Matt Slick Bible Study, Parables

Every day is like one of those days.

All right, we're live.

So we'll see how many people start coming into the room.

Charlie should be there.

Laura's there and we've got others in there.

So I'll be able to with this phone set up be able to do some Q &A later.

All right.

What we're gonna do tonight is start on parables and we're gonna go to look 15 and do the prodigal son but before we do all of

that, we're gonna pray and What I'm gonna do for for all of you guys is put this into cultural

context.

When you cultural context things open up I've got a lot of notes and we'll go through stuff.

It's been a while since I've taught it.

So I'm a little bit rusty, but we'll get through it.

Sound good.

Sound good.

Better.

All right, let's pray Lord Jesus.

Thank you for your word your truth that you've given us.

Thank you for the kindness of your salvation and asked Lord that you would show us mercy and grace.

And that you would open up your word to us as you open up our hearts to it Lord Jesus.

We thank you.

We ask you bless everyone here and the listeners.

We ask this Jesus your precious name.

Amen.

Alright, okay so All right,

so you guys are very familiar with the prodigal son and Instead of going through

Read the whole thing and then go back to it.

I'm just going to go through a couple verses at a time and We'll go through and and study.

So it says now all the tax gatherers and sinners were coming near to him to listen to him.

I remember how I said before it was last week.

There were two categories of sinners in biblical theology in the New Testament tax gatherers

and Sinners, so tax gatherers were the Jews who were working for the

Roman state Collecting taxes and if you owed a hundred dollars and they they just said

give me 150 or I'm gonna write down that you didn't pay.

That's what they would do.

They'd make money and they were hated hated so much that there were two categories of sinners

tax gatherers and sinners they had their own

Tax, okay so though these are the people in need and verse 2 and both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble saying

this man receives sinners and eats with them now.

In that culture eating was an important issue of fellowship.

It's like I might say to somebody.

Hey, man, let's go and get a cup of coffee.

Let's just go sit down and talk or have a beer together smoke a cigar together, whatever it might be together.

We have these these means of fellowship and a little bit of intimacy like that.

But back then it was even more so you joined with each other you Ate

because generally speaking to eat it was a table and there would be a dish of stew or

something like that and read bread you tear the bread off and you dip it in and He would tear the bread off and dip it into the

same thing.

He'd take the same piece of bread tear something off dip it in.

So the bread was somewhat used like a knife and a spoon or more like a spoon.

It would dip stuff up and you'd eat so it was the same food the same bread that we're taking.

Now when we eat what we do here is that we take a piece of bread.

If we were to all dish something up here.

There'd be a big pot and we would separate each thing individually have our own utensils our own this own that what if we were

to?

Literally get a bigger table like this this low to the ground and Then we were to put food in there and do it the biblical

way where they did it back then and have a big piece Of bread Hawaiian sweet bread to this so good and you rip off some chunks

and then you dip it into.

Probably be something like a burrito.

Scoop it that way and then we would all eat together by leaning on our left elbow.

Which is gonna become important later when we get to something else and then your feet would be away from the table and then you?

Would lean on your left elbow and you would eat with your right hand and that's how it was done.

That's the most common way.

So for example the Last Supper we're all sitting up in chairs.

That's not how it was done.

Okay?

So Jesus is accused of eating with sinners.

Oh, that's a bad thing, isn't it?

To eat with a sinner, you know on a radio today.

Oh who heard the radio show today the guy who called up about the bar?

He goes to bars and he witnesses in bars.

I Have no problem with that.

Go witness in a bar.

You know and I knew a guy once years ago.

It's gonna sound a little bit odd.

I don't get to talk about this very often, but he would go to topless bars.

And I said really and he said look when I was young the way it was where he was.

His dad would bring him into these places and the women there would just take care of him when he was just a little boy.

He grew up with it to that to him.

It was that's what you did and then he became a Christian.

Wait a minute.

Well, he so he stopped that and Then later started realizing there are people there who

need the gospel.

So he would start going into those places and he he says it doesn't bother me doesn't I don't care.

He says I've just seen so much.

There's nothing and he said he could not believe how many times he would find churchgoers

In there and he would just witness to him and I said, okay, I couldn't do it, you know, not me

but You know, I'd be yeah like he's over here.

Yeah, I'm witnessing to you.

It's not gonna happen, but he could do it and that was something he I believe is called to do.

He said he couldn't tell too many people that because they wouldn't understand but I said no I get I get it I get it.

So it's like some people who are Catholics state when they become saved they stay in the Catholic Church.

Some people who are Mormon stayed in the Mormon Church to witness.

He had to be special called for that.

Anyway, all right.

So Jesus is willing to eat with the undesirables.

With those people who are outcasts and he's willing to go be with them.

Verse 11 Look 15

and he said a certain man had two sons and The younger of them said was father father

give me the share of the estate that falls to me and he divided his wealth between them.

Now what the prodigal here is doing in this culture at this time is wishing

for his father's death.

You did not get your inheritance till after your father died.

Father, I want my inheritance now.

He's saying I don't care about you.

I Don't care about you in that culture the expected reaction is for the father to strike

the son and For the oldest son to step in if he's a younger son the older son to step

in and they have a discussion About it and one of them usually gets knocked down in the

process because you Disrespected the father and that was one of the Ten Commandments.

Don't dishonor your mother and father and he is absolutely breaking the Ten Commandments want to think of a

huge one father.

Give me my share.

Give me the share of the estate that falls to me.

And the father should kick him out of the house.

You get out of here you ungrateful little blah blah blah and The father divided the wealth among them.

Now to the ear who's hearing this in that culture first of all that son

needs to be stoned according to the law and The father needs to either beat him up,

but he probably wouldn't because he's his father.

But had the sons or the close relatives take over the job and this what's expected not and the

father gave him his money.

What are you stupid you don't do that kind of a thing you take care of that son you Slap him

around the butter comes in slaps around you don't give him the money.

He just insulted you.

He wants you dead.

Disrespecting everything and you give him the money.

What's wrong with you?

That's the attitude that they're gonna have and I imagine this Jesus saying this in this crowd.

He's saying this in this crowd and people are hearing this good this, you know, Jesus.

I've know what he's talking about.

Oh, I love Jesus parables because they're like little time bombs or little traps, you know, okay I'll just walk

right into this room.

Was that a trap?

Let me just walk.

We put my both my feet on one both feet.

Go ahead.

Go ahead, you know, and this is what would happen with Jesus because he could he was good at this Verse 13

and not many days later.

The younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country.

That's important.

And there he squandered his estate with loose living a distant country.

That meant he was abandoning the Jewish heritage the Jewish land and what God had promised the people of

God and The Covenant people and so he was rejecting that he's going

out to a foreign land saying I don't need this anymore I don't need to use my father.

I don't need to be with my my culture.

I'm rejecting God.

This is serious.

This boy deserves to be stoned to death in that culture at that time.

Now imagine what the hearers are doing the hearers Excuse me.

The hearers are going to be saying the same thing.

Where's where's she going with this?

Why doesn't he talk about what ought to be done?

He's not.

So, oh.

That's right.

One other thing.

So there was called the right of redemption of the land so in the Jewish culture the land would revert back to the

owner every I think it's 49 years and if you Took what your estate

was and you went to another land and you gate got rid of all of it.

These are squandering it what you're in leaving what you're essentially doing is is saying I don't want and

don't need the right of redemption this is humongously significant.

It's you know, I can't think of anything off the top my head that might be equivalent but could you imagine the Christian going into a church

and Going to the communion table and overturning it and kicking all the elements all over the floor and then flipping everybody off.

I mean the rage the anger the what are you doing?

That kind of a thing is what's going on here and their attitudes and are these people listening to this?

All right Verse 14 now when he had spent everything a severe

famine occurred in that country and began to be in need.

So everything is lost 15 and he went and attached himself to one of the citizens of that

country and he sent him into his fields to feed swine

unclean animals.

So now he's under the subjection of a foreigner taking care of

unclean animals.

It's like saying here Jew feed pigs so now

This guy is In the story he's in another land he's got nothing and

The Whoever it was the boss in charge is equivalently saying Jew

feed the pigs.

Now they're dirty.

They're sloppy.

They stink go take care of them.

That's how bad off this guy was in Verse 16 and he was longing to fill his

stomach with the pods that the swine were eating and no one was giving him anything.

So he was totally rejected by the people around him.

Now let me ask you some questions here the Pharisees the Jews the righteous Jews.

Had they thoroughly and completely rejected the tax gatherers and the

sinners?

Because these Pharisees were self -righteous he eats with sinners and tax gatherers.

They're mocking and they're condemning Verse 17,

but when he came to his senses, he said how many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread?

But I am here dying with hunger so his motivation at this point is poverty

not righteousness and He says I will get up and go

to my father and will say to him father I have sinned against heaven and in your sight I'm no longer worthy to be called your son make

me as one of your hired men.

Now.

Here's a question.

Is he repentant?

Doesn't seem like he is.

He's hungry and at least he could be a servant.

And listen to have some enough to food to eat now think about that go back into your country into

your home and be a servant.

That's how bad off this guy was it was bad.

At least he wouldn't need to live under the same roof as his eldest son.

He'd be out there.

Living someplace, you know on the property and he beats the scorn of the community.

Rejected and scorned but okay.

That's what he's willing to do.

Maybe there's a possibility that you know.

We extrapolate a little bit that there was something that he wanted to pay back to his father.

Maybe as poverty and pain and suffering does it humbles us?

Maybe he was saying something to the effect of you know, I can pay a little bit back.

Maybe we don't know Verse 20 and he got up and came to his father.

But while he was still a long way off his father saw him and felt compassion for him and ran and

embraced him and kissed him.

The father totally accepted the son.

Men of stature in that culture did not run.

That's what the immature did.

That's what the young did.

They would run.

You moseyed you're wise.

You knew how to manage your time in your life.

So that means in public.

He ran to his son.

Felt compassion for him embraced him and kissed him.

Kissing on the cheeks repeatedly.

Embracing him.

The father is obviously a jerk because he first of all He doesn't beat the kid up and kick his rear out

and now he publicly is humiliating himself.

In front of everybody to love this obvious filthy vile sinner.

What is wrong with him?

He would have also.

Raised his tunic to run, right?

He what he would have grabbed his tunics to run.

Yeah, which would have shown his knees which would have been also disgraceful.

Yeah.

Well, maybe because they could run without showing them but as a possibility.

Yeah, that's right.

We're gonna say that.

Yeah, I just wanted understand it better.

Um, so in this concept For some reason I don't know why I feel like they're secluded in the farm

but that wouldn't be the case within a cultural context where They have housing and stuff

like the community knows Who they are and they know who they what how the father

is.

Yes.

And how he should be.

Yeah, he's not.

And then so they also would know the son and The context

of Why aren't you disciplining him right and he's not right even when

he's seeing the son.

He goes ahead and I guess in a sense to them further humiliate.

Yes.

In the sense of where we would view that as an embarrassment.

The father views that in the sense of humiliation.

On his own self.

Yeah, right humbling himself to just go to bring except right.

The son in that right so I actually going previous to that his son um,

it it proved to me that you're saying that he Assumes that this would be the best

way to get back to the fathers.

Maybe because this is just a parable, right?

But uh, we could assume that what we know from the text is he's hungry.

Yeah, right and that's his main reason.

He's not trying to get back into dad's good grace.

No, he's not.

No, according to the story he's not right.

Right.

He's doing survival with he's a survivalist at this point.

The other question I have is.

He's deciding to go back to his father's house.

Wouldn't he be stoned on site.

If he walked back it's a it's a risk, but that has to be Kind of brought together and a mob

would go they would kind of gather.

But as he's coming the father runs to him and that would have negated any judgment of the culture.

Coming out now one thing that a lot of people miss in that culture is that they were very tight uh.

So, you know the story of the guy knocking the door man's Door at midnight the guy will get him up and

I don't have the information here with me.

But maybe we could do another set of these, uh next week if you want.

But the thing is that one of the greek translations and there's a word variant because of his shame.

Well when I said because of his of the honor, there's a play on words in the greek.

Uh, you've heard you know about that right then remember that no, okay, she had a lot of greek too.

Because.

A person in a village.

Let's just say there was a village of 100 people.

And a traveler was going through.

Well, there's no internet.

There's no pony express.

There's there's nothing it's word of mouth by foot mainly.

Or by horseback, you know if you're rich, but it was slow going.

So if a person went to that community and the community was very rude to them when he leaves.

He's going to tell everybody that community was very rude because you had to be hospitable.

And so that might take a week or two weeks to get to some place or a few days.

Well, it's going to spread.

How much longer do you think it's going to take for the reputation to be?

Restored.

Well now if they're going to do commerce, are they going to want to deal with that group?

No, so this is very very serious.

It's so the community is very tight -knit there very tight -knit just something to think about.

All right.

And the son said to him Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.

I am no longer worthy to be called your son.

Now this is what's interesting here.

Look at verse 21.

I'm going to ask you does the son bargain with his father?

Father I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.

I'm no longer worthy to be called your son.

Does he bargain.

No, he doesn't bargain.

All he does is admit his guilt.

I'm, just guilty.

I love the story of of the tax man the pharisee the tax gatherer.

The tax gatherer says, you know, look 18 9 through 14 the tax gatherer says, you know, I'm not.

I didn't do this.

I didn't do that.

I'm not like this.

I you know, look at me.

I pay tithes.

I do all this stuff, but the tax gatherer said be merciful to me.

The sinner not a sinner.

The sinner.

And that man was justified jesus says.

Just admitting guilt, but the father said it was slaves quickly.

Bring out your best robe.

Your best robe that's a sign of dignity and honor.

Bring out and put it on him.

Put a ring on his hand.

The ring a signet ring was a symbol of authority.

You had a ring you could put seals in wax and various things.

And sandals on his feet.

Servants were barefoot.

And people who were upper in class had better shoes better sandals, whatever.

They didn't have socks.

So the feet were dirty.

We'll get to this later.

The feet were dirty.

They were dirty.

They're filthy didn't have pavement.

They have sidewalks a nice cut grass.

They had the same roads through the rocks and the deserts that the animals would use.

Who domesticated being led here and there and you can imagine how dirty those roads would get.

So Bring a fatted calf here kill it and let us eat and be merry.

So a calf is a lot to eat.

It'd be more than we could all eat a calf.

There's a lot there.

So why a calf?

Because there's going to be a big celebration.

Big celebration, I don't think about this.

Who's he going to invite?

Well his servants and his household and others most probably.

The implication is it's going to be a large kind of a gathering.

Which in that culture would be very surprising because he's having the people rejoice with him.

The people see people who have been talking bad about him.

That's the kind of implication and He says bring the fatted calf here kill it.

Let us eat and be merry.

Notice the bloodshed.

It's buried there, but to kill it means to shed his blood.

For this son of mine was dead and has come to life again.

He was lost and has been found and they began to be merry.

So the lost son is found.

Now his older son was in the field verse 25.

And when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.

Excuse me.

You know on the phone a lot today talking and doing a lot today.

So anyway, so another son is lost now now with the older son.

Heard music and dancing.

Why isn't the older son there with him?

Because it's a bit of a big news.

He's back.

The word's gonna spread now.

Maybe he's you know, five acres out.

He couldn't hear anything.

He's in a well, you know, who knows we could get all those possibilities.

But he's supposed to kind of be there that's the implication.

All right, and a host, you know a feast is is a lot and the older son is supposed to be the host in a

feast.

So now this obligates the the ho the older son to be the host in this feast for the

pagan Son who rejected insulted his community god and his father.

So I think the older son's gonna feel let me talk to him for just a few minutes behind the house.

Right the public disgrace of the father.

And he suddenly one of the servants had began inquiring what these things might be and he said to him your brother has come.

And your father has killed a fattened calf because you received him back safe and sound.

But he became angry and was not willing to go in and his father came out and began entreating him.

So the father again goes out.

And meets the father goes out to me it should be that they come to the father.

But no, he goes to them he goes just like god the father comes to us through person of christ.

He's seeking us just as it says in exodus 25 8 build a tabernacle among my people so I can dwell among

them and and when adam and eve sinned it was the pre -incarnate christ who said

Adam, where are you?

You've been looking for him.

It's what god does.

He finds the lost and these parables are in the midst of the lost sheep the lost coin the lost son.

And being found and rejoicing at what's being found

now get this he says verse 29.

But he answered and said to his father look.

Now I when I think I say that I think of my six foot four father.

Uh, I wouldn't speak to him like that because he had these long arms.

They were stretchy and he could reach across a room.

And wrap you inside the head and even if you know, you're 30 feet away, you know, like look.

How'd you do that?

And that's what my dad could do and um, I wouldn't say that to him.

I'd say well dad.

Yeah, blah blah blah, you know and take a few steps back and then get ready to run, you know.

No, he's a nice guy.

I'm just but you know, i'm exaggerating but you know how dads are, you know.

So he says to his father look.

You don't do that.

That's disrespectful.

Uh, very disrespectful.

Uh for many years I have been serving you and I have never collected a command of yours.

And yet you have never given me a kid that I may be married with my friends.

Who does he represent?

The israel.

The jews.

I've always kept your commandments.

I've always done everything and what have you given me?

Nothing.

And the pagans the gentiles.

These unbelievers.

Are you saying you're gonna take care of them?

That's what's going on here, right?

Nick i've never neglected a command of yours and yet you have never given me a kid that I might be married with my friends.

So now the eldest son gives two complaints.

One about his father and one about his brother.

Look how bad they are.

I've done look how good I am and he look at you your father.

You haven't even done this for me and my brother.

He's done the game.

But the son is arrogant, isn't he.

He doesn't even recognize his own arrogance.

Now here's something i've always said for years.

Pride and humility are very similar in that.

They both hide themselves in your heart.

And you can't recognize them, but others can.

You can't recognize your own pride very easily, but others can and you can't recognize your own humility very well,

but others can.

Now that's not exactly true, but you get the point.

There's similars there.

All right, that's my wife says you prideful arrogant jerk almost every day five or six times.

Yeah, that's isn't that right, hon?

Everything I said, that's right good smart woman.

That's right.

Greet the husband especially when i'm insulting myself.

Yeah.

Sure, I understand this.

The son is which son?

The younger part of the son is considered compared to the sinners and

tax collectives.

Yeah, who do they represent it basically the idea is the people of israel versus everybody else.

The people of israel keep all of the Law, they've done everything god wants and yet they don't know

this.

This is a prophetic parable.

The gentiles the unbelievers are going to be rejoiced over when they're found.

Now this is they should already know this because in genesis 12 3 God says to moses in you all the nations

shall be blessed and paul quotes that in galatians 3 8 and calls it the gospel.

So they already should have known that the gentiles are going to be grafted in.

But as is often the case when we keep laws We have we develop our own standard of righteousness based on

what we're able to do then we judge others based on our standard.

That pride is there and We all fall in this area.

We all right, especially some people I know.

Yeah, i'm trying to find figures.

What's that?

I was pointing over there.

Yeah.

Abram oh, I pointed to you.

What?

Um, what was that said?

I said moses what I said.

It's I said thank you for catching that it's abram which abraham but abram you are awesome.

Thanks.

You're listening to people that's good.

Yeah, all right.

So you you just had your one -year anniversary on saturday, right?

Uh Saturday or sunday.

Yeah, yeah, what's that.

We're gonna have to go okay.

Yeah.

All right.

Sorry.

I missed it.

I was oh, you're good.

I'm good.

No man's good.

They're so sick of me, you know the scripture response is All right.

Um, yeah, I know I would love to have been there.

It'd been fun all right, um

verse 31.

Oh, wait a minute verse 30, sorry, but when this son of yours come came.

Who has devoured your wealth with harlots you killed a fatted calf for him?

Now.

Actually the word, uh Devoured your life tan beyond in the greek means the life you killed the

calf.

To him and not me.

He's really saying a lot more.

Um.

Your wealth harlots kill the fatted calf for him.

He's saying more than what the text really is saying.

He's he's saying This he what he's done Is so bad.

And he's right.

He is right.

It is so bad.

And one of the reasons he knows it is because there is a standard that he's been keeping righteous standard.

And he has become unfortunately prideful in that.

Now we fall in our strengths as well as our weaknesses.

It's always something to remember.

We fall in our strengths, you know, I know a lot of stuff.

It's always been been a problem for me not to get prideful.

First corinthians 8 1 says, you know pride, uh puffs up.

Right, but love edifies and we have to be careful.

We don't fall in our strengths as well as our weaknesses.

And that's just what it is, you know, whatever strength you have can become a weakness.

And become prideful about it or whatever it might be.

The father said in verse 31 my child which is uh Uh.

A term of endearment you have always been with me and all that is mine is yours.

But we had to be merry and rejoice for this brother of yours.

What's interesting?

Was dead and has begun to live and was lost and has been found so what's interesting

is.

Uh, he says my child technon, which is a word of endearment.

And it's like saying, you know little child a little one a cutie pie, you know.

Technon is a is a is kind of a term of endearment.

He says all that I have is yours.

He wasn't mad at him either.

That's really interesting because that shouldn't the father be mad at all of them.

Of course, he should be.

And yet he's very humble very giving.

What I like is that this parable sets itself against the culture of the time.

God is not culturally based.

He's independent of culture and he sets cultures straight.

That's important here to understand now.

There are two types of sinners.

The honest manifested one the younger son and the hypocritical elder son.

There's two types of repentance sincere and pharisaical.

The younger son initial repentance doesn't seem to be sincere because it's motivated from hunger and.

Later, he had openly admits his sin.

The brother Is anchored in self -righteousness his repentance is not here because really there isn't any

real repentance.

He doesn't have to repent because he's been so good.

This is humanism.

Humanism is in the church alive and well that the man is the standard of righteousness and truth.

But here what we're learning in this parable is that god's great love extends to all people all kinds of people

all the sinners.

The hypocrites jews and gentiles and it's found in the love of jesus christ

so.

It's a really good parable it has a lot of insights and I'm gonna teach

you a little bit of a concept.

You know what chiasm is right chiastic structure.

Okay.

So a chiastic structures is a mnemonic device from remembering.

And I can pass this around so you guys can see it.

The prodigal son.

How it works.

Okay, let me give you an example.

Matthew 7 he who asks he who seeks he who knocks so it goes like this look in this way.

Ask seek knock it just happens to be ask ask seek knock.

All right.

So it goes ask who he who asks he who seeks he who knocks for he who asks.

If you ask this net if you seek if you knock for he who asked for he who seeks where he who knocks it

goes.

Ask ask.

That's a type of a of a chiastic structure.

And sometimes you have what?

Structures that are this way.

For example, the son is lost the son is found.

Goods waste on an extravagant living goods used in joyful celebration.

Everything is lost.

Everything is gained.

You'll see what i'm saying here in a sec the great sin the great repentance.

Total rejection total acceptance a change of mind and initial repentance.

And so we see the structure.

Here and this is a one of the types of chiastic structure that occur in the bible.

And sometimes what i'll do.

If I want to interpret something and i'm having trouble with something I will look for chiastic structures.

I'll look for to see something because you can have a structure.

That's a step.

They have different kinds there are people who study this stuff.

And then there's that kind of a structure and it's a center point is the main point.

So it'll enter in and leave the same way it came in except in reverse order.

You know, I got food.

I went to the store I I won a million dollars and I was happy and then I lost a million dollars.

I went to the store and I didn't have any food.

You know, it comes and goes in the same way.

It's that kind of a thing.

And so this was it's called chiasm ch i a s m.

And it's a chiastic structure.

Now just so you guys know if anybody wants to know this I highly recommend that you get the book through poet.

I'll be through peasant eyes or poet and peasant and through peasant eyes.

It's a two volume set and uh I can't remember the name of the guy.

Oh Kenneth bailey.

I got this information from him.

And what he did was he went over he's a scholar and went over to the culture of the time and asked questions.

What would you do with this?

What would you do with that?

Because the culture hasn't changed.

They still use mules.

They still are agrarian.

They still this and still that.

And plus some ancient writings some other stuff and uh, it just taught me a great deal.

And so that's the prodigal son.

All right.

Interesting.

Cool.

Now we're going to save the my opinion the best for the last.

Which is the woman who let her hair down in the pharisee's house.

Oh Wow it's my.

Except for the stuff that christ does it's my favorite story in the entire bible.

And i'll explain why later we get to it now what we can do.

I'll let you guys Choose what we do next the unjust steward or the good

samaritan.

Good samaritan.

Okay the good samaritan samaritans were half breeds between the jews and

the samaritans who had been uh, Captured or uh in samaria the babylonian the

captivity they were half breeds and they were keeping the law.

But they were not full -fledged jews.

The jews wouldn't allow them to be considered full -fledged jews so.

They were looked down upon they were uh ridiculed.

Now if you go to luke 10 25.

The question That is asked that begins this.

What must I do to to get eternal life and jesus likes to speak in parables.

Now just so you guys know Jesus tells us why he speaks in parables in mark 10 or excuse me mark

4 10 through 12.

He speaks in parables so people will not be saved.

That's mark 4 10 through 12.

That's another topic.

Behold a certain lawyer stood up and put him to the test saying teacher.

What shall I do to inherit eternal life?

Now a lawyer is an expert in the law of moses.

Now think about that he's an expert.

And he said to jesus what I do to inherit eternal life.

Do you think it was an honest inquiry?

No.

Probably not.

But let's think a little bit because it might have been because maybe he was hearing jesus.

Do stuff and maybe seeing a few miracles.

He's going.

Okay.

What do I do to inherit eternal life?

It's a possibility.

But I would assume for the most part.

Okay.

So The lawyer was often called upon to settle legal disputes because he knew the law.

Now it says uh.

That he stood up and standing up is a social Courtesy and a greeting of respect.

Yet in his heart he probably was thinking to uh to test jesus.

And jesus said to him what is written in the law?

How does it read to you?

Now, how would he know this man was a lawyer because of their dress?

Well, they would dress.

Pharisees had a certain way of dressing.

Lawyers had a certain way of dressing and uh.

Plus jesus being in being god in flesh, you know.

No, so the the the uh, the lawyer asks what he knows about best

the law.

He knows that keeping the law is uh an appropriate answer right.

And notice what this man says.

This is a witnessing technique kind of a thing I do with cults sometimes.

And people who say like for example today after the after show to the radio, uh, you can lose your salvation.

Well, what do you gotta do to keep it then?

Because that means you're keeping it by what you do if I ask according to what they hold.

Um, but jesus says what is written in your law or excuse me?

What is written in the law?

How does it not read to you?

And he answered verse 27 You shall love the lord your god with all your heart with all your soul with all your strength and with all your mind.

And your neighbors yourself.

Now he's quoting.

Um, deuteronomy 6 5 and uh so.

What's interesting is that the lawyer is quoting issue of love not necessary legality.

And jesus said to him.

Uh, you've answered correctly do this and you'll live.

But wishing to justify himself.

He said to jesus and who is my neighbor?

You know.

Some people just don't know when to shut up you know and uh

I think I would have been a lawyer.

I think i'd have been there.

I think you know my pride selfishness arrogance stupidity.

Uh, I would have been happy to go test jesus.

Oh I'm so glad jesus is merciful.

I am so glad.

You know, he put me here now.

I don't know what i've been back there, but.

Okay um.

And jesus replied a certain man was going down from jerusalem to jericho.

And he fell among robbers and they stripped him and beat him and went off leaving him half dead.

Now there's a road that goes down from jerusalem to jericho.

It's 17 miles long.

It's a real road.

And it's a hazardous road because thieves and robbers would often wait and people would go there and they'd get in

trouble and you know.

And so this man In the story is stripped and

unconscious.

Why is that important.

Because then you don't know where he's from.

You can't tell by his accent and you can't tell by his clothing.

So you don't know who this guy is he could be anybody.

Right.

He could be a pharisee.

He could be a samaritan.

He could be a A lowly servant slave escaped.

You don't know right.

What's that.

No, no, no, um, there were there are variations just like there are variations today.

And you know, we this race crap that's going on now.

That wasn't an issue there you never uh find that as an issue in the bible.

Okay, so um.

So the audience is probably going to assume That he's jewish.

Because we tend to kind of you know, jesus is a blonde haired black caucasian surfer dude.

That's what we white people think right and i've seen black jesus as i've seen brown jesus.

I've seen asian jesus.

We tend to think of people in our own terms.

Right or wrong whatever just what it is.

That's okay.

They're probably thinking that this guy is a jew and uh.

So in his half dead state, of course, he's going to be unconscious.

Okay.

So he can't be identified.

All right, and by chance a certain priest was going down on that road and when he saw him he passed

on the other side.

Wait a minute.

It's pretty supposed to be a a good guy.

Why is he passing the other side?

Because If the man's dead and the priest is coming down from doing his his

duty at the temple.

That's what a priest did he's coming down the road.

Doing his duty having done it if he passes within so many feet of a corpse.

He's got to return and go back up and go through a cleansing ritual.

And that would be humiliating he couldn't even that so he's too you know, you know, sorry I can't come next to

this person.

He might be dead.

I can't get involved.

Yeah now.

Most probably the priest did not see what happened because this route this road, you know winds and 17 miles is a long place.

But he could probably tell the man's wounded and maybe the man was still breathing.

Maybe he knew we don't know but these kind of things are always you wonder what's he done?

You know, what does he know?

So they're supposed to be ritually clean and uh.

And he wouldn't want to go back and do all the sacrifices and stuff like that and be embarrassed.

Okay 32 and likewise a levite also when he came to the place and saw him pass by the other side.

So, uh.

Then the levi was a lower, uh social class than the priest but he also.

Uh, he might have seen the priest possibly pass the other side.

Well, if he's gonna pass the other side i'm gonna pass on the other side.

That's a possibility.

Uh, we don't know but if that is something that was would be in the mind of this fictitious Person the

lesson one of the lessons here to learn is just because someone else does something doesn't mean you should or shouldn't.

They'll be careful here but a certain samaritan, oh

Scumbag samaritan, can you imagine when he said this the jews there be going?

Samaritans.

A samaritan who was on a journey came upon him and when he saw him he felt compassion.

Wait a minute the jews and the priest the levite supposed to be feeling compassion.

Not this dirty scummy samaritan so they were the Mixed race between the jews of

the captivity and the samaritan people long ago.

There was a great deal of um.

Of animosity between them.

According to the mishnah.

It's a writing of ancient jewish stuff.

He that eats the bread of the samaritans is like one that eats the flesh of swine mishnah sheba

8 10.

So it's the oral traditions that developed about the law.

All right.

So, uh.

The samaritan would not be from that area.

So this is what's interesting because he wouldn't be in that area.

The man there Wouldn't really qualify as his neighbor.

And he came to him and bandaged up his wounds pouring oil and wine on them.

And he put him put him on his own beast and brought him to an inn and took care of him.

The samaritan risks defilement where the priest and the levite would not.

He approaches an unidentifiable man and helps him.

He pours oil on him.

Which on the high altar was offered before god.

The priest and the levite had failed to do their their duty.

Now we got to talk about something called blood revenge.

You've heard this thing called eye for an eye tooth for tooth.

It's because that's called the apoditic law.

Now the reason eye for an eye tooth for tooth was given was declared was because of blood revenge

so Matt and I i'm going to use you because you're a newbie here Matt and I

get an argument, right?

And matt breaks my arm.

Okay, and i'm out of commission.

So my brothers go they break his legs.

His brothers come and kill one of my brothers now.

The rest of the family comes over and we got a full blood full -blown war, right?

So, uh, the law was an eye for an eye tooth for tooth just keep it simple and you stop called blood revenge.

All right.

Now what really happened matt and I would go get coffee together and we talked a witness to somebody because.

Obviously anybody with that name is good guy.

It's obvious just.

Yes, so If this

now the samaritan is already hated by the jews and he's in the jewish area.

Because of the road from jericho down i've been to jericho and jerusalem.

And I don't know what road they're talking about.

But uh.

There we go and so he's in the jewish area, so he's Taking

a bit of a risk anyway now what would happen if

The this man was a jew this unconscious guy was a jew who died in the hands

of a samaritan.

They would probably kill him go after him.

Well, no i've taken care of him.

Sure.

You were right this kind of attitude is the samaritan risking his life.

Yeah, he is More so.

All right.

This is what's interesting.

He's risking his life for somebody else.

He doesn't even know Doesn't even know him and he's risking his life

and he says in verse 35.

The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said take care of him.

And whatever more you spend when I return I will repay you.

Okay, so let's say this he goes away.

And he's gonna come back in two weeks.

Let's say okay and the man Is

unconscious and his brothers are looking family's looking for him and they find him and he's dead.

And that that again those wounds are too big and they said who did this?

I don't know but a samaritan brought him in.

And he's coming back.

They're gonna lie in wait right.

And if you get enough people together to act stupid and they're gonna listen not with a dirty filthy samaritan.

No.

And The samaritan had no way of knowing if he's gonna get any of his money back from this guy.

So he's risking his own life.

He's taking care of him doesn't know if he's gonna be returned in the value.

Now who's the good person here the samaritan?

Who are the bad people the levites and the.

Yeah, and the priest now in the pair of the prodigal son the jews are again the bad guys.

Jesus is a jew.

So the bad guys rob him leave him dying and abandon him.

The samaritan pays for him leaves him cared for and promises to return.

Rob they rob him leave him.

Leave him dying.

Abandon him but the samaritan pays for him instead of robbing him.

Leaves him cared for to just leave him alone and promises to return instead of abandoning him the opposite.

So the the robbers hurt the man by violence the priest and the levite by neglect.

All three are guilty.

This is important at james 4 7.

To the one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it to him.

It is sin.

Now, I don't like that verse.

There's lots of verses in the bible.

I'm not fond of there's several.

You know love your wife as christ.

Love the church.

Um, you know things like that, you know be humble.

There's some things i'm not really, you know fond of like colossians chapter 3 1 through 17 is not

my favorite chapter in the bible part of the chapter because when I read it I see how much I fail

in so many areas.

So I said to people whatever you do do not read colossian 3 1 through 17.

Don't read that.

Do not read colossian 3 1 through 17 and um

I don't like james 4 7.

Because there's plenty of times in my life.

I know the right thing to do and i'm not doing it.

And it's just a fact doesn't mean it's okay.

I'm not excusing it.

But you know, it's just.

You know, all of us are guilty except for jake.

He's pretty good.

He's humble guy.

Is that right?

He's a pretty good guy most of the time.

You get a lot of work to do.

I'm only good about 25 percent.

He's only good 25 percent of the time.

Oh you are that's what he was saying.

Okay, i'm oh man, oh I

married them just so you guys know.

Okay.

So, uh, all right.

I take shots at everybody except I very rarely take a shot at a girl very rarely, but I know she's a good girl.

Yeah.

What's that no one's good no one's good.

What does it say that romans 3 10 3 12.

Oh, she is awesome.

Um, I forgot where 14 combined 14 and 53

53, I think it is.

Look at you guys.

All right.

Good good my grasshoppers.

Older people will know what that means.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah from kung fu to okay.

The old series kung fu 60 verse 63, which of these do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who felled the robbers?

Now jesus refused to define what a neighbor was instead he asks a question uh.

And expects an answer.

He's showing the love of god.

He's showing all this stuff and the man said The guy goes well the one who showed mercy towards him and jesus said well

go and do the same thing.

That would hurt you mean Help people risk my life for

them.

You mean love them.

Are you kidding?

I mean, that's a scummy person over there.

I can't be loving to that person.

That's not what i'm i'm gonna do.

That's what jesus does to us.

You know, he's so perfect.

He's so good.

He has this way of exposing ourselves to ourselves, which is why I don't like colossus 3 1 through 17.

Because when I read through those verses, I go, you know, ouch ouch ouch and.

Because truth has that that habit that ability to pierce us.

And to teach us and expose ourselves to ourselves.

But that can only be done in the light of christ grace and his truth and what he has done.

And i'm grateful.

So grateful for his salvation for his kindness.

So this lawyer begins with a question what must I do to inherit eternal life.

Uh, the conclusion is answered in what must be done then now remember though there's more to this we haven't gotten into

this.

But in deuteronomy 27 26, it says that you got to keep all of the law.

And paul references that in galatians 3 10.

You're to keep all the law.

You don't stumble at one point james 2 10.

If you do you're guilty.

So if you're going to love your neighbor.

Then you better do it perfectly.

Now in romans 3 28, it says we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.

Now jesus says the greatest Commandment is love god.

And the second is love your neighbor.

Matthew 22 37 39.

So the two greatest commandments love god and love your neighbor and paul just as inspired as jesus Says

that we're justified without the works of the law that were justified before god without loving god and without loving our neighbor, right?

That's right because loving god and loving your neighbor is the law.

Wait a minute matter.

You said we shouldn't love god.

I didn't say that.

I'm saying that it's not our love of god and our love of our neighbor that gets us saved.

Or keeps us saved.

It's not those laws that Make us, right.

But We're not saved with that we're saved in spite of our failure to love god

and love our neighbor.

Because that's a standard.

And so it's not by the works of the law that we're justified but by grace.

That's how it has to be understood.

And it's an important lesson for under a lesson for us to understand about god's great grace to us.

That even the faith that we have is granted to us.

Philippians 1 29.

And our believing is the work of god.

John 6 28 29.

Our repentance is granted by god.

Second.

Timothy 2 25 We're caused to be born again.

First.

Peter 1 3 born again, not of our own will.

John 1 13 This is the work of god.

And this is why we're saved because he appointed us to eternal life.

Acts 13 48.

And he uh in the sun chose us for salvation that's Ephesians 1 4 in cross

reference.

It was second.

Thessalonians 2 13 There's verses that talk about god's work and he loved us

even though He knows us.

You know, I look at my own heart and I see my wickedness.

I recognize my impurity my failures.

And I can't help but wonder sometimes why would god save someone like me?

Well, it's because of nothing in me.

And everything in him.

And that's it.

God didn't look into the future to recognize I can do something with this guy or her or her.

It's not like that.

That's favoritism.

It's rejected by james 2 2 through 4.

No, god loves us.

From forever ago because of what's in him.

And that's just to me that is so comforting it's.

And I you know, i've said this before.

I remember hearing a preacher once say I'm, glad god predestined me from the foundation of the world because if you look at me

now, he wouldn't pick me.

And I just love that statement, you know, it's an admission of our failure and our depravity.

In fact on monday night i'm debating total depravity with a church of christ guy.

Is that what.

The truth of the gospel what's that.

Marlon.

No, wait, I don't.

Oh, you know, uh, i'm actually To that so I saw you on there already.

Okay.

Yeah aka richardson.

Yeah.

What is that monday's?

7 p .m. This local time.

So i'll be debating and I guess i'll do the opening.

Uh is total depravity biblical and i'm going to say yes.

I'm gonna define what it is and then use the scriptures to show it and then you know.

He's gonna just have to go full pelagian.

You know how the saying goes whatever you do don't go full pelagian.

That's from a movie.

Yeah, you remember right there.

Don't go full pelagian.

Okay.

Sure.

We understand That it's through christ and all these things and you still need

to do these things.

I'm always kind of wanting to know what's the effect.

How people play out when they don't?

Really understand that concept.

Have you seen that play out in various ways?

Like let's say they are believers.

They just haven't really.

Oh, absolutely.

Drop that concept.

Absolutely Yeah.

Absolutely.

People are saving different levels of awareness and understanding.

In fact yours truly here Got saved and did not know for two

years that jesus rose from the dead in the same body he died in.

It was never taught to me.

And I was in class with jerry and marion bodine who worked with walter martin in the christian research institute

Across the street from disneyland at merrill, uh melody land in anaheim Anaheim california going through classes

on mormonism and jehovah's witnesses.

I remember I remember this.

And I said jesus rose from the dead the same body.

He died in and she looked At me and said how could you be a christian and not know that.

I said, I don't know.

No one taught me that.

She paused she stared she goes.

Okay.

She went to the scriptures and showed me and I said, okay so people can be uh saved in different

levels of ignorance, right.

And that's it and.

And uh god doesn't uh save us.

Uh, it's not doctrinal regeneration.

You know, but uh, certainly yeah, so it's more of a question that's like

Is there any indication where you see that actually play out where they don't even know that or the level of ignorance in which they

have and you see it play out.

It's like I think that's why you're kind of doing or trying to lift your Faith

that way.

And it's actually showing you your contradiction.

Yes, armenians do it.

I don't know what you guys are but armenians do it all the time.

Okay, all the time.

And there are churches, uh that will teach Things of self -righteousness that you've got to do

in order to kind of keep yourself right with god.

And they have a profound lack of understanding of biblical theology in that respect.

And so absolutely it does work in different degrees and different levels in different areas.

Absolutely Yeah, that's right.

Okay.

Now we're going to do the unjust steward Whether you like it or not.

You know, sorry the unjust steward.

Right.

And then He basically tells them what you owe.

Yeah, he lies about how much is owed and he's praised.

Why would he be praised?

Yeah, why would he be praised.

I'm gonna go through and after we're done you're gonna go now.

I understand the parable what's going on.

Right.

Yes.

Yeah the unjust steward.

This is in luke 16 1 through 8.

Last one there is a semi -pelagian armenian with a pre -millennial bent of dispensationalism.

I'll leave now.

Someone what if you should have said good everyone will be like me then or that person or whatever

theological humor.

What you're smiling at me like.

What's that Luke.

Yeah, because the parables are at more out of luke.

Mm -hmm.

Yeah.

I love luke.

Do you know he wrote most of the the bible?

Or the new testament.

Did you know that luke wrote most of the new testament?

He has more words written by luke than any other author in the entire new testament.

He wrote luke and acts.

And that's more volume, you know, okay.

That covers more than all the epistles.

No, no.

No, there's more numbers of words just the number count.

A proportion like paul I think a second or maybe matthew is or something like that as far as who wrote the most

that's all Physical words now.

He was also saying to the disciples.

There was a certain rich man who had a steward.

And and the steward was reported to him as squandering his possessions.

All right now, um.

Let's see, let's get ahead of myself here.

Let's see.

Okay, i'll do it this way, all right.

Now, uh, so someone apparently cared enough to let the the landowner.

Know what was going on?

Hey, I think you gotta check this guy right and uh.

Verse two when he called him the landowner called him and said to him.

What is this I hear about you?

Give an account of your stewardship for you can no longer be steward.

I want to hear.

I want to see the facts.

Let's bring the paperwork bring the numbers.

Let's see what's going on.

I've been hearing some bad stuff now.

In a good culture and a good thing.

He's not going to do this off just one person's word.

There's going to be more other witnesses by two witnesses of the thing established.

So he's probably hearing, you know hearing this but at any rate doesn't matter.

What does I hear about you now?

He's going to check it out.

All right.

I want to hear let's give a count.

Okay.

And uh, so he doesn't frighten to.

I mean doesn't excuse me say too much.

Uh, the servant doesn't say too much.

Uh landlord doesn't say too much or just kind of let's just check it out verse three.

The steward said to himself.

What shall I do since my master is taking the stewardship away from me?

I'm, not strong enough to dig.

I'm not i'm ashamed to beg.

Now the steward's got to remain silent.

Because he can't fess up.

Because he'll get kicked out right there.

So he's he's biding his time.

He's got I got a little bit of time left.

Because I got to get the paperwork, you know.

And maybe it'll take me a day or two or three or four fine and bring it back.

I got some time.

All right.

He's a smart man.

Okay, he doesn't say too much.

And he doesn't defend himself.

Okay, he's just.

He's a he's a conniver.

Okay um.

So by not defending himself in that culture, basically what he's doing is admitting his is his

guilt.

Because you're supposed to defend you.

I never would do that.

He's just silent.

But now what am I going to do?

Okay, that's like, you know, you say your kid.

Did you do such a touch?

So he's going to cover himself.

Okay.

Now don't think that the steward's fired now or it might be later, but that's okay.

Verse four.

I know what i'll do.

So that when i'm removed from the stewardship, he knows because he is unrighteous.

He's going to be removed.

That they will receive me into their homes uh.

And he summoned each one of his master's debtors and he began saying to them the first how much do you owe.

He doesn't say in the story.

Hello, my friend.

How are you doing the proper greetings and everything else sit down?

Let's talk about your family.

Oh, by the way, we've got a little business to talk about.

He goes.

He goes.

How much do you owe?

The guy's in a hurry.

He's getting it done and the land the steward, uh.

The uh debtor Said well 100 measures of oil and he said take your bill sit down and quickly

write 50.

Now let's stop for a minute and talk about this.

Who does the steward represent?

I mean, I don't mean represent as in the devil or whatever.

I mean who in the story who's he representing?

The landowner.

So the steward is the one who represents the will of the landowner.

Do the debtors the workers of the land know?

That this steward's a bad guy, but I don't know.

So what are they gonna think?

When he says how much do you owe 100 right 50?

What are they gonna think?

Generosity of who the landowner.

Now remember how we talked earlier about the reputation of a people the reputation of of

individuals the reputation of a town.

Very serious.

We don't really have that here.

But you gotta just just trust me on this it was very very important back then.

Very important.

This is going to play into effect with the land owner.

Because what this man is doing is saying i'm gonna get ingratiated with these

guys.

So that if something bad happens I can Go into their houses.

Maybe be taken care.

Maybe they'll give me a break on something.

Who knows?

And uh If they knew however that the

steward had been in had been fired or was about to be fired.

They wouldn't agree to this.

So they're ignorant.

Okay, they don't know what's going on.

They think it's great and so, uh.

He does, you know, hurry up do it before the basically it's hurry up go to matter to find out about this.

He said to another and how much do you owe and he said a hundred measures of wheat and he said take your bill.

And write 80.

Now again, what's.

What's this guy thinking the wheat.

Owing dude, he's gonna be going.

This guy's great.

The landowner's great.

This is great.

I wasn't thinking this.

I didn't expect this.

He's coming over.

This is great.

Now What's gonna happen to the people.

What are they going to do to people whose bills are cut down drastically out of nowhere?

What are they going to do?

What won't you do.

Talking about how great the master is.

How great the master is you're gonna talk great things about him, right?

You're gonna say man.

This guy's great.

You already did if someone came to you and said, uh, How much you owe your car?

Well, I owe 12 000.

I'll tell you what you write a check for a thousand right now and it's paid off.

You know, what are you gonna do keep it to yourself?

No, man.

Did you hear what?

Yeah, yeah and here's his phone number.

Call him up see what happens um.

So Reductions of rent were generally due or reductions of payment requirements were usually due during famines

and difficult times when the master knew.

Look, they can't do it.

Let's be fair.

They were pretty generous.

But there's nothing like that mentioned here.

This is just out of the blue kindness now that means that the

renters Are going to be praising the landowners and most probably

Probably would have a celebration of some sort.

To have a celebration, uh.

You may or may not have a celebration doesn't say but let's assume that at least one of them did.

He's going to have his friends over they're going to cook they're going to you know, do everything because the word's going to get around.

And so the community now is going to hear about this.

Thinking the landowner is a totally cool guy.

Now the landowner finds out about this.

What's he going to do.

He can't back out if he backs out.

He's gonna look bad and maybe they might say well he decided to do this.

And then reneged and he's blaming the steward.

So the landowner's kind of stuck.

So the master praised the unrighteous steward because he had acted shrewdly for the sons of this age are more shrewd

In relation to their own kind than the sons of light.

Now, wait a minute.

It's verse eight.

He's praised now think about this.

This man knows that.

He's going to be in trouble.

So let's Look at eschatology here a little bit.

This is eschatological end times ish.

Because jesus says sons of this age.

Of these are like two ages this age and age to come.

The master praised the unrighteous steward because he had acted shrewdly in what sense?

To make sure that where he was going to end up was going to be okay.

And who was he counting on for big good.

The landowner the master he's counting on the goodness of the of the master because the master could have said no.

He did this he lied pay me everything you owe.

That's going to really cause downplay if he's stubborn and didn't care about anybody.

But he does care does care about his reputation does care about everything and so he goes along with it and that's how it

works.

And he's praised.

It's not praised that the steward was evil, but his shrewdness to keep him out of the

judgment to come.

That's really what this is about.

He says the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own than the sons of light.

He's talking about the jews.

And he's talking about others but the sons of light supposed to know.

The light of god the word because your words a lamp to my feet the psalmist says.

The sons of light these jewish people you're supposed to know.

And you're not being as shrewd as this wicked person was to be um saved

and what this is.

Is he's jesus is not praising the the dishonesty.

But the ability of the steward to recognize the generosity of his of his master to see what's coming.

And use what he had to have to get something greater self -preservation.

Damnation is so severe.

You better do whatever you can right now to make sure you're saved.

That's how severe it is.

That even this unrighteous steward is praised because what he's doing is guarding himself for the future.

Smart men and that's what's being praised about the future's coming.

Are you gonna be smart about it?

You're gonna be weak about it.

You're gonna trust in christ or not.

That's the whole idea.

That's what's going on.

So god is representative of the master because the master represents god.

And he's a god of judgment and mercy and because of his evil the steward is caught in the coming crisis

and the excuses will uh.

Won't do anything.

Yes, but yes, but there's no nothing to be said.

He's guilty.

His only option is to entrust everything to the unfailing mercy of his generous master.

And that's the shrewdness.

Have confidence in the master that the master will accept the price.

That has been levied for his own deliverance.

That's why the parable the unrighteous steward is a great parable.

It's actually eschatological and and and satirical salvation and end time stuff

and so.

The steward was vindicated because he trusted in the generosity of the master not because of his dishonesty, okay

interesting.

Sure him knowing who the master is.

Yep, and how good he was.

From that he's he's more dependent upon him regardless

of his mistakes.

And.

From that he was kept in them.

Yep.

It's cool, isn't it?

All right now what we're going to do is go to.

I think it's uh, luke 7.

Sorry.

That's part of what jesus says.

He says use even what you have now, even if it's not that great to get yourself right and make it unrighteous ma 'am.

And he's not saying you buy your way into heaven, but he's showing the severity of the necessity if you

barely make it in.

You know, you've connived and you got in somehow.

Good for you.

That's how serious judgment is.

It's coming.

That's the idea.

All right.

Now, I believe it is.

Uh Luke 7 36

this is.

What am I this is one of my favorite areas of scripture.

It is and I have preached this several times.

And when I have preached it i've actually, uh Held back tears a couple times.

I've lost it in the pulpit.

Because you understand what's going on here.

It is powerful.

It really is but um.

All right, so this is uh, 7 36 Now

one of the pharisees Requesting was requesting him to dine with him and he entered the

pharisee's house and reclined at the table.

Okay now a pharisee Was a religious leader

one of the individuals that jesus himself had been speaking against on various occasions.

The people were following jesus and they knew him to be a teacher.

Now they remember that there's the woman who was caught.

I mean who uh had an issue of blood.

Those those years and she reached through the crowd risking herself because she was

defiled.

Issue of blood and she touched the hem of jesus garment.

And she's she's healed the hem was where the talit and the tzitzit would have been which is the

cordage.

Tied in a symbol symbolic representation of the law.

613 knots.

I think it was.

But it was.

I don't remember exactly but it's that's what it was.

And she touched that hem from that we can conclude that he was wearing the proper attire of a teacher.

But he knew he was a teacher.

And others knew he was a teacher and here come the pharisees who are teachers.

This town isn't big enough for the both of us, you know to do the whistle.

You guys with the you know, old testament new testament, you know, it's just the kind of thing going on here.

All right, and he says.

The pharisee says to jesus.

Come eat.

Now let's put a little bit more on this.

Think about this.

Is jesus alone walking alone?

Or people following him.

Okay, they're following him.

Do people follow the pharisees.

Yeah, they did.

And the pharisees would often pray out loud.

They would stop in public and pray so that people would learn how to pray properly.

They were so helpful.

Come follow me.

I'll tell you what to do.

Let's come this way.

Okay, ready?

Watch this.

And so jesus would pray too and he would heal people and just so we got these groups of people.

They're following the pharisee and jesus.

And They're meeting.

Oh, what's gonna gonna who's gonna, you know swing first and the pharisee says.

You want to come eat at my house?

Remember this is a severe point of fellowship.

This is important.

We're going to share food together.

Okay, what's going to happen to the people around them they're going to go.

Oh, this is going to be good.

Hey, bob frank.

Did you hear about this?

Hey, then bob frank would tell so hey.

You could Take a meet over at pharisee's house simon's house.

What's going to happen at simon's house?

A bunch of people are going to show up.

It's going to happen right now.

Remember there weren't any screen doors and sliding patio doors like we have here.

It was open, you know, they had these windows here like this and it'd be a a crinky old, you know.

Shutter thing that bugs could still get through and you'd open it up and um and to imagine this room here

and in the middle is a rug and uh, Raised kind of a rug kind of a thing.

With maybe a really low table, maybe not but low table and there were servants of the pharisee's house

and uh.

The pharisees would often let people follow them.

And have meetings when the pharisees would come into people's houses or each other's houses they would let people come in and stand on the side

of the of the walls.

And outside men would be on the inside.

Generally women would be on the outside women.

Sorry outside.

For one reason was propriety.

You don't want to mingle and be rubbing up against women.

Okay, you don't do that kind of a thing because it'll be kind of crowded.

Women were on the outside and some men would be too.

You know, there was some propriety there.

But for the most part men would be lined up on the inside because jesus and the pharisee are going to have dinner.

Oh, it's going to be good.

We know they're going to go at it.

It's going to happen, you know, all right.

All right with me.

And uh.

And he entered the pharisee's house and declined at the table.

Now, okay, let's do this stuff getting misty, right?

There was a woman in the city who was a sinner.

A woman.

A woman.

Now women women.

She'd be making sandwiches being at home woman.

Not being a prostitute.

You're not really regarded that well.

He's a sinner.

We know that she probably was a prostitute.

I'll get to that later.

And when she had learned that he was reclining at the table in the pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster violet

perfume.

Some commentators think that this was what she did for her business.

Because they didn't have running water baths and stuff.

They would anoint themselves with something smell good for their prostitution.

That's conjecture, but it makes sense.

Oh, man what she did.

And standing behind him at his feet weeping.

She began to wet his feet with her tears.

And kept wiping them with the hair of her head.

And kissing his feet and anointing them with the perfume

that to me is tremendous.

To be honest, you don't see any man do that.

This is an incredible act of worship an adoration.

She really understood who jesus was.

She's risking everything.

Now, let's get the scene the scene, right?

Most probably the place is packed with people within a certain distance.

There's gonna be clear a clearance.

Jesus is on his left arm.

Feet away from the table because his feet are dirty the pharisee will be on his left arm feet away from the table.

His feet will be clean.

Because his servant has already cleaned his feet.

The people will be around the room.

And It you know, there's probably going to be some bo and stuff like that and that's just what it was back then.

And this woman comes into this house the

house of a pharisee a woman.

You don't do that.

She's risking herself.

And she's an unclean woman.

And she comes into this this house.

That means she had to kind of enter.

Now what I mean by that is If you hear a sound behind you tend to you know, you look

you see this there she comes this unclean woman.

What are you going to do as a jewish man?

You don't want to touch her.

You'll be defiled.

You could step away and she keeps coming in.

It could be that someone could strike her.

Because she should not go into a holy man's house.

But she comes in

and wiping His feet with her hair in the culture.

A wife could be divorced.

For letting her hair down in public.

Because it was a sensuous thing there and you you kept your your hair

up and covered and You only let your hair exposed and let it down.

To your husband and maybe your family and your children in the house.

So imagine the people on the side of the walls watching the people in the windows this filthy

vile sinning woman comes in and she sees.

That his feet have not been cleansed and he's not been anointed with oil because he talked about this later.

He sees the offense to jesus.

Undoubtedly.

She's heard him.

Undoubtedly.

She's already knows who he is.

And she comes in and lets her hair down in public.

You know fred sanford i'm coming home, honey.

Grabbed his his uh his heart, you know, i'm coming home.

You know, it's come you have a heart attack um.

They would have been appalled by her presence and her actions.

And now of all things she's kissing jesus feet and the feet were

filthy.

And in that culture, there's a a story.

Even I think the past within the past 50 years or something like that 60 70 years.

There's an account of uh of a westerner.

Who was over in the area one of these towns whatever?

And he had a friend who's a native of the area not a native but a native, you know, and you know and

uh.

They were a bunch of men were sleeping in a common room, which is not uncommon.

And he wanted to get his attention.

Because they were separated a little bit so he took his shoe off and just tossed it at him wake him up.

They almost killed him for that in that culture his friend had to intervene to prevent

them from beating the Crap out of him because it was such an insult to take your shoe off and throw it at somebody

a profound insult.

And he didn't know and so the guy had to come in and he basically saved his life.

Now, what does john the baptist say about jesus?

I'm not even worthy to untie his sandal.

The feet were dirty the feet were filthy.

And she's kissing them.

Yeah, she's kissing his feet she knows more than Anybody

else does about him?

Now sure the fair the the disciples knew things about jesus, but she knew something different.

She knew more about him than they did.

Why aren't they defending jesus why aren't they Saying hey, why don't you anoint us, you know had to give him a kiss and

and we'll get to this.

And and his feet still dirty.

Why are you are you so disrespectful?

The men aren't doing things.

It's often the case that men don't do anything and the women are the ones who get to it.

After the resurrection of christ the men are hiding and the women are out there.

They're going to anoint the body and they're they come and say hey he's risen and they don't believe him.

The women often got it right about christ before the men did.

Why because well, you know, they're more sensitive in some other areas.

And men are a little hard -headed.

And that's a disadvantage but on the other hand is it comes of great advantage when it comes down to Getting getting on

shipwrecks and going to get beaten and you're standing for the lord, you know, that's that's more the man's job.

So there's not one's better than another.

It's just that you know, sometimes women in the bible just are not really considered that Monumentous.

This is incredible as far as i'm concerned her insight her her risk

her the beauty.

Of her worship and adoration of jesus.

It's just incredible.

It is.

She is wetting his feet with her tears and kept wiping them with the hair of her head and kissing his feet.

And anointing them with perfume.

Could you imagine her?

You imagine this is on film.

They get the great actress and she's weeping and snot's dripping and she's crying.

She's kissing filthy feet taking her hair and wiping them taking oil and doing all this to jesus.

What does she know about him?

What's in her heart that she would do this?

She's already broken.

And she most probably is already quite saved at this point.

Wow, this is such a and it is In my mind is such an incredibly beautiful act.

It it humbles me.

Would I do that?

I don't know.

But she did.

It was tremendous.

It really seriously is All right now

in verse 39.

Now when the pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself.

To himself that means he's thinking it if this man as jesus were a prophet he would

know who and what.

A sort of person this woman is who was touching him.

That she is a sinner.

If he was really a prophet now, he's judging jesus.

And he's judging her.

This woman's touching you if you're really a prophet, you know, you don't have anything to do with it.

Get away.

Which one would you be?

Well us men.

Me i'm a pharisee.

I'm, sorry.

I know what I am without christ.

I'm a pharisee.

That's it.

All right.

There's nothing good in me period except jesus period.

If this man were a prophet he would know what kind of person she was she was a sinner.

Verse 40.

And jesus answered him wait a minute he's thinking this now jesus answers him.

Okay Simon.

This is a parable coming up.

I have something to say to you and he replied.

Say it teacher.

Wait a minute.

He's thinking to himself.

He's mocking them in christ, but publicly says say it teacher.

He's a hypocrite.

Okay.

A money lender had two debtors.

One owed 500 denarii and the other 50.

When they were unable to repay he graciously forgave them both.

So which of them will love them love him more.

Simon answered and said I suppose the one whom he forgave more.

And he said to him You've judged correctly.

Okay, so pretty simple.

You owe a million dollars or you owe 20 bucks and both are forgiven.

Who's going to be more grateful.

Right.

Yeah.

That's that's her.

She's obviously a greater sinner Than the pharisee.

And she's showing greater Repentance and greater honor in the forgiveness that she's

receiving in christ.

It's simon the pharisee, okay.

Yep.

And so she is showing The true depth of

of adoration and dedication.

This is how we should be with jesus.

You know, I don't know how you guys would be and i'm not saying to be mr Humble look at me, but if if you were to suddenly be here

i'm on my face.

You know, that's it and uh.

That's jesus.

He says well you've answered correctly now.

Turning to the woman.

He said to simon I think you have the room tables in the middle

low table six inches high.

That means the woman's at jesus feet.

The pharisee's across the table.

And he turns to the woman and says to the pharisee.

Simon, he turns his back on the pharisee.

He's addressing the woman.

Customarily you kind of you wouldn't talk to a woman and You can get in trouble

particularly a prostitute.

Yet he turns his back on the pharisee to speak to the woman.

Oh.

Can you imagine all the people around the room they're going.

And they're not a minute later and then a minute later.

And then you know, it's gonna be happening constantly, you know.

Turning to you know, he turns to the woman address it, you know looking at her.

Simon.

I got something to tell you.

Okay, it's like that.

All right.

Do you see this woman?

Now in polite society you didn't.

You don't rebuke your host.

Right even now you'd be careful.

You see this woman?

I entered your house and you gave me no water for my feet.

But she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

You gave me no kiss.

But she since the time I came in has not ceased to kiss my feet.

You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with perfume.

For this reason I say to you her sins which are many have been forgiven.

For she loved much, but he was forgiven little loves little.

But he said to her your sins have been forgiven.

Now we keep going here.

So he's disrespecting the pharisee and using

His failure to do what's right.

Exposed by this filthy sinful woman.

Doing what's right.

No judgment from him to her but forgiveness.

Now I relate to that woman not a transgender way with their wolf kick, you know crap.

In the fact of just being a sinner.

Who needs to kiss jesus feet?

Well, he needs to be at his feet.

Just praise him weep before him.

Thank you.

My lord.

Thank you.

My lord.

And she was doing that I can do this now because I can look back and when I was saved it's

very dramatic salvation.

Anyway, there's a lot of weeping the presence of lord.

I can look back and see this but look at her.

In the midst of this situation in the midst of this culture in the midst of all of this.

What does she do?

She breaks protocol risks herself.

Goes in and does what she had already seen the pharisee failed to do with her lord.

And she took care of it and that man had failed to do what was right.

She took care of it.

Humiliated herself in front of people, but she didn't care.

Because her one concern was jesus.

He's the one who mattered and she did what was right before him.

Now kissing his feet wiping his hair with her hair.

His white people are here and anointing with oil at feet did not save her.

Because these are the actions of someone who's broken her faith and trust is in jesus for what she knew there had been no

atonement yet but yet.

Her sins have been forgiven.

That's a perfect tense.

It's a past action with the effects continuing in the present.

Because she's justified by her faith and trust in christ.

I love this story.

So I love this.

It sounds like there's a unique parallel.

Where you have christ.

He's calling this story and then she's wiping her feet where everyone is looking at her.

And he has the almost like the utmost of sins and filth, right?

But he parallels that to say that's actually what you are.

She's being forgiven.

Yeah, because you're not actually.

Yeah, you're more like her than you realize.

Yeah in your.

You're self -righteous.

She is unrighteous.

But she's confessing it and not confessing it.

She it's a public confession, right?

Okay.

Willing to Acknowledge Her sin.

Yeah.

That's right.

Now here's a question.

What does that woman say.

Find those words.

What she says.

That's right.

She doesn't say a thing.

Does she?

No, that's interesting.

She doesn't say a thing.

No.

A man might have i'm not saying a man would have done the wrong thing in this situation.

Men are different and things like that.

It's not that women are better than men in this or men are better than women in other things.

Did do it wrong.

None of the men none of the men didn't do what's right.

That's right.

Right, none of them.

That's right.

That's right.

So they were all in the wrong.

They were all in the wrong.

Yeah.

He didn't say anything to christ.

And he he didn't also say.

Right, well the the I think it is.

Is he knew the heart?

Yes.

He was a prophet.

Yeah that he knew his heart, right?

You know, so in that sense like she said nothing.

But what she was wanting?

Versus what he was wanting, right?

Yeah, see there's a lot here, isn't there?

Perfect that you pointed out here.

Your sins have been forgiven.

I think it's perfect.

Tense might be a or is passive or whatever but either way as long as it's aris or.

Perfect.

It would have been in the past passed with action continuing particularly aris participle.

But yeah.

So it's evidence of Salvation already having taken place.

Yeah.

That's right.

And there's an example of someone I believe she saved.

Saved without knowing even the crucifixion.

So people can be saved in different levels of knowledge.

But the ultimate issue is who's she trusting?

She's trusting jesus.

So I believe people can be saved and have varying degrees of knowledge of christ and be saved.

I really do.

Because the only way they could have that faith to begin with is god grants it to them.

All right, so.

Put that real quick.

It wouldn't have been lost on them.

He was Proclaimed his authority and divinity by saying her sins were forgiven.

Well, she says.

She says now we can talk about that your sins have been forgiven.

He it's not and i'd like to check my greek.

I think it's passive.

Okay.

Well the nesb which is one paul used says have been forgiven.

What he used.

Yeah, that's what paul paul used the nsp and uh, you want to go with a more contemporary version?

You're going to check the greek.

So it's uh, luke 7 20 or 40 48.

So it's got to be uh, i'm thinking the perfect passive.

Or the air is passive participle.

I mean, yeah, here's passive participle.

And she's no she's had greek i've had greek.

So what this means i'm talking about is.

The tense is important because if it says your sins are forgiven which is flat present tense.

It doesn't carry the same meaning as they have been so.

Present tense.

I am or I eat a present participle.

I am eating past tense.

I ate a perfect tense.

Is I have eaten?

Which means it's occurring then and is still occurring the the pluperfect is I had

eaten.

Which means the action was performed and completed in the past.

I had i'm not.

Okay, perfect passive.

Indicative good.

More statement.

Yeah statement of reality and condition of actuality so your sins.

So he's saying your sins have been oh and passive voice one more thing it's it's uh, so I hit the

ball.

I am active in performing the action.

The ball hits me i'm passive in receiving the action.

So your sins have been forgiven they.

They have already been forgiven and are still in forgiveness and it happened to you.

You didn't do it yourself.

It was a it happened to you.

That's what's going on.

Okay.

Those who are reclining at the table with him began to say to themselves.

Who is this man who even forgives sins?

It doesn't say he forgave sins technically, but the implication is.

He says your sins have been forgiven.

Oh, wait a minute.

How can you say that?

You don't who are you to say that that's the question that comes up because you know after the fact

when it's all.

They dispersed.

They're going to be talking about this for weeks.

Who is this guy who pronounces salvation or forgiveness of sins.

Who is this who does this?

Very important very important um.

And he said to the woman.

Your faith has saved you.

Go in peace.

There's justification by faith.

It's not by works.

She does stuff.

But it's the faith that justified her and as james 2 14 through 26 talks about.

Real faith has real works, but it's not the faith and the works that save its faith alone.

Won't get in all that difference right now and this is awesome.

This seriously, it's just it's an awesome Place of scripture.

Well this woman who doesn't say anything.

She just does.

Risks a lot goes into a pharisee's house who's supposed to religious leaders supposed to know her.

Not everything but know everything.

And he disrespects jesus.

The other people there don't do anything about it and she does.

And she really humbles herself in the process and I mean really humbles herself.

Kissing dirty feet wiping them with her hair, which means He

probably probably had defecation of animal stuff on his feet.

Dirt mud.

Kissing them.

Would you say she's a broken woman?

Oh, yeah.

He says your faith has saved you and notice the faith is in him.

It's in him.

She recognized to be able to interview her in heaven.

How much did you know about him beforehands?

Well, I you know, it'd be neat if I could get that high in heaven, you know I they give me a day pass, you

know go up.

Because i'm gonna be down low, you know, my wife's gonna be way up there.

She's gonna say yeah I used to know him.

You know, maybe go visit but uh.

How much did she really know she had to know enough to.

In order to do what she did as far as who he was.

That's right.

Yeah, it's she seemed to be that's the right way to say it.

She seemed to be.

We don't know.

Because there could have been men there a lot of people don't realize.

That women could do things in the culture men could not do.

You could a woman could get in your face.

And say things and do things.

Where if you did it with a man man to man.

They'd already been on the ground rolling.

Uh women could get away with a lot of stuff they could.

Um, and so maybe she knew that and that's just how it was.

And she went in and And did what she had to do.

But the fact is.

She acted.

And her faith was in christ and him alone.

And she acted according to her faith.

And that's what we need to do as well.

Her her actions are a great example of actions that we're supposed to have and

there are other great examples of actions that men have done as well and.

But this is a particularly to me a particularly powerful uh place because

for me mostly.

That adoration and worship kissing the hair that is such a visible real thing

that I just think it's beautiful.

And I think it's wonderful.

And it touches my heart a lot.

Every time I teach on it.

It just it's tough.

Because that's my jesus.

That she is loving.

And would I have done that?

What were the disciples.

I guess not with it right.

Good question.

They were learning maybe they were maybe going uh.

Maybe they're.

You know, if you haven't you've watched the chosen.

It's pretty good.

It's pretty good.

I mean the first episode was the uh, you've married.

I don't know.

I've seen all of them.

So yeah, but it was it's made very well.

Yeah, it's good.

Well, there's a little bit of liberty taken.

Yeah, but the you know, I what I like whether this the apostles disciples following.

They don't have him figured out yet.

They don't know what's going on.

And uh, that's good because.

That's the case, you know men are a little.

Maybe some of you ladies have noticed.

I don't know.

Little hard -headed sometimes just a little women are not hard -headed or just but that's right.

Oh, you think so I can be careful because i'm up against the wall here.

You what?

You hide it better.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, we'll make you guys believe that you did wrong.

Also, that's a manipulation that's just that's an obvious great sin.

Yeah I could talk about that.

I could do marriage theology of marriage sometime.

Turn the head the other neck.

Yeah, that's actually a very sinful, uh thing if I taught I could teach sometime on the

theology of marriage.

It gets into headship and and what what is all.

Oh, it's quite a bit of a change.

You've been there when i've taught it right and it's different, isn't it?

Right out of scripture make people nervous um women, too.

But at any rate so these parables and there's more but we're you know, we've been at uh, for almost

two hours.

These are wonderful.

These are just wonderful.

Amen.

Amen.

They are wonderful.

Yeah.

Say the first 50 of Luke 7.

Yeah.

The what your faith has saved you is perfect as well perfect.

Faith is what saved.

And prospects.

Right.

This is one of the advantages of studying greek.

You learn this kind of stuff and you know.

You learn, uh to decline you learn to parse you learn constructions you learn.

I think some of the important stuff is passive active middle participle airs.

These things are really really help you understand what's going on a lot.

All right.

So to what we'll do so we've got some people in the chat room here.

If you got questions, maybe with charlie's still there what he could do is either type a question out.

Or find one and then highlight it and see um.

And arneek, are you out there?

She's not out there I guess because my wife has medical Physical problems so she has to go recline a lot.

Where could I go but to the lord?

That's why I love hymns matt.

Oh I'm not a hymn person.

That's why the person said that you know, I don't like him.

Yeah, I won't say two brother matt is so powerful story.

Yes me too brother matt.

Berrielli Diaz, okay.

Ray lagrange senior.

No ray.

Matt the name they go so fast the author of the book you recommended tonight is um

uh kenneth bailey.

Yeah, kenneth bailey takes a while matt the name of the author of the book you there is bailey some.

Not mary.

Yeah, kenneth bailey uh, and that is um Poet and peasant and through

peasant eyes.

It's technical.

But it's worth going through.

Yeah, I have it still and I read it 25 30 years ago.

And uh, maybe longer 35 years ago.

It's one of the few books I will not loan out to anybody because i've gone through it underlying stuff and I don't

want it lost.

Yeah, it's it's one of the Poet and peasant and through peasant eyes is a two

volume set.

All right, so is there any comments or any questions anybody wants to ask.

Let's see guests what does it say here guests.

Oh charlie's in there.

All right.

Let me turn that off.

There we go.

This phone thing works pretty well.

Uh, it makes it we had a camera set up over there and all this stuff.

I had a wireless mic and a whole bit.

Um, but I think this works out this as well.

All right, so no no comments, okay, that's all right no one has to

Comment that's all right.

Do you guys enjoy the parables?

Yeah.

Well, the one with the uh, the steward answered the question with that because I always struggled with that.

He struggled.

He now, you know.

So that that solved that with that because he says it solved it.

Yeah.

Yeah, I learned it out of that book.

It's like.

Oh, of course.

It makes perfect sense.

Um all right, so.

Any comments or questions?

You're you're a newbie.

And uh, so you've heard stuff like this before.

Oh good.

A lot more.

Yeah, hopefully I gave you some more details.