People were attracted to Jesus for many reasons. He taught them like no one else ever had, but he also did miracles that amazed them. Some people wanted to be his disciples because they loved God and believed Jesus was God’s Son, the Messiah they had waited for.

The closer Jesus got to the end of his life, however, the more he challenged his followers. In The Message Bible Eugene Peterson puts Luke 14:26-27 this way:

“One day when large groups of people were walking along with him, Jesus turned and told them, ‘Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one’s own self!—can’t be my disciple. Anyone who won’t shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can’t be my disciple.’”

Jesus wanted people to know the true cost of following him. He asked them if they would start a building project without figuring out if they had enough money to finish it, or go to war without calculating how much it would cost to win. Were people really ready to stay the course for the sake of the kingdom of God?

Jesus had already given up everything for the sake of his mission. He left home and family, work and worldly status for the sake of the Gospel. He was going to die a torturous death before he was done. His disciples had to be prepared to walk in his footsteps if they were going to finish the mission Jesus passed on to them. He would rather they didn’t start if they weren’t going to go all the way with him.

Lost Things

It says a lot about Jesus that he drew such diverse crowds. In Luke 15 tax collectors, sinners, self-righteous Pharisees and teachers of the law gathered to hear what he taught. While the tax collectors and sinners focused on Jesus’ words, the Pharisees and teachers criticized Jesus for welcoming taxmen and sinners.

Jesus told parables about three different lost things to illustrate his love for lost people. He hoped everyone in the crowd would identify with at least one of the stories.

He started with a lost sheep. The rural people listening identified with the shepherd searching for the sheep that got separated from the flock. No shepherd could rest while one of his sheep was lost, and if he found it, he would certainly celebrate with his friends.

The Pharisees and tax collectors probably didn’t care much about a lost sheep, but Jesus got their attention with the story about a lost coin. Rich people like Pharisees and tax collectors knew the value of a coin and they could appreciate the woman who got out her broom and swept until her  lost coin came out of hiding.

Everyone could identify with some part of the story about the lost son who disrespected his father and squandered his fortune. Whether they thought of themselves as one of the family members or as someone in the community watching the drama play out, everyone felt how painful this loss was. They were probably struck by the unconditional grace of the father who welcomed his lost son back with open arms.

Rejoicing in Heaven

The punch line to these three stories was:

“In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” Luke 15:10

Finding a lost sheep, a lost coin, or having a lost son come home, doesn’t compare to the joy in heaven when one lost sinner repents. Most of the world doesn’t give a lot of thought to a lost sheep or coin, but God treasures forever every lost person who returns to him. Even if no one else notices that a sinner has come home, heaven throws a party and the angels dance with joy.

The Shrewd Manager

At first glance we might wonder how this parable relates to Jesus’ disciples. The main character was a bad manager who was about to lose his job. His primary asset was his ability to think fast and he used it to curry favor among his master’s debtors. He slashed their bills and collected as much as he could, then presented the payments to his master.

The master didn’t thank the manager for the reduced income, but he did commend his shrewdness.

Jesus also admired the quick thinking of people in the world. As David Guzik points out in his commentary on this passage, it’s a shame that Coca Cola has wider distribution around the globe  than the Gospel of Christ. Do you think Christians could learn something from the things secular companies do to reach the world? https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/luke-16/

Use Worldly Wealth to Make Friends

Greg Livingstone, founder of Frontier Missions, promotes Gospel around the world and he loves to quote the words of Jesus in Luke 16:9.

“I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”

What better use is there for money than to invest it in reaching the world for Christ? Invest in gaining friends for God’s Kingdom here on earth and when you get to heaven they will be there to welcome you.

We all spend a lot of time thinking about money – earning it, saving it, and spending it – but the Lord owns everything, including our money. We are like the manager in the story we just read, except God wants us to be trustworthy.

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?” Luke 16:10-11

The temptation is to place our hope in money with its power to buy the things we want. But we can’t serve both God and money. We have to give God first place in our lives and put our money into his service.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

“The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all of this and were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, ‘You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.’” Luke 16:14-15

Jesus was talking to rich Pharisees so he told a rich man’s story. The rich man who invested in the good things of this life couldn’t take them with him into the next world. Lazarus who invested in the next world had its goodness waiting for him when he arrived.

The major difference between the two men was not their financial status, but what they placed their faith in. Lazarus hoped for heaven and he got heaven. The rich man hoped for earthly wealth and he had to leave it all behind.

The rich man came to his senses too late. In his torment he asked God to send Lazarus to warn his brothers who were still alive, but as Abraham pointed out, they already had enough information to make their decision. If they had rejected the Law and the Prophets the chances were slim that they would listen to a man who returned from the grave.

Before long Jesus was also going to return from the grave. He understood that people could reject a risen man just as easily as they could reject the written or spoken word. He knew that the Pharisees listening to him tell this parable were not likely to accept it any more readily than they accepted anything else he said.

Forgiveness

“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” Luke 17:3-4

This sounds like a formula for an abusive relationship, but that’s not what Jesus had in mind. Jesus himself never stayed in abusive relationships. When the Pharisees harassed him, he moved to another location. He didn’t engage in running battles with people. He didn’t argue and justify himself. After his enemies crucified him and he rose from the grave, he didn’t go and find them so he could have the last word.

But there are some people who are simply trying to get better, and make a lot of mistakes along the way. They need grace and forgiveness, not anger and shunning. You can tell that they are trying to get better because they sincerely repent, ask for forgiveness, and eventually make progress. Jesus wants us to forgive them.

Tomorrow we will return to the book of John and read about a different Lazarus as Jesus continues toward his final visit to Jerusalem.