Fall Study - Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes

Do I need to write anymore? Seriously, look at that title!  My other title idea from Bailey was, "A Theological Cluster!"  Now if you can turn that into a boat name somehow, I am all in!!! Just a quick observation and tie to the training weekend(s). The awareness of the cultural elements that inform the parable has uncovered a new set of questions, "Which leads to a new dimension of perception in parabolic understanding." Extending love in humiliation? Is this possible?  Bailey says, "The Father extends the same love (to the older son) in humiliation." What does this look like for you and me today? SUPER-ULTRA PACKET "Humility is intoxicatingly attractive and greatly enhances one’s leadership effect.   If you agree to lead, you agree to serve.   You can gauge your heart of service by how you react when someone (like your 2 sons) actually treats you like a servant.   How do you react when someone treats you with insults and disrespect?   Do ...

Here are a few quotes that I underlined in reading: "'A lost sheep will lie down helplessly and refuse to budge. The shepherd is forced to carry it over a long distance.' Surprisingly, the shepherd rejoices in the burden of restoration still before him... After the sheep is found it must be restored. It is the restoration with its implied burden and expressed joy that is the center of the second stanza and thus the climax of the entire poem." "The lost sheep is a community loss." "There is joy at finding the sheep, irrespective of the burden of restoration, and joy in community at the success at restoration." All of this has challenged me. Restoration undoubtedly comes with a burden. Right now the ways I am being challenged in ministry seems difficult to apply to what this summer entails. God has been leading us in the restoring work of finding the lost sheep in regard to social justice and discussing systemic issues. This comes with its o...

Wow. What an incredible study. There is so much going on in here, it’s hard to even take it all in! Here are some of the thoughts, realizations, and observations I had while reading about the younger son, the father, the older son, and repentance. The Younger Son: -In his expedition of wasteful living, the younger son breaks relationships with his father, family, and whole community. -In his desperate efforts to survive, he takes a Job that was offered to him with the intention to get him off of this man’s property. -The younger son tries to survive on berries that nutritionally will not sustain him. I definitely see a parallel to the truth that the world will never ever fill us up. -He could not live on his own. During this famine, if he continued doing what he was doing, the younger son would die. He realizes his only option is to go home and to face his fears of the relationships he has broken. This is only the start, not at all the full picture of repentance. -His original p...

As Bailey hammered home again and again the unrestrained, perhaps scandalous grace and generosity of the father and the inability of the sons (particularly the elder son) to grasp the father’s manner of love the following passage from our training material came to mind: SACRIFICE For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.” I CORINTHIANS 4:9  You cannot live above those you serve. If you want to touch the sky, you must learn to kneel. You want to be a great leader? Commit yourself to being slaughtered on behalf of those around you so that they might live. Heart of sacrifice = strong leadership. Effective leaders take a genuine interest in others. They listen to the needs of others and they serve those needs. They’ve transitioned from a place of using people to love things to a place of using things to love people.  Luke 15 begins with religi...

Page 168 opens a HUGE can of worms unseen through non-peasant eyes. The older son in the Parable of the lost sonS. Never before have I realized that the older son was not right with the Father from the very beginning!! I mean it makes complete sense as the ending of the parable exposes the older son's wicked heart -- the heart was clearly rotten from the start -- you can only hide so much. The older son fails 3 times in the first half of the parable. He fails to respond in refusal or verbal uproar, he fails to reconcile the younger brother to his father, and he fails to demonstrate loyalty to his father. Failure to respond in refusal or verbal uproar. Bailey says that the older son "should loudly refuse to accept his share in protest against the implications of his brother's request. His silence strongly suggests that his relationship with his father is not what it should be." Wow. Boom. Dead. We expect the older son to do something ! To disagree at the least. Here...

From Bailey…..   “In short, the extended family loses if a sheep is lost; the whole clan rejoices if the lost is found. This element of ‘rejoicing’ in the parable also needs examination.” – Reminds me of staff prayer after response time.   We rejoice for the ministry happening throughout our community.   Some prayers are individual by nature but many others are communal expressing the joys and burdens of the entire “clan” ministering together after program.   I was reminded of staff prayer after response time when I came across these words as well: “One clear emphasis is the joy of the shepherd.   Giblin sees that this is the main point of the twin parable. He writes, ‘ ‘The dynamic theme is the invitation to share in joy over the conversion of sinners.’   Thus the joy is expressed in and shared with a community.” SIDE NOTE:   The structural complexities of the parables particularly the parable of the two lost sons completely fries my melon. ...

Bailey writes that "surprisingly, the Shepherd rejoices in the burden of restoration still before him" The Shepherd sees that just finding  the sheep was not the end of the job. As many of you have mentioned, the joy that lies ahead is in the process of restoration, the burden . This summer we are in a unique position to both be carried in the process of restoration and to carry others in their restoration. What does it mean to lead? It means that we follow Christ. Christ is carrying each one of us...a reality that we cannot lose sight of, or we'll find ourselves stuck believing that we can earn something (much like the performance-based theology Reid wrote about). And if we find ourselves living in that, then we will lose sight of the joy of being tools in the burden of the restoration of others. I'm finding that right now the Lord is stretching me in my willingness to let go of control, to let go of "perfect" as I would define it, and to continually ...

"Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God Oh, it chases me down, fights ‘til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine (99) I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still You give Yourself away Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God" I especially find wonder in the Shepherd leaving the 99 to risk it all for the 1! Even when the shepherd finds the 1, the journey and the risk to return back to the 99 is still ahead of them.  Grace discovers us and grants us citizenship into the Kingdom but doesn't stop there!  The lost sheep doesn't have to "Lead the Shepherd" (find his/her own way) back to 99! Grace continues to lead us every step in the Kingdom as well.  The meta narrative of Western performance based theology falls apart and loses all traction in light of Luke 15.  I see the tension of the  "journey home vs performance theology" in the discipleship process of Sonshine staff and campers.  I think we as the Church...

What a great dissection of the Parable of the Lost Sheep. This parable is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. Reading it through Bailey's peasant eyes serves a brand new perspective for me. I love the way that the shepherd is described (especially as a punch in the face to the Pharisees -- aka me). Dissecting further, this story is a tale of the unclean , dangerous , excitement of seeking out the lost. Unclean : The shepherd is a common (good) symbol found throughout the Bible: describing Moses, kings, God even, as shepherds. However, in Pharisee eyes, these are the lowly servants who are unclean. Moral of the story here: God uses the unclean, the lowest of the low, to represent His Kingdom. Amen! Focusing on summer, I think of the phrase "God doesn't call the equipped, he equips the called". One could rephrase this to say "God doesn't call the perfectly pure or cleaned, he cleans the sinful and broken". Amen again! Thanks, God, for using a sinne...

I’ve got my Revelation pit vipers, my Middle Eastern pits, and now it’s time to get some peasant pits! Let’s go!  The cultural setting of this chapter is incredible. Despite all that culture says about hosting people and eating with people, Jesus invites sinners to dine with him at his table. Not only does he feed us and give us everything we need to live, he invites us to get to know him and to have a personal relationship with him. “Jesus’ meals with the publicans and sinners are an expression of the mission and message of Jesus.”  This all reminds me of John 21 where Jesus waits on shore with a hot breakfast for Peter. His simple invitation of “Come and have breakfast” is an invitation into sacrifice, suffering, joy, and abundant life that is in Jesus. Jesus has invited and received all of us dine with him, and this summer, I’m excited for these intimate little “charcoal moments” (as Reid calls them) with Jesus. Burden (JOY) — Found(JOY)—Burden(JOY)—Restoration...

Hello Admin team!  I am excited to see how God prepares our hearts and minds through Bailey's insight into Luke 15.  I believe we will all enjoy Jesus' defense of His association with sinners (us).  To quote an Admin member of old, "There is nothing like a little table fellowship!" - Emily Williams God Bless -Reid