Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - What Drives Your Story? | New Testament | Luke 15

Episode Date: April 7, 2023

You've probably heard the story of the Prodigal Son. Who do you identify with in this story? In today's episode, Tanya discusses Luke 15 and how to find belonging in Jesus alone. Join the TMBT community in reading the entire New Testament in one year. Get your FREE reading plan here. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it with others, so others can find it too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter@TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Luke 15

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work. I'm Tanya Wilmuth. As human beings, we love stories. We love to hear them, tell them, and be part of them. Stories are the way we connect and remember. They're the way we attempt to make sense of the world and our relationship to it. We have an instinct to insert ourselves into the stories we hear and tell by way of asking,

who do I relate to? Who in this story represents me? and my attitudes and beliefs. When we hear the story Jesus told in Luke 15 of the prodigal son, there are three different people we might find ourselves in, the wayward son or the prodigal, the loving father waiting for him to return, and the older brother that stayed at home to work and hold down the fort.

Listen in. And he said, There was a man who had two sons, and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me. and he divided his property between them. Now, not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.

Okay, now apparently, this son was kind of a mess. He wanted his money before it was time, and he wanted to do things his own way. He left home, made new friends, and spent his time and money on illicit adventures until it ran out. When he could no longer hang with them or entertain them, His friends left him high and dry. Jesus continues the story. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and it began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.

And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. Now, when he realized the pigs were eating better than he was, his story. thoughts went back to his childhood home and the life that he had there. He had a family that loved him, plenty to eat and drink, and a place to lay his head at night. Even though he didn't belong there anymore as a member of that family, perhaps if he went back and begged his father to forgive him, he could at least be a servant for his family and live in better conditions than he currently was. realizing he was already at the bottom and really having nothing to lose,

he made the journey back home. You probably know how the story ends, but his father saw him coming from far away and was moved to compassion and ran out to greet him. Picking back up in verse 21. And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, I am no longer worthy to be called your son.

But the father said to his servants, Bring quickly the best robe and put it on him and put a ring in his hand and shoes on his feet and bring the fatten calf and kill it and let us eat and celebrate. For this, my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found. And they began to celebrate. Now, there are some key words in this passage that we don't want to miss. Notice the son mentioned that he wasn't worthy to be called a son.

Notice he said he'd send against heaven and his earthly father. He didn't make excuses or try to hide behind his shame. Notice he came just as he was, on the outside and the inside, to talk to his father. But here's the thing. This guy also had a brother. And that brother had also committed all kinds of sin. And that brother has more debt than he can ever repay to his heavenly father. And that brother's heart is full of judgmental, prideful thoughts that disgrace his heavenly

father, and his heavenly father sees that brother, running away from the love and forgiveness he offers. Here's how the story goes on. Now, his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near the house, he heard music and dancing, and he called to one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And the servant said to him, well, your brother has come, and your father has killed the fat and calf because he's received him back, safe and sound. but he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, look, this many years, I've never disobeyed your command. Yet you never gave me a young goat that I might celebrate with my friends.

But when this son of yours came, he was devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fat and calf for him. The older brother was so angry and jealous. He wouldn't even call the guy his brother. He just said, this son of yours. Do we ever act like this older brother? Do we ever talk to God about what those people of His are doing, doing to us, doing around us, doing to his name? It might be okay to do that, but it depends on who we identify with in this story. If we let our experiences or our egos be the ones who place us in this story, we would probably never think we would,

we are the older brother. We might see ourselves in the prodigal son, having received the mercy of Jesus when we at least deserved it. We might see ourselves in the loving father, especially if we have kids who we continue to show love and reach out to even when they don't want to hear from us. But do our egos ever let us identify with the older son? because I think that at one time we have all been or we all are the older son. It's doubtful that we see ourselves in the older son, and that's kind of the point of this whole parable.

This was a story for the benefit of the people who thought they were righteous. Just before this, Jesus told them the parable about the shepherd, who has 100 sheep and leaves the 99 to go find the lost one. And when he comes home, he calls his friends and neighbors and says, rejoice with me, for I found my sheep that was lost. And Jesus sums that up by saying, just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance. Now, when the Pharisees heard this, they were offended. They see themselves in the 99 righteous ones who need no repentance.

Why would Jesus hang out with all the sinners and all the tax collectors? I mean, by doing that, he's disgracing the 99. But Jesus flips the narrative. Because in his math, there are 100 sinners that he loves and that he came to rescue. And the 99 righteous persons who need no repentance, well, they don't even exist. Paul explains in Romans 3, what then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all, for we have already charged out that all. Both Jews and Greeks are under sin. As it is written, none is righteous. No, not one. No one understands. No one seeks God. The irony of this parable is that the ones who need repentance aren't seeing themselves in the right place of God's story. What about us?

Do we let our egos drive our stories? We have a shadow self that uses money, pictures, words, and work habits to define our narrative. We don't know how the story ends for the older brother. We don't know if he'll get it. But we do know what Jesus is saying for our benefit when he wraps up the parable. To the older son, the father turns and says, You are always with me. and all that is mine is yours.

It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead and is alive. He was lost and is found. Jesus is inviting you and me to see our shadow selves for what they are. Ways of keeping our feelings of unworthiness out of reach. Something deep inside us believes we would be unlovable if anyone really knew

what was true about us. But Jesus does know, and he loves us. And he loves us so much, he gave us this parable to show us and open our eyes. So for reflection, which one of these three do you identify with? Shame.

Do you identify with shame? Shame. There is something about me that if other people know, they wouldn't love me. Or what about blame? Do you identify with blame? There is something. about other people that is worse than me.

Or belonging. I hope you identify with belonging. There is something wrong with me, and God loves me anyway. There's so much freedom in letting go of our shadow selves and being exposed before our loving father who waits patiently for our return and accepts us lovingly with his free gift of grace.

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