Wednesday Night Study
How Do You Approach Scripture? (Luke 15)

The Parable of the Lost Son
11Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13″Not 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. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17″When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ 20So he got up and went to his father. “But 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.

Polyvalence: “multiple meanings” – the capacity for books/writings to hold different meanings for different people.

The Sources of Different Meanings:
1. “Gaps” in Stories – like the motivations of characters, the history of people/places (because we don’t have an infinite number of words!)
2. Social Location: “Who You Are” in terms of gender, age, economic status (An example might be “If slapped on one side of your cheek, turn the other.” You might interpret differently, if you have been slapped by your husband lately)
3. We Identify with different characters
4. Idealistic Empathy – We would “like to be” like certain characters (Example: Pastors almost always empathize with Jesus, laity almost never do!)
5. Conceptions of what “Meaning” Means! Some see it as Content (what the message or moral is), others see it as Effect (hwo the story makes us feel, or react)… Clergy almost always choose “Content,” Laity choose “Effect!” So when a parishioner says “meaningful sermon, Pastor” – it usually means that it made them FEEL something (Pastor things they LEARNED something!)

Practical Implication: Luther – “We are to fear and love God, so that…” (LAW is that which makes us fear God, GOSPEL is that which makes us LOVE God – we need to hear, understand, and feel both to “Hear” God’s word correctly!

PRODIGAL SON PARABLE
The Experiment: Got seminary students in USA to read story out loud – and then “tell the story” to the group. The group writes down what was put in, what’s left out…

In USA: only 6 out of 100 seminary students mentioned the Famine
In Russia: 84/100 – mentioned the Famine. (670,000 Russians died in WWII when the Germans laid siege to St. Petersburg for over 900 days… one-third died! So their view of potential starvation effects all their views on social issues.)
2/3 of Russians LEFT OUT the part of the son squandering his money. Why? Because what does it matter if there’s a famine!?

KEY: The parable is about: Repentance… with the others on repentance (the Lost Coin, and the Lost Sheep)… the son’s “sin” is that he put a price tag on “family.”

Russians: The son’s sin is that he wanted to be SELF-SUFFICIENT (didn’t want to NEED anyone else… but only be in a position of power where he could CHOOSE)
RUSSIAN CONCLUSION: The son is a fool that needs to learn wisdom
USA CONCLUSION: The son is wicked/bad and needs to “choose repentance” and be good.

RUSSIANS: The son fails because he foolishly did not see the Famine coming – so he’s not BAD, he’s FOOLISH. Bad is not the opposite of foolish, WISE is!
“DISSOLUTE LIVING” – literal meaning in Greek: not saving; wasteful.
– Secondary Meaning: Immoral
WESTERN Translations: debauchery, risky, sexual misconduct, sinful indulgence, wine-women-song, sinful life. EASTERN Translations: expensive things, life of luxury, spend thrift, costly purchase, things he could not afford

Repentance in the EAST: is about Rescue… in the WEST: Reform.
WEST: The boys gets up, goes back to his Father – Repentance is about choice.
EAST: The Father says: What has been lost, has been found (literally: “Rescued!”)

WEST: The older son accuses the younger of sleeping with prostitutes – we assume he is correct in his accusations (but he’s not correct in anything’s else!)
EAST: The older brother is slanderous – his accusation reveals HIS character!
ANN LAUNDERS: Those who check under the bed, have probably hid there before!
EAST: The Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin – do not “come to their senses” – they are FOUND and RESCUED (the sheep will run away again tomorrow if you give them a chance!)

ONLY CHANGE that happens in the Prodigal Son Story is importance: The son was NOT in the Father’s House… now he IS.

TANZANIA – What Did They Say?

- A couple mentioned the Famine.
- A couple mentioned the son’s Dissolute Living (immoral behavior)
- *But 80/100 said the trouble was: No one gave the boy anything to eat! (So Mark Powell asked: Why do you say that? They answered: Because that’s what it says: No one gave him anything to eat!)
IMMIGRANTS to other countries often lose money, can’t speak the language, and don’t know the customs. The Bible COMMANDS us to care for the stranger and give food to the hungry.
*Q: What kind of country wouldn’t give food to the hungry or medical care to the poor?!
A: A country without HONOR, without COMPASSION.

TANZANIA: The Foolish and the Wicked belong in the Father’s House (God)!

Posted by Pastor Rick Stieve on November 13th, 2009