THINK TOGETHER.
Have you ever been really good, but didn’t get anything for it?
READ TOGETHER.
Luke 15:11. And he said, “There was a man who had two sons.”
On our last day, Day 61, we said that Jesus told three parables about things that were lost – a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. If you read the whole story from Luke 15, then you can see how that younger, lost son sinned against his Father. He took his Father’s money and left home to waste it on selfish things. This son didn’t care what his father needed, nor did he care about how sad his father would be if he left home.
He was a bad son.
But Jesus says that the man had TWO sons. We know that the younger son was very bad, but what about the older son, what was he like? Luke 15 says that he stayed home with his father. He worked hard in the fields and took care of the farm. He did what his father told him to do. He obeyed the rules.
He was a good son.
But what Jesus shows us in his parable is that BOTH sons were sinful. The younger son sinned by trying to run away from his father’s love and kindness. But the older son sinned by trying to earn his father’s love and kindness. Yes, he was very good, but he too was selfish. Look again at how the older son acted when his brother returned home and received a party from their dad:
Luke 15:28-31. 28But he was angry and refused to go in [to the party for his brother]. His father came out and entreated him, 29but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.”
The older son is angry, jealous, and rude. He feels that he deserves the party for staying home and being good. He believes that he has earned his father’s appreciation and his stuff. He asks why he never got to have a party. All of this is very shocking for those who are hearing Jesus tell this story, including us. Jesus is redefining sin for them. Of course, you are sinning when you are being very bad, running away from God the Father. But you can also sin by being really good, staying close to God the Father, but with an attitude that you deserve more than everyone else.
The younger son’s sin was rebellion. The older son’s sin was self-righteousness. He thought he was better than his brother and deserved more from God. He failed to see that God doesn’t give us what we earn or deserve, he gives us all his grace – Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. When we think we deserve more than others we will never be happy. But when all is grace we will be joyful no matter what happens to us or to others. Jesus, is the father in the story, and all that he has is ours. Amen!
Because of Jesus even though we all deserve punishment, we get God’s grace instead.
With Jesus we can obey God, not to earn his love, but because he loves us no matter what.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Talk more about the idea of self-righteousness. Listen to the song All Sufficient Merit by Shane and Shane.
PRAY TOGETHER
Father, all that you have is mine through Jesus. Help me to enjoy it, and not be jealous. Amen.
TLICfamily 