Father and 2 sons

In Luke 15 parable of 2 sons, who is the Father?.

There are 3 steps i follow when reading the scripture. 1. Understand the back ground behind the scripture. 2. Understand the time-less principle the author wants us to know. 3. Find the application to follow.

If you talk to any one who is close to me, they will say this - Sam does not believe any one. I constantly question the scripture. For some I got answers and others remains a mystery. good answer to my questions are at Deuteronomy 29:29. I think same was the case with Luke. Since he was a non-Jew and books he wrote are reports to an official, he would have had many question. he took much care to answer many of them(luke 1:3-4). he might have thought why follow this Jewish God?. That maybe the reason why he traced the genealogy all the way to Adam. That may be the reason why he found this parable of 2 sons very important to include in his book. He found 2nd as non-Jews who left fathers house longtime ago.

The very first question he tries to answer - who this Father is?. He starts his book by describing the majesty, glory, and mystery behind Jesus birth. Anyone reading that will know that this is not a ordinary birth. Then Luke move on to describe Jesus ministry and culminates with Jesus himself declaring that He is the creator and heavenly Father. First he forgives man's sin which only God can do(Luke 5:17-26) and then calls himself as the Lord of Sabbath(Luke 6:1-6).

What is this sabbath and its connection to Jewish laws. Sabbath law(exodus 20:8) is in the Decalogue(10 commandments) God gave to Moses. There is 2 parts in the law. First part is they to cease from what they do. 2nd part is for them to look towards their Maker(Lord). So that they could be saved from their slavery.

Teachers of the law understood the first part very well. And they did not get the second part. Instead of delivering themselves from slavery, they added more laws to follow. When Jesus and His disciples refused to follow the additional rules the teachers of the law put in, they were furious. Instead of looking towards the Lord to deliver them, they looked towards the devil to kill the Father.

Well there was those 2nd sons who looked towards the Lord of the sabbath to be delivered. Those withered hands, lepers, blind people and sinners. Luke makes it a point to tell us that those deliverance were done on sabbath. When He called Himself as the Lord of the sabbath, He is asking us to look towards him. He will deliver us from all slavery.

The father in this parable of 2 sons, is Jesus Christ. some in the crowd might not have known but teachers of the law knew what He was talking. Luke makes it a point that we get it. This Father is perfect representation of invisible God, radiance of God's glory, and our creator. All can return back to Him and He will deliver.

sola gratia

Grace alone. Salvation is through grace alone. Salvation is not inherited by birth in a big family. certainly can not be bought. it can not be obtained through any acts of kindness or generosity. But only through grace alone. not the Grace that i and you think in our minds or see through dreams but illuminated to us through scripture. Sola scriptura.

The scripture that you and I have in our hands is about one person and one act. The person is God-man Jesus Christ who is perfect representation of invisible God, radiance of God Glory, and creator of this universe. The act is the atoning sacrifice of himself for our salvation. Man was created to have close relationship with the creator. But on mans disobedience, separation happened at the garden. Separation is so big that only way to saved back to the creator is through an act of grace by this God-man Jesus Christ.

If we decide to believe this message and follow this God-man as the guiding light to restore the original relation we had with God. If we are to be saved, all needs to believe this message and follow Him. there is no exception. If you are a Jew or a Greek. If you are rich or poor. if you perform miracles in Gods name or not. if you are considered a religious leader or not. if you are a scientist or not.

The parable talked at Luke 15: 11-31 is about 2 sons. Both needed the grace of God. Only the younger one realized it and elder one thought he deserved it because he was going to church for a long time. the parable ends with the Father pleading the elder one that it is - sola gratia :- amazing grace, he was lost and is found.

The parable ends there but Luke continues the story. The story ended with elder son killing the Father for letting the younger son into the home. This elder son behavior i have in me. just because i know the scripture better than others, i want the better share of the inheritance. just because i know a better way to pray, i want to be blessed better than my brother. Just because i spend more time at church, i don't want anybody close to me.

You may start thinking that i fully misunderstood the parable. if you think that way, please contact me. i would love to spend sometime why i think this way.

evil good and good evil

It was a long Saturday with a family friend of us. We went to shooting range late and then followed by shopping and swimming. we went home at around 10.00 p.m. Since his wife too was out of town, we could do that. We pulled out the dinner his beloved wife had made for them and started eating. As we were waiting for his kids to finish eating around 11:30 p.m, Moses picked up his mail and brought the Forbes magazine to dinner table. After reading few pages, he went to last page to read the thoughts of the bi-weekly. The verse was Isaiah 5:20

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

As I continued my reading on Isaiah, I came to this verse. Then the verses that followed were not easy to read. It talks of people thinking themselves as wise and those who drink heavy. The consequence that follow are not comforting.

Then when I started thinking more, it was comforting. Without achieving much, I used to think I am smart. God out of his sovereign grace had to keep me small so that I am protected from those that are talked in this chapter.

Also now I pay attention to the deeds of the Lord and consider works of His hand(Isaiah 5:12).

I am now surrounded by people who live a very high standard of life. Men I meet on Saturday mornings are quality people. Men on Sunday Adult fellowship are people who I can follow as model. Family friends of us are really kind. I was called for dinner every weekend. Friends I play basket ball with are great. These friends are not what i selected but these are deeds of the Lord.

I trusted too much on the works of my hand. I had a coworker who used to say that he earned all his money through tips his fingers. I used to live under the hope that people will constantly praise me for the work I do. I still remember the day when I told my father that I will earn more than him by the age of 30. I am 38 and i find all around me earn more than me. Reason for the failure is trusting on the work of my hand. If I had trusted the son, life would have been very different.

I trusted the evil that is in me and called it good. Woe to those who call evil good.

king's court

I am to study Isaiah for the summer but i have not gone past 2 verses. But I did look up the second verse in internet.

Hear O Heavens! Listen O earth!.

The picture it draws is greater than what my mind can think. It was first said by Moses. Moses grew up in pharaoh court as pharaoh's adopted son. He is used to seeing royalty on the highest level. He has also seen all different gods of Egypt. In fact he went back to Egypt after exile and defeated all their gods. On leading people of Israel to promised land, he was intimidated by the rebelliousness nature of the people. They made a golden cafe and declared it as their deliverer. In his prayer Moses asked to see God's glory. Glory that he saw is what he is talking about. The great king is on His throne and heavens and earth are His subjects.

There are multiple things Moses is talking here. human greatest royalty is nothing compared to the glory he saw. gods of this world are nothing compared to the power of the great King. he declares himself to be more knowledgeable in knowing truth than all others around him. Also how foolish are the people in not following God's commands. Then he pleads his people to obey and trust the great King.

Like Moses there were other prophets followed. Finally King's Son himself came to reveal the glory. King's Son said, if you believe the Son and obey the kingdom commandments, you can also be there in the Kings court just like Him.

People are amazed looking at the beauty of this world and we want to preserve it. One day we all will get to see the kingdom. question is if we are inside or outside the kingdom. What a feeling to be inside the King's court.

I have been invited to many homes. Some are rich and others not that rich. Some made me feel very comfortable and others made me look small. some gave me best food they could not afford for themselves and others what was left over. some opened the full house and other just little bit inside front door. Some left a sign on front door asking me to leave and others gave their house key for me to live inside.

But when i enter the Kings Court, they will make me feel very welcomed. I will tell them, I am not worthy to receive this treatment. I will ask them what did I do that you are treating me like a king when for most part I was rebelliousness against the King. One of them will say, you trusted the King. Another will say that the King still holds those tear drops from your eyes in his Hands. The very Hands that created heavens and earth.

Hear O heavens! Listen O earth!

good master

A rich young man addressed Christ as Good Master and He replied, why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is God.

I really don't like to write personal stories because it sounds self serving or self destroying. but will do it as the last time.

During the final year in college i had a skin disease and was very ashamed about it. My father took me to doctor and Dr said it was just stress and gave some medicine. i don't think it worked. maybe it was just an antidepressants. all i wished them in life was this. a cup of rice and dal(http://en.wikipedia.com/wiki/Dal) to eat with it.

Now I have come long way because the good Master decided to be good to a worthless.

Everything works together for good because He is a good Master. We need to trust Him as a good Master. on both words- good and Master.

Good meaning, He looks out for the best in you. That He has you as the apple of His eye. You are not worthless but very precious that He asked His Son to die for you.

Master meaning He is omniscient. He knows all things that goes around you. He knows you will come out in flying colours when all is done.

I talk lot about positive thinking. it is not asking you to think contrary to what is going on. It is askign you to think God has a bigger plan for all the ordeal that you are going through.

I said - God is good. and they shouted - all the time.

follies of my younger years

Spurgeon on Psalm 25-7:

Verse 7. Remember not the sins of my youth. Sin is the stumbling block. This is the thing to be removed. Lord, pass an act of oblivion for all my sins, and especially for the hot blooded wanton follies of my younger years. Those offences which we remember with repentance God forgets, but if we forget them, justice will bring them forth to punishment. The world winks at the sins of younger men, and yet they are none so little after all; the bones of our youthful feastings at Satan's table will stick painfully in our throats when we are old men. He who presumes upon his youth is poisoning his old age. How large a tear may wet this page as some of us reflect upon the past!

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When I started working in Bangalore I had a preacher son as roommate. He used to repent for his sins at college. All others in the room used to make fun of him by asking what petty sins he had done. We considered those as no sins.

Where as I was the opposite. My sins were big and I wanted to cover it. There was college mate of mine at work. He was from Electronics and communication branch and I think he was one of the top students in class. I was very nice to him so that he will not tell. Then I wanted to out-perform him in work so that even if he says, people will think it is out of jealousy. what a folly. what a folly. what a folly.

If I had repented then, life would have been very different. Pride settled in me well when head of the company said, 'you need to have fun as Samuel did in college and perform as good as him in work'. I don't know how much he meant, but that killed me. I started to live a bigger sin life with full of pride.

I was and am a fool. But used to think very high of myself. Then out of Sovereign Grace, God introduced some people in my life. They constantly pour out insults at me so that I don't get those pride again. I still hangout with them because they keep me on check. b.t.w :- If you are one of them reading this, I am not talking about you.

I have a great life now. I think low of myself most of the time and look for God's mercy and grace to feel if I have anything in me.

finally:- I hear me when reading Spurgeon on this - How large a tear may wet this page as some of us reflect upon the past!

fathers' day

I wanted to write about my father on fathers' day. but 'A tree is best measured when it is down.' I am expecting lot more great things from him.

Since I am a father now, I was thinking what will my sons say of me. I am now connecting with my school/college/work/relative friends through facebook. They all will have different things to say of me. Some will say good of me even with all my weakness. Others will say bad of me with all my little goodness. What will my sons say of me? Heard this song in church on fathers' day. Song is 'let it be said of us' by Steve Fry.

Let it be said of us:
We were marked by forgiveness.
We were known by our love,
And delighted in meekness.

We were ruled by His peace,
Heeding unity's call;
Joined as one body
that Christ would be seen by all.

Let the Cross be our glory
And the Lord be our song.
By mercy made holy
By the Spirit made strong.

Let the Cross be our glory
And the Lord be our song.
'Till the likeness of Jesus
Be thru us made known.


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Nathan will you say this of me?