Soul man
Member
Read Luke 7:36–47, also read Luke chapter 15.
The story we have just read (if you read it) is much like the parable of the prodigal son. Both of these stories in Luke's Gospel are particular to the method and way in which Luke tells the story of Christ. By these two stories, we are able to see a depth into the Christ who was in Jesus of Nazareth, which is necessary to the union – expression of the Christ – life.
Jesus is on the Side of Sinners
The story in Luke 7, as well as in the parable in Luke 15, shows one considered to be a great sinner by others as well as by themselves contrasted with those who are considered to be genuinely righteous. In both cases Jesus is on the side of the sinner, and because of this, is severely criticized indirectly in the parable by the righteous elder son and directly in our story but the righteous Pharisee, Simon. Nowhere in these two stories does Jesus assert that sinners are not really as sinful as they appear to be, nor does he assert that the righteous are as righteous as they are judged to be by themselves or by others. The sinners in these two stories, one a harlot and the other a companion of harlots, are not excused by any arguments which would remove the seriousness of the moral demand.
Jesus does not excuse them by giving certain sociological explanations which might remove their personal responsibility. Neither does Jesus analyze their unconscious motives which would remove the significance of their Conscience decisions.
He does not remove their personal guilt because of the predicament which exists in a sinful world. The Scripture calls them sinners, simply and without restriction.
This does not mean that Jesus and the New Testament writers were unaware of a psychological and socialogical factors which determine human existence. They were keenly aware of the universal and inescapable dominion of sin over this world.
They were aware of the demonic splits in the souls of people which produced insanity and bodily destruction. They were aware of the economic and spiritual misery of the human race. Yet by no means, being aware of all these things, do Christ or the Gospel writers ever hold back from calling sinners sinners.
Sin is a Person as well as an act today, there is a deep strain in religion which seems to be hesitant to call sinners sinners. Just because one might understand the predicament in the world does not do away with judging the world. It is a fact that the church today has more terms and psychological insights into human behavior than ever before, and there is a prevailing idea that these things soften and even alleviate sin from being sin. Because the full gospel is not generally preached in most places (the full Gospel in this instance is the gospel which declares that sinners have but one father, Satan, and they indeed having his nature and are his children), the human race is unable and even incapable of understanding what human beings are without Christ.
It is a duty of the true church of Jesus Christ to preach sin as if it were a person, Satan, first John 3:8, even as it preachs righteousness as a person, Christ.
In these two stories, sinners are seriously called sinners, and in the same way the righteous ones are seriously called righteous. We would miss the whole spirit of what Christ is saying in both these stories if we tried to show the righteous ones are not truly righteous.
The elder son in the parable of Luke 15 did what he was supposed to do. He does not feel he has done anything wrong, nor does his father tell him so. His righteousness is not questioned, nor is the righteousness of Simon the Pharisee.
His lack of love toward Jesus is not reproached as a lack of righteousness, but it is derived from the fact that "little is forgiven him."
The story we have just read (if you read it) is much like the parable of the prodigal son. Both of these stories in Luke's Gospel are particular to the method and way in which Luke tells the story of Christ. By these two stories, we are able to see a depth into the Christ who was in Jesus of Nazareth, which is necessary to the union – expression of the Christ – life.
Jesus is on the Side of Sinners
The story in Luke 7, as well as in the parable in Luke 15, shows one considered to be a great sinner by others as well as by themselves contrasted with those who are considered to be genuinely righteous. In both cases Jesus is on the side of the sinner, and because of this, is severely criticized indirectly in the parable by the righteous elder son and directly in our story but the righteous Pharisee, Simon. Nowhere in these two stories does Jesus assert that sinners are not really as sinful as they appear to be, nor does he assert that the righteous are as righteous as they are judged to be by themselves or by others. The sinners in these two stories, one a harlot and the other a companion of harlots, are not excused by any arguments which would remove the seriousness of the moral demand.
Jesus does not excuse them by giving certain sociological explanations which might remove their personal responsibility. Neither does Jesus analyze their unconscious motives which would remove the significance of their Conscience decisions.
He does not remove their personal guilt because of the predicament which exists in a sinful world. The Scripture calls them sinners, simply and without restriction.
This does not mean that Jesus and the New Testament writers were unaware of a psychological and socialogical factors which determine human existence. They were keenly aware of the universal and inescapable dominion of sin over this world.
They were aware of the demonic splits in the souls of people which produced insanity and bodily destruction. They were aware of the economic and spiritual misery of the human race. Yet by no means, being aware of all these things, do Christ or the Gospel writers ever hold back from calling sinners sinners.
Sin is a Person as well as an act today, there is a deep strain in religion which seems to be hesitant to call sinners sinners. Just because one might understand the predicament in the world does not do away with judging the world. It is a fact that the church today has more terms and psychological insights into human behavior than ever before, and there is a prevailing idea that these things soften and even alleviate sin from being sin. Because the full gospel is not generally preached in most places (the full Gospel in this instance is the gospel which declares that sinners have but one father, Satan, and they indeed having his nature and are his children), the human race is unable and even incapable of understanding what human beings are without Christ.
It is a duty of the true church of Jesus Christ to preach sin as if it were a person, Satan, first John 3:8, even as it preachs righteousness as a person, Christ.
In these two stories, sinners are seriously called sinners, and in the same way the righteous ones are seriously called righteous. We would miss the whole spirit of what Christ is saying in both these stories if we tried to show the righteous ones are not truly righteous.
The elder son in the parable of Luke 15 did what he was supposed to do. He does not feel he has done anything wrong, nor does his father tell him so. His righteousness is not questioned, nor is the righteousness of Simon the Pharisee.
His lack of love toward Jesus is not reproached as a lack of righteousness, but it is derived from the fact that "little is forgiven him."
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