I already send it during our first discussion some of your article about Christ as being " one mediator" between God and men but he still pointing me in Luke 15:11-32 and not to jump to anything. He will be convinced If I could show where the mediator behind the parable.Supposed it's wrong to say that the father is the mediator between the two sons isn't it? Anyway,here is my explanation to our discussion hope you might see something I've missed so I could explain to him.
The Prodigal Son
The parables of Jesus contain rich spiritual truths that are paramount for Christian living.
To understand the parables correctly, we must first learn about their nature and the issues surrounding their interpretation. When Jesus spoke in parables, many in the audience could not understand him, and therefore failed to appreciate how much revelation was contained in his words. But when Jesus spoke plainly, those who heard could more readily recognize the knowledge and authority he possessed.Not only did the disciples fail to understand the foundational parable, but they also failed to understand many of the other parables. Matthew 13:34-36 says, "Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.
So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: 'I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.' Then he left the crowd and went
into the house. His disciples came to him and said, 'Explain to us the parable of the weeds
in the field.'" So, the disciples not only failed to understand the parable of the sower, but
also the parable of the weeds in the field.
Jesus himself stated that the use of parables would prevent some people from
understanding. Matthew 13:10 says, "The disciples came to [Jesus] and asked, 'Why do
you speak to the people in parables?'" The question implies that the use of parables, to the
disciples, was strange, out of place, or not customary. The disciples may have discerned
that the crowds did not understand what Jesus said. We may paraphrase their question as,
"Jesus, why do you speak to them in parables? Why do you not just tell them what you
want to say? Why do you have to obscure your meaning through the use of parables?"
If you are genuinely seeking God, you will diligently pursue understanding from God's
word, and by thinking on the Scriptures intently, more revelation will be given to you. As
the apostle Paul states in 2 Timothy 2:7, "Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will
give you insight into all this."
Parables help the spiritual growth of one who desires to know God, since he needs to
immerse himself fully into the teaching. On the other hand, they hinder the spiritual
growth of a person who inwardly resists the Spirit of God.The parables obscure the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, and those who are hardened cannot grasp their
meaning and implications.
Further, many people think that they have the correct interpretations when in fact they do
not. This is a common situation, and it is not only true with the parables, but with most
parts of the Bible – those who are unfamiliar with biblical interpretation often
misunderstand passages that they feel confident about.
Then, there are those times when one truly understands the parables. But the purpose of
the parables does not stop here. Those who understand them should continue to think on
the lessons being taught and proceed to do them.
The Nature of the Parables of Jesus. The parables of Jesus often provide useful
spiritual insights that one can put into practice immediately. They contain some of the
most important and effective principles for spiritual growth. Sometimes a parable brings
its meaning down to the individual, and the person to whom it is directed must then make
a decision based on its implications.
The Parable of Forgiveness:
The Lost Son(younger son)
Sin removes a person from God. It drives one to live in such a way that is not pleasing to
God.The Jews considered feeding pigs as the lowest occupation that one could have. And we
see in Luke 15:16, that this younger son "longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the
pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything." Not only did he have to involve himself
in the lowest work that a Jewish mind could imagine, but he had fallen to such a low
point that he envied the pigs. Apparently, the animals were enjoying better meals than he
was.
And so, while a person can live a clean and healthy life when he is in fellowship with
God, sin brings corruption and decay into a person's life. The Israelites complained against God and Moses, saying, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted,but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death" (Exodus 16:3). But they had forgotten that they were slaves! The Egyptians placed "slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor" (Exodus 1:11), and that was certainly not as good as being out in the desert with the presence and provisions of God.Yet, through unbelief their minds were clouded and they made incorrect assessments of
their situation.
Those who think very highly of themselves, whether with good reason or not, can be
quite demanding: "I want this to be done, I want that to be done. I want you to give me
this, I want you to give me that." They think they have the right to say such things.
But one who is returning to God from a sinful lifestyle with a repentant attitude relies on
the mercy of God alone. Just like when we say that one "throws himself at the mercy of
the court," having no strong argument in one's favor and on which one may depend, one
who is repentant says, "I can do nothing. I cannot undo what I have done. I cannot pay
the debt that I have incurred. All I can do is to place my life in God's hands, and be at his
mercy, and let him do whatever he wants with me."
The apostle Paul observes that, "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one
who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together
become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." (Romans 3:10-12). And
Jesus says in John 6:44, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws
him, and I will raise him up at the last day." If God were to be passive concerning our
deliverance from sin, no one would be saved.
Not only is God actively reaching out to sinners, forgiving them of their sins, but his
restoration is instant, not gradual: "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against
heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said
to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and
sandals on his feet" (v. 21-22).
Self-righteous Son(the older son)
Luke 15:1-2: "Now the tax collectors and 'sinners' were all
gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered,
'This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.'"
Not that those whom the Pharisees perceived as sinners were not in fact sinners, but the
problem was that the Pharisees considered themselves as spiritually superior due to their
own outward behavior: "[They were] like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on
the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean"
(Matthew 23:27).
Some tend to think that as long as they do not belong to what they perceive to be the
worst group of sinners, they will do well. The biblical response is that unless they repent,
they will perish just like the worst of sinners. Only through faith in Jesus Christ will one
be saved and accepted by God.
Self-righteous individuals think that they have done many good works, and that they have
never committed sins, at least not major ones. Therefore, they feel indignant when one
who has committed many sins receives instant forgiveness and restoration from God. A
self-righteous person thinks that good works earn, or should be able to earn, merits with
God. And they perceive their own efforts as good works that are able to satisfy God's
high standards. However, the Bible states that "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags"
(Isaiah 64:6), and that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
Just as a sinner must begin to perceive the truth concerning God, sin, and himself before
he can experience repentance, a self-righteous person is one who fails to comprehend the
true nature of sin and grace. The older son says to the father, "But when this son of yours
who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf
for him!" (v. 30).
Self-righteous people, whether in their actions or speech, reflects the misunderstanding
that grace is a reward for sin. But the Bible says, "Shall we go on sinning so that grace
may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" (Romans
6:1-2). The purpose of grace is to restore and forgive, not to give license to sin.
The Scripture says that, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that
they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2
Corinthians 4:4). This is certainly true concerning unbelievers. But Christians, to the
extent that they are living in sin, are also deceived by the devil. Yet, by the mercy of God,
we are enabled to see into the true nature of things, and is led to repentance by God's
kindness and patience (Romans 2:4). Even repentance, then, ultimately rests in God's act
of grace, and there is no place for boasting or self-congratulations. It is he who makes
"his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6).
God's forgiveness does not imply that he rejoices in or tolerates sin, but he
rejoices in one's act of repentance, that the person has come to his senses, and has
returned to place himself completely at the mercy of God, knowing that he has no merit
of his own. Thus, Jesus reveals in Luke 15:10 that, "there is rejoicing in the presence of
the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
An Honourable Father and Son Relationship in Modern Hebrew Scholarship
Luke 15:11-32 Welcome Home for a Lost Son
Luke’s introduction, mentioned above, gives the context for Jesus’ three parables: after the lost sheep and the lost coin (Luke 15:2-10) comes the lost son. This parable deals with the inheritance problems of two sons (echoes of Deut 21:15-17). The wastrel son would have brought shame not just on the family, but on the whole village, for in effect wishing his father was dead and wanting his inheritance there and then. The father, amazingly, graciously and scandalously shows his love by agreeing. When all goes wrong the son ‘comes to himself’ and starts his journey home. His father, who was on the look out for him and knowing nothing of his repentance, ran to meet him. At the time of Jesus, and as today in the Middle East, it would have been very unusual and shameful for an older man to run in this way. It has been suggested by Kenneth Bailey, a scholar of Luke’s parables and of both ancient and current Aramaic culture, that he did this to reach his son before the villagers or the ‘elders at the gate’ did so, and attacked him for the shame he had brought on the whole village. His running was to prevent the stoning.
At Oxford in the early 20th century, there was an interestingly illustrious father and son relationship concerning Hebrew scholarship. Samuel Driver (1846-1914), was Professor of Hebrew and wrote a The International Critical Commentary on Deuteronomy. His son, Godfrey Driver (1892-1975) followed his father ‘honourably’ as a Hebrew scholar at the same university and became the Convener of the Old Testament panel of the NEB. He is likely to have been the one who suggested the word ‘wastrel’ for the more usual ‘glutton’ in the NEB. His father, in his commentary on Deuteronomy (p. 247), translated Proverbs 23:20 as ‘be not among those that drink wine, that squander flesh among themselves’ and continued that the word zalal is properly translated ‘a squanderer’ and refers to the same word in Proverbs 28:7. In the NEB, this is translated as, ‘A discerning son observes the law, but one who keeps riotous company wounds his father’. In REB it is revised as ‘…but one who keeps profligate company brings disgrace on his father.’
www.fulcrum-anglican.org.uk/251But the two I've identified above may be viewed as the primary problems.
What is the cause of Man's problems in this regard? People simply doesn't seem to understand the role of the mediator. The mediator is not simply a grace conduit. The mediator is the person who reconciles two. As Scripture says,
Galatians 3:20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
Jesus is that one person who reconciles God and man. Jesus does that job and does it completely, leaving no room for a "mini-mediator." Part of that role, moreover, is the role of being the sole object of faith. That's how Galatians connects Jesus' role as mediator to the relation between God and man:
Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
It is by faith in the mediator that we obtain the blessing. There is no mention in Scripture of salvation by faith in any lesser or "mini" mediator - but only by faith in Christ. There is no salvation by faith in the church, in the saints, or in Mary: there is only one mediator: Jesus Christ. The same point is being made in 1 Timothy 2, in which what is well pleasing to God is that men believe on his son - the one mediator between God and man.
