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Coming up right now on the Clearview Today Show. You're listening to Clear View today with Dr. Abadon Shah, the daily show that engages mind and heart for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm Ryan Hill. I'm John Galantis.
Welcome to the Clear View Today show. We're here in the studio with our host, Dr. Abadon Shah. And today we want to hear from you. We want to hear your thoughts on the show, how it's been helping you so far.
You can text us today: T O D A Y two five two four two nine six zero six nine. Dr. Shah, today we've we've been telling a lot of stories, right? We've been going through the parable of Jesus and. Today we're going to hear, I think, what is a lot of people's favorite story about a young man who came back to God, but God actually ran to him.
That's crazy! Wow, it's a great story. Yeah, there's a kind of lostness that no GPS can fix, and is nothing to laugh about. It's spiritual lostness, and it's much more than just losing your way or being temporarily out of sight. It is rushing headlong away from God, and towards eternal chasm.
I mean, that's what this this journey or this race is about. And it's only through Jesus Christ that we can be found, that we can be saved before it's too late. That's what this today's very popular, very popular parable is all about. I was thinking about this the other day. You know, my car has CarPlay in it, and I've never driven a car with CarPlay in it before, other than like rentals and stuff.
And I have become so reliant on GPS that it's hard for me to remember a time without it. There was a time when Elizabeth and I were headed to some friends of ours were getting married. And so we were living in North Carolina, but drove. It was just over the South Carolina border, like just right inside South Carolina.
So we we printed out MapQuest directions. I don't know if this is gonna date me, but when people are watching the show, oh no, I've done that. I had to. I had like paper MapQuest directions as we're driving.
Well, the problem is we lost cell service. The map quest directions we didn't print them out to come back home. There were road closures that we didn't account for, and so this is like my wife is is pregnant with twins at the time. Is it's getting dark? We're in a part of the the part of the state that I don't know anything about, and so I learned really quickly how to read a map.
I did very very fast. I I remember. I don't know if you remember this, Doctor Shaw. I actually called you. It was like.
2021 or something like that.
Something happened with Apple Maps.
Something like went down globally. And Doctor Shaw, I remember you were like, find a police station, just drive until you see a police station, and go in and get them to print you a map quest. I had no clue what a map quest was. Oh, and they did they did it for me, and I was able to get home. But I remember having that thought, just like.
I don't know where in the world I am. This is we've gotten really reliant on this technology, and it's scary. Even in broad daylight with a car full of gas, it's scary being lost. That lostness is a bad feeling. Yeah, it is, and especially.
When you are spiritually lost, yeah, which all of us are, we're born lost, and Jesus came to find us, yeah. But today's parable of the prodigal son is going to help us understand how God sees us and what He is actively doing to save every single person.
So, without further ado, let's you know launch in here, Luke chapter fifteen and verse eleven. If one of you guys want to read it. We can go further. You say this one? Yeah, I got.
Then he, meaning Jesus, said, "A certain man had two sons, and the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that also that falls to me.'" So he divided he divided to them his livelihood, and not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to. To be in want, then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself, he said, "How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger?
I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer.'" No longer worthy to be called your son, make me like one of your hired servants. And he arose and came back to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his servants, Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet, and bring the fatted Here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry.
For this, my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found. And they began to be merry.
Well, let's go back to the meaning, the purpose for parables. As you know, parables are like mirrors. When Jesus, in his ministry, came across. The religious leaders, the Pharisees, the scribes—people who actively opposed him—he spoke in parables. His disciples understood because he would tell them the meaning, but the opposition never did.
And Jesus did that on purpose, and he even said it. I want you guys to get it because you received me. I want you to get even more. They reject me, so what they do know is now going to become opaque. It's going to become very hard to understand.
Yeah, but he spoke to them in these stories, and those stories had characters, and the goal of these parables, just like Nathan's encounter with David. Was to expose them to themselves. It's like a mirror that they would see themselves. Snap out of it, and many did actually. Many actually saw what was happening, and they surrendered their life to Jesus Christ.
Now, this one here. You know, it's very important because the parable Parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the most popular parables of Jesus. This is the one that everybody likes. Yes, I mean, you have a Good Samaritan is one, and then this one I would say is like right up there on top. These are certainly the two most well known, right?
Because I think people like to put themselves. In the in the younger brother's place, you know, yeah, they like to have that story of I was lost, but now I am found. Oh, yeah, right. I went off and lived my wild days and my glory days and had all my fun, but when I was ready, I came on back to Jesus. But I mean, it's a very heart tugging story.
The old Dutch masters, you know, the painters, the Baroque painters, would love to paint this scene of the prodigal son. Either he is in wanton living, or he is hung over on his father's arms. You know, it's just it. It's a very deep, emotional story, which a lot of families go through when they have showered their children with love, and then one one of them drifts away. When they come back, you know what's going to happen now?
Are they going to hold a grudge or are they going to forgive? And this story is so deep; it reveals a father's heart.
So. Unfortunately, this parable has often been misunderstood. To understand the true intent of the parable, we need to ask the question: Why did Jesus give the parable of the prodigal son? I mean, that's why did he tell it? Good question.
What's the point? Exactly.
So we have to back up to Luke chapter fifteen, verse one.
So Luke chapter fifteen, verse eleven, all the way to verse twenty-four is the parable of the prodigal son. But let's begin in verse one. What do we find there? Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to him to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." We talked about that a few days ago.
The Pharisees—they didn't like that. Yeah.
So he spoke this parable to them.
So he spoke this parable to them.
Who is the them? Yeah, I mean, the Pharisees were complaining against Jesus's eating habits.
Okay, right. They were saying, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" If people have been listening to the show this week, they probably already know. But if today's someone's first time, why? What was the what was the deal? Why did the Pharisees have a problem with that?
So I've explained this before. The Pharisees were a lay-led movement. You had the Sadducees who controlled the temple. They were the aristocratic caste, so to speak, or class of people. They were in cahoots with the Romans.
So we keep the temple running. We make the money. We keep the Romans happy. It's a win-win situation. We're gonna keep people down, like keep them behaving.
So Romans, you can rule, but let us do this: a little money in our pockets. You rule the the the the world of Palestine. We're all good. Those were the Sadducees, the chief priests. Those were people who pretty much, you know.
Again, under the Sadducee and control, but they were so-called elected that year to be the head of the temple. And then you had the scribes; these were people who were trained in reading and studying the law.
So very literate people, but at the same time, they were nothing special about them. They had their own motives: pride, prestige, a way to make a living.
So those were some of those. Different kinds or categories of people in Jesus's time. All right, Pharisees on the other hand were not Sadducees. They were not chief priests. They were not scribes.
They were their own people. I'm not even talking about the Essenes or the Qumran community and all that. You know, those were separatists. I'm leaving them alone. Right.
They were in their own world. But these were the people who who Pharisees were a lay led movement. They believed that the temple was corrupt, and that the priesthood had been sold out. The Sadducees were no different than the Romans and the pagans around them. It's it's gone to the dogs.
Would they go to the temple? Yes. Why? Because we're supposed to. But when they saw the temple, they would shake their heads.
I mean, guess who built that temple for us? Herod and Edomian. This man is not even Jewish. He did that to to to you know make himself look and sound Jewish, but he's not even Jewish. Edomians, you know, these people were were forcibly made were converted, so they were not even Jewish, but they were like.
Jewish, because they had been forced to convert. They're trying to get the Jewish people back to their roots. The Pharisees are right, and so the Pharisees were like, you know, we're going to help the local people. We're going to help not local, the average people, the common, the everyman. Yeah, they were going to be the intermediaries.
They will interpret the law for you.
So, so you have to do this for your field or farm, or you have this thing going on, a conflict in the home.
Well, this is what God wants from you. Here is a loophole. This is what you can do.
So everything is good, and and the so the people love them. They they they said, man, these people are not like the Sadducees. They're not like the Romans. They're not like. Any of these other people, they're they're friendly to us, they care about us, so the the the people love the Pharisees, but they also saw the hypocrisy in them.
Okay, so that's that was also there, always looking for a loophole. The Pharisees, going back to this Leled movement, they practiced what was known as the table fellowship. Again, we've discussed this on a previous show. Table fellowship meant. They were going to treat their tables as the altar in the temple, their dining table.
So everything was supposed to be properly purified. They would even tithe of mint and cumin. I mean, they would tithe of the meat and all that stuff, but also the mint and cumin. I mean, they would get down to the tiny little spices. Why?
Because they felt like. What you put inside of you makes you holy unto God. They were so disgusted with this outward demonstration. We are the chosen ones, the people of God. But inwardly they're corrupt.
It sounds like the Pharisees have this really sort of noble intention to begin with, and we know, of course, that it's going to bring them into opposition with Jesus. I want to look at that a little bit deeper. We're going to take a quick word from our sponsor, and then we'll be right back to sort this out. Today's episode is sponsored by Mighty Muscadine. You know, most grapes they're just content.
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So, Doctor Shad, the Pharisees—they are starting this leled movement because they really believe that what you put inside of you has to do with your holiness before God. Why does this come into opposition with what Jesus is teaching?
Well, initially, I mean, it was not as as bad because initially they were like, "Oh, this man." Is preaching a lot of truth, but then when they saw the multitudes going to him instead of coming to them, that bothered them. I mean, the old envy came out. You know, why does he get all that attention? I mean, we are, we are the the the the the pure, humble people who are holy unto the Lord, not the temple. You know, not the Sadducees, but we are.
But wait, he's speaking with authority. I mean, look at how he speaks. How? How is he doing that? Yeah, he didn't get trained.
Well, I mean, was he in your school? No, not in ours. Was he under your rabbi? No, never heard of him. Who is he?
Somewhere from Galilee. Wow. And then the crowds were going to him, and he is, you know, of course, Jesus is God in His flesh. Of course, I mean, he is he is speaking to them so clearly, so boldly, so applicable in everything, whether it's for the sin life, their salvation, for the daily life, for future, for heaven. Everything is just so right.
Yeah, it bothered them. Yeah.
No, it was an old problem. Yeah, and they wanted Jesus to sort of kowtow to them, to them, yeah, to come through their ranks and say, "Oh, you Pharisees, would you support me?" So they could prop up the Messiah. Have your endorsement, please. Yes, we will sit down and discuss our our. We we will sit down and we will we will examine you.
And then we will give you our endorsement or not. And Jesus won't play in that. No. Yeah, as John, as he said in in the Gospel of John. That Jesus did not give Himself to anyone because He knew what was in man, and He did not need man to testify of Him.
That's right. How interesting that He knew what was corrupt inside of the ones who were so focused on putting things in them that would purify them. I believe it was the wise philosopher David Allen Greer who said. Homie, don't play that. Was it David Allen Greer, Homie the Clown?
I can't remember who did it. I don't know.
Somebody's gonna check me on that. Yeah, but I mean, that's exactly that's right. Jesus was not gonna play that. That's right. So, and I mean, he just he just railed at them.
Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees and the Scribes, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. And they're like, "What? Are you serious? Whitewash tombs." You know, outside you are painted nice and white and pretty, but inside you are full of dead men's bones. They're like, you're making us angry.
You do not want to go there. And Jesus is like, left and right, left and right, yeah, and and it bothered them because they're thinking if we do this, this, this. Proper food habit, then whatever we're putting inside of us is holy unto God.
So we're holy inside. And what Jesus says later on, if you remember, He said, "in in this is in Luke chapter eleven, and verse thirty seven." Keep in mind, Prodigal Son story is Luke fifteen. Luke chapter eleven verse thirty seven, and as he spoke, a certain Pharisee asked him to dine with him. You know why they were inviting him to dine with him? They were trying to get him sort of on their side.
So dining was a way to say, "Hey, we approve of you. Yeah, we're letting you sit among our ranks. Among our ranks.
So." Just know, so that dining was very special. They would not have done that for you and me. It was a high honor for them. High honor to invite Jesus to sit for Jesus to be asked to sit. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And what did Jesus say?
So he went in and sat down to eat. When the Pharisees saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner. Oh, shocked Pikachu! I mean, you. Everything you're saying is so powerful.
It's the word of God. Everywhere you're living, I mean, this seems like you're the one. But the hands—you just not following the rules. Wash your hands. Let's take a quick break.
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Thanks for listening. Now let's get into the show. I used to do that with the kids, and I wash your hands. Did you wash your hands? Let me see.
Nope. Then I smell. Go. Nope. Nope.
You didn't wash. You wash your hands again. You ever see him take the trash out and then immediately sit down at the table to eat? Yeah.
Yeah.
And so, what was Jesus's response? This is Luke eleven thirty nine. Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees, make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness." Come on, man. You said that at the supper table. You know that made him mad.
Foolish. Once did not he who made the outside make the inside also? Jesus sits down at a dude's table and spit roast him. Oh wait! Woe to you, Pharisees, for you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God.
Ooh! These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone.
So this is when Jesus gives three. Parables.
Okay, so what are those three? The first one is the lost sheep. Luke fifteen verse four. What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety nine in the wilderness and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?
So don't read more in it than is intended. The imagery is is of a helpless lost sheep, and the shepherd knows that if he doesn't go after the sheep, it is a matter of time before it will be killed or seriously hurt.
So also we are to seek after the tax collectors and sinners as helpless lost sheep. Seems pretty straightforward. Yeah, and what does the shepherd do once he's found the sheep? He lays it on his shoulders, and rejoicing when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, "Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost." I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety nine just persons who need no repentance. Yeah.
So here the Pharisee was thinking. You didn't wash your hands. You're like those tax collectors and sinners. And Jesus is like, God loves to go after those lost people who don't wash their hands. Yeah, Jesus.
Jesus shifts the focus back. He's like, you're you're so focused on the wrong thing. Yeah, and I mean, I like how he says, yeah, you're right. I didn't wash my hands, but man, you don't. You don't.
It's you who doesn't understand God. Yeah, yeah. Because Jesus could have washed his hands easily, but he didn't on purpose to show them that it's not the inside or the outside that matters. It's the inside that matters. It's not about the food that you're putting inside your body, but it's what's in your heart.
And he said it later on too. It's not what goes in inside the mouth, but what comes out. That that destroys, corrupts one. Jesus shining a light on their hypocrisy. That's right, that's right.
And then he gives a second parable, which is the parable of the lost coin. This is Luke fifteen eight. If you want to read that line, absolutely. Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? Yeah.
Again, don't read more in it than is intended. The imagery is of a valuable coin. The word for coin is drachma, which was like a denarius, which is one day's pay for a laborer, and this meant a lot for this poor woman because, you know, it's it's it's a lot of money for her. Yeah.
And so, also, we are to seek after the tax collectors and sinners as invaluable coins to be retrieved. It's not a penny that you find lying on the ground and, like, should I pick it up? Nah, I don't know, I'll leave it. This is a this is a valuable. This is valuable.
Yeah, yeah. It's almost like these days, like your card. Yeah, you know what I mean. It's like I can't, like, yeah, it's just a hunk of plastic. But man, this thing is valuable.
This is important to me. That's right. Yeah.
So, what does she say? When she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, "Rejoice with me, for I have found the peace which I lost." Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Amen.
Now comes the third parable, which is the parable of the lost son. Of course, you know the story: two sons, one father, older is responsible; the younger did just the opposite. He was rude and ungrateful. Give me the portion of my of the goods that falls to me. He was immoral, self indulgent.
Many days after he he gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions in prodigal living. He was irresponsible. Spent everything. And there arose a famine. Means he did not even plan for some kind of a contingency plan in case things go upside down.
And then he was degenerate and shameless because he chose to work at a at a hog farm, which a good Jewish young man would never never do that. Yeah, that's a good point. And he does that, and the Mishnah and the Talmud had forbidden raising pigs.
So he's working for a man who is directly contradicting the the Mishnah and the Talmud. Yeah, it's not just that's a good point too, because I think we think, oh man, he was just desperate. It's not who pigs are gross. No, but yeah, no, this was like this is something forbidden for me to do. No matter how desperate I am, you know, the tax collectors were considered to be this kind of a citizen, really.
Yeah, because they had sold themselves to the Romans to collect taxes from their own people.
So Matthew was considered to be that citizen. Wow, like a like a person raising pigs, like a hog farmer. Yeah, you're you're a hog farmer. Wow. Yeah.
And finally, he wakes up and realizes, you know, you know, what am I doing here? The pre-planned confession, Father, I have sinned against heaven before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants. On and on.
And what was the father's response? But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. I mean, how amazing!
So, the story is not over, though. Yeah, because we usually end it right there, right? But the older son, who's in the field, when he hears of the noise, the commotion, comes to find out. But when he finds out, he is angry and would not go in. Therefore, his father came out and pleaded with him, and and he answered and said to his father, "Look, I've been working with you all these years, and you did not even give me a young goat.
He gets a fatted calf. I don't even get a goat." I definitely goat meat is good. Oh, it's I'm sure it's the best. I've always wanted to try goat. I remember I had a Christmas like that where my mom gave me these shoes that I'm wearing and a hat, and she gave my sister a car.
The same Christmas, same Christmas. She gave me these shoes and a hat. Yeah, and I was like, congratulations, Caitlin. I hope you like. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed a fatted calf for him.
Yeah, and you can see. The disrespect. I think. I think. You know, when you when we started this conversation, it was really difficult for people to see how these Pharisees treating the table of treating the the table as something that goes into you is holy.
How does this connect with the prodigal son? And I think that ending is what we all forget: is that the real point of that story is the brothers' disdain. Yeah.
Yeah.
Older brother. Yeah.
And and the father tells him it was right that we should make merry and be glad for your brother. Was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.
So that's the message to our churches today, to Christians today. You know, instead of just condemning sinners, which we should, you know, stand against sin, and where our culture is right now, so anti God, anti Bible, anti Christ, we need to stand against that. But at the same time, do it with a spirit of love. With a desire to win the lost, and and to do whatever it takes to save every single soul for Jesus Christ, I think there is a ton of people in churches and just people out there, Christians, who look down on our culture. We don't see these people as sheep.
Yeah, we see them as wolves. We see them as villains. We see, and maybe you know. Maybe you've got some reason for thinking that, but Jesus sees them as sheep that need to be saved. That's right.
That's right. And that's our goal here on the Clearview Today Show: is that we would provide a clear picture to God's heart, so that you can make sure as a believer it matches your heart. You know, the parables are meant to be a mirror to look at ourselves and see where do I see myself in this story? Do you see yourself as the younger brother who wasted his inheritance, but then came back to the father? Do you see yourself as the older brother who maybe has some bitterness, some disgruntled feelings about these people who you?
Think deserve judgment, but really, we're extending God's mercy, God's kindness. Where do you see yourself in the story? That's right. I think I need to call my sister, tell her I love her.
Well, that's not how the conversation goes. I will, guys. Make sure you're following along to all of our podcasting platforms for any future episodes, and help you stay up to date. And help you share these episodes with your friends and family, your loved ones, people that will make a difference in their life. You can also help us here at the Clearview Today Show by subscribe or by becoming a financial sponsor of the Clearview Today Show.
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