THE PRODIGALITY of the father .... in the Prodigal Son Story

This wealthy country resident plantation owner has 2 sons. 

The older son projected the more conformity personality ... whilst the younger son showed an adventurous and independent profile. Luke depicts this rich father as a forgiving character. 

Our compliments to the father... The younger son grew up .... becoming a prodigal - when he dissipated his inheritance wealth.   His older son .. at worse was a grudger.  

On hindsight we cannot help but conclude that the father was to be blamed - directly or implied...... for the characterization personalities of his 2 sons.  And ironically .. the father also ended up - a prodigal himself.

How long the younger son stayed in the Far Country where he squandered all his wealth is not mentioned.  What mattered was his dragged footprints .. coming back home.   And how long the father had patiently waited is also left blank.  That young lad quit home - loaded with monies; he dragged himself home in rags.

Wouldn't it be fitting that the father should celebrate .. this prodigal's return? The Balance of Scales indicates however that the father splurges - with extravagance. (Luke 15:22,23)

Interpreter's Bible mentions one Scotsman - Edwin Mcneil Puteat's interpretation that "the father was also a prodigal - a materialist - casual and worldly in the upbringing of his sons - and sentimental in his forgiveness - shallow always in bourgeois mind -  - is a justifiable and very valuable application, but surely not a justifiable implication.

Evidences stand out

Our discerning minds can visualize the picture of a rich capitalist plantation owner - who was the more preoccupied with status consciousness and exhibiting his pride and arrogance. The elder son had no reason to be angry; already he has two thirds of the family's inheritance and the wounded younger brother's shameful ... return. Yet the elder brother was so very bitter and contemptuous. 

Why this fractured relationship? The elder son - stayed home ... faithful in his duties, etc. Unawares perhaps.. the father took things for granted.

-- was but only given routine gifts whilst the returned younger brother is having a hefty, gaiety party.

The father was over-indulging towards the younger pet ... and immensely spoiling - and often yielding to the Give Me fancies and whims of this spoilt brat. Not wanting to be sarcastic ... these ill factors paved that Journey into the Far Country!

Submitting ... shockingly to the younger son's request for his one-third share of the family's inheritance before his demise .. was never done in Eastern Countries. That father granted both possession and disposition to this demanding erring brat. This was Very Exceptional. 

What the shepherd ... and the woman... did in the 2 earlier stories were not anything out of the ordinary.  But what the father did here - was something Very Unusual.   Mid East Rabbis testify that this has never been done. Customarily a father would refuse and punish the brat... Yet there was the claim that what the father did - was an act of unprecedented love. This can be dangerous!

- When imbalanced... the Scale of Values was so tilted that it led to the elder son's refusal to join in the celebration. 

# Love has to be impartial. Love has to be weighed and measured.

Ignoring this ... gave that young bullying his father brat - power over his father.  On Hindsight.. Contemporary Social Identification in their Differences are but "Projections" of these Stories.

Jesus showed....that Good People Can Go Wrong

It was Jesus who told these stories. He was addressing the Scribes and Pharisees - contrasting Good People against Bad People the Insider excluding the Outsider the Sadness of Being Lost and the Joy of Being Found.

We witness a wealthy father *partial " pampering * extravagant and recklessly wasteful * splurging and overdoing it * indulging in showmanship * proud and arrogant.....

This Discourse carries us into the Future of Family Development and - to a certain extent - Community Bonding.

Be Aware and Beware that Social Style with Social Activities has its Dangers.. And this time around .. Masses - instead of individuals .. can Go Awry!

What kind of father - or mother are we?

Pastor Edwin Khoo

END.

Sources: Interprteter's Bible - William Barclay Series - Oxford Companion to the Bible - Kenneth Bailey's Poet & Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes - Christian Theology by M.J. Erickson... History of the Future by Peter Lorie and Sidd Murray Clark

GOD has THREE SONS.....

The Prodigal Son Story concluded without an Ending.... And that hides a message. The Interpreters' Bible Commentaries ingenuously bids us step into another dimension.

Jesus first addressed this parable to the Scribes and Pharisees... And there were many other diverse listeners standing by. Had they all listened intently .... they would have heard another story.

GOD has 3 sons.... two of them were sons on earth - created by God. The younger son on earth forgot his true home; and through pride of flesh sank into shame. The older son on earth, despite being mindful of the skies, began to despise his younger brother - through hardness of his heart.

 

Photo of The church of the Holy Sepulchre

 

 

The Son in Heaven abides always in His Father's Joy. But a shadow fell on both of them whenever they think of the children on earth.... Suddenly one though of resolve came upon them..... The Father said, "I will send the Child of my Abidingness to seek them." And the Son replied, "I will go so that my brothers may come home; and my Father no longer need grieve." So the Son of Heaven took flesh...and walked the roads of earth.

He found the younger prodigal ..... ate his husks and shared his shame. But the prodigal was deaf. "He's no brother of mine," he shouted back, "and God is but only a name." So the Son of God's Abidingness then found the elder prodigal - who was then in church. He also was hard at heart. "Why should you seek my brother?", he bursts out bitterly, "for he is a wastrel. You're no better than he!"

The IB commentator now takes us .. back into Time and Theology. 

 

Quote:

"Then befell the most, cruel thing earth has ever known. The two prodigals killed the Son of God's Abidingness for His light was pain to their afflicted eyes. 

 

In the hate that yearning can bring they slew Him on the Cross. But, but He prayed for them as He died.(Luke 23:24)

Photo of The Collosseum in Rome..... AD 80

 

 

Time passed ... and phased on... The younger prodigal said, "I would return to God if I had not killed His only-begotten Son..... but now!" The elder prodigal then said, "I never knew my lovelessness until I saw His love... but I have killed Him... so now...!! (I Peter 2:24,25)

It then dawned upon the sons of men that God Unsparing sent His Son to die on the Cross. He bled . a burden gladly bearing.. He died to take away my sins......

But then... the Son of God's Abidingness rose from the dead - for the grave could not imprison Him nor stubborn souls soured up His soul. He arose. He is with us.

Photo of Rome in the 4th century and the Council of Chalcedon - to lead the Christian world..

 

Both the prodigals then knew.. He came back. What they then did .. who can say! The Prodigal Son Story does come to an End - in us. You and I must need write another story - a New Beginning.

Sources: Interpreters Bible Commentary, William Barclay, Kenneth E. Bailey, the Hymn "How Great Thou Art!"

 

Pastor Edwin Khoo

 

The Lost Elder Brother .. (Luke 15:25-30)

Introduction

The Elder Son Story begins with the elder brother coming home from outside the house - from the fields. As he approached the house he heard music and dancing.....

Surprisingly he wasn't informed of the younger brother's return - the more reason to do so by the disgusting way the younger brother left the house. But the appearance of this elder son - at that juncture is significant. The father undoubtedly knows his elder son will be upset - and, if notified, may even stop and call off the banquet. And Jesus, in telling the story, had him appeared at this juncture to heighten the comparison between the 2 sons.

Even the timing of the feast is significant. It was in the early evening when the workers would be returning from the fields - just as the elder son also appears. The loud music signals of 'something good' is going on and there's 'something to eat' 

 

There's no formal official opening. The village people just drop in - sing, dance, drink wine, talk, gossip, eat, go out, come back....And many more are returning from the fields.... many more will pop in. The eating - drinking - dancing and singing, etc... will last half the night.

And Kenneth Bailey lay stress on this: Everything Moves. To the Arabs - Movement is Blessing. Village life is dull. The more movement there is - the more enthusiasm. And the more enthusiasm - the More Blessing. This is a loud party with almost the whole village involved The loud singing and rhythmic hand clapping comes naturally from/to the village/kampung people. 

 

The peoples are rejoicing together - just as in the 'found - joy' stories of the lost sheep and of the lost coin. of Luke 15:4,7)

 

 

 

Photo of Israel and the Great Empires

The elder son appears on this rapturous scene. But surprisingly... decided NOT to join in.....He is unnaturally suspicious.  Any son, in a normal warm relationship with his family, would eagerly enter immediately and participate in the joyous occasion. The beat of the music - rhythmic hand clapping is evidence of a joyous occasion. Village rhythms are specific and well known. Has he always been unnaturally suspicious...!

The elder brother was actually sorry - that his younger brother came back.

His attitude typifies that of the self-righteous Pharisees who would rather see the sinner/lost one destroyed.. than saved.. This fault-finder elder brother sees not his own fault.

His years of obedience service are one of grim duty and not of loyalty.

His self-righteous character bears testimony to his lack of compassion towards his younger brother.

His peculiar nasty mind exposes him... - there was no mention of prostitution amongst the list of the younger's list of wrongs until he mentions it.

Photo of Jesus was a friend to the Outcasts

His "Staying Out" was Unusual - and Wrong.

He brushed aside the Culture of his peoples and violated the Fifth Commandment. He quarelled with his father - over the way his younger brother was received back home.

Rightly, he should have entered the house - fulfilled his role as joint host(as is required of the elder son) - publicly embrace the return of his younger brother. (In some parts of some villages - the elder son is required to stand barefooted at the door to greet guests....) - he should be moving amongst the guests, offering compliments ... making sure that every guest is being served.

Such custom is widespread across Arab Village Life.....

And when all the guests have gone home.. - only then he can complain against the public fashion accorded earlier to an untrustworthy younger brother. Instead... he chose to ignore the Values of the Culture of his peoples ...and home.   

 

And his quarrel with his father was an insult against the high regard for the authority of fathers in Middle East Culture.   He refused to participate in the banquet hosted by the father. He ignored the Values of the Culture - and Customs of his peoples 

 

We see now a 2nd repeat of a break in relationships between father and son... similar to the earlier ... with the younger son.

For the purpose of this story... this is a very serious matter when sons insult a father.(See Luke 15:28) - the more so in a village where everybody knows everybody. What the elder son did - and he did it publicly ... was humiliating ... whilst the guests were still present. Ignore Customs/Culture... and we lose Values.

For a 2nd time on the same day, the father goes out of the house offering in public humiliation. Unexpected Love; the father comes out to entreat - not to scold or rebuke.

Ignoring even to address his father - "father..." in verse 29 confirms his Loss in Values....Respect. He was the more focussed on Balance of Payments ... Disputes over the Rights of Wages when he said, ".... thou never gavest me a kid" (Luke 15:29) He got his perspectives upside down....

Photo The Practice of Justice,

After insulting his father publicly, yet he dare say, "I never disobeyed your commandment." (Luke 15:29) The crowd is there. Sweet talk but very subtle!. 

The music and dancing automatically stops - when the father unexpectedly forgives the younger son. The crowd is stunned initially expecting the younger son to be punished. Instead .. the father unexpectedly forgives his younger son. "It was meet that we should be merry... for this thy brother ... was lost.... and is found." (Luke 15:32)

What follows .... has been remembered ... and has been re-told again and again in that Village for years - into Time Immemorial .. for Jesus to re-tell this Story. 

 

There are 2 prodigals. Whilst the younger was indifferent and rebelious - while absent from the house in the far country; the elder was also a prodigal - with anger, prejudice, jealousy in his heart whilst at home and in church. 

 

That Far Country begins from where ever we are. Even saints do get lost .. in church. The younger son was an honourable sinner - perfectly open to his father; but the elder son was a hypocritical saint - he hid his feelings and bore grudges.

He remained home - but all the while hating his father and brother: "this your son" instead of "my brother" exposes his hypocrisy.

The Theology/Theme behind the 3 Stories

- the Lost Sheep speaks of the Shepherd seeking it - until he found that lost sheep

- the Lost Coin tells of the Poor Village Woman searching it - until she found it.

- the 2 Lost Sons - unbesieged by a tolerant father summarises both the above 2 stories.

* the young prodigal was like the lost sheep - wandering off for the far country.

* the elder prodigal was at home/in the church - like the lost coin all the time but equally lost.

What each story teaches

the lost coin

it was not the coin's fault that it got lost. Some one lost it. There are people who got lost through no fault from them; but from the fault of others. It is bad to wrong ourselves; but it is far worse to cause others to stumble.

the lost sheep

it got lost through foolishness - thoughtlessness. So often we get lost through want of foresight. The sheep kept on niblng on and on - never taking stock of the shepherd, his companions...etc

We get so concerned with Now so much so that we forget the Future - Our Tomorrows is but the Result of our Todays.

the lost younger brother

he was allowed the freedom to have things his own way. When we know what is wrong - yet kept on insisting on doing it.... we reap the harvest thereon.

Life's lesson: Prevention is better than Curing...! or Learning life the Hard Way!?

Photo Moral Distortion

Conclusion

 

GOD does not want servants/hirelings - but sons. The younger son was lost. He left home; but he came back! The elder son was also lost.. Didn't he come back?

Do NOT only look at this story to the Pharisees - and the Publicans. Jesus is discussing 2 basic types of people: 1) lawless without the law and 2) lawless within the law.

Both rebelled. Both broke the father's heart. Both are lost.

One accepts the status of "being found"; the other - as far as we know - does not.... and remain "being lost". As Jesus conludes His story, He left out the ending!?

And this is the masterpiece of the Drama. The curtain drops - with the elder son - outside.  The Pharisees had to give their answers.

Likewise - each one of us must decide what our answer will be. We can choose to remain outside or we can choose to come home.

Let us pray.

Dear God, our Heavenly Father ... why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading, why should we linger and heed not His mercies. Ye who are weary, come home!

Come home! Take our hands, O God - and lead us home. Amen.
 

Pastor Edwin Khoo

The Lost Prodigal. Luke 15:11-24 - through the eyes of the patriarchs

Introduction

Observe Jewish History:

"Younger brothers are 'traditionally rebels'. The older is worldly - niggardly - orthodox - hypocritical. All the patriarchs - after Abraham - were younger brothers:

Abel - Jacob - Joseph - Gideon - David - Judas Maccabeans. What happens here is in line with Jewish Tradition.

A parable is not an allegory. The father is not God incognito; but an earthly father(v. 18) Yet he is a symbol of God.  Jesus was too great an artist - and too good a psychologist to put all truth about God in one story. And this story is but the 3rd of a group of 3 stories; they're trying to project God.

This prodigal's request for his share of property - in the way he wants it ... was something unheard of.  

Since ancient times in the Middle East a request for property rights - whilst the father was still alive was something unheard.  Was this story then - a true actual case.. but an isolated one that actually happened?  He requested for his 1/3 share of the inheritance. It was granted. Under the Misnah... that only gives him ownership but with no right of disposal.  He then pressured his father for the right to dispose.

Surprisingly, the father signed off that right of disposal as well - and to both sons. Luke did not give any hint .... but we can impute that objecting would come to naught. Relationships in that family were far from warm.

The Land in Early Jewish History 

Abraham and family lived a partially nomadic and settled life.   They moved about with their flocks; but also did some cultivation.  In Mesopotamia, where Abraham came from, the allocation of land was the feudal system.  The king provided gifts of land ("fiefs:) - in return for the promise of personal service. This land would be passed on from father to son.  When the Israelites entered Canaan.. God became the owner of the land.  Each family received their land by lot(Joshua 15)...Each family's plot of land was/is revered as the gift of God:

".......His Hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.."(Isaiah 34:17)

Picture of the Land of the Israelites - and of Galilee

Normally.... heirs receive their share of the property ... at the death of the father(Hebrew 9:16-17) Hence, the prodigal's request can be interpreted as a profound break in relations between father and son.

That boy was indeed - already lost.  Properties often passed to the oldest son - to carry on the family name and to perpetuate the property...

 

Picture of the Dry Hills and Fertile Valleys of Lake Galile and the Fertile Basin Lands around Galilee

1st century Palestinian Ceremony: the "Qesasah" = "Cutting Off"

If a man sold his field to a Gentile;  his relatives would bring barrels of parched corn and nuts - and break them open in the presence of the children.  They would all proclaim, "So-and-so" is cut off

from his inheritance."  This custom was in force at the time of Jesus...  This prodigal took his property ... and wasted it in a foreign country - not at the time of his departure.  Hence both Luke and Matthew mention no details.  This "Qesasah" Culture ....is extremely significant - as it sought the Preservation of the Solidarity of Life both in the Family and the Community.

The prodigal had wronged not only his father - but also the community, his extended family.  And this explains why the father ran ... when he saw him at the edge of the village.  

 

The father had to get to this returning son first - before he fell into their hands. An old man ... never runs.  More so - a rich old farm owner.  He has to make public - his acceptance of the prodigal.

What the father did was - unusual ..... in similar ways to what he did earlier on. He granted the prodigal(s) both possession and disposition - jeopardizing his own position in old age. What the shepherd and woman did in the previous 2 stories of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin was not anything out of the ordinary. But what the father did here - was Unusual - and Unique. This has never been done by any father in the past.
 

 

In the Far Country...".... he joined himself to a citizen of that country"(Luke 15:15)

"..... there arose a mighty famine .. he began to be in want(Luke 15:14)  There was a series of ten famines.... in and around Jerusalem from 169 B.C. to A.D. 70 - excluding those resulting from wars.

Luke's Gospel was written in the early 60's - just before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. When he first arrived - either in Egypt or Antioch or Rome - as was common amongst wealthy young men of Jesus' time on earth - he was known to have plenty of money to throw around ... and is expected to have some respect left.  

So the polite way a Middle Eastener wants to get rid of such 'hangers on' was to give them a job he knew this upstart would refuse.  To his shock the prodigal accepted the job of a pig herder.  The pride of this youngster has not yet been completely broken.  No Jew would ever go near pigs.

The wild carob berries, fed to the pigs - but edible to humans .. could not sustain him. It lacks nourishment.  So he tried begging. The text portrays him ".... and no one gave him anything." His

subsistence dole from herding the pigs could not keep him alive. ".... I perish here with hunger'' He was starving.  Hunger .. significantly pushed him to Sensible Thinking.  He came up with a Face-Saving Plan.

He schemed to be a "hired servant'. Hired servants were 'outsiders' - a casual worker to be employed as and when required.  He was a freeman - unlike the bondsmen and slaves; the latter two were considered as part of the family.  His social status would be lower than the bondsman and the slaves; but it would give him independence from his father - and he will not be eating his brother's bread.  

The Mishna enlightens: "Whatever is not consumed... is added to the capital which the elder brother will inherit ... hence the elder brother will resent the prodigal's presence." The prodigal wants to be free from both the father and his elder brother.

Conclusion

The prodigal began in self-will. He was not wicked at first. He only chose to live his own life - his own way. The father could have tried persuading him to stay back; but could not have obliged him to be filial.

There was already one prodigal at home.  Be aware that the boy who came back was thinking more for/of himself than about his father or/and his elder brother.  Know that this story cannot be a Full Theology; it only seeks One Central Truth.  God welcomes the Outcasts. 

Jesus stressed this ... because the Publicans and Sinners did not - could not believe it and because the Pharisees and Scribes did not wish to believe it.  The story ended - with the prodigal inside the house; the elder brother stayed outside! How tragic!

Jesus is walking away from His Church....this scene comes to me very frequently and constantly - in my dreams.!! We shut Him out... Is God proud of what we are doing.....Aren't we ashamed?

- Pastor Edwin Khoo

The Story of the Lost Coin - through the eyes of a peasant and a bedouin

The Story of the Lost Coin (Luke 15:8-10)

 

Jesus often used parables in pairs. The story of the Lost Sheep revolves around a man; this one - around a woman.

Observe 

 

1. One makes a man, the shepherd the chief actor; the other - a woman.

2. In one, a sheep is lost - outside the fold; in the other - a coin is lost - inside a house.

3. In one, the sheep's ignorance is the cause for the loss; the other, the woman's carelessness.

Nevertheless, each story can stand on its own and on its own right. Each has its own amazing depth and simplicity.

These two stories are viewed by most commentaries as a Double Story:

A woman has ten silver coins; she loses one coin in her house.
She then lights a lamp - sweeps the floor; she seeks diligently until she finds it.

 

 

photo of the Bride's head dress

 

Having found it, she tells her friends and neighbours - and cries, "Rejoice with me -
for I have found my lost coin."

The emphasis is on the preciousness of that coin. - and of the sadness turning to joy when the woman found it.

That lost drachma of a coin was one tenth of her pathetic savings; and one-half of the Temple Tax. But the real value lies far more than the monetary worth of the single coin.

 

# the Beauty of a Necklace as a Whole is not there - when one coin is missing.

 

# a Bride's Betrothal-Wedding Gift - her most precious, treasured gift.
 

 Hence - the intensity of her search. She searches until she found it - followed by Joy.

 

 

 

 

Picture of the Wedding Couple-

A Jew would accept an aggrieved man crawling back to God; but not a God - seeking and searching
No Pharisee would dream of a God - like that.

 

Understand. Appreciate the Cultural Elements

Searching of money of the poor makes the loss of a coin a sad event. Most peasant villages are self supporting.

They make their own cloth; grow their own food. Hence the loss of a silver coin is of greater value in the homes of these peasant women. 

 

Kenneth Bailey who lived and worked amongst Middle Eastern Culture for over 20 years says that
"a distinction must be made between a bedouin and a villager. Bedouin women wear their dowry in the form of coins hanging on their veils.

 

Village women do not. Village women, however do wear coins on necklaces."

The Coin can be found. Movements of peasant women in village houses are extremely limited - as most houses are crammed. The woman has not been out; the coin has to be in the house. It can be found... if she keeps on sweeping the floor - though made of packed and pounded earth.

Why did Jesus tell these stories?!

 

He used the proscribed, denounced shepherd for the Lost Sheep Story. Now.... Jesus used the inferior status of a woman.

He is challenging and rejecting the Pharisaic Discrimintion - against the Outcasts and Common People.....

Insight reveals deeper meanings.  One out of ten coins is lost - against one in a hundred sheep.

And the coin has - Values beyond monetary worth. The search is now the confines of a small villlage house as against the wide open wilderness.  And the Assurance is the more intensified - that lost one can be found - if foresight and effort are there.

Witness the Drama of Life. The tragedy of life is followed by the grief stricken search - and then comes the Joy of Finding.

We share our Griefs.. Share also our Joys! 

 

Never return a Kindness. Pass it on 

 

And that would warm God's heart as well.

 

 

Pastor Edwin Khoo

Story of the Lost Sheep - through the eyes of the Peasants

Dear ....

Preface

These essays on Lost and Found .... by Kenneth E. Bailey - including comments by others and self -
pinpoint a "penetrating, theological and pastoral approach .. with careful attention to subtle details - making it very stimulating."

The same culture which underlay these stories in Jesus' time can be discovered today in isolated peasant communities in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. Time has made almost no impact on these cultural pockets.

 

photo of Shepherds and flocks
gather at the entrance of this
typical village in Syria



Introduction

Jesus told this story to the Scribes and Pharisees to defend His association with the common people/the outcasts

- the People of the Land (as William Barclay puts it) and to stress God's concern for these 'lost' people.

Interpreters' Bible Commentary pleads that we observe carefully 

* that Jesus told this story to the Pharisees and Scribes

* the Significance of the Direct Approach of the Good Shepherd seeking the lost sheep..

Barclay puts it explicitly. It was an offence to the Scribes and Pharisees that Jesus associated with men and women... labelled as the Outsiders. There was a complete barrier between the Pharisees and the People of the Land.

The Pharisees looked sadistically forward not to the saving but to the destruction of these outcasts..


Shepherds in Jesus' days were prescribed as "unclean'

Leave open the whys and hows.  Jesus' Story of the Lost Sheep and the Good Shepherd - addressed to the Pharisees was a direct challenge against the Issue of Social Status - "Which one of you having a hundred sheep..." came not only as a shock but an insult to these aristocrats.

Social Status - identified with particular professions then and today - is still very much alive. Pre-judging and Prejudice are very much alive even in churches. How can we overcome prejudice...?!

Barclay gives the complete picture of the Judean shepherd. His task was hard and dangerous. Pasture was scarce. The narrow central plateau was only a few miles wide.. and then it plunged down to the wild cliffs and the terrible devastation of the  deserts below.

George Adam succinctly describes the role of these peasant shepherds.

"On some high moor across which at night the hyenas howl, when you meet him - sleepless, far-sighted, weather beaten, always leaning on his staff and looking out over his scattered sheep, everyone of them on his heart... you understand why the shepherd of Judea sprang to the front in his peoples' history; why they gave his name to the king and made him the symbol of providence; why Christ took him as the type of self sacrifice.

The shepherd was personally responsible for the sheep. If a sheep was lost, the shepherd must - bring home the fleece to show how it died. It was all in the day's work that a shepherd was prepared to lay down his life for his sheep.. Many of the  flocks belong to the village - as is the case in this story of the one hundred sheep. The average villager owned but 5-15 sheep.

Photo Picture Cluster of Village Houses...

... a sheep lost

A lost sheep would lie down helplessly - cries loudly - bleats incessantly - refuses to budge.

The Peasant Judean shepherd knows such plight - and peculiarities. He carries the sheep - on his shoulders.

The ground the sheep travels during a day is not intensive. And there's the assumption that the lost sheep can be found...These peasant shepherds are experts at tracking; they could follow the sheep's footprints for miles.

Finding comes first. Restoration follows thereafter. Hence the Rejoicing Joy..... A peasant shepherd on finding a sheep lost - whilst still in the wilderness - uncultivated land ... leaves the 99 sheep in the care of the other shepherd(s). In Syria, Palestine or Mesopotamia .. it is common to see a flock of sheep attended to by 2 or even 3 shepherds.

The other shepherd(s) would lead home the 99.... On arrival.... the neighborhood notices the absence of one shepherd..

The whole village waits anxiously - concerned over the safety of both shepherd - and sheep. Peasant shepherds are armed only with a rod/staff - and the most important sling; they're experts in the use of them....

Peasant shepherds come back at night; the returning sheep are kept in the Courtyard(s) of the Viilage Courtyard(s)

 Photo of a Village Courtyard...


Do not confuse Peasant shepherds with Bedouin shepherds; the latter are wanderers. Bedouin shepherds and their sheep sleep in the open - or in the Caves. And they are the more endangered to wild and bigger predators or even robbers.

Except to get lost, the sheep does nothing to prompt the shepherd to seek/search for it.  In the story, the shepherd found the lost sheep. JOY is reported over the Recovery of the one sheep that had been lost over/against the ninety-nine - not  endangered. (Matt 18:13b)  

Jesus psychologically intended to emphasise God's Magnanimous Concern for the 'lost' as well as
God's Joy at his recovery - return...




The Story ends with Theological Themes

* JOY in Restoration to the Community

* JOY in the Burden of that Restoration

* GOD'S Magnanimous Grace of/in Seeking the lost

* JOY in the Safe Return of the Seeking Shepherd
- much as he could be blamed for the sheep's loss.




When the night is very dark;  that's when one candle makes all the difference.
"The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not fear.." Psalm 23:1





Pastor Edwin Khoo

WHY FORGIVE ?

Forgiving paves the way to 'begin anew'
"I've been wronged.... It's not up to me to initiate forgiveness. How can I forgive when he is not even sorry!"

The Unforgiving suffers the Predicament of Irreversibility. The Cycle of Resentment develops Animosity. It builts up. The wound never heals.

Look at the squabble between Adam and Eve. Eve said, "You ate the apple"
And Adam replied, "You gave the apple to me...."
 
Squabbles seldom end. The issue is not who is right; but what needs to be rightfully done.
 
Forgiving avoids the right's issue. The prime purpose of forgiving is to allow the parties involved to Begin Anew. We are not animals. Our faculty to forgive makes us different.

"I cannot forget."

Don't try to. It's the Remembering that paves the way to Forgiving.
Dr. Gary Collins, a psychologist with a PhD in Clinical Psychology and author of the Book CHRISTIAN COUNSELLING, cautions that it may "not be wise to forget.'  We risk repeating the wrongs .. when we 'ignore' past wrongs.

Remembering the wrong(s) done us helps us to resolve to right that wrong...
And because we do remember - makes it possible to remember NOT to forget
BUT to forgive.
 
Simon Peter remembered he had denied knowing Jesus - 3 times.
Jesus remembered those denials also...

Peter's denials had 'hurt' Jesus; but it also 'hurt' Peter himself. And knowing Peter's person....he must have despised himself. Come - Good Friday - the Third Day... And Jesus Came Back.

At Tiberias by the Sea of Galilee Mount Tabor - Jesus met Peter and the rest.
Jesus did not forget. He gave Peter a Second Chance.

Peter was forgiven. And Jesus followed through - pushing Peter to
* found the Faith of Christ and to
* feed His Sheep of His Church.

Jesus not only forgave Simon Peter; Jesus gave Simon Peter a 2nd Chance.

Join me in this Prayer:
I came to my Jesus with a quivering lip - my task undone
"Master, give me another sheet. I have soiled this one."
In place of the Old Sheet - stained and blotted, He gave me a new one.
And into my glad face, He smiled: "Do better next time, my child. Do better next time, my child."

What would it be like - if Peter never fell?
Such a Peter(however worthy and admirable) would never be as close to us - as the Peter
* who denied Christ... at the high priest's court and
* whom Jesus restored ... at the Sea of Galilee.

Everyday opens the Door for a 2nd Chance.
By the Grace of God - even a broken heart with a blemished past beckons us on...

* Begin Once More. Do Better next time, my child.
Never Confuse a mere bend as the end.

Forgiving brings Healing. Though morality and religion play their parts, the Very Act of Forgiving brings about Healing...
* Healing benefits the person who forgives....
For Biblical Joseph who bore a well deserved grudge against his brothers who sold him off as a slave...
* Forgiveness resulted in a Flood of Tears - and Relief......

God's Forgiveness of us comes with a Contingent. The Lord's Prayer makes it explicitly clear ".... forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone..."(cf Lk 6:37; Mt 6:12,14,15)

* Only as we forgive could we be forgiven.
Psychologically, this is Unerring Insight. We are asking God to forgive us for we have forgiven others.

But this 'contingent' raises some difficulties:
It appears to make God's forgiveness - not as a free gift of grace
but as a reward for a virtue on our part.
 
Insight on the other hand clarifies.
The words "for we ourselves forgive everyone..." are to be understood
* not as the ground on which God bestows forgiveness
* but the ground on which we can receive it.
Forgiveness and Repentance are Inseparable; they are 2 sides of a Coin. Interpreters' Bible pin points this as an Indispensble Moral Fact.
We cannot talk of Forgiveness without Repentance. Heaven rejoices over the wrongdoer who repents - just as the Poor Woman rejoices
in finding her ... One Lost Coin.
 

Forgiving Opens Doors of Opportunity for the wrongdoer
John 8 depicts the Scene of a woman caught in the act of adultery. It disturbs - rattles. The woman was the more 'open' - she admitted her guilt whilst her oppressors 'repressed' theirs. The disturbing point lies with those who repressed....suppressed their guilts. Adultery takes 2 to commit. Only she alone was put on trial...!?

Only she was the 'more open' And here is the Catch to Grace.. that act/behaviour of hers - is Repentance. We come to the Lord's Table/Holy Communion - with Open Hands. I ask my communicants as they kneel at the altar rail to have their hands opened....
 
And I would tenderly and devoutly place the elements of bread ...followed by the wine into their Opened Hands.

* Only Opened Hands Can Receive... Closed .. Clenched Hands NEVER can receive...

Jesus' Refusal to condemn her does not mean the excuse for her sinning....
Jesus would not pass sentence/endorse the harsh sentence of the salacious Pharisees - who paraded the woman's shame in public.

What Jesus wrote .... on the ground attracts many interpretations...

Albeit - Jesus bids her give up forever her wrongful/sinful life...

And Jesus .. gives her a 2nd Chance.

Only Luke gives us the Parable of the Good Samaritan - and the Parable of the Prodigal Son. And only Matthew gives us the Parable of the Unforgiving Slave.
Simply put and in Sharp Truth, the Plea for Compassion is Unsurpassed
* If God can forgive us... why can't we do likewise. Be a good example - not to man but to GOD.(Matt 18:35)

Alexandre Dumas "The Count of Monte Christo" tells the story of a wronged man - obsessed with vengeance to right the wrong done him by 4 men.
This story appeals to our sense of justice. But Victor Hugo's "Les Miserable" awakens in us the Sense of Grace. And Grace transforms.

A galley slave of Jean Valjean ... became the mayor of a town. A resurrected Jesus led Peter into Forgiveness .. so that Peter need not go through life with a guilt on his conscience. And on that faith, Christ builds His Church. 

Forgiveness breaks the Cycle of Blame. Forgiveness loosens the Stranglehold of Guilt.

What about addressing the wrong?

Jean Valjean admitted no wrong. Yet the old, kind bishop forgave him - beyond law beyond justice. The magnanimous forgiveness on the part of the old bishop offered Jean Valjean - a 2nd Chance. He became a changed person.

God's 3 Humiliations Man feels it is demeaning - to forgive and insulting to his wounded pride.

Yet God chose to be humiliated... 

1) God became Man - the Incarnation - in Jesus. God chooses to be humiliated. He took on the confines of the physical body - so that He knows what it is like to be tired - to be tempted(Heb. 4:15; 2 Cor 5:19) He is one with us...

2) God shockingly chose the Way of the Cross - suffering the Ignominy, Disgraced death by Crucifixion - reserved for Criminals.

3) God ironically founded the Church; the Church has brought Him shame Who can be proud of the sordid images of the Crusades - Pogroms of the Jews - Slavery -Ku Klux Klan - the Holocaust....etc.

The Earth God Creates sadly seldom sees Him. They know God - often by how they judge us....And like it or not, the Church is God's Humiliation. And like it or not, the Church also is God's Pride... Examine the stories of Noah - Daniel - Abrahasm - Sarah - Joseph ... etc project Pride.

God is not ashamed to be called their God

Take the Bigger Step Beyond  Hitting Back. Getting Even places us below our enemy.  Why stoop to their level.?

Forgiveness sets us above him.



Pastor Edwin Khoo

HOW GOOD PEOPLE CAN GO WRONG?

HOW GOOD PEOPLE CAN GO WRONG?

"...... the Pharisees took counsel how they might entangle Him..."(Matt.22:15)
Why are the Pharisees so bent to put Jesus down?

The Pharisees emerged in Early Jewish History beginning from the Maccabean Revolt of 169-159 BCE.
 

chart/map 1 1(a) 1(b)

The Maccabeans strongly opposed the intrusion of Hellenistic/Greek Culture into Judaism. And very likely also - they saw the Hasmonean Movement of 140 BCE as an opportunity towards National Renewal and the Restoration of the Strict Observance of the Torah.

Old Testament Jewish History spoke of Priests and Scribes - until the Maccabean Period. Thereafter, they broke off.

And each sect became the more distinct. At this point in their history, we learn about the Sadducees and the Pharisees.

* the Sadducees came from the ranks of the Priests; whilst
* the Pharisees came from the Scribes.

Hereafter - the Pharisees became the Legal Custodian of the Torah; whilst
- the Sadducees were the more concerned about Status and Social Standing.


(see the Torah Scroll and the Fragment 2)

Their contrasting traits became the more pronounced during Greek Civilisation and Culture under Alexander the Great.

Strongly opposing any form of Greek Hellenisation, the Pharisees severed their ties with the Maccabeas.

Herein come the Dramatic Point:

* the Pharisees, as a group, became the Champion Exponents of the Torah.
Scribes, professional teachers of the Torah, were Pharisees.

Priests (only some) were Pharisees.

Zealots, extreme fanatics against Rome, were the left wing branch of the Pharisees.

All 4 Gospels depict the Pharisees only when they were in open conflict with Jesus.

The Pharisees were angered by Christ's Note of Authority (Matt 7:29)

Even the common people noted His Authority.

Matters became worse - when Jesus stressed that He came from - and spoke from God.

The Pharisees felt offended. They were men of learning - top scholars of their regime - whilst Jesus was but a village carpenter from Nazareth - a product from their synagogue schools.

Relationships soured up the more when Jesus claimed to be one with God and that no one can embrace God but by Him.

Henceforth, they came to dislike Jesus. If you dislike a person - whatever he does or says - gets twisted to suit your prejudices.

* Jesus' Note of Authority was interpreted - as a blasphemy. "He puts Himself in the place of God"

* Jesus' Note of Universalism - as Traitorism. "This man is not loyal to His own race"

* Jesus' Indifference to some of their Puritanical Ways - as morally dangerous.


Jesus invited Himself  to the home of Zacchaeus.

Only Luke records this strange encounter. And the whole impact of this familiar story lies in that one meeting - Zacchaeus meeting Jesus face to face - over a meal together.

Zacchaeus was determined to see Jesus.

Being short - as well as the massive crowds - he resorted to climbing the Sycamore/wild fig tree. Jesus pointedly came to that spot... And Jesus invited Himself .. to Zaccheus home.

That 'table fellowship'....... redeemed Zaccheus Past; it re-directed Zaccheus Future. The End of the Zaccheus Story - is God's Beginning.

The 'outsider' of being a Publican. Like the Pharisee, the Publican appears only in the Gospels. None at all in the N.T. And they're often linked with sinners - prostitutes - Gentiles.

Jesus' Parable of the Pharisee & the Publican portray significantly and contrastingly their places in the then society.

* the Publican humbly admits his low status whilst
* the Pharisee sarcastically boasts of his respectability - and despising the Publican as an outcast.

Who were the Publicans?

They were native Jews in the provinces of Judea of ancient Rome who 'collect' public taxes for revenue for the hated pagan regime of dictatorial Rome. They set up their 'offices' along the main roads - like the PLUS stops in West Malaysia and the Sea Ports - like Singapore's Jurong Point.

Abuses arose due to the system.

The Roman Senate farm out Direct Taxes to Capitalists - who undertook to put a Given Sum into the Treasury - in publicum.

So great a task .... brought about a Joint Stock Company - with Divisions and Sub Divisions ... down to the  Customhouse Officers. These are the Publicans.

And very often, these publicans - 'pushed' by their superiors in fraudulent actions

* overcharged(Luke 3:13)
* brought false charges of smuggling - then extract 'hush money'(Luke 19:8)

Violence was sometimes used.

It came as no surprise that the Publicans were regarded as traitors and apostates.

They were practically excommunicated.... and Zaccheus was the chief tax collector ... in Jericho. And/Yet Jesus befriended Zaccheus. The Puritanical Pharisees were shocked...


(See photo of the Pharisees.... no. 3)

The problem ... was apparently made worse in Judea - because of the religious element in the National Resistance against Occupied Oppression. 

Zacchaeus had reached the top of his career....; but he was the most hated man then.

Observe the humaness in Jesus: Pity. Kindness - as against the Contempt - Self Righteous of the Pharisees.

* the Law addresses itself to the act..
* Jesus is the more concerned with the thought/heart.

In Les Miserables Drama it was the kindness of a good old bishop which changed Jean Valjean and transformed his life. A galley slave to a town mayor.

To show that he was a changed man... Zacchaeus made compensations - restitutions beyond what was legally necessary. Testimonies are worthless - unless backed by deeds.
 
And what I find most compelling and appropriate is Zacchaeus Iron Determination to regain - the loss of his self-respect.

For all his wealth... Zacchaeus yearned to be treated - even just once - like a human being.

Jesus made the first move(verse 5) - and Zaccheus found his Self-Respect - again.

(Picture of Jericho: See Map no. 4)

Passing through Samaria - a Gentile Territory. 

Because of His growing popularity, crowds - mostly Jews - thronged Jesus.
And Jesus needed a break. In Gentile territory, no Jew would dare follow Jesus.

And this is first time - that Jesus went up North - as reported by the Gospels.
And perchance or by fate - Jesus encountered this outcast and morally depraved of a Samaritan woman.

John 4:1-9 paints someting mysterious about this Samaritan woman. She came to that well at Sychar(v.5) - which was more than half a mile away from Samaria.

.... she was a moral outcast - that even the village women drove her away from the village well.....

And like Zacchaeus - Jesus initiated the first move.
 
Jesus asked her to give Him a drink. She was shocked. "You are a Jew - yet you are asking a drink from one who is an outcast."

What dialogue transpired between a surprised outcast of a Samaritan and a friendly, kind Jewish teacher ... is not reported in detail.

No matter how we rationalise ... we cannot help but 'see' that Jesus is offering to this marginalised outcast of the Samaritan woman

* a Unity in Diversity and
* a New Humanity in the Caring of People.

Here is Love Beyond Limits. Through this Magnanimous Jesus

* Shame is Transformed into a New Triumphant Life
- no longer the Pursuance to Dominant Status Quo but a New Creative Spirit of New Values.

* A New Humanity emerges - leaving behind the Destructive Racial, Religious Barriers that destroy.

The Centuries-Old Feud between Jews & Samaritans

In 720BC the Assyrians invaded Samaria, the Northern Kingdom - and transferred practically the whole population to Media(2 Kings 17:6)

Then the Assyrians brought into Samaria other peoples - from Babylon - Cuthah - Ava - Hamath - Sepharvaim...(2 Kings 17:24)

The minority, left behind, intermarried with the incoming foreigners.
So the Jews of the Northern Kingdom lost their Racial Purity.

Besides... the vast majority transported to Babylon never came back.  They were the Lost Ten Tribes.....

But a Remnant came back. And Foreigners from Syria and Mesopotamia also arrived. Most of these non-Jewish settlers adopted Judaism

- but they recognised only the Pentateuch/the first 5 books of the O.T. - causing Hostility with the Jews.

.... that one encounter - and asking of a drink - and drinking together. Again, no details were given. In all likelihood, the outcast must have unburdened her hurtful and tortured soul to this Stranger from Galilee.

How else would Jesus knew of - her tangled domestic affairs.

* the Samaritan - and a woman at that found in the most unlikely circumstances - a kind heart instead of the critical purity and superiority from a Jew.

* the Samaritan woman opened her heart; she found kindness in His eyes..... Jesus listened with understanding to a sorry story. And Jesus broke through the barriers of Nationality and Jewish custom.



Conclusion: the Great Divide

The proud arrogant Pharisees drove a wedge between themselves and the People of the Land.

Nicknamed 'Separatists' in their Upholding of the Law - they ended up being the Great Divide and giving the Fragrane of Superiority.

Keep reminding yourself..

* the Pharisees were Good People.... yet they present the most terrible illustration in all history of

How Good People Can Go Wrong.


Pastor Edwin Khoo