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Welcome back—it’s been a tough few weeks for Christians in the United States. I can’t help but think about Zechariah 13:7-9 these days. I encourage prayer for Turning Point USA and its leadership.
Last Week’s Work
CROSS-REFERENCES
As I reviewed cross-references for was dead in vv24 and 32 on blb.org, I was drawn to these passages (all emphasis mine):
- Jesus told the religious leaders who opposed Him that anyone who hears His words and believes God has eternal life. They won’t be judged, and have already passed from death to life. The hour had arrived when the dead heard the voice of God and lived John 5:24-5.
- Jesus told Martha (whose brother, Lazarus, had been dead four days per 11:17) that He (Jesus) was the resurrection and the life, and whoever believed in Him, even if they die, they will live. Also, whoever lives and believes in Jesus will never die John 11:25-26.
- Paul advises the Romans not to present their physical bodies to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present themselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life Romans 6:13.
- Paul explains to the Ephesians that our richly merciful God loved us so much that even when we were dead in our trespasses, He made us alive together with Christ Ephesians 2:4-5.
- Paul repeats this to the Colossians: And you, who were dead in your trespasses …, God made alive …, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross Colossians 2:13-14.
- Later in Luke, Jesus reveals His mission statement to Zacchaeus (a reformed tax collector!): “… the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10.”
- This seems to be a fulfillment of the Lord God’s predictions to Ezekiel, “I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out,” Ezekiel 34:11, and, “… I myself will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed.” Ezekiel 34:16.
OTHER TRANSLATIONS
I found just one item that caught my eye as I compared the ESV, AMP, NIV, and GNT translations of verses 24 and 32. Only the Amplified Bible reflected the different word choice for alive I discovered last week in my interlinear review. Compare v24: for this son of mine was [as good as] dead and is alive again…. And v32: for this brother of yours was [as good as] dead and has begun to live… [emphasis mine]. To me, v32 better emphasized the “fresh start” I felt I received when God saved my life.
COMMENTARY
I reviewed several commentaries this past week. From my notes, these observations stood out:
- The father didn’t even give the younger son a chance to request servitude. Also, the significance of the ring was that the father would pay the young man’s debts (vv22-24). James B. Coffman.
This reminded me of Paul’s message to the Colossians, above. - Four groups are mentioned at the beginning of Chapter 15: tax collectors and sinners, who gathered to hear Jesus and hope, and the Pharisees and scribes, who gathered to find fault and condemn. Chuck Smith.
I felt the younger son represented the first group, and the older son, the second. While God loves both, only the lost being found is cause for celebration. - When the prodigal came to himself, he realized he couldn’t fix his situation, and his father was the only one who would help him. John Gill.
This resonated so much with my story! - Kelly’s commentary likens the prodigal’s story to the whole of Scripture, from Adam and Eve’s alienation from God to our eventual reconciliation through Christ and the wonderful celebration of life awaiting at the end. Here, too, there is an emphasis on the realization that the wayward son was powerless to save himself, he had to rely on the father’s grace, while the older son emphasized his service to the father, William Kelly.
That smacks of self-sufficiency to me!
Dig-In Challenges
This coming week, let’s wrap up our study of Luke 15:11-32 and align with what we’ve discovered here:
- PRAY: Read the prayer created in Step 1.
- ALIGN: Review our study notes and other work, focusing specifically on what we’ve learned in this study.
- ALIGN: Then, considering those “lessons learned,” think about how the Spirit has convicted us through this study. In other words, where has He shown us misalignment between what we’ve discovered and how we practice our faith?
- ALIGN: Next, let’s look to God’s Word for guidance to correct that misalignment. This is often—but not always—a verse from the study text or from one of the cross-references.
- ALIGN: And finally, reflect on how we can change thoughts or actions to align more closely with what we’ve discovered here. To make this work, I commit to change something and do my best to act on that commitment every day for at least three weeks.
If you haven’t been able to work through everything with me in the last seven weeks, I encourage you to read through my previous posts in this series and ask the Holy Spirit to work with you on steps 3-5 above. I know the Lord will bless your efforts to understand and apply His Word!