Song (Click to listen): Send the light, the blessed gospel light, to the souls which are in gloom and night, souls are waiting and the fields are white, send the light, oh send the light.

In Luke 15:1-16 Jesus is telling a story about what the Kingdom of God is like. He begins by saying, “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his Father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country who sent him to his fields to feed his pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything (Luke 15:1-16).”

Jesus is describing, to the listeners, that God also has an inheritance for people who believe in him; and that Jesus himself is that inheritance. However, because of our disbelief in God’s Kingdom, that his riches are worthwhile, some pigs eat better than the children of God. Jesus describes that the younger son, instead of putting his faith in his Father (a metaphor for God) to be his provider he looked elsewhere, to the kingdoms of the world. Specifically, the kingdom of this world that rewards greed and having many possessions. He believed that his possessions are what made his life worthwhile, and that having money is what brought him success. This is spiritually unhealthy thinking.

Also, in Luke 12:13-15 there is a man who asking Jesus to tell his brother to divide an inheritance with him; and Jesus responds to him saying that the man is worried about the wrong kind of inheritance. That the kind inheritance that is most valuable does not consist of an abundance of possessions; and warns him to watch out and to be on his guard against all kinds of greed.

Jesus is saying that the Kingdom of God, God’s promise to forgive and to save, is of more value to your life than having many possessions. As in the account of the young son who took his inheritance and went to another country, and lost his wealth, possessions can be taken away. It doesn’t matter that the story describes him as living wildly, there was also a famine so severe that he could not earn his wealth back. The truth that Jesus is describing is that in the kingdoms of this world there is no guarantee for wealth. But, in Luke 12:32 Jesus says that “your Father” God wants to bless you and to give his children everything in His Kingdom; and that the treasures of His Kingdom will not depreciate in value, the treasures of His Kingdom will never fail because the promises of God are eternal. God’s blessings are with those who put their faith and hope in Jesus.

It is not God’s will to have people suffer financially. God knows that people have needs. David says in Psalms 37:25, I have been young and now I am old; never have I seen the righteous forsaken and never have I seen their children begging for bread. The righteous are not people righteous in their own work but righteous through faith in Jesus to be the only power and institution that is faithful yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Jesus says in Luke 12:22 not to worry about your life because, ‘life is more than food and your body of more value than the clothes you wear’. God will always provide for those who put their trust in him.

A significant fear that the kingdom of greed places on people, to keep them trusting in wealth, over spiritual things, is a scarcity mentality, that there is never enough. They fear lack.  We see that there is no political will to provide for the needs of the dispossessed, so we work however we can to have and keep possessions.

However, if you trust in God then you believe his word, what he has spoken; and his word says, in Luke 12:30 that God the Father knows that you have need of these things: possessions, food, shelter, clothing. But He says, do not listen to the world that tells you to aspire for wealth, listen instead to Jesus; and in Luke 12:31 what Jesus says is to seek God’s kingdom and all these things will be given to you as well.

So then what is the Kingdom of God like? What is this way of thinking and believing that we should follow to be spiritually healthy?

In Luke 5:1-11 Jesus is at the Sea of Galilee teaching a crowd about who God is and about his Kingdom. Peter, a fisherman, is there among the crowd working while listening. He and two other men, James, and John had fished all night. While Jesus is speaking, they are cleaning their nets. After a while, the crowd becomes so large that Jesus decides to get into one of their boats and asks Peter to pull the boat offshore into the water so that more people can hear what he is saying; and he continues to teach from the boat (Luke 5:3).

When Jesus is finished speaking, Jesus turns to Peter, who is in the boat, and says, now let’s go catch some fish (Luke 5:4). Peter says to Jesus, I know that you are a teacher and I have heard you speak, but I am a fisherman and today is not a good day for fishing. James, John, and I were out all night and we caught nothing.

Fishing is Peter’s trade. It is what brings him money, sustenance, wealth. It is what determines his socioeconomic wellbeing. He says, I’ve been working in this trade all my life; I know when it’s a good day or a lousy day to go fishing and last night we fished all night with no reward for our effort.

Despite Peter’s hesitation, Jesus says to take the boat into deep water and cast your net there (Luke 5:4). When Peter listens and casts his net into the deep part of the sea a miracle happens. Not only do fish get caught in his net but there are so many caught that his net begins to tear from the weight of them all so that he calls ashore to James and John to bring out another boat to where he and Jesus are to gather the catch. As they are gathering the fish onto their boats, the boats even begin sinking due to the weight of the catch (Luke 5:7).

Peter is very humbled by the catch, like he doesn’t deserve the wealth of the catch of that day. He knows that what happened was a miracle because Jesus was in the boat with him; and he asks Jesus to leave. He says, I am a sinful man, meaning I am not worthy of this kind of blessing, please leave me (Luke 5:8). Then Jesus says, don’t be afraid, from now on you will fish for people, meaning you will work to bring in boat loads of people into the Kingdom of God (Luke 5:10). So they pulled their boats ashore, left everything and followed Jesus (Luke 5:11).

They left their boats and the loads of fish they had just caught. They left in essence all that they knew about making a living. In that moment they had a revelation of who Jesus is. That provision follows him wherever he goes. That blessings follow him wherever he goes and that even if they stayed fishermen and gathered the revenue from that days catch, there would be more days like the previous night, without Jesus, working hard with no reward. They saw the value of the kind of life following Jesus would provide in that one moment and chose to follow him.

To believe and follow Jesus is not a request to give up our jobs and beg for everything we need, living a life of poverty. Instead, Jesus from this account is saying, put at minimum as much effort in learning about who I am, and the Kingdom of God, as you do your trade.

Do you work hard with no reward? Do you work all night, like Peter? Are you thoroughly knowledgeable and effective at your trade because of the time spent in learning? Do at least that much for me. Give hours of your mental energy to me, hours of your physical energy to me. Testify about who I am; and the reward is that the job of following Jesus has more value to your life than your current profession; provides more reward than catching fish that you can sell at market, even lots of fish.

In Luke 15:17-24 Jesus finishes the story he was telling about the two sons and how it is a reflection of who God the Father is, His mercy and the wealth of His Kingdom. The son who was starving among pigs “came to his senses, and said, how many of my Father’s hired servants have food to spare and here I am starving to death. I will set out and go back to my Father and say to him: ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son, make me like one of your hired servants’. So, he got up and went to his Father. But while he was still a long way off, his Father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son’. But the Father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found’ ” (Luke 15:17-24).

Song (Click to listen): Such love, such wonderous love, such love, such love, such wonderous love. That God should love a sinner such as I, how wonderful is love like this.

Prayer: Father God, your name alone is worthy to be adored. Continue to show me what your Kingdom is like and let your will be done in my life. Thank you for your words that are my daily bread; and for your son Jesus, who has taken away my sins. Help me to love like Jesus; to forgive like Jesus. Deliver me from all ideas that do not acknowledge you as my source of life. Help me to know you more. Amen.