Israel Lost; Israel Found:
The
Parable of the Good Shepherd, The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price, The
Allegory of the Prodigal Son.
Jackson
Snyder, March 19, 2004 Dedicated to
Vera Shultz
Snyder
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Others in this series of Luke’s Parables
The Prodigal Son
The Good
Samaritan The Ten Pounds The Ten
Bridegrooms
The Rich Man and Lazarus The Unfaithful Steward
THE
TRIBES: The Israelite Origins of the Western Peoples
The Good Shepherd (The First
Reading)
Luke
15:4. “What man of you, having a
hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in
the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? 5.
And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6.
And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors,
saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was
lost.’ 7. Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one
sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”
The Lost Coin (see note on this one)
8.
“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin,
does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds
it? 10. I tell you, there is joy before the angels of Yahweh over one
sinner who repents.”
The Prodigal Son (The
Second Reading)
11.
“There was a man who had two sons;
12. and the younger of them said
to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.’ And he
divided his living between them.
13. Not many days later, the
younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and
there he squandered his property in loose living. 14. And when he had spent
everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in
want. 15. So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that
country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16. And he would gladly
have fed on the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything. 17.
But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired
servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! 18.
I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have
sinned against heaven and before you;
19. I am no longer worthy to be
called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants.”‘
20. And he arose and came to his father. But
while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran
and embraced him and kissed him.
21. And the son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to
be called your son.’ 22. But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring
quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes
on his feet; 23. and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and
let us eat and make merry; 24. for this my son was dead, and is alive
again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to make merry.
25.
“Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew near to the
house, he heard music and dancing.
26. And he called one of the
servants and asked what this meant.
27. And he said to him, ‘Your
brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has
received him safe and sound.’ 28. But he was angry and refused to go in. His
father came out and entreated him, 29. but he answered his father, ‘Lo, these many
years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave
me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. 30. But when this son of
yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the
fatted calf!’ 31. And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always
with me, and all that is mine is yours.
32. It was fitting to make merry
and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is
found.’” (Read an
alternate ending to the allegory.)
The Pearl of Great
Price (Read later in the text of the message)
Matthew 13:45,46. “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine
pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had
and bought it.”
Prodigal
We call the first story in our text “The Good Shepherd” and the
second story “The Prodigal Son.”
“Prodigal” is an old fashioned word that has two meanings: a)
“wastefully extravagant” and b) “given lavishly.” The younger son fulfills the first meaning of “prodigal”: he demands his inheritance, then wastes it
extravagantly, throwing it away on godless entertainments of every kind, ending
up in the filthy hog barn, eating dinner with his ungracious hosts. He’s in such a fix that he has crawl back to
father in repentance. “I’ve made the
wrong choices; now I’m turning back.”
That’s what repentance is all about – “turning back to the good, to the
godly, to the perfect.”
Some call this story “The Prodigal Father” because the father
fulfills the second meaning of the word “prodigal”; that is, “given
lavishly.” The boy doesn’t expect his
father’s extravagant welcome, no – he expects to work as a farm hand. But to his surprise, father comes out to
meet him, puts the robe upon his back, the shoes upon his feet, the royal ring upon
his finger; kills the sacrificial calf and throws a welcome-home barbeque. This prodigal son is elevated back to his
place by his prodigal father because sonny boy genuinely repents of leaving,
and father is a pushover.
The older brother, who never left, is mad about his father’s
grace. We might even call the elder boy
a prodigal – he wastes his time complaining when he should be rejoicing. He’s green with envy that the calf should be
sacrificed for the youth and not him!
Why, he hasn’t even had a goat barbeque for his friends!
Repentance and Restoration
Yahshua reveals the moral of these stories even before he tells
the second: “There’s joy among the heavenly host for the sake of one sinner
who repents!” It doesn’t take much
analysis to understand them, for we also rejoice when one lost lamb comes home,
or the lost sheep returns to church, or the black sheep to the family. We rejoice greatly when the one who’s gone
astray, seeking her own way, returns to the fold in repentance, Amen? Don’t we prepare a welcome-home dinner?
O, that repentance and return would happen more frequently! No wonder angels rejoice. However, it’s rare – too much pride – too
much desire for independence – too much rebellion. And some lost lambs get bemired in the slough on the way back
home. It’s almost impossible to be
freed from the slough without the divine intervention of All Prayer!
Who has a lost loved one?
Who knows of someone in the miry clay?
Don’t we hope and pray for those loved ones to return to the fold? Indeed, we do. We lift them up to the throne room continually. Perhaps our Heavenly Father will arrange
circumstances so that they’ll see the evil and turn back to him, then
to us!
The Deeper Meaning
Beneath the surface of these stories lies deeper meaning,
for they’re parables – meant to convey a literal truth, but for those
with discernment, a deeper truth.
Some wise men say that every parable has seven levels of truth,
like a layer cake. Mmm! Did sombody say “layer cake”? Wouldn’t that
be good right now? Since there’s a cake
awaiting us at home, we’ll stick with only two layers.
First, let’s examine the simplest parable and separate the
layers. Look to
Matthew
13:45,46. “The kingdom of heaven is
like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great
value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
The literal truth is
available to all who hear it; the merchant was a pearl-monger – he
acquired fine pearls. So when he
finally found that salt water pearl, so perfectly round, so pure white
or pure black in color, the one he’d sought for a lifetime, he traded
everything else he had, including his entire pearl collection, to acquire just
the one.
What do you not have that you value highly? Think!
What’ll you give for that pearl of great price? For that diamond tiara? That yacht?
That Lexus Sedan? That
Alpaca? Is there anything for
which you’d give everything?
Maybe there’s a person you’d buy back if possible!
The deeper meaning of the pearl parable, which again Yahshua
gives away from the very start, is that the pearl of great price is the
kingdom of heaven: those who see the kingdom as being of greatest
value, more precious than anything else– they’ll give all that they have, even
their very lives, to become a part, to acquire kingdom status.
Because there’re so many cheap imitations, a genuine, perfectly
round salt water pearl is still of great value today. One might reach deep into the pocketbook to buy it. But what’s the value of a little stone in
comparison to eternal life and everlasting purpose in the unseen kingdom? What’s that worth to you? People must decide how materialistic they
are, and how spiritual they want to become.
That’s the beautiful thing about the deeper meaning of
parables. You put yourself into
the parable, pray for discernment, then Yahweh will give you a distinctive
truth – a unique meaning all your own.
An Allegory
Yet “The Prodigal Son,” unlike the stories of the “Pearl of
Great Price” and “The Good Shepherd,” is more than a simple
parable. The Prodigal Son is an allegory
– a longer, extended story with characters and events that represent
other things not evident to the casual hearer.
One of the most famous allegories of all time is The Pilgrim’s Progress,
written by the preacher John Bunyan while in prison. In the story, Pilgrim leaves the city of destruction and makes
his way to the Celestial City enduring every calamity imaginable. (You may have a tape of The
Pilgrim’s Progress for the asking.)
If you’ve read or listened to The
Pilgrim’s Progress, then you’ll understand allegory – every
character and place that’s mentioned stands for a deeper spiritual truth. Pilgrim’s Progress is every
Christian’s story.
The same goes for The Prodigal Son. So let me share the deeper meaning with you, because it has to do
with us, with prophecy of the future, even with our time.
The Father and His Two
Sons
In the last days of King Solomon, the northern tribes of Israel
rebelled. Solomon taxed the people hard
for building the temple and for his own prodigal lifestyle – his
luxuries, his palaces, his women. When
Solomon died, the people hoped for tax cuts when his son Rehoboam
took the throne. But Rehoboam taxed
them even more heavily. So the northern
ten tribes chose another king, Jeroboam, and in 930 BC, Israel split in
two. The older kingdom was Judea,
made up of the tribe of Judah (along with Benjamin) – Judahites are Jews.
The new kingdom kept the name Israel, and there dwelt the other
ten tribes.
To keep the Israelites out of Judea for the Feasts in Jerusalem,
King Jeroboam of Israel started a new religion. He had two calves smelted of gold and built a temple for each,
one temple on one side of the country and the other on the other side – all for
the sake of convenience. Jeroboam
forced the Israelites to keep his new religion: but they didn’t mind, because
it was convenient, less strict and more fun.
The people could worship their own way instead of Yah’s way. In the meantime, the Jews in Judea continued
worshiping Yahweh in accordance with the Bible.
Israel is the Prodigal
Many prophets came and went, all decrying the great sin of
Israel, the idolatrous religion of Jeroboam.
Yahweh sounded the trumpets of warning to all the kings that succeeded
Jeroboam, but to little avail. Israel
went after the golden calf, then gods of many nations. They squandered their blessings in loose living
and fornication.
The prodigal son is Israel.
The older son is Judea. Of
course, the Father in the story is Yahweh, who loved Israel enough to allow him
to take his inheritance and go into slavery so that Israel might have the
opportunity to repent of his great sin.
Yahweh eventually sent Assyria against Israel. Assyria took the Israelites out of their
land and disbursed them throughout Asia. Through the centuries, Israel sojourned in all the world’s
nations and became so thoroughly disbursed that the prodigal Israel came to be
know as “the lost tribes.”
Pigsty
The meaning of the pigsty is “the pigsty of the nations” to
where “the lost tribes” of Israel 
were
vanquished. Life in the sty, eating the
pig pods, is a symbolic way of saying that Israel desired to leave the
sheepfold and become like other nations – and Israel became like them –
was absorbed by them – took on their customs – took on their godless religions
and feasts– lost their identity in Yahweh – and abandoned their connection to
their ancestors. Even now, the lost
tribes of Israel are still lost here and there, everywhere, living as
amnesiacs – wasted away by the cultures of the world – so much so that they
don’t even know who they are anymore.
They can’t count their ancestry back any farther than their grandparents;
nor can they recount the deeds of their ancestors, and they no longer even tell
their children the little bit they still remember of their old-world origins.
Israel’s been in the pigsty for centuries, while Judea, the
older brother, has remained faithful to the Father and land, despite
persecutions, pogroms and exterminations.
That Jews still exist today is proof positive that Yahweh exists and the
Bible is true. But Israel has
yet to return – for he is still bedding down with the pigs of the nations, eating
the cobs of their customs and knowing no better.
You Shall Live
Why then does the parable say that the Prodigal Son Israel
reconsidered and came home? Here’s
why. Because Yahweh promised to find
Israel among the nations and bring him home. Though Israel may’ve abandoned the name of
Yahweh, Yahweh never abandoned Israel; Yahweh loves this lost son too
much for that.
The prophecy of Ezekiel 37 is in regards to the Father’s desire
to seek Israel and see him home. Yahweh
says,
Ezekiel 37:11 “Behold,
they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean
cut off.’ These bones are the whole
house of Israel. 12. Thus says
Yahweh: I will open your graves, and raise you, O my people; and I will
bring you home 14. And I will put
my Spirit within you, and you shall live, in your own land; then you shall know
that I, Yahweh, have spoken, and I have done it.” ... 23. “They shall no longer defile themselves any
more with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions;
but I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have
sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their
god. 24. They shall all have one shepherd and follow my ordinances and
observe my statutes.”
Bring Them In!
Do you know how Yahweh can identify lost Israel and what
pigsties contain Israel today?
Yahweh knows the whereabouts of his beloved son because he’s observed
his migrations down through the centuries.
He’s not lost track of even one little lamb! And now he promises to endow lost Israel with his Spirit and give
lost Israel new life and cleanse him of the abominations of idolatries. And can you see how Yahweh will forgive
Israel – like a father who loves unconditionally – and take him back into his
place? And did you notice that when
this comes to pass, lost Israel is found, and will again heed Yahweh’s
ordinances and statutes? Finally, did
you hear how Yahweh promises that he’ll place his good shepherd over found
Israel, to protect his scattered sons and daughters and bring them in?
So, who are they? And
who’ll lead the prodigal flock home? If
we can answer the second question – “Who is the great shepherd?” – then
we can also find the prodigal sons and daughters of Israel.
Who Is the Good Shepherd?
You’ve probably already identified the shepherd. It’s Yahshua, the Mighty One of Israel – a
no-brainer! And can you believe what he
said in Matthew 15:24, that: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of
the house of Israel.” He says,
“only” to the lost sheep. That
excludes anyone else in the world.
Only to the prodigal son is the Son sent to save. Furthermore, Yahshua identifies himself in John
10:14-16:
“I am the good shepherd; I
know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I know
the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I
must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock,
one shepherd.”
Here he says he knows
his own sheep and his sheep know him. Firstly, he’s talking to Jews – those of Judea – the
southern kingdom – the older son – both then and now. Yahshua is the shepherd of the Jews – whether they know it
or not – whether they hail him or not – whether they like it or not. Jews complain to the Father about his
younger son. But Yahshua will see that
faithful Jews get their inheritance, for they’ve been with him all along. He tells all Jews, “I have sheep not of
this fold that I must bring in.”
The other sheep constitute Israel, scattered all over and
lost, to whom the Good Shepherd is sent, and he will gather Israel in. It is to Israel yet today that he speaks
through his inspired Word: “You will heed my voice and I will bring you home.”
Who Is Israel?
So finally we get down to the question that couldn’t be answered
until now – who is this prodigal son – who is Israel today? We may identify him immediately by
what Yahshua says about the lost sheep.
(1) He says, “They’ll know me.”
Just who knows Yahshua? Who
knows he lives? Who’s convinced of his
realness? Who follows his
commandments? Who knows his name? Who’s abiding in his love and care? And who’s expecting to be brought home
to his Father’s house, where there are many mansions? Who? Who? {Say it, “Me!”}
(2) He also says, “I know them.” I wonder who he knows?
Who’s he known well enough to fill with his Spirit? Who’s he delivered and healed? Who’s he saved and set free – even to the
uttermost? To whom has he bestowed hope
and power? To whom has he delivered
visions, revelations and authority over evil?
For whom was his blood shed? And
who believed his report and preserved it in a holy book? Who?
I ask you: WHO? {Say it, “Me!”}
(3) He also says, “They’re not of this fold.” This other fold isn’t composed of Jews or
Muslims or Universalists or Quakers or Buddhists – hardly. What fold of sheep even now gather in his
name? What fold remains in
obedience to his commands? What fold
accepts him as shepherd and master and recognizes his voice? What fold is it? I say: WHAT FOLD? {Say
it, “This fold!”}
You and Me
If we’re still uncertain who the Prodigal is, we may look to the
opening verses of The Revelation, which tell us directly. Those who were lost but now are found are:
(1)
those who are obedient to the commandments of Yahweh, and who also
(2)
bear witness to Yahshua the Messiah.
We who’ve received the Word of the Father and the
testimony of the Son, WE ARE the lost tribes of Israel, no matter what we
consider to be our national heritage, cultural tradition or religious
background. It only makes sense. We are Israel. We are the repentant, homebound
Prodigal. It’s the calling of his Only
Begotten that we’ve heard, and our response to his call is proof positive
that, though once lost, we’re found.
We’re rescued! We’re saved!
We make a glorious discovery in the deeper meaning of
these allegories: that we not only have been found and called back to the
sheepfold of the Almighty; but that, as repentant sons and daughters of Israel,
our Father and Shepherd has placed the ring of royalty upon our fingers,
wrapped us in the robe of his covenant love and killed the fatted
calf for our redemption. Yes – for
us – for you and me. It’s a
privilege and a revelation beyond compare. The lost tribes of Israel have been found, and they are us! Hallelujah!
What has henceforth been lost is discovered. Let us rejoice and be glad!
For the greatest promise of all is that the One who lives
forever has prepared a gracious and spacious place that we tribes may
call our own – we who were once lost – we who once ate the swill of pigs – now
seated in the heavenly places in HIM, at the head of His table, ever blessing
and ever blessed. Amen.
An
optional, imaginary ending to the parable of the Prodigal Son:
Not long after the younger son returned, the elder son became
very bitter. Finally he went to his
father and said, “Sir, I have been thinking about what you told me, and now I
want my share of the property – I’m leaving this place and will buy a
hog farm in Perea. Give me what is
mine!” He distressed his father much
that the man soon passed on into the bosom of Abraham. This made both sons angry with their dead
father, for he was the only person who really knew how to run the farm.
After this, the sons split up what was left of the money and
chattel, and both left the farm property, allowing their two sisters to
stay on the farm in their absence.
These brothers were gone for several years, the older son buying his own
property and the younger keeping his brother’s pigs. In the meantime, the sisters received a loan from their
uncle – just enough to seed a small crop.
The ladies worked and sweat over the land for several seasons, and they
didn’t fail, for they never gave up.
Within a decade, the farm was prospering, the sisters had both
married and had children, and a portrait of their father was hung proudly over
the mantle of the fireplace. At the
time of Unleavened Bread, after the men of the family had killed the fatted
calf and were making ready for the Feast, the eldest daughter proclaimed, “It
is fitting that we celebrate, for this land was dead but now it is alive; it
was lost but now it’s found.” Amen.
Note
on the Lost Coin: This text is included only to show the
number that is stacked between the parable and the allegory. Ten is the number of “lost tribes.”
[ ] Luke 15:4.
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep ...”
[ ] Luke 15:11.
“There was a man who had two sons ...”
[ ] Luke 15:10.
“I tell you, there is joy before the angels ...”
[ ] Matthew
13:45 “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant ...”
[ ] The
Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan (get the tape).
[ ] Solomon’s
son – Rehoboam, King of Judea.
[ ] Ten tribes
choose another king, Jeroboam.
[ ] In 930 BC,
Israel split in two – Judea and Israel.
[ ] The pigsty
is “the pigsty of the nations.”
[ ] Ezekiel
37:11 “These bones are the whole house of Israel...”
[ ] Matthew
15:24 “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
[ ] John
10:14-16: “I am the good shepherd...”
[ ] Revelation
1:2 “the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ”