{"id":362,"date":"2024-08-14T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-14T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/?p=362&2024"},"modified":"2024-08-12T18:00:07","modified_gmt":"2024-08-13T00:00:07","slug":"focused-on-each-moment-luke-15-11-32","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/focused-on-each-moment-luke-15-11-32\/","title":{"rendered":"Focused on Each Moment: Luke 15:11-32"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"spoiler spoiler-style-2\"><div class=\"spoiler-title\">Focus Passage: Luke 15:11-32 (NIV)<\/div><div class=\"spoiler-content\"><p>\u00a0<sup class=\"versenum\">11<\/sup> Jesus continued: \u201cThere was a man who had two sons. <sup class=\"versenum\">12<\/sup> The younger one said to his father, \u2018Father, give me my share of the estate.\u2019 So he divided his property between them. <\/p>\r\n<p>\u00a0<sup class=\"versenum\">13<\/sup> \u201cNot long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. <sup class=\"versenum\">14<\/sup> After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. <sup class=\"versenum\">15<\/sup> So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. <sup class=\"versenum\">16<\/sup> He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. <\/p>\r\n<p>\u00a0<sup class=\"versenum\">17<\/sup> \u201cWhen he came to his senses, he said, \u2018How many of my father\u2019s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! <sup class=\"versenum\">18<\/sup> I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. <sup class=\"versenum\">19<\/sup> I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.\u2019 <sup class=\"versenum\">20<\/sup> So he got up and went to his father. <br>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBut while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. <\/p>\r\n<p>\u00a0<sup class=\"versenum\">21<\/sup> \u201cThe son said to him, \u2018Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.\u2019 <\/p>\r\n<p>\u00a0<sup class=\"versenum\">22<\/sup> \u201cBut the father said to his servants, \u2018Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. <sup class=\"versenum\">23<\/sup> Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let\u2019s have a feast and celebrate. <sup class=\"versenum\">24<\/sup> For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.\u2019 So they began to celebrate. <\/p>\r\n<p>\u00a0<sup class=\"versenum\">25<\/sup> \u201cMeanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. <sup class=\"versenum\">26<\/sup> So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. <sup class=\"versenum\">27<\/sup> \u2018Your brother has come,\u2019 he replied, \u2018and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.\u2019 <\/p>\r\n<p>\u00a0<sup class=\"versenum\">28<\/sup> \u201cThe older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. <sup class=\"versenum\">29<\/sup> But he answered his father, \u2018Look! All these years I\u2019ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. <sup class=\"versenum\">30<\/sup> But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!\u2019 <\/p>\r\n<p>\u00a0<sup class=\"versenum\">31<\/sup> \u201c\u00a0\u2018My son,\u2019 the father said, \u2018you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. <sup class=\"versenum\">32<\/sup> But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.\u2019\u00a0\u201d <\/p><p class=\"passage-read-more\">Read <a href=\"http:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Luke 15:11-32&amp;version=niv\" title=\"Read the passage on BibleGateway.com\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"hyperlink-underlined\">Luke 15:11-32<\/a> in context and\/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!<\/p><\/div><\/div>\r\n<p>The parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the most famous of Jesus\u2019 parables, but there is a part of it that I have never heard anyone address: The Father\u2019s role in what happens.<\/p>\r\n<p>Many scholars and teachers will point out that this parable is more about the Father\u2019s role than it is about either of the two sons. I agree, but one thing bothers me about this parable when looking at it with God representing the \u201cfather\u201d character: <strong>God orchestrates the entire course of events.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>What I mean by this is that the younger son comes home, and the last thing he is looking for is a party. He was more hoping to be one of the servants. The older son would have completely agreed with the younger one.<\/p>\r\n<p>But the Father character flips the tables. He honors the son that was not seeking honor, and he knows that this will bother the older brother.<\/p>\r\n<p>This entire situation is orchestrated by the Father. God uses this as one additional example of those who seek honor being humbled, and those who humble themselves being honored. There are ample examples of Jesus\u2019 sharing this truth in all four gospels.<\/p>\r\n<p>Why does this bother me? I\u2019m not sure, but perhaps it is because I can understand the older brother\u2019s perspective. If I had stayed faithful to God, and it looked like He had displaced me for someone who had fallen away, I could easily understand having annoyed feelings. If I were in the older brother\u2019s shoes, I would have been offended at the idea of the younger brother being given a feast of honor.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>But the truth is that God wants the older brother, and all of us, to understand something deeper about Him \u2013 and His character. He is focused on the moment, and this moment holds the return of His lost son. In any moment with this event, would you expect a loving father to react any less?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<div id=\"aj-wrap-up--362\" class=\"aj-wrap-up\"><p><em>This thought was inspired by studying the <strong>Walking With Jesus<\/strong> \u201cReflective Bible Study\u201d package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, <a class=\"underline\" href=\"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/\" title=\"Check out Reflective Bible Study!\">click here<\/a> and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!<\/em><\/p><p><em><a class=\"underline\" href=\"javascript:void(0);\" onClick=\"rbs_aj_inline_subscribe(this, '362');\">Subscribe<\/a> to this blog and never miss an insight.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the most famous of Jesus\u2019 parables, but there is a part of it that I have never heard anyone address: The Father\u2019s role in what happens. Many scholars and teachers will point out that this parable is more about the Father\u2019s role than it is about [&hellip;]","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-text"],"nelio_content":{"autoShareEndMode":"never","automationSources":{"useCustomSentences":false,"customSentences":[]},"efiAlt":"","efiUrl":"","followers":[2],"highlights":[],"isAutoShareEnabled":false,"networkImageIds":[],"permalinkQueryArgs":[],"series":[],"suggestedReferences":[]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Focused on Each Moment: Luke 15:11-32 - Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/focused-on-each-moment-luke-15-11-32\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Focused on Each Moment: Luke 15:11-32 - Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the most famous of Jesus\u2019 parables, but there is a part of it that I have never heard anyone address: The Father\u2019s role in what happens. 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