Luke 15 (1)

Pray Psalm 107.1-3.
Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
And gathered out of the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.

Sing Psalm 107.1-3.
(Faithfulness: Great Is Thy Faithfulness)
Lord, You are good, we give thanks and we praise You!
Your steadfast love will forever endure.
Let the redeemed, who from trouble You rescue,
gather and say that Your mercy is sure!
Refrain vv. 1-3
Lord, for Your wondrous works, and for Your steadfast love,
we give You thanks, we exalt Your great Name!
We who from east and west, north and south gather,
boldly redemption in Christ we proclaim!

Read and meditate on Luke 15.1, 2.

Preparation
1.Who came to listen to Jesus?

2. How did the religious leaders respond?

Meditation
Let’s recall how chapter 14 ended. Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Evidently, something clicked in the souls of “all the tax collectors and sinners”. They wanted to hear Jesus. They knew they needed what Jesus had to offer. They did not want to be left out. They “drew near” to make sure they didn’t miss a word He had to say. They were happy to have the opportunity to pursue Jesus rather than dishonest gain and wretched sin.

Jesus did not warn them away, as He had done before (14.25ff.). Evidently, He recognized the seriousness of their approach, and He was ready to welcome and teach them. We need to consider the parables in this chapter as aimed at these social outcasts, to comfort and encourage them, and to affirm them in seeking Him.

But the religious leaders were having none of it. We note that they were not drawing near to hear Jesus. How could they? I mean, all those tax collectors and sinners pressing on Him! Who wants to be in that crowd? They “complained”, that is, they emphatically grumbled about this Man and the company He kept. They would never be seen with the likes of this riffraff.

As fellow members of the riffraff, aren’t we glad that Jesus keeps company with us? That we can draw near to hear Him speaking to us in His Word? And that He does not turn us away, but welcomes us into His Presence? That He speaks words of life and freedom to us, so that we can be changed? Oh, let us give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to riffraff like us (Ps. 107.8)!

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.
“But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings…” (Mal. 4.2).
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn. 1.1).
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3.16).
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5.8).

“This Man receives sinners and eats with them” (Lk. 15.1).
How grateful I am that He does.

O how He loves you and me, O how He loves you and me;
He gave His life—what more could He give?
O how He loves you, O how He loves me,
O how He loves you and me!

Jesus to Calv’ry did go, His love for sinners to show.
What He did there brought hope from despair.
O how He loves you, O how He loves me,
O how He loves you and me!
(Kurt Kaiser, 1975)

For reflection
1. How should we think of ourselves as beneficiaries of the Lord’s love and salvation?

2. Why can we be so confident of the Lord’s love for us?

3. Would you say that, every day, first thing, you are eager to hear what Jesus has to say? Explain.

Tell me, O Pharisee, why do you grumble because Christ did not scorn to be with publicans and sinners, but purposely provided for them this means of salvation? To save people, he yielded himself to emptiness, became like us, and clothed himself in human poverty. Cyril of Alexandria (375-444), Commentary on Luke, Homily 106.

Pray Psalm 107.4-22
Which of these situations best describes where you were when the Lord saved you? Give Him thanks and praise for His salvation and for all His wondrous love.

Sing Psalm 107.4-22.
(Faithfulness: Great is Thy Faithfulness)
Wand’ring in deserts, no city, no dwelling,
hungry and thirsty and faint in our soul –
Lord, when we cried, all our misery telling,
You brought us home and in grace made us whole!
Refrain vv. 1-3
Lord, for Your wondrous works, and for Your steadfast love,
we give You thanks, we exalt Your great Name!
We who from east and west, north and south gather,
boldly redemption in Christ we proclaim!

Though we in darkness of death and affliction,
pris’ners of sin and rebellion were bound;
though we Your Word denied, You brought conviction,
crying to You we deliverance have found!
Refrain

Foolish and sinful, afflicted and dying,
all of our ways with iniquity fraught –
You hear our tears, our laments, and our crying,
You sent Your Word and to us mercy brought!
Refrain

T. M. and Susie Moore

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available free by clicking here.