And all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to Him, to hear Him. And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This one receives sinners and eats with them. And He spoke to them this parable, saying, Suppose one of you having a hundred sheep, and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety nine in the deserted place and go after the lost one until he finds it? And finding it, he puts it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And coming to the house, he calls together the friends and neighbours, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that had been lost. I say to you that so is joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety nine righteous ones who have no need of repentance.”
Suppose a woman has ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma does not light a lamp and sweep the house, and look carefully until she finds it? And finding it, she calls together the friends and neighbours, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma which I lost.” I say to you, So there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
And He said, “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to the father, “Father give me that part of the property falling to me. ” And he divided the inheritance between them. And not many days after, gathering up all things, the younger son went away to a distant country. And there he wasted his property, living dissolutely. But having spent all his things, a severe famine came throughout that country, and he began to be in need. And going, he was joined to one of the citizens of that country. And he sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he longed to fill his stomach from the husks which the pigs ate, but no one gave to him. But coming to himself he said, “How many servants of my father have plenty of loaves, and I am perishing with famine. Rising up, I will go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I sinned against Heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.”
And rising up, he came to his father. But he yet being far away, his father saw him and was moved with pity and he ran and fell on his neck and fervently kissed him. And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you, and no longer am I worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his slaves, “Bring out the best robe and clothe him, and give a ring for his hand and sandals for his feet. And bring the fattened calf, slaughter and let us eat and rejoice; for this son of mine was dead, and lived again, and was lost, and was found.” And they began to be merry.
But the older son was in the field. And having come, as he drew near to the house, he heard music and dances. And having called one of the children, he inquired what this may be. And he said to him, “Your brother came, and your father killed the fattened calf, because he received him back in health.” But he was angry and did not desire to go in. Then coming out, his father begged him. But answering, he said to the father, “Behold, so many years I serve you, and I have never transgressed a command of you. And you never gave a goat to me, so that I might be merry with my friends. But when this son of yours came, the one devouring your living with harlots, you killed the fattened calf for him.” But he said to him, “Child, you are always with me, and all of my things are yours. But to be merry and to rejoice was right, for this brother of yours was dead, and lived again; he was lost and he was found.”
Luke 15:1-32
Allow me to clip from what I shared in the last Gem: the question which came from David Stewart, my former Bible College principal.
The comparisons of the Jacob/Esau story with the two sons story are quite convincing, and I had never thought of that comparison, though I always emphasized that the triple parable, leading up to the climax in the last one, was a parable for the Pharisees. However I do have some questions: Your comparison 26 seems a little doubtful in the case of Esau. [“26. Both older brothers have not yet repented. Their grievance / bitterness is too strong” from Gem 1043] Yes, it does seem that Jacob does not trust Esau, but all of Esau’s words show nothing of his earlier fury, rather, like what Rebekah said, that after “a few days” [actually 20 years] Esau will turn away his fury, and forget his fury. His words and actions on meeting Jacob support this, though the only mention of further reunion is at the burial of their father.
Below I have clipped the relevant verses from the Bible:
and Esau said to Jacob, “Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished.” Therefore his name was called Edom.
Genesis 25:30
So Esau bore a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” “Now therefore, my son, obey my voice, and arise, flee to Haran, to my brother Laban! Stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury subsides, until your brother’s anger against you subsides and he forgets what you did to him. Then I will send and get you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?”
Genesis 27:41, 43-45
Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.
Genesis 33:4
But Esau said, “I have plenty, my brother; let what you have be your own.”
Genesis 33:9
Then Esau said, “Let us take our journey and go, and I will go before you.”
Genesis 33:12
Then Esau took his wives and his sons and his daughters and all his household, and his livestock and all his cattle and all his goods which he had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to another land away from his brother Jacob.
Genesis 36:6
and command the people, saying, “You will pass through the territory of your brothers the sons of Esau who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful;
Deuteronomy 2:4
“O how Esau will be ransacked, And his hidden treasures searched out!”
“Will I not on that day,” declares the LORD, “Destroy wise men from Edom And understanding from the mountain of Esau? Then your mighty men will be dismayed, O Teman, So that everyone may be cut off from the mountain of Esau by slaughter.
Obadiah 1:6, 8-9
“Then the house of Jacob will be a fire And the house of Joseph a flame; But the house of Esau will be as stubble. And they will set them on fire and consume them, So that there will be no survivor of the house of Esau,” For the LORD has spoken. Then those of the Negev will possess the mountain of Esau, And those of the Shephelah the Philistine plain; Also, possess the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria, And Benjamin will possess Gilead. . . . . . . The deliverers will ascend Mount Zion To judge the mountain of Esau, And the kingdom will be the LORD’S.
Obadiah 1:18-19, 21
“On the day that you stood aloof, On the day that strangers carried off his wealth, And foreigners entered his gate And cast lots for Jerusalem — You too were as one of them. “Do not gloat over your brother’s day, The day of his misfortune. And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah In the day of their destruction; Yes, do not boast In the day of their distress.
Obadiah 1:11-12
It certainly seems on the face of it that Esau shed his anger and ran to Jacob to embrace him. The same refrain attributed to the father running, falling on his neck and kissing him is also attributed to Esau. Note that Esau was the one who initiated the action. He ran to Jacob, the guilty one. Jacob hung back fearful of what would happen to him. Just like in the case of the prodigal. But I want you to notice what happened in terms of the on-going relationship with Esau and the Edomites with Jacob and Israel. It seems to me they were still estranged from Israel. In fact Obadiah writes the strong words from the Lord – “you were like one of them”. Meaning you Edomites, who are supposedly brothers and kin, were like one of the nations who attacked Israel. Just like heathens and strangers. Has the bad relationship between Jacob and Esau been healed and restored or not?
On the face of it, everything was fine following the meeting at Jabbok (or as Jacob named it Peniel). But the reality is the grudge still continued. If not on Esau’s part then certainly on the part of the other Edomites who took Esau’s grievance upon themselves it seems. This grievance continued for centuries until the time of the prophet Obadiah. It is hard for us to tell if Esau harbored a grudge or not. Yes, he had gone through all the motions of reconciliation but the family relationship doesn’t appear healed. Esau was the leading player, the protagonist, in making things right between himself and Jacob but it is clear from the text of the Bible that things were not good between the offspring of these brothers on an on-going basis. I.e Israel and Edom.
I find it interesting too that the notion of the root of bitterness and Esau are placed together in the book of Hebrews.
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.
Hebrews 12:15-16
I know that is not conclusive and certainly the two propositions of a “root of bitterness” and “Esau” are not directly linked but interesting the two should be in juxtaposition.
Just recently we have come across people who are hurting because of family relationships that are strained. On the surface things are fine. The right words have been said but the leading players are no closer. If restoration has definitely happened then such restoration should be apparent. This certainly doesn’t seem to be the case in between these two families of nations. Sad isn’t it, how a grieved spirit can be caught? You can pick up on someone else’s grieved spirit and take on their bitterness yourself. Watch out lest a root of bitterness rise up and defile many. Many indeed were defiled. Two nations were in opposition as a result of the bad feeling between two brothers, such that two family clans which developed into nations in their own right, were permanently at enmity.
This is the reason why I stated in Gem 1043 that the older brother had not truly repented.
We will investigate the conclusions and fall out more tomorrow as we look at the reasons why Jesus told this story as He did. But of course, the lesson to learn from the Jacob and Esau experience is: pay attention to your relationships. Don’t let some silly feud between you, cut you off from a friend, a loved one or a family member. Oh yes, granted in each case the “sinner” was the younger brother. That is indisputable in both stories. But the ongoing grievance in each case appears to have been harboured by the older brother.
- Food for thought.
- Now act on it.
- Go and restore a relationship.
- You be the strong one.
- You be the one to apologize first.
Pride is the longest distance between two people!
Rick Godwin
What Susie says of Sally says more about Susie than Sally.
Ian
“Love your neighbour” was spoken by a man whose neighbours tried to kill him.
Max Lucado
Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.
Diah Mintara