Luke 15: HG Bishop Youssef

Introduction

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• InThe ChaptersLord 12Jesus Christ gives three parables concerning God's patience and 13,mercy wein sawcalling thatsinners to salvation
• The Lord uses common examples of daily life as usual in His parables
• In each of these three parables, the Lord was using references to food and meals in His teachings and parables. This trend started afteranswers the banquet of Pharisees that He was invited to attend in the Pharisee's house (Chapter 12)
• In Chapter 14, the Lord will continue this trend after another meal in the home of a leading Pharisee ("onecriticism of the rulers")Pharisees and the religious leaders of Israel who used to accuse Him of associating with sinners and tax collectors
• HeSt concludesAmbrose wrote: "By the trend with the Parableparables of the Greatsleep Feastthat instray Chapterand 14
was
• Referencesfound, the coin which was lost and was found, and the son who was dead and came to foodlife, we may cure our wounds being encouraged by a threefold remedy: a threefold cord will not be broken. Who are the father, the shepherd and mealsthe inwoman? They are God the teachingFather, Christ and the Church. Christ carries you on His body, He who took your sins on Himself. The Church seeks, and the Father receives. The shepherd carries. The mother searches. The father clothes. First mercy comes, then intercession, and third reconciliation. Each complements the other. The Savior rescues, the church intercedes, and the Creator reconciles." (Exposition on the Gospel of Christ remind us with the Heavenly Food - the bread and wine that become the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist; the food we are called to humbly eat at the altar; the Lord's banquet.Luke)

Outline

02:304:17

• 1-6: A Man Healed on the Sabbath
• 7-14: Take the Lowly Place
• 15-24:7 The Parable of the GreatLost SupperSheep
• 25-33:8-10 LeavingThe AllParable toof Followthe ChristLost Coin
• 34-35:11-32 TastelessThe SaltParable isof Worthlessthe Lost Son

AThe ManParable Healed onof the SabbathLost Sheep

03:184:38

¹ Now it happened, as He went intoThen all the housetax ofcollectors one ofand the rulerssinners ofdrew the Phariseesnear to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely.to hear Him. ² And behold,the therePharisees wasand ascribes certaincomplained, mansaying, before“This HimMan receives whosinners and hadeats dropsy.with them.” ³ AndSo Jesus, answering,He spoke tothis the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawfulparable to healthem, on the Sabbath?”saying:

⁴ But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go. ⁵ Then He answered them, saying, “Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” ⁶ And they could not answer Him regarding these things.

• The Lord and the Pharisees
  • Despite all the disputes with the Pharisees, the Lord didn't give up on them
  • He continued to associate with them - not to be like them, or to join them, but that He may win them
• Sabbath Meals
  • This is a normal thing... but what's not normal is that "they watched Him closely"
• Dropsy
  • Dropsy is a sickness when fluids gather throughout the body and cause swelling
  • Why would aWhat man with Dropsy be invited to the Pharisee's house? Because this whole meal was arranged in order to test the Lord and see what He would do on the Sabbath
  • They were trying to provoke Him that they may accuse Him
  • This miracle is remarkable because Dropsy affects the man's appearance... so when he is healed, it is immediately visible and obvious to everyone present
• An Opportunity to Teach the Pharisees
  • The Lord could have rejected their invitation, knowing their intention
  • "Jesus, answering..." - there was no question, but His answer is to their intentions
  • Two Questions
    • Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?
    • Which of you, having a donkeyhundred orsheep, anif oxhe thatloses hasone fallenof intothem, a put, willdoes not immediately pull him out onleave the Sabbath day?
  • They could not answer
    • If it's allowed to save animals on the Sabbath, how much more right is it to heal people createdninety-nine in the imagewilderness, ofand Godgo after the one which is lost until he finds it? 
    ⁵ And
    • when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶ IfAnd theywhen he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ ⁷ I say to letyou thethat donkeylikewise orthere oxwill die,be theymore arejoy heartlessin andheaven wickedover one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
    • If they say to save the donkey or ox, then they prove they are hypocrites
     

  TakeThe Parable of the LowlyLost PlaceCoin

  12:30 

  ⁷ So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: ⁸ “WhenOr youwhat arewoman, invitedhaving byten anyonesilver coins, toif she loses one coin, does not light a weddinglamp, feast, do not sit down insweep the besthouse, place,and lestsearch onecarefully moreuntil honorableshe than you be invited by him;finds it? ⁹ andAnd hewhen whoshe invitedhas youfound it, she calls her friends and himneighbors cometogether, and say to you,saying, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you beginRejoice with shameme, tofor takeI have found the lowestpiece place.which I lost!’ ¹⁰ ButLikewise, when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he mayI say to you, ‘Friend,there gois up higher.’ Then you will have gloryjoy in the presence of thosethe angels of God over one sinner who sit at the table with you. ¹¹ For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

  ¹² Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. ¹⁴ And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.repents.”

  • Seating Arrangement
    • Formal banquets like this adopted Greek Symposium traditions where they would sit around a table and each person's seating was based on their status (closer to the head of the table, higher status) 
    • The Lord noticed that people were assuming for themselves the best places and spoke to them a parable
  • Parable
    • This teaching doesn't sound like a parable, but sounds like regular advice... Why did St Luke call it a parable?
    • Parables have a spiritual message through a real-life situation known to all
    • A wedding feast was the most important social occasions in Jewish life (and until now)
  • Etiquette Teaching
    • Not the main point
    • The Lord reminds the Pharisees of the shame that comes with self-exaltation
  • Spiritual Message
    • When we allow others (especially God) to raise us, then we don't have the danger of being put down in shame
    • Take the lowest part so that you don't desire the honor that belongs to you
    • If you take the lowest place and are elevated, you will have honor
    • It's not just table etiquette, but it is a way of life
      • "In lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself." (Philippians 2:3)
    • For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
    • Some might take the place of lowliness in order that other people would notice how humble they are... this is dangerous. I am acting humble to be praised by others... this is an outwardly humbleness with pride and arrogance inside.
      • A monk came to St Antony the Great and insisted on sitting at the feet of St Antony. St Antony asked him several times to sit next to him, but he refused. He begged St Antony to give him a word of advice. This monk was known to not sit in his cell but to wander from one place to another. St Antony gave him advice: "It's better for the monk to be in his cell and not to move from one place to another because a monk is like a fish - when you take it outside the water, it dies. A monk outside his cell dies spiritually." The monk became very angry and defensive and St Antony asked him "where is your humility? You sat at my feet, refused to sit next to me, and when I gave you advice, you got angry? This humility was fake." The monk hid behind his fake humility a prideful soul.
  • Advice to the Host
    • The Lord noticed that all the guests are from the upper class, and the banquet was luxurious and costly
    • How to store up for yourself a treasure in heaven
    • If you associate or deal with people on the basis of what they could do for you, this is a self-centered living. The Lord demonstrated an others-centered living.
    • Self-centered: seeking an earthly reward
    • Others-centered: no earthly reward

  Parable of the Great Supper

  26:33

  ¹⁵ Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!”

  • These words are not spoken mockingly. This individual was speaking sincerely and genuinely and greatly admired the Lord Jesus Christ
  • Although he said this genuinely, it also reflects his prideful spirit - we know this based on the below parable the Lord uses to respond. He is saying "Blessed is he who shall eat bread" is also saying "I am looking forward to eating that bread because I am a righteous Pharisee"

  ¹⁶ Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, ¹⁷ and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ ¹⁸ But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ ¹⁹ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ ²⁰ Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ ²¹ So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’ ²² And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ ²³ Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. ²⁴ For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’ ”

  • The host of the banquet is God
  • His home is the Heavenly Kingdom
  • The banquet is the Banquet of the Righteous at the end of time
  • The servants are God's prophets and apostles and servants
  • The first invitation is to Israel (the Jews)
    • They were busy... too busy for God
      • First excuse: Love of money
      • Second excuse: Worries of the World
      • Third excuse: Personal Relationships
    • This group is represented by the Pharisees, Scribes, Sadducees. The ones who rejected the message of St John the Baptist
      
    • We pretend that the affairs of the world are so pressing that we cannot find time to attend to our souls
  • The second invitation is to the outcasts of Israel (publicans, sinners, tax-collectors, harlots, etc.)
  • The third invitation is to the Gentiles
  His Grace Bishop Youssef ~ عظات نيافة الانبا يوسف · LUKE 14:15: 2511 - 3532 ~ Bible Study

  LeavingThe AllParable toof Followthe ChristLost Son

  02:0800:00

  ^25 11 Now great multitudes went with Him. AndThen He turned and said to them,said: ²⁶ “IfA anyonecertain comesman tohad Me andtwo does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.sons. ^27 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them whoever doeshis livelihood. ¹³ And not bearmany days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his crosspossessions andwith prodigal come after Me cannot be My disciple.living. 

  ¹⁴ But
  • Great multitudes
    • These people are following Him to Jerusalem
    • This group of people includes disciples and friends, as well as enemies, and some following out of curiosity
    • Any leader would be happy ifwhen he foundhad peoplespent followingall, him...there arose a severe famine in that land, and he would think "how can I keep them?" Some leaders might even compromise some principles in order to keep the followers... but when the Lord saw the great multitudes, He turned and told them the requirements of discipleship
  • Requirements of Discipleship
    • Come to Me
      • Not only to hear His preaching, but to come and follow the Lord as a true believer with a sincere desirebegan to be in want. ¹⁵ Then he went and joined himself to a disciplecitizen of Him;that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. ¹⁶ And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

        ¹⁷ “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! ¹⁸ I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, ¹⁹ and I am no longer worthy to be DISCIPLINEDcalled byyour Hisson. teachingMake andme Hislike example

    • Hate
      • This word troubles someone... how could the Lord (who is Love) use the word hate?
      • He doesn't mean hatred (oppositeone of love) but is using an exaggeration to stress the total commitment required of His followers
      • St Demiana is a real-life example from the Church History of this Commandment when she told her father "I would have rather heard that you died for the name of Christ than that you denied Christ and saved your earthlyhired life."servants.” Because of this message, her father, Mark, went and confessed his faith and was martyred.
      • No earthly affection should ever come into competition with our love for God
      • This word also relates back to when the Lord said that He did not come to bring peace but a sword, and will turn parents against children and children against parents, etc.
    • Bear Your Cross
      • Some assume that if you are a Christian, your life will be void of hardships... this is not true.
      • We will be hated, persecuted, walk the difficult path - but when compared with eternal glory, it is nothing. That's why Christians carried their cross joyfully... their eyes were fixed on the glory to come.
      • Carry "Your Cross" - there is a cross suited to each individual
      • This is before the Crucifixion; they knew the Cross as a torture device for death and humiliation. If someone took up his cross, he never came back; it was a one-way journey
  ’

  ^28 20 For“And he arose and came to his father. But which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whetherwhen he has enough to finish it— ²⁹ lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, ³⁰ saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? ³¹ Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? ³² Or else, while the other is still a great way off, hehis sendsfather asaw delegationhim and askshad conditionscompassion, ofand peace.ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. ^33 21 SoAnd likewise,the whoeverson ofsaid youto him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

  • Calculate the Cost before making the decision of following the Lord
    • Two Examples:
      • Building a Tower
      • Going to Battle
    • These require:
      • Good planning
      • Good decision making
  • Building a Tower
    • Built high up to see an enemy when he is coming
    • Built strong so that it could not be taken
    • The building of a tower is the building up of the Christian Lifeand in theyour Heartsight, and theam Life
    no
    • Remindslonger us of the "wise man who built his house on the rock" - our life needsworthy to be builtcalled onyour a solid Foundation
    • It is a serious thing to be a disciple
      • HH Pope Shenouda used to say "the only difference between us and the saints is seriousness... they took the spiritual life seriously"
  • Warfare
    • Christian life is warfare
    • Spiritual warfare - fighting against principalities and powers... evil spirits. (Ephesians 6:12)
  • The Disciple Must Calculate the Cost
    • Anything in his old life that is a hindrance to traveling the narrow path or entering the narrow door
    • He must separate himself from those things or people who will not help him advance in faith and spiritual maturity
    • Release attachment of material possessions
    • Many who were following Jesus in these last weeks of His ministry were not truly sincere. The Lord gives them an uncompromising picture of what ought to be the life of His real followers

  Tasteless Salt is Worthlessson.’

  35:11

  ^34 22 “Salt is good; but ifBut the saltfather hassaid lostto itshis flavor,servants, ‘Bring howout shallthe best robe and put it on behim, seasoned?and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. ^35 23 ItAnd bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; ²⁴ for this my son was dead and is neitheralive fitagain; forhe was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

  ²⁵ “Now his older son was in the landfield. norAnd foras he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. dunghill,²⁶ So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. ²⁷ And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’

  ²⁸ “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ So he answered and said to buthis menfather, throw‘Lo, itthese out.many Heyears I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. ³⁰ But as soon as this son of yours came, who has earsdevoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’

  ³¹ “And he said to hear,him, let‘Son, himyou hear!are always with me, and all that I have is yours. ³² It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ”

  • In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord told us "You are the salt of the earth"
    • If we are Christians by name, but we don't meet the requirements of discipleship, then we become like salt that has lots its flavor
    • Salt is only useful... if it has flavor! We cannot fulfill the purpose for which we were intended 
  • The salt is not even good for the dunghill which is used as fertilizer
  • He who has ears to hear, let him hear
    • Take My Teaching seriously