The gospel call (The Feast)

Luke CH 15:1-32

Jesus presents a Chapter which every soul must ponder.  He states the reason for his coming into our world and his interaction with the Jews. He is the real feast which brings repentance and conversion. What God and Jesus have done for us sinners, is the feast to which you and I are invited, to get rid of our sins. It is a feast which no one can do without.

Sadly, he also presents the irrational behavior of man; man’s rejection of the feast.

1) Call of the gospel – Repentance and Conversion
2) The Feast
3) The Rejection.

1)      a) Repentance is the reception of Christ in our hearts, the light instead of darkness.

          b) Conversion is the effect of Christ in our hearts, it is the transformation

A summary of Chapter 14 and all the Chapters before, enable us to understand the context of the parables presented in this Chapter.

In Chapter 14 Jesus presented himself as the Feast on the Sabbath with a grand invitation to all sinners to come to him; not to eat the ordinary meat and bread; but to receive Christ in their hearts; the gift of salvation from sin and death.

On that Sabbath day, Jesus is seated among the lawyers, the Pharisees and the crowds, who were supposed to recognize that God’s promised gift of salvation had come to the world.

The Promise to Israel now fulfilled and therefore all Jews should be filled with joy – the true meaning of Sabbath. It would have been a grand occasion: hearts filled with joy, for sin and death are removed from the house of David.

For when sin and death are removed, true life is given. To the question Jesus had asked in Chapter 14: “Is it lawful to heal (give life) on Sabbath?” The Jews sadly, gave no answer. Instead, the ordinary sumptuous meal of meat and bread proceeded.

To all those invited to the Great Feast, each had an excuse. It is still the same today. The excuses are many, wealth, land, a farm, marriage, city life, relatives, friends, etc., life is rejected, instead sin and death reign. The Master gave orders to go out to the streets, lanes and highways to bring in all the poor, sick, unworthy, etc.

Did they come? The answer is addressed in Chapter 15. Repentance – only one person feasted, heard the call of Christ and followed him, the rest rejected him. The nation of Israel rejected Christ with the exception of only a few; a small band of disciples represented as one lost sheep.

Jesus demonstrates the transformation which took place in the one lost sheep found: his disciples. Only this one sheep came to the realization that it was lost in sin and death. It is this one sheep that Christ looked for. We saw this in earlier Chapters, the centurion, the tax collector, the three women and the woman who touched Jesus’ clothing. The rest had no need of Christ.

This verse therefore is most appropriate: V7: “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over the one sinner that repents more than over the ninety nine upright (self-righteous) which have no need of repentance”; ie., have remained in their darkness.

It is Christ who came and found us in our sins. When we repent, the spiritual power changes our life. This is depicted the next brief parable of the lost silver coin.

The owner of the lost coin lights a candle; this is the Word of God: and with it, she sweeps the house clean looking for the lost coin. She seeks; we are told; diligently until she finds it.

The gift of the Spirit which Christ gives on repentance animates the life by prayer; and with prayer, the house is swept clean and does also the following:

a) Avoids the leaven of the Pharisees,

b) The worry is put out of the heart due to the heavenly treasure found. So, you seek not what you shall eat or drink, etc., instead, you seek the Kingdom of God – Luke 12²⁹

Thy house will be swept clean of all earthly relations. “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over the one sinner that repents”. And this joy in heaven is demonstrated by the parable of the Prodigal son.

2. The Feast

The Feast is Christ’s sacrificial death; which enables the following: –

God’s Grace, Pardon, Justification (all is God’s work)

a) Jesus pictured God’s grace in a wonderful manner, how the lost sheep was found and how it was transformed. In this parable, the father is represented as constantly watching the road for his son’s return. The first glance of his son filled his heart with compassion which is the sinner’s sole hope.

Compassion lent wings to his feet; he ran to his son, fell on his neck, and covered his face with kisses. God pardoned the son the moment he repented and returned and saw the father in a different manner – this is the sinners’ only hope.

The gospel is the Father’s call to every living soul to come and be blessed with spiritual gifts, ie., redemption from sin and death. The blindness and perversions of the ninety-nine sheep do injustice to you and me who are filled with misery, suffering and death. God favors repentant sinners because of the work of Christ and his atoning sacrifice.

Man may require investigation but here, we see the son is spared his humiliating petitions. The robe, fine sandals etc., portrays the sinner putting on Christ. He is instantly clothed in merits and the righteousness of Christ.

The joy in heaven is represented by the table prepared for the son. “…rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost”

We are told that the lady had many coins (representing the so many things to do – ten of them). She left all the other nine things, the opening of the eye of the blind. She was in darkness; this explains why she put on the light, the Word of God.

How did this change occur in the son?

Repentance means rational thinking; it means coming to the knowledge of one’s sinfulness and turning from sin by putting trust in Christ. It is the spark of a new life in a dead heart. It is truly God who enlightens a sinner about his wretched condition on earth, compared to the heavenly dwelling in heaven.

No matter what lifestyle we live in this world, it will come to an end, an end filled with death and decay. The thickness of the skin of materialism and earthly joys hides sin and death away from our conscious; and this is the wretched condition of the heart.

“I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him; Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee”- Vs 18 “And I am not worthy to be called thy son, make me as one of thy hired servants”

Appealing to grace alone.

This is the real finding of the silver coin in life. We must not overlook the process of lighting the candle and sweeping the house clean. It is only Christ the divine power who can sweep our hearts clean. The new gift of spirit from faith in Christ.

The father replied (Vs 24): “for this my son was dead and is live again; he was lost and is found” – nothing but grace does that. “You have quickened those who were dead in trespass and sins”- Ephesians 2.

3. Rejection of the Father – the Ninety-Nine sheep.

The work righteous. As did the Pharisees and Scribes, the elder son totally disagreed with the Father’s rejoicing. He represents all who reject God, directly or indirectly. Those who are lost even while remaining in the Father’s house, due to their self-righteousness.

He had been busy in the field with his work; the self-righteous are great workers. The father begged the son to come in, beseeched him to rejoice for the return of his brother rather than berating him for his blind and hard heart.

Why couldn’t the older brother accept the Father’s plea?
First, the pride of the elder brother. He had slaved for his father many years, such as the many works done without faith or knowledge of sinfulness. This is the stand of the ninety-nine sheep. He was angry and would not go in; therefore, his father came out and entreated him.

The son argued:

“These many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment,” (a false statement) “and yet thou never gavest me a goat that I might make merry with my friends”.

“But thy son came, it hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf”.
Did this son ever come to the party? There is no need for the answer
For, only one sheep out of the ninety-nine was “found”.