Notes
Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people--even eating with them!
Luke 15:1-2
Jesus was criticized because He welcomed "notorious sinners" and ate with them. But this is exactly why He came: to seek and save the lost, to step into people's lives and show them there is more than the life they are living. But each person must choose to engage with God and His house.
To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: "A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, 'I want my share of your estate now before you die. ' So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.
"A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
"When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, 'At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, "Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant."'
"So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.'
"But his father said to the servants, 'Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.' So the party began.
"Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 'Your brother is back,' he was told, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.'
"The older brother was angry and wouldn't go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, 'All these years I've slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!'
"His father said to him, 'Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!'"
Luke 15:11-32
Jesus told this story to explain God's heart for the lost. Everything God has is available to those in His house, but His heart burns just as passionately for those still far from Him. Like the father watching the road, God anticipates the return of the lost, longing for opportunities to bring people home.
God calls His Church to share His anticipation. Expecting people to return is not passive; it's prepared, hopeful, ready. We set the table, we welcome people right where they are, and we love them too much to leave them there. We celebrate the story of every person who comes home to their heavenly Father.
The enemy wants us focused on the dead parts of our lives. But the Church is called to speak to where God is taking people, not where they've been. Instead of focusing solely on the past, we need to also talk about where God has brought us, what He promises, who He says we are now, and the future He is building in His house.
Group Questions
- What does it mean to "expect people to come home" in our church?
- How can we welcome people into God's house just as they are?
- What part of your past does the enemy try to keep you focused on?
- What is one way you can point someone toward God's house this week?
Prayer
Thank you for being a God who runs toward us with compassion. Give us your heart for the lost, and help us welcome people with grace, hope, and open arms. Teach us to speak life over our own stories and the stories of those you're bringing home.