The third consecutive parable of Jesus has three main points of contact: the prodigal son represents sinners who draw near to hear Jesus; the elder son’s response typifies the rejection of the self-righteous, religious leadership over whom Jesus is welcoming to Himself; and the uncharacteristic actions and words of the father reflect God. Repentance leads to an absolute reversal: repentant sinners are restored and embraced by the heavenly Father with joy. In fact, the Father not only receives repentant sinners with open arms, He offers them His very home. Lastly, through the unresolved ending of this parable, Jesus calls us to respond to repentant sinners not with comparison, suspicion, or jealousy, but with the very joy that reflects the Father’s welcome.

When the Pharisees and religious leaders grumble/murmur over the outcasts who are coming to hear Jesus, He continues with a second consecutive parable. Jesus tells of a woman who has 10 silver coins. When she loses one coin, she lights a lamp, sweeps her house, and searches diligently until she finds it. What is lost must be pursued until it is found! When the woman finds it, she also celebrates with her friends and neighbors over the one lost and found coin. Again, on a much grandeur scale, the angels of God rejoice over one sinner who repents.

When the Pharisees and religious leaders grumble and murmur over the outcasts who are coming to hear Jesus, He tells three consecutive parables that reveal the true heart of God and dire condition of mankind if left to himself.

In this first parable, a shepherd loses 1 of his 100 sheep. Without hesitation, the shepherd leaves the 99 and goes after the 1. When he finds the lost sheep, he doesn’t scold it; rather, he places it on his shoulder and celebrates with his friends and neighbors. On a much grandeur scale, such is the response in heaven when one lost sinner repents!

When Jesus crosses to the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, he is met by a man who had a legion of demons in him. The demons would often seize him, empower him to break chains and bonds, and drive him into the desert. Jesus drives the legion out of the man and into a herd of pigs who rush down a steep bank and drown. When townsfolk come to see what had just taken place, they see the man sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind. Jesus charges the man to return home and declare how much God has done for him. Luke notes: “The man went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.” (v39) One encounter with Jesus, and this man becomes a courageous storyteller. Courageous storytellers share with people around them what God is doing in their lives. We, too, have encountered Jesus by grace and have stories of transformation to share: stories of forgiveness, peace, healing, hope, blessing, provision, answered prayer, life-change, and more.

When a lawyer seeks to justify himself by loving God with his entire being and his neighbor as himself, he asks Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus tells of a Jewish man who travels from Jerusalem down to Jericho. The man was robbed, stripped, beaten, and left for dead by thugs. A Jewish priest and a Levite both see him yet pass by on the other side of the road. However, a Samaritan responds to him with compassion; he dresses his wounds, sets him on his own animal, brings him to an inn, and takes care of him that evening. The next day he gives the innkeeper two days of wages to tend him and offers to cover any additional expenses. This man proves to be his neighbor, and Jesus tells the lawyer, “Go and do likewise.” Jesus’ parable and charge to be this kind of neighbor to anyone exemplifies a generous responder. Generous responders purposefully live out their God-given calling and use everything they have to bless people around them. Jesus’ entire life from human conception to cross, grave, resurrection, ascension, and Pentecost can be summed up as THE Generous Responder.

This posture is one of our favorite characteristics about St. Peter. When Peter compares followers of Jesus to newborn infants, he is not suggesting that they/we are spiritually immature; rather, as newborn babies crave food every 2-3 hours (8-12x per day), Peter desires that very longing in us but for pure spiritual milk (i.e., God’s holy Word). The Greek word for long here is epipotheo, which means “to have a strong desire for something/someone, with the implication of need: long for, earnestly desire”...used of Paul earnestly desiring/longing to see believers in Rome, Thessalonica, and Philippi, as well as believers longing to be clothed with their heavenly abode (2 Cor 5:2). In the same way, Hungry Followers earnestly desire time with God and His Word because it is their source of life with transformative power to become more like Jesus. Moreover, every time we feast on “the Lord’s goodness” in Scripture, it saturates the soul and makes us crave it even more.

Jesus doesn’t mince words. In the story of the rich fool, He warns us against placing our hope and trust in earthly things that will all eventually pass away. While it may seem challenging at first, His invitation to a truly good life turns out to not only be the key to eternal salvation, but also the best way to live today!

This is the second largest portion in 2 Thessalonians. There are a few able-bodied believers within that congregation engaged in a habitual pattern of laziness and refusing to work with their own hands. This is now the second time Paul has addressed the issue there (cf. 1 Thess 4:9-12; 5:14); his patience has run out. Paul points to his own manual labor among them and calls them to imitate his responsible, productive living. Paul tells working believers to practice church discipline and to admonish the idle as brothers. In addition, he encourages the church to not grow weary in doing good. He leaves them with the ever-present, all-encompassing peace and presence of the Lord Jesus.

Paul follows his prayer for the Thessalonians’ comfort and steadfastness in chapter 2 with a prayer request of them; in fact, his imperative “pray” is both emphatic in position (stressing its importance) and in the present tense (desiring it to be continual among them). His prayer request is twofold: that (1) the word of the Lord would speed ahead/run (Gk: treko) and be glorified as it had among them; and (2) for Paul’s missionary team to be delivered from wicked and evil men (i.e., enemies of the gospel in Corinth). To this day, when we take the Word of God forward, we can expect strong opposition. Hence, after his request Paul reassures them of God’s faithfulness; He will establish and guard them from the evil one, as well as direct their hearts to the love of God and to steadfastness in Christ.

Though Paul had to address 2nd coming speculations circulating in the Thessalonian church and the enormities of the Man of Lawlessness, his real exhortation comes in these ensuing verses. He calls us back to the work of the Trinity in our salvation: God chooses us, the Lord (Jesus) loves us, and the Spirit makes us holy and leads us to believe in the truth that we may obtain the glory of Christ. Because eternal salvation is entirely God’s decision and doing, Paul calls us to grip firmly and hold to the traditions (Scripture) that we have been taught. Moreover, because we are ineffective in our own strength, Paul asks God on our behalf to comfort our hearts in all of this and establish them in every good work and word.