The Lord Jesus loves all children of God equally. And he wants to bless all of you equally and exalt all of you equally. But he's a heavenly father and he's the perfect father.
And like a good parent will be more concerned with the troubled child because they fear for that child. The same is with God. Do you know that?
How do I know the same applies to God? And the best example is the prodical son. Two sons, one faithful, the other rebellious.
When the rebellious son came after squandering his inheritance, after asking his father for his inheritance, his share of the estate, and by the way, I don't know if you understand the cultural significance. When the son asked his father for his share of the inheritance, you know what he was saying? I want you to understand the insult he spit in his father's face.
You don't distribute the inheritance until your father dies. when he tells his father, "Give me my share. " He's pretty much saying, "You are as good as debt to me.
I want your money more than your love. " But now notice the heart of the trinity. This represents the trinity.
Why? Because Jesus is explaining why he sits with sinners. Because he is the father welcoming in the prodical son.
It's not just about the father. It's about the trinity. Father, Holy Spirit, the one true God.
They are not proud because in this culture, what the son did to the father was the most shameful, humiliating thing you could do to your father in an honor shame culture. So the father to maintain his dignity and to save face would have to disown his son till death. But look what God says.
The hell with stereotypes, with the cast system. I came to overturn all of that and destroy all of that. I came to make all things new.
How do I know this is what God is saying? Well, watch here. When he divided his wealth between them, not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together, went on a journey into a distant country.
There he squandered his estate, living recklessly. Now, when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. Now, watch God overturn social norms and taboos, right?
And traditions. Watch. So he went ar himself citizen.
He sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he was desiring to be fed with pods that the swine were eating and no one was giving anything to him. But when he came to himself, he came to his senses.
He said, "How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I'm dying here with hunger. Even my father's servants live better than most. I will rise up and go to my father and will say to him, "Father, I've sinned against heaven and before you.
" Now heaven is what they call a circumlocution for God. Meaning out of Jewish reverence and piety as well as superstition, many Jews did not like to pronounce the name of God flippantly and treat it as an ordinary name. So at times they would use substitutes.
So instead of saying I've sinned against God, I've sinned against heaven. So what he's saying is, I've sinned against God and you. I'm no longer worthy to be called your son.
Make me as one of your hired men. He goes, "This is what I'm going to say to him. " So he rose up and came to his father, but while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion and ran and embraced and kissed him.
Now, here's where Jesus just overturned social taboos and pretty much got rid of this social religious cast. What do I mean? In that culture, the son would have to fall before his father's feet and plead with his father and beg his father for mercy.
In other words, a dignified father would not run to his son. He'd remain in the house and not even acknowledge his son until a son came crawling before him like a dog in order to restore the respect that he had been robbed of by what his son did. You you understand?
But in the parable, the father representing father, son, and holy spirit representing Jesus doesn't wait for the son to come growling like a dog. When he sees the son, came to a sentence, he ran, fell on him, embraced, hugged him, kissed him, and cried all over him. This is who Jesus is.
The hell with your social taboos, your customs, your traditions, your cast, the hell with it all. I came to make all things new. The father further humiliated himself in the eyes of people.
Why? Because in an honor shame culture, the father to be dignified would remain in the house, pretend that he's angry at his son and not even acknowledge that the son came graveling like a dog before his feet. The father says the hell with that man.
I don't give a damn what you think. My son was lost and now he's found. As far as I knew, my son was good as dead, but I see he's alive and he's come to his senses.
And he ran with open arms, fell on him, kissing him, hugging him, and crying all over him. That's the heart of God for the sinners who repent. That's the heart of God, right?
And the son said to him, "Father, I've sinned against heaven and before you. I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. " The father, look, he's not even focusing on that.
Said to his slaves. And in the parable, the slaves are angels. By the way, angels are the slaves.
Quickly bring out the best robe. Now the father will robe him in festal garments and royal garments showing him that there is no grudge, bitterness, hatred. It's simply pure love and compassion.
Put it on him. Put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. Bring the fatted calf.
It's time to feast, slaughter it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and has come to life again. He was lost and has been found.
And they began to celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and has come to life again. He was lost and has been found.
And they began to celebrate. But now the point that I made earlier, remember I said about parents and children that when there's a child who is rebellious or a child who is unruly or a child who's engaged in destructive behavior that causes the concerned parent to focus more on the troubled child, not the child who's well behaved. Well, here, where did I get it from?
I got it from here because now the well- behaved child, the son who was respectful and dutiful and never dishonor his father. Look at his attitude. Now his older son was in the field.
When he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. Summoning one of the servants, he began inquiring what these things could be. And he said to him, "Your brother has come and your father has killed the fattened calf because he's received them back safe and sound.
" But he became angry and was not wanting to go in. And his father came out, began pleading with him. But he answer said to his father, "Look, for so many years I've been serving you, never have I neglected a command of yours.
And yet never have you given me one young goat so that I might celebrate my friends. But when this son of yours came, notice what he said. This son of yours came," he didn't even acknowledge him as his brother.
He had such hatred, disdain for his brother. He didn't call him brother. He didn't say, "But when my brother came.
" No. But when this son of yours came who has devoured your wealth and with prostitutes, you killed the fat for him. You made a feast buffet.
Now watch her. And he said to him, "Child, you're always with me and all that is mine is yours. You are one with me.
My possession, your possession, my slaves, your slaves, my harvest, your harvest. It's all yours. But watch here.
But we had to celebrate and rejoice. Why? For this brother of yours, do you see the difference?
The older brother doesn't even dignify his younger brother and won't even acknowledge him as his brother. He says the son of his but the father reminds him he's your brother after all. Would you rather have your brother dead or alive?
Restored, repented, restored to his senses and reconciled to the family once again. What would you rather have? Who's the older brother in the parable?
the religious hypocrites right here. The tax sinners were coming near to him to listen to him. The Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling.
They represent the older brother. See what the Lord is doing with this uh parable.