The Son who Refused the Father's Mercy and Grace

I was prompted again to post about this subject while reading a Facebook post by Carrie Hattaway. She correctly points out that the parable about the prodigal is more about the elder son than the younger. Jesus was answering the question posed by the Pharisees why he spent so much time with who were were considered undesirables in that culture. The ones the Pharisees viewed as "sinners."

Both sons think relationship with the father is based on what they DESERVE.

One believes his failures have disqualified him.

The other believes his obedience has entitled him.

And the father refuses both versions of the relationship.

The younger son comes home trying to negotiate himself down from son to servant.

The father basically interrupts the whole transaction: robe, ring, sandals, feast.

Then the older son stands outside essentially presenting his résumé: I obeyed. I worked. I stayed. I did everything right.

And the father goes outside to him too.

That may be one of the most beautiful details in the entire story.

The father goes out for both sons.

He runs toward the rebellious son coming up the road.

And he leaves the celebration to plead with the religious son standing outside.

One son is lost in rebellion.

The other is lost in performance.

And the Father goes after them BOTH.

Which means maybe the great revelation of Luke 15 isn’t simply:

“Look how bad the prodigal was.”

Maybe it’s:

“Look what kind of Father they had.”

Carrie points out that at the end of the story the angry son is left outside. We don't know if he ever decided to join the party or not.

I think one of the biggest, if not the actual biggest, problem with Christianity today is angry sons standing outside the party. They refuse to accept the grace and mercy God shows for "outsiders." Their Christianity is based on performance instead of realizing what a gracious and merciful Father they have, and realizing they need that grace and mercy, too.

Even those who talk about accepting God's mercy can get caught up in performance-based Christianity. "I came to Jesus, and am grateful He saved me. But look how much I am doing for Him now! I deserve to be saved. Those who live lifestyles that I think are wrong don't deserve to be saved. It's unfair that they claim to know Jesus, too."

How sad to live that way, with a judgmental spirit, which Jesus and and His Apostles warned us about.

This same spirit is found in the book of Jonah. Jonah refused to go to Nineveh to warn the people there because he was afraid the people would repent! (See chapter 4.) He is angry when they do! 

Are we looking for God to be merciful to people who we see as our enemies, or are we angry when we see them enjoying their lives because God hasn't judged and destroyed them as we think He should?

When a Samaritan village rejected the message, James and John ask Jesus if they should send fire from Heaven like Elijah did. Jesus has to rebuke them.

It is no secret that I have affirmed the LGBTQI community. I sincerely believe there is nothing inherently wrong with their lifestyle. Sometimes, as when the Pharisees railed against Jesus and his Disciples for "breaking the Sabbath," those we proclaim as sinners are actually innocent. (See my last blog post.) 

Sometimes those we think are wasting their lives on prodigal living have actually been closer to the Father than we are.

Stop being the angry son standing outside and come join the party, and experience God's grace.

 When Jesus Taught a Form of Situation Ethics: Matthew 12

I am currently reading the classic 1966 work Situation Ethics: The New Morality by Joseph Fletcher. For most of my young adult years and following, I was taught to steer clear of the philosophy espoused by Fletcher. While the author does seem to have some problematic ideas, I was surprised to learn that his basic ideas have Christian roots. 

I fact, I would argue, Jesus Himself taught a form of situation ethics in Matthew 12. The following is an attempt to show how the passage about "doing good on the Sabbath" is indeed situational. 

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath." Verses 1-2 NIV

It must be pointed out at the first that the Pharisees were not accusing Jesus and His disciples of doing something inherently unlawful. Gleaning was perfectly legal, as it was the provision in the Law for the poor. You could say it was a poor tax. [For those who correctly use the Bible looking for principles that apply to today, how about applying that to your politics?]

The Pharisees complaint was that they were working on the Sabbath. There is actually no commandment in the Old Testament prohibiting gleaning on the Sabbath. That was a rule they had added to the Law. It was their interpretation of a particular command: not to work on the Sabbath. Legalists want to have everything delineated, so they make as many rules as they can think of to cover every possible scenario. 

As we will see, Jesus will say that even the commandments of scripture are not hard and fast. What is most important is the needs of people.

He answered, "Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests." Verses 3-4 NIV

Some would argue that what David did was wrong, even though there was a good outcome. But that is not how Jesus argues. He is not saying the He and His disciples are wrong, but they were hungry, so they should just be forgiven. He is saying that sometimes laws themselves do not apply to certain situations if the need of people is more important than the reason the law was given. Jesus is teaching a form of situation ethics!

Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? Verse 5 NIV

Laws are not meant to cover each and every situation. Some commandments supersede others. 

"I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." Verses 6-8 NIV

Some other translations translate the word "something" as "someone" or "Someone." The Greek is unclear. Considering verse 8's "Lord of the Sabbath," it is understandable that translators would assume Jesus was talking about Himself. But He could be referring to a greater principle than service to the Temple. Jesus certainly has the right to say what is right or wrong to do on the Sabbath. But certainly Jesus based His decisions of right and wrong upon principle. And, given what He taught in the rest of the Gospels, certainly that principle was Love--what meets the needs of people. 

Notice Jesus says that He and His disciples should not just be forgiven, but that they have nothing to be forgiven for; they are innocent. The mercy Jesus is talking about is not just forgiving those who are wrong. It is recognizing that sometimes Love does not condemn because it recognizes the people who the supposed spiritual leaders think are sinners, are actually innocent! 

Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. Verses 9-14 NIV

God values people. Too often we value things over people. We value protecting property over protecting people; it doesn't matter who gets hurt in the crossfire. 

It's easier to just say, "The Bible says," then to actually treat people the way God does. To bless those who curse us as He does, giving rain and sun to both just and unjust. Our perceived ideas of another's sin is no excuse to treat them with harm, or to prevent others from helping them. 

God wants us to act mercifully instead of going around like the Pharisees did trying to find lawbreakers. He wants us to bless those we see as unjust, and often realize those we think of as sinners are really innocent. 

Forging a Sacred Weapon: The 1946 Bible Translation Behind Anti-Gay Theology

This book has been a very long time coming. A decade ago, Kathy Baldock never dreamed she would become involved in the battle over Gay Theology. It sort of fell into her lap. Some will, I am sure, claim it was placed there by Satan. I am convinced that God, rather than the Devil, is behind the details. 

Whatever you may think of Baldock and her conclusions, it is obvious that details are important to her. Her new book is not some slipshod, hastily put together treatise. She has done her homework, and honest scholars will wrestle with what she has revealed for years to come.

The book revolves around the original Revised Standard Version's translation of 1 Corimthians 6:9-10, first published in 1946. This was the first translation in any language to use the word "homosexual"--a term coined in 1869 by Karl Maria Kertbeny. In 1971, the RSV corrected the wording to "sexual perverts," reflecting the original Greek better. However, Baldock contends that the damage was already done, as the word "homosexual" or "homosexuality" was incorporated into various versions following, including the very popular paraphrase, The Living Epistles, which continued the use in The Living Bible. 

Ironically, the concept of homosexuality even made its way into the German Bible (Hoffnung für Alle) financed by the publishers of the NIV. This ignored the tradition of following the translation by Martin Luther, which used the word Knabenschänder, which means "a male adult who sexually assaults boys." This is far from the mutual consent we see in loving same sex relationships today.

Baldock also traces the history of sex, and how roles were viewed since Old Testament times until the present. This history is vitally helpful in helping us understand the horrific sexual scenes which are often depicted in the Bible, as well as archaic ideas which evolved through the years. Thoroughly researched, with an extensive Bibliography and Indices, this book is invaluable for anyone wanting to do a serious study of the relationship of homosexulity and the Church. 

Forging a Sacred Weapon is now available for purchase on Amazon, or directly from the author through CanyonWalkerConnections.

 

The Rainbow Revival: Toward Inclusion and Affirmation

Early this month, I had the privilege of attending the 2025 Reconcile and Reform Conference in Atlanta. This was sponsored by The Reformation Project, founded by Matthew Vines. I became acquainted with Vines' God and the Gay Christian back when I was leading the coverage of the Hobbit movies for HollywoodJesus.com. Unfortunately, much of that content is gone, but with a lot of patience, you can find a few things on The Wayback Machine from Internet Archives. I was able to find a copy of my review of Vines' book there!

If you read my review from 2014, it was obvious I was impressed, but not yet fully convinced. It would take awhile before I became fully affirming. That is basically the same journey that Pastor Jim, who spoke at the Conference traveled. James A, Conrad, Jr. spoke at the Conference. I understand he has been a recurring speaker at the conferences. His experience with coming to terms with the issue, and leading his church to become LGBTQ+ affirming, is written up in his book, The Rainbow Revival: a pastor and church on the journey towards inclusion. (Please don't confuse this with the group The Rainbow Revival. They have definitely gone in another direction; they are very non-affirming, believing God does NOT want anyone to be gay or transgender.) 

As you read Pastor Jim's book, it quickly becomes apparent that he has a true pastor's heart. He cares about people. You will also find he is not an accomplished writer. But don't be put off by his lack of proper punctuation and sentence structure. Open yourself to his heart. After all, isn't loving God and people what we are to be about as Christians? 

This is not to say that Conrad is some sentimental milquetoast. He is not a snowflake. It is obvious he has studied the arguments for LGBTQ+ inclusion. He didn't come to his conclusions lightly. But if you are looking for a book to convince your mind, this probably isn't going to do it. There are other more scholarly books which were written for that. 

Pastor Jim never wanted to deal with this issue. It fell into his lap. He had mentally dealt with the issue somewhat over the years, but it really hit home when a family with a very conservative background asked if they would be accepted at Towne View Baptist. 

No one had ever asked me that question before. Maybe no one ever felt they needed to ask the question. Maybe some had asked and I didn't have ears to hear. (p.36)

The couple had both been raised in fundamental, independent Baptist churches in Indiana, and adopted three children. They had been living in Nebraska, and now were moving to Georgia. They wanted to raise the kids in a church environment as close to what they were used to, but the couple was two men. Would the church accept them?

The story continues about how Pastor Jim led the church through the process of accepting them as members. The church ended up losing a third of its membership, and was kicked out of the Southern Baptist Convention. They made the national news. But they also saw God at work.

When I told a friend about our "rainbow revival" in the summer of 2019 he said, "Jim, if this happens, don't be surprised if you experience a revival of love and spirit and generosity in your church." 

Our church has been renewed by newcomers from the LGBTQ+ community, families and allies of the community and families where parents want to raise their children in this environment. One mother excitedly shared, "I can talk about my whole family here, even my gay son." They have taught us much about grace. I feel like we must be doing something right when someone says, "I am fully free to be me here and to fully and authentically worship God."

There have been many in conservative circles who have been praying for revival. Maybe this is God's answer. Maybe this is the reformation the church needed all along. Don't close your eyes to what God is doing like the religious leaders in Jesus' day did. You may be missing the miracle by assuming God doesn't work that way.  

  

Who Is Jesus part 15: Resurrection Sunday

 

Luke 24

Due to the haste in which Jesus had to be buried, there was apparently only time to wrap the body (verse 12), but not enough time to round up the spices and perfumes needed to complete the job. The women from Galilee gather these before the sunset Friday night, but are unable to apply them due to the Sabbath. As soon as the Sabbath is over, early Sunday morning, they return to the tomb, but do not find the body. What has happened?

As they are wondering what was going on, they are surprised by two angels. Luke begins with angel visits, and now the last chapter begins with an angelic appearance. They declare that Jesus is still alive, and seem surprised that they hadn't realized what would happen. When the angels mention about the third day, they remembered what Jesus said about rising again. 

Not only had the women and the disciples not understood what Jesus had said about rising from the dead, but the Eleven (the Twelve Disciples minus Judas) had obviously not learned what Jesus had been trying to teach them about women. Throughout the history of humans, women have been looked down upon as inferior and unreliable. They were obviously hysterical. (If that misogynistic term had existed in the first century, they probably would have used it.) 

Peter, however, wants to see for himself. He runs to the tomb, sees the linen cloths laid out with no body, and walks away, wondering. At least part of what the women said was true, but Peter does not believe the part about the angels. It was just some kind of vision (See verse 23). Jesus couldn't possibly be alive. 

At the risk of sounding sacrilegious, I am thinking Heaven must have been watching this whole scene with a chuckle. I can hear it in the voices of the angels as they question the women why they are looking in a tomb for someone they should have know was alive. I hear it in Jesus' voice as the disciples on the Emmaus road are told how foolish they were for not believing the Prophets. He explains how the scriptures were pointing to Jesus and what He would do. Why are they so slow to believe? Doesn't it make sense that if Jesus was the Messiah that He would have to be alive? 

The two finally recognize who they had been walking with when Jesus breaks bread after they stop at their destination. Apparently Jesus had a very unique way of breaking bread, and this was probably still Passover week, so it would have been unleavened bread He broke. Perhaps these two were part of the group Jesus had just celebrated the beginning of Passover with. As soon as they recognize Jesus, He disappears. They look at each other and express how their "hearts burned" in Jesus presence. Have you ever felt anything like that? I have had times when I felt that God was doing special, and only realized later, as all the details came together, what He was trying to tell me. Yes, I am slow to believe like the two were.

The pair make their way back to Jerusalem, and talking with the Eleven and the other disciples, they found out that Peter had also seen Him. Yes, Jesus was indeed alive. And just to put the Capstone on it, Jesus appears in the midst of them. He offers them a greeting of peace, but they are frightened, thinking He is a ghost. No, this is not just a spirit they are seeing, but an actual resurrected body. He demonstrates this by showing His wounds and by eating a piece of fish. 

When we talk about Jesus being alive today, it does not just mean His spirit has gone back to Heaven. He has an actual body, and the hope of the resurrection is that we will have bodies like His someday. Our hope is more than going to Heaven when we die and floating around on a cloud in some sort of ethereal existence. It's being physically raised from the dead to live a real, physical life on the New Earth as Heaven and Earth are forever joined. 

Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. (52-53 NIV) May we know that same joy as we praise our God this Easter Day.

Who Is Jesus part 14: The Rest of the Disciples

 

Luke 23:50-56

There is a scene in The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, as Jack sails into the entrance of Port Royal, where he passes three hanging skeletons, meant as a warning to pirates. When the Romans crucified someone, it was a common practice to leave the dead bodies on the cross to be scavenged by birds and wild animals. This was a warning to anyone who dared defy the Empire.

Sometimes, however, if there was someone bold enough, and well-connected and/or wealthy, that they could plead to take the body to be entombed. Enter Joseph of Arimathea. He happened to be a member of the Sanhedrin who had been against their decision to have Jesus killed. He risks his reputation and position to take the body and have it buried in a tomb. Since it was late in the afternoon on Friday, and the Sabbath began at sundown, there was no time to embalm the body. The women from Galilee saw this, and quickly made preparations of the spices and perfumes they would need, but they would have to wait until the Sabbath was over to do the work.

Even though Jesus had repeated confrontations with the Jewish leaders over the Sabbath, He had never been against the Sabbath--only their interpretation of it. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. What a blessing for them that they were able to rest after such a dreadful ordeal. 

The Rest of the Disciples by Mark Allen Sommer

 

Joy will come in the morning,

But not today,

After we have wept all the day

Before. The women

Got the spices and graveclothes ready

Before the sun set, but the

Rest of us just wandered or hid.

 

Joy will come in the morning,

But today we just mourn and

Rest. God must have known

We would need this day when

He worked it all out with Moses.

Weeping followed by rest

Is what was needed.

 

Fall down on us mountains

He had said we would say

Someday when things are much worse.

But we wish for the mountains today.

For how could it *be* any worse?

 

Joy comes in the morning,

But not today. 

This is the day for mourning.   

Who Is Jesus? part 13: Good Friday, The Rejection of the Messiah

 

Luke 22:66- 23:49

Jesus before the Sanhedrin (22:66- 71)

The Sanhedrin (a council of elders made up of chief priests and teachers of the Jewish Law) is called together for the purpose of accusing Jesus of breaking the Torah so He can be put to death. They have to tread lightly because Rome refused to give them the authority to carry out a death sentence. According to Luke, the Sanhedrin was trying to get Jesus to admit He was the Messiah. Note that three different terms are used to refer to the Messiah: Christ (often translated "Messiah") is the Greek word for the Messiah, the Anointed One. The Son of Man was a term long used by Jewish scholars to refer to the Messiah. The Son of God was also a term used for the Messiah. It had not taken on the usage of meaning the Second Person of the Trinity like we use it today. All three terms simply, in this context, are referring to the Messiah that the Jews were expecting to come.

Jesus refuses to tell the Sanhedrin that He is the Messiah. He does say that the Messiah would now rule with God in Heaven. Jesus had provided plenty of evidence that He was the One who was to come, but they refused to believe it. He wasn't the Messiah they were expecting. Jesus was The Messiah, but He wasn't their Messiah; they were accusing Him of being a fraud. Even though Jesus does not claim to be the Messiah before them, they twist His words and say He has just admitted it. 

Jesus before Pilate and Herod (23:1-25)

Jesus wasn't the Messiah they were expecting. Ironically, if He were, if the intention was to take over the authority from them by force, they would have cause to condemn Him. That's why phase two of their plan actually doesn't work. 

The Sanhedrin not only accused Jesus of claiming to be the Messiah (a king), but they add another claim they knew to be false: that Jesus opposed paying taxes to Caesar. They couldn't trap Him on the tax issue earlier in the week, but they falsely accuse Him of that anyway. They charge Him with crimes He would have been guilty of if He was actually the Messiah they had expected. 

When Pilate asks Jesus if He is the King of the Jews, Jesus gives basically the same reply He gave The Sanhedrin when they asked if He was the Messiah: "That's what you said." In other words, "that's the accusation." Pilate at least has the integrity to admit Jesus is not making a confession. Jesus knows He isn't about leading an insurrection; He's not wanting to take over Judea by force, so He does not admit to what they're actually asking. 

Herod [Antipas] wants to have some fun with all this. He is called in when Pilate discovers Jesus was from Galilee. Herod has been wanting to see Jesus for some time now, not because He wanted to hear His teachings, but to see His miracles. The Sanhedrin keep making accusations, but none of them stick. Still, Herod and the soldiers dress Him like a king and mock Him, sending Him back to Pilate. Pilate apparently likes the joke, because he and Herod become friends after being long-time enemies. 

Pilate declares that he and Herod have not found anything to justify Jesus being killed, but he says he will punish Him and release Him. But the crowd demands that Jesus be crucified. And Pilate bows to them. The people want the real insurrectionist to be released, not the One who tried to teach them another way. This is a scene which has been reproduced over and over throughout history. The people choose the violent warmongers over the loving peacemakers, to their own detriment. A few decades later, Jerusalem will be sacked and destroyed. The people will reap what they have sown. 

Jesus before the people (23:26- 49)  

As Jesus makes His way down the streets to the crucifixion, He talks about the destruction to come. Women were weeping and mourning, but Jesus tells them someday things will be much worse. This is actually a time of a "green tree." Compared to what is coming later, these are actually good times. If people do things like what they are seeing in the good times, how horrific it will be when the times of the "dry tree" come. "Don't weep for Me. Weep for yourselves and your children." A warning we should always heed when we reject the way of peace and love for the way of violence and hate. 

But there is hope, even during this horrific scene. For those who are killing Jesus using one of the most barbaric and cruel methods of torture devised, He offers forgiveness. Most of the crowd is standing around laughing and jeering, but those who knew Him stood at a distance watching. In the end, He is not completely abandoned by His disciples. One of the criminals crucified with Him insults Him, but the other realizes Jesus had done nothing wrong. In an amazing display of faith, this criminal asks Jesus to remember Him when He come into His kingdom. Here is someone who from all appearances is defeated and has lost the day, but this man understands He will be victorious. Don't discount those who we see as being justly punished. Some of them can surprise us with faith beyond what we ever thought possible. His faith is rewarded. 

Then there is that enemy Roman soldier, the centurion. Even our worst enemies are not beyond hope. He comes to the realization that although this Man was dead, He not defeated. What he had witnessed convinced him. He had probably seen uprisings in his day led by would-be Messiahs. This One was different. He spoke words of forgiveness to those abusing and torturing Him. Some might call that crazy. Some might call that weak. This hardened soldier knew and truth, and called him righteous.