Day 300 – Luke 14-15

Talking Points

• Again, Jesus revealed God’s mixed-up, ironic, upside-down operating system (you know, the one where the first is last and such). Our world says a contributor to success is self-promotion. “If you don’t blow your own horn, who will?” It has become an art in our day. Yet, Jesus taught that those who exalt themselves will eventually be humbled. Better is the one who walks in humility and lets character speak for itself.
• In a parable showcasing the Jews’ reluctance to turn to Christ and giving a glimpse of God’s plan for the Gentiles, we see the gracious, generous heart of God. Our Savior is truly found “not wishing for any to perish” (2 Peter 3:9). Listen to His strong command to go to the “highways and… hedges, and compel them to come in” (Luke 14:23). The great banquet has been set, and He desires the hall to be full. Praise the gracious Lord of highways and hedges!
• Count the cost. Following Christ should not be done flippantly. In truth, it cannot be. Though it is the greatest decision one can make, and though the gospel calls for us to make it, it is not a decision that can be entered into half-heartedly or unaware. Like a builder will survey the cost before even one nail is driven, Jesus asked His disciples to carefully weigh their steps before even one is taken.

Thoughts

What is God like? Is He a hard taskmaster, ruling heavy-handedly over His people? Is He a distant being, carelessly far removed from the affairs of men? Is He self-consumed, bent on His own self-focused agenda? What about boiling in anger and disappointment, despairing over the sorry state of men’s hearts, and ready to strike us down in well-deserved retribution? What is God like?

Perhaps no other chapter in Scripture reveals the heart of our God like Luke chapter 15. In it, the creator God — the Lord of everything, the One so far above all we can comprehend or even imagine — kindly bends down and paints a picture for us to see Him, to know what He is like.

He is like a shepherd willing to seek out His erring, lost sheep. That shepherd then carries it home on his own strong shoulders, shouting to the neighbors, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost!” (Luke 15:6).

He’s like a woman, not content with her nine banked coins, who sweeps even the corners of the room diligently in search of the one gone missing. He is like that woman who cheerfully invites her neighbors to celebrate in great joy over the one found, “It’s here! It’s here! I’ve found my coin!”

And, He is like a father. The father was insulted, saddened, and rejected by a prideful son. But, he never stopped loving, never stopped seeking, and, even justified to do so, never let his grace run short. He’s like that father who, upon seeing the distant speck of that approaching, repentant son, hiked up his cloak and ran to meet him on the road.

What is God like?
“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.” (Luke 15:20)