Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1914-04-29

of the third parable:
Freedom
Adieu
Trial
Hunger
Extremity
Return or Reception
We will study the parable, using all
the verses, including 25-32, from the
following outline:
Lesson Divisions:
|, INTERPR CITATION.
IL. APPLICATION.
Ill. OBSERVATION
The Outline Developed.
INTERPR ETATION-What dbl Jes-
us intend that His hearers should un-
derstand by this parable, as relating to
them? Lord Jesus, thou didst speak
with words which thou didst send thy
Son to speak; Holy Spirit, thou didst
cause them to be written-Triune God,
enlighten the eyes Of our understanding,
that we may behold wondrous things
out of thy law, that we may think thy
thoughts, know thy will, discern thy
mind, to the praise of the glory of thy
grace, Amen. Speaking these words
drew a word picture in which three
things were prominent: First, the
condition of the publicans and sinners,
as represented by the son who went into
the far country; second, the love of
God for these, His compassion on
them, His rejoicing over their saliva
ton; third, the Pharisees' hardness of
heart, as represented by the elder
brother. The elder son was the one To
whom the birthright belonged; he was
the head Of the family (see Gen 1913;
DIT. 21:17; Psalm 105:36 regarding the
first born.) The elder son was there
fore more vitality interested in the
family than the younger. The young
er son, not having this position and
interest. represents the publicans and
sinners who were more open t@ the
temptation OF breaking with the house
hold or Jewish legalism, hence led off
into Immoral living" Like the
younger son, the publicans had Joined
themselves to the citizens of another
country. and were serving the Roman
government in a capacity that practi-
cally communicated them form the
Jewish religious community. But
3:1O, publicans were among those
who sought him, and when the Lord
of glory Himself followed His fore
runner, publicans and sinners came to
Him, rejoicing in His presence. and
feasting with Him &C. &. the apostle
Matthew (Mk. 2:15.) Read Luke
1929, 30 Next we see the Fathers
heart of love for the ones who had
gone astray, who were not worthy,
who had wasted all in riotous living.
The wanderer "came TO himself, and
then came to His father, with. a con-
fession of his sin and unworthiness-
This is met by But theFather- Re-
penting and seeking Him, the publ
cans and sinners were freely forgiven,
clothed. beautitied fed, and placed in
the midst of rejoicing. Nothing Is
said here about the great price which
this cost God; His love and Willingness
to receive and provide for the wander
ing ones is in the foreground. The
remains, though not mentioned here,
that the death of the cross was the
price the Son of God must pay in or
der that the Father might thus re-
ceive them Then, in the midst OF the
rejoicing, comes the elder son. the
Pharisee. Everyone rejoiced but the
elder son. He was angry, and would
not ioin i'm the festivities. 1t mattered
not To him that his brother was safe
and sound. His mind was full of his
own law keeping Cv 29), just like the
Pharisees, and like some of the people
of the twentieth century. He put his
brother away from him saying, thy
son" to his father. Note the descrip-
ton of the Pharisee: Cd heard mu-
sic and dancing; GU inquired regard
it: 90 understood it's meaning; ca
was angry; CD separated himself
from his brother, and from the scene
Of rejoicing; co was intreated by the
father CD reminds his father OF his
own perfections duke 1S:11,l2,) of
his fathers failure to recognize those
PROJECTIONS, and of thy son s
sins, which the father has already for
given; (S) Is told that sit was meet
that the father should do as he had
done. What the elder son did after
this is not told. our Lord left IL with
the Pharisees to finish the story for
themselves, so TO speak.
APPLICATION-Here we see the
picture of the sinner ana the rather
The far country is the state of separa-
ton i'm which the sinner lives. He
longs for Independence, as did the
younger son. Man wants TO have his
own way els. $3.50 Having his own
way leads him not TO happiness he
dreamed Of, but TO want. Sometimes
TO want Of temporal things. always
TO soul famine. In this wretched con-
dition, he finally comes To himself,
compares himself with his fathers
servants, he being the servant OF an
other to whom he has hired himself
(John s:34), the wages Of that service
being death (Rom. 6:23O decides to
return 10 his father and dos. lie
comes 10 his father conscious OF I'M
worthiness seeking a place as servant;
the father with nought but hatred for
his sons sin, loves the boy just the
Ia. -V.1n