The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse reading–Luke 15:1-2, 11-32 (day seven)

Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him.  Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
Luke 15:1-2

The Jewish community in Jesus’s day was taught to give alms to the poor.  They knew God cared deeply for the poor, and they went out of their way to be generous.  However, they never rubbed shoulders with the poor.  The poor were seen as lesser people never to be invited into your home, and meals were completely off the table.  They kept this same attitude toward sinners and tax collectors.  You may say a prayer for them, but you never fellowship with them.

Jesus turned this thought upside down.  Jesus would have lunch with anyone: a sinner, a Pharisee, the poor.  Whoever wanted to come to the table was allowed, and the intimacy of a meal allowed the conversation to sizzle.

If we are going to be a witnessing church we are going to have to do likewise.  We must sit down with the lost in our communities.  If we will be intentional about sharing meals with non-Christians fellowship will be strengthened and the world will know who Jesus Christ is.  Rarely are we accused of eating with sinners, but hopefully there’s a new day coming when our lunch will turn into witness.

Re:Verse reading–Luke 15:1-2, 11-32 (day five)

The effects of sin are clearly portrayed in the heart and life of the younger son. His sin separates him (by his own choosing) from his father.

The older brother has sin he must deal with as well. The effects are more subtle, yet just as damaging. He was unable to see and sense the grace and kindness of his father. He perceived obstacles rather than opportunities. He demonstrated worry rather than worship. Without ever changing locations, he was just as “far away” from his father as the younger brother.

It’s time to examine our hearts (believers/older brothers)!! Do we still sense and see the grace and kindness of God at work in the world? Do we rejoice and worship when God saves and restores human hearts?

Re:Verse reading–Luke 15:1-2, 11-32 (day four)

In Jesus’ parable, the older brother represented the Pharisees.  The younger brother represented the tax collectors, sinners and gentiles.  The Pharisees rejected those who were not ‘pure’ in their obedience to God (the father in our story).  In their own eyes, the Pharisees believed they were righteous before God.  Just as Saul believed that he was doing God a favor by purging the sinners from the world, the Pharisees were angry at the thought that God might show mercy to the sinners and forgive them.  They were blinded to the love of God the Father.

Saul too was blinded…it took a face to face encounter with Christ to open his eyes.  In His parable, Jesus pressed the Pharisees with the need to submit to the love and authority of God.  They needed to recognize themselves as sinners in need of forgiveness and restoration.  How about you?  Do you have an accurate picture of your position before God and your need for repentance?

Re:Verse reading–Luke 15:1-2, 11-32 (day three) 

“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”  As it turned out, Jesus would do even worse than that.  But that’s because he understood people were lost.  In the days before that word denoted a demographic or a class of persons who don’t subscribe to a particular version of theology, Jesus felt the giant wound of the human race.  He sensed acutely, agonizingly, that people were missing.  You can hear it in his story of the two brothers.  You can hear it in his metaphor of the lost sheep.  You can hear it in his parable of the banquet.  Jesus is grieved at a great absence.  What do you think about that?

Re:Verse reading–Luke 15:1-2, 11-32 (day two) 

But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! vs. 17

It happens at some point to all of us. We come to that moment where we realize our inability to go on. We have done all we can do on our own, and we are struck with the truth that it will never be enough. For you it may not be the absolute rock bottom like the prodigal son in this story, but we all get to the point where we look up and ask “why have I been on this path for so long?”

The story doesn’t end there. In what is becoming a familiar narrative for Dr. Luke the son’s first words to his father are complete contrition and humility.

And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ vs. 21 

When we experience that moment of brokenness and confess our utter need and dependence upon Jesus he does something very unexpected. He celebrates our return. We never get what we deserve when we submit to Jesus.

Re:Verse reading–Luke 15:1-2; 11-32 (day one) 

“This man receives sinners and eats with them.”–v 2.

I would probably have been uncomfortable.  You?  Jesus received sinners.  Ate with them.  Didn’t that blur the line of moral certainty?  Communicate acceptance or approval?

Why would He do it?  Great question!

In three brilliant stories Jesus provides the answer.  Lost sheep.  Lost coin.  Waiting Father.  The bottom line of each is the same.  Joy!

The reason that Jesus ate with sinners is rooted in the nature and purpose of God.  Heaven rejoices over repentance.  Even a single case!  The great purpose of God is evangelism and rescue and repentance and restoration.  Nothing makes Him happier.

To aim for your own happiness is one kind of life.  To aim for the joy of the Father is another.  “Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to Him.”–2 Corinthians 5:9.  And the way we do it is evangelism.

Re:Verse reading–Luke 7:36-50 (day seven)

If you were given the opportunity to invite anyone from history to a dinner party who would you invite?  Jesus, of course, George Washington, King Tutankhamun might be fun, and famed musician Bryan Richardson would round out the table nicely.  Once we got past the language barrier it would be incredible to hear what they think of the world today.

The most important response wouldn’t come from one of them though, it would come from you.  How are you going to treat Jesus?  The Pharisee from this week’s text treats Jesus like an honored dinner guest.  I’m sure his thought process was like ours.  We would anticipate holy credit for giving Jesus a prominent seat at our table.

The Pharisee didn’t get much credit though, in fact, he is put to shame by an unnamed sinful woman.  This sinner’s response is the only authentic response to Jesus.  Jesus deserves far more than a seat at our table, he deserves our tears, our humiliation, our total worship.  You could put Jesus at the head of the most lavish king’s spread this world has ever seen and it would not be enough.  Nothing will ever equal humble worship.

(Greetings from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic!  Larry and I are on a trip with South Texas Children’s Home doing the Lord’s work in the Caribbean.  We will be back with you next week.)

Re:Verse reading–Luke 7:36-50 (day five) The story of the Pharisee in Luke 7 starts off on a high note. He invites Jesus to eat at his house. This is gonna be a good night. Time with the savior, teaching from the Master, and the potential for life changing encounter. Yet, the great start quickly turns into a train wreck for the Pharisee. He has clearly missed it. Look at verse 39. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.”
So, what happened? First and foremost, He didn’t understand who Jesus was. And in turn he couldn’t see the woman thru Jesus’ eyes. Interesting how one affects the other.

Before we have any hope or potential to see and love others as Jesus would want, we must acknowledge and understand at the deepest personal level who Jesus is and His love for the human race (begins with a sinner like me finding salvation and love- then translates into love for others that sees the potential power and change finding Christ can make).