CHAPTER 15

(A.D. 33)

MURMURING

¹Then drew near unto Him all the Publicans and sinners for to hear Him (Publicans were tax-collectors, and looked at as traitors by the religious hierarchy of Israel; consequently, they were afforded no opportunity for Salvation whatsoever; they were classified with the sinners; but these desired to hear Jesus, and rightly so!).

²And the Pharisees and Scribes murmured (presents them conducting themselves exactly as their Fathers in the wilderness, which brought plagues then and will bring the greatest plague of all now, the destruction of themselves and their country [Ex. 16:7-12; Num. 14:27; 17:5-10]), saying, This man receives sinners, and eats with them (if it is to be noticed, Jesus gave the Pharisees and Scribes no place or position at all, and for the obvious reasons; He did give place and position to the Publicans and sinners, and for the purpose of saving their souls).

THE LOST SHEEP

³And He spoke this Parable unto them, saying,

⁴What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them (proclaims the value the Lord places on just one soul), does not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, but go after that which is lost, until he find it? (This does not mean the ninety-nine are left alone, but rather that every effort is to be made to retrieve the one that is lost.)

⁵And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing (the Parable of the lost sheep is also found in Mat. 18:12; there it expresses the love that seeks; here, the joy that finds).

⁶And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours (should have been the religious leaders of Israel), saying unto them, Rejoice with me (is really the only occasion of rejoicing in Heaven other than rejoicing over the Work and Person of the Lord Jesus Christ [Rev. 5:11-14]); for I have found my sheep which was lost (according to Heaven, the greatest statement that could ever be made).

⁷I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in Heaven over one sinner who repents (while other things are certainly important, still, nothing can match a soul being Saved), more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance (this must properly be understood; the ninety-nine were rejoiced over when they were Saved, exactly as this sinner is now rejoiced over).

THE LOST COIN

⁸Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece (points to something of value; the one sheep was valuable, and the coin, as well, is valuable; both are like unto a lost soul), does not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? (The Light of the Gospel, which is Jesus Christ and Him Crucified, can alone find the lost soul. Let it be understood, we didnt find Christ, He found us!)

⁹And when she has found it, she calls her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.

¹⁰Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the Angels of God over one sinner who repents (this Verse is very similar to Verse 7, but there is an addition; this takes us to the very Throne of God, placing even more emphasis on the significance of the Salvation of a lost soul).

THE PRODIGAL SON

¹¹And he said, A certain man had two sons (it is possible that the one sheep and the coin represent the Gentiles who were eagerly sought after because they were helpless; the Prodigal represents the Jew who was not so much sought after, but had to come of his own accord, as will happen at the Second Coming):

¹²And the younger of them said to his Father (will be treated as the Jewish people even though it definitely can apply to any and all), Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me (was typical of Roman Law at that time). And he divided unto them his living (by the use of the pronoun them, it seems that a certain amount was guaranteed by Law to each; the younger one took his and left).

¹³And not many days after the younger son gathered all together (concerned an inheritance that he really had not earned, but that had been freely given to him because of his relationship with his Father), and took his journey into a far country (the son fell while yet in the Fathers house; he fell at the moment he desired the Fathers goods without the Fathers company; and it only needed a few days to find him in the far country; backsliding begins in the heart, and very soon places the feet with the swine; sin will take you further than you want to go, and cost you more than you can afford to pay), and there wasted his substance with riotous living (this characterizes the world).

¹⁴And when he had spent all (Satan does not replenish; he only uses and abuses), there arose a mighty famine in that land (ultimately the famine will come to the wayward Believer); and he began to be in want (represents the first time in his life he had ever experienced such a malady; he always had plenty at his Fathers house, but now the want will only increase).

¹⁵And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country (the word joined translates into forcing himself upon an unwilling employer; in short, he was reduced to begging); and he sent him into his fields to feed swine (represented the most degrading occupation in which any Jew could ever engage).

¹⁶And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat (means that he not only fed the swine, but was forced to eat their swill as well! from so high, he had fallen so low!): and no man gave unto him (in the Devils country nothing is given, everything must be bought; and bought at a terrible price).

¹⁷And when he came to himself (fully admitted to what he was and where he was), he said, How many hired servants of my Fathers have bread enough and to spare (many have bought Satans lie that living for God deprives one of so many good things; nothing could be further from the truth), and I perish with hunger! (Even though the illustration is addressing itself to the physical sense, the spiritual lesson it conveys pertains to the soul of man, which hungers for the Lord and can only be satisfied by the Lord, and never by worldly things.)

¹⁸I will arise and go to my Father (the first step for the penitent soul; until that step is taken, the realization of need, nothing can be done; the word arise tells us that the journey to God is always upward, while that with Satan is always downward), and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and before you (the young man did not plead extenuating circumstances, lay the blame on others, or plead wrongs done to him; he placed the blame squarely where it belonged, upon himself; confession of wrongdoing is always demanded by God [I Jn. 1:9]),

¹⁹And am no more worthy to be called your son (this presents the second requirement admitted unworthiness): make me as one of your hired servants (presents the position of humility, which is necessary; however, God has never received one as such; in other words, He will never make a hired servant out of a son).

²⁰And he arose, and came to his Father (anyone can do this if he so desires [Rev. 22:17]). But when he was yet a great way off, his Father saw him, (the Father was earnestly looking for him), and had compassion (the Lord always has compassion), and ran (the only occasion given in the Bible of God running, and that is to welcome home a lost soul), and fell on his neck, and kissed him (this is what awaits every sinner who comes to the Lord).

²¹And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and in Your sight, and am no more worthy to be called Your son (this is as far as the young man got; he had intended to continue as Verse 19 proclaims, make me as one of Your hired servants; but the Father interrupted him).

²²But the Father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him (Grace ran to kiss the Prodigal in his rags, and Righteousness hasted to dress him in its robes; the robe was that of II Cor. 5:21); and put a ring on his hand (the ring addressed here was a seal or signet ring, which was much the same as a modern credit card; the ring bore the crest of his Fathers house), and shoes on his feet (this denotes ownership, for slaves did not wear shoes; all these things were provided for him and declared his sonship; servants were not thus arrayed and feasted):

²³And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry (signifies that the young man is now back in Covenant and celebrated by feasting; the true merriment is never in alcoholic beverage or other things, but only in Christ):

²⁴For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found (so beautifully portrays the Salvation experience). And they began to be merry (once again, Christ proclaims the joy of a lost soul coming home).

²⁵Now his elder son was in the field (inasmuch as the Father did not bring the elder son in for the celebration, tells us that he knew the heart of the elder son; so he left him in the field): and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard musick and dancing (signifies the celebration then taking place respecting the return of the Prodigal).

²⁶And he called one of the servants (proclaims the servant knowing more about the Fathers business than even he, the elder son, knew), and asked what these things meant (proclaims him not knowing that which was dearest to the Fathers heart).

²⁷And he (the servant) said unto him, Your brother is come (it is astounding that an event of this magnitude was happening and he knew nothing of it; the reason will be obvious shortly); and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound (proclaims the celebration that takes place in Heaven upon the Salvation of souls, and should, as well, take place on Earth among Believers; however, much of the time, the joy and the energy are spent on other pursuits).

²⁸And he was angry (shows the true nature of the heart, and why he didnt know what was going on; the elder brother portrayed the Pharisee; he neither understood nor shared in the Fathers joy), and would not go in (proclaims rebellion! Jesus said of the Scribes and Pharisees that they would not go in themselves, and would try to stop all others from going in [Mat. 23:13]): therefore came his father out, and intreated him (proclaims Jesus making every appeal to the Scribes and Pharisees, but, as here, to no avail; the patience He had shown with the Prodigal, He shows with the rebellious as well; such is our Heavenly Father!).

²⁹And he answering said to his father (will be an answer totally different than that given by his younger brother), Lo, these many years do I serve you (is said in the realm of merit; he thought this way because he had no relationship with the Father; consequently, it was just a job to him; he served for all the wrong reasons), neither transgressed I at any time Your Commandment (self-righteous, he claimed to have given a perfect obedience): and yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends (he wanted merriment for all the wrong reasons; this shows that morally he was as much lost to his Father as his younger brother had been):

³⁰But as soon as this your son was come (now portrays him disowning any relationship with his younger brother; self-righteousness always feels this way!), which has devoured your living with harlots (the two phrases, You never gave me a kid (a lamb,) for a celebration, and Your son, who has devoured your living with harlots, showed the hatred of his heart to his Father and to his brother), you have killed for him the fatted calf (is a proclamation of self-righteousness, which cannot conceive of such a thing; instead of making merry, the younger brother should be punished, and severely, or so the elder brother thought; not understanding Grace, this is the attitude, regrettably, of most modern Christians).

³¹And he said unto him, Son, you are ever with me, and all that I have is yours (in effect, says that he really had not partaken of these riches, even though they were his for the asking; he had tried to earn them, which was unnecessary, and actually unacceptable; he missed the entirety of the point of what Salvation really was).

³²It was meet (necessary) that we should make merry, and be glad: for this your brother was dead (dead in trespasses and sins), and is alive again (has come to Christ); and was lost, and is found (the death of the sinless calf was a necessity ere the feast could be enjoyed; had the Prodigal refused this raiment and claimed the right to enter the Fathers house in his rags and nakedness, he, like Cain, would have been rejected; but his was true Repentance, and so he accepted these gifts assuring purity, perpetuity, position, and provision).