells this parable shortly after a group of Pharisees and scribes complained about how Jesus was fraternizing with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus responds to their criticisms with the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the lost coin, demonstrating His willingness to pursue sinners. In turn, the youngest son then gathered everything together, which means he liquidated his entire share into money Luke When we read this passage, we may think the youngest son merely asked his parent for some money for his own personal use.
No big deal, right? After all, kids these days often ask their parents for money to use for their selfish purposes. During that time, people held family honor in the highest esteem. Every son was expected to honor his father and carry his name in a respectable way. The son was not merely seen as an individual, but an extension of his father and his entire family. The inheritance of the father would normally be distributed to his sons after he died. Next, the son brought further dishonor when he cashed in his share of the inheritance.
In those days, the father had rights to the entire inheritance, which consisted of much more than money. The inheritance was all the land, livestock, and other assets which belonged to the family. It was possible for a son to be given responsibility for his share of the inheritance; however, the father still received the profits while he was alive.
What the youngest son did would be unthinkable in the eyes of the Jews. Even worse, this was more than a rejection of the father; it was also a rejection of the entire family lineage and its generational care of the inheritance. After the son received his money, he went to a foreign country and used his money for sinful, self-indulgent living. The money ran out, and famine overtook the foreign country.
In a desperate attempt to survive, the son offered his services to one of the citizens who commissioned him to feed his pigs Luke Jews did not eat pork because pigs were declared unclean according to the Law Deuteronomy As a result, the average Jew would want nothing to do with pigs. At this point, in the eyes of a Jew especially the Pharisees and Scribes , the son would have become the most defiled human being imaginable.
He destroyed his relationship with God, his people, and his family. There was no hope for redemption in the mind of the legalist. In his desolate state, the son came to his senses and realized his father had enough food for him to survive.
The son journeyed back home with the plan of asking his father to be hired as a servant thinking he no longer had the right to be recognized as a son due to his reckless rebellion. When the father saw the son, he did the unthinkable—he received the son back with ecstatic joy and celebration, and he ran to meet his son while he was still at a distance Luke In that culture, people considered it indignant for older men to run, but the father demonstrated no regard for the cultural norm.
The father kissed his son and gave him three items of significance: The best robe , which was only given to honored guests. A ring , which symbolized authority Genesis ; Esther Sons were given authority by their fathers, and the ring signified the youngest son had been restored to his place in the family. This was significant because servants did not wear sandals, only people of honor. In addition to these items, the father commanded the fattened calf be killed, which was reserved for special occasions.
The father invited the oldest son to join the celebration, but the oldest son refused. He felt cheated because he had lived in obedience to the father, but never received any reward like his youngest brother. The prodigal son was an allegory for people who had given themselves to a corrupt way of life. In the immediate context, the prodigal son represented the tax collectors and sinners Jesus associated with.
In modern terms, the prodigal son represents all sinners who squander and reject the blessings offered by God and the opportunities He provides to repent and believe the Gospel.
It was a mix of the societal outcasts and religious elites. On the one hand, Jesus was eating with sinners and tax collectors. The sinners were those in the Jewish society who did not adhere to the Mosaic Law. The tax collectors were also regarded as sinners because they often used their position to rob their own people. In the eyes of the Jews, the fault of the tax collector was twofold: first, when they collected the taxes, they often overcharged the Jews and kept the excess for themselves.
Second, they were servants of the Roman Empire, whom the Jews detested. On the other hand, the Pharisees and Scribes, who were meticulous adherents to the Law, had come on the scene. They are the ones Jesus addressed when He told the three parables recorded in Luke The reaction of the father confronted their understanding of what should happen.
The youngest son was lost in his sin; the oldest son was lost in his self-righteousness. The oldest son represented the Pharisees and Scribes. They viewed the Law as a cold-hearted transaction where God would deem them righteous in exchange for their obedience.
There was no genuine love for the Lord. The Pharisees and Scribes understood the workings of the Law, but they failed to grasp its purpose. At its core, the Law was about relationships and love. It revolved around loving God and loving people. That is why Jesus said all the law and the prophets hung on two commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself Matthew The main purpose of this parable was to rebuke legalism.
It does not matter how well someone obeys the Law. If they do it from a self-righteous attitude, it is sin.
0コメント