May 25, 2025
When God Ran
“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them.” –Luke 15:1-2
Jesus told three parables …
The Lost Coin: About the lost; God looks for us
The Lost Sheep: About the lost; God looks for us
The Prodigal Son: About rule-keepers and the reckless; God runs to us
Luke 15:11-32
Reckless Son
“Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.” –Luke 15:12
He wanted the Father’s stuff, not the father
• Inheritance: 1/3 of the estate as the younger son (Deuteronomy 21:17)
• Most likely a teenager and single
Quickly learned that life apart from the Father leads to ruin
• Worked with pigs and ate their food = unclean (Leviticus 11:7; Deuteronomy 14:8)
• Everyone abandoned him
Understood that sin promises freedom but ends in bondage
• He was and felt very alone
The Turning Point
“But when he came to himself …” –Luke 15:17
Reckless son realizes that repentance is leaving and returning
• He prepared his speech (Luke 15:18-19)
“Kezazah”
Ceremony of rejection and banishment – “cutting off”
When someone wasted their family’s inheritance among Gentiles and then returned
Trigger: The ceremony was initiated when someone, typically a son, had squandered their family’s inheritance among Gentiles and then returned to their community.
Location: It took place on the outskirts of the village, preventing the individual from re-entering the communal space.
Ritual Action: Villagers would break a large pot or piece of pottery at the individual’s feet.
Verbal Declaration: The community would proclaim the individual “cut off” from their people, formalizing their exclusion.
Purpose: The Kezazah ceremony served as both a punishment and a deterrent, reinforcing social and familial norms.
Amazing Twist
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him … and ran …” –Luke 15:20
The undignified act of running (Genesis 33)
He ran ahead of justice
He covered his shame with a robe: “You are forgiven.”
He exchanged his guilt for a ring: “You have my blessing.”
He restored his relationship with shoes: “You are my son.”
God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. (Numbers 14:18)
• seeking out His lost sheep (Ezekiel 34:11)
• and rejoicing over each one found. (Matthew 18:12)
• Though we are undeserving, He removes our transgressions, for, as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love. (Psalm 103:11-12)
• Like the running father, Jesus bore our shame and suffered to draw us close, sanctifying us through His sacrifice. (Hebrews 13:12-13)
God, our Father, runs toward us with grace, ready to restore what sin has broken.
The Rule-Keeping Son
“Look, these many years I have served you …” –Luke 15:29
Forgot that obedience without relationship produces resentment
Missed the fact that you can be near the Father and be far from His heart
Overlooked that self-righteousness keeps you from grace
The son outside is on the inside, while the son on the inside is on the outside.
The Invitation
“It was fitting to celebrate and be glad …” –Luke 15:32
Will you come inside and experience grace?
The Father has grace for both the reckless and the rule-keeper.
Which son are you?
Will you come home or come inside?
