“因為神先愛我們”

任不寐

親愛的阿丹弟兄和思霞姐妹 ：

謝謝你對《行淫時被拿的婦人》一文的理解和抬愛。

不過我很遺憾在那裡僅僅關注了真理的一個方面：我們不可能是基督，我們只能是他對面或他腳前的人；耶穌說“以後不要再犯罪了”，這是一個偉大的赦免和解放宣言。但對神來說，這恩典並不是免費的——耶穌要為這女人的罪上十字架。無論是愛還是責備，無論是赦免還是釋放，離開耶穌並祂釘十字架，對聖經真理的解讀都可能回歸道德主義的膚淺，甚至墮落回律法主義的偽善。

但是，由於我的愚昧，上次的文章我沒有意識到主的愛和人的悔改之間的基要真理，至少沒有很充分地闡明這一點：人的悔改絕對不是神愛罪人的前提，人的任何反應與救恩的功效無關。離自由主義神學越遠，離主的恩就越近。從人的角度說，稱義和救恩完全是恩典，完全是免費的。人的悔改不是神的愛的前提，正相反，神的愛是人悔改的前提。約翰一書 4:19 說：“ 我們愛，因為神先愛我們”。耶穌在這女人認罪之前就攔阻了那些道德口水和律法的石頭，所以不是女人先悔改，而是神先愛。關於這一點，我這周在神學院的一次“實習性講道”中談到了這個觀點——不是浪子先悔改，而是父親先愛了他。從分家產到眼望“約拿西遁”，從家中常年無樂到先擁抱浪子，從浪子前後“悔改”中的話語差別，我們更知道神的愛在人的悔改之前，而人的真悔改是從神的愛來的。

我在感動中努力重新見證路加福音那個著名的故事。我的英文很糟，但實在沒有時間將這篇東西再翻譯成中文，好在你們英語水平堪為我師。我就將這篇東西送進班門。我非常盼望進一步分享你們的心得和高見。

主內問安。

不寐
2008年02月25日

Sermon on Luke 15:11-32

In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen!

According to Luke 15, Jesus told three famous parables to the Pharisees and the teachers of the law to explain why He was together with the variant “sinners”. In the third parable, Vs.23 (The Father said: ) Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. Vs.27 (The servant said) 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' Vs.30 (The elder brother said:) But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'

This is the Text.

I Sermon Introduction

One day I told my daughters the story of “the prodigal son”, and I asked them: which figure in this parable do you favor? They replied: How pitiful that little calf was! The family had a feast and celebrated, that is ok, but why they must kill the little calf which had nothing to do with the sins of “the prodigal son”! That was unfair! In the other day, they asked me: why our Lord Jesus Christ told us such a miserable story, is Jesus love? I replied: Jesus tells this parable because He loves us；Jesus tells this parable and loves us because He Himself was the fattened calf.

II A “New” Focus

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, traditionally, there are two major titles of this parables at least. One is “The Prodigal Son”, another is “A Lovely Father and His Two Lost Sons”. I prefer the latter one, but today, I would like to introduce another title which is “the fattened calf”. That is another son who is talking about the parable, who is the Only Begotten Son of the Father, who was the atonement on the Cross for our salvation, who suffered, was crucified, died and buried, who ascended into the Heaven, seated at the right hand of Father Almighty, who is with us now and then, here and there. Yes, today we focus on Jesus and His Cross. In fact, this topic is not a new one at all, just as Paul said: “but we preach Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:23a), “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

Also, in my opinion, there are two traditional theological points around this parable. First, a creative sermon displays its focus on “the Lost and Found Department” (Barbara Brown Taylor, 1993). Based on the three parables, the sermon argues that these parables do not call us to mend our evil ways and repent but to search for the lost and to rejoice when they are found. I love this one, but my question is: why the lost has been lost? Who went out or came down to search them and how? Particularly, how do you know that? Finally, what does our joy rely on?

The second one is more traditional, and our Lutherans prefer it. On one hand, the story of the prodigal son truly focuses on the repentance of sinners. But on the other hand, we explain it in our confessions. We usually begin with the concept of “true repentance”. The repentance of man is always self-righteousness and some kind of “face-saving” (Arthur A. Just Jr.,1998 ). So Vs.17-19is not true repentance of the younger son. “When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men 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 men.'” God’s love has no presupposition, because God is love. Man’s repentance is not the presupposition of the love of God. In contrary, God’s love is the presupposition of the repentance of man. According to this passage, the father’s compassion precedes any confession of repentance by the son. Moreover, the prodigal son did not say “make me like one of your hired men” in Vs.21 after his father had loved 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.” Now, “the great omission” presents the true repentance.

I’d like to say this point is my favorite. But I also like to raise one further question: Is justify righteousness and salvation truly free and gift? On one hand, for sinners, for every one, it is absolutely true. On the other hand, for God, it is not true. Contrarily, we were bought at a price (Cf. 1 Corinthians6:20, 7:23), and Jesus Himself is the price. Because we are redeemed not with perishable things but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect (Cf.1 Peter 1:18-19)

III: Context and Function

If we put this text in a large context, we could see that this event took place on the Way of the Cross of Jesus, or the journey from Galilee to Jerusalem (9:51-19:27). So the function of the parable is that Jesus was predicting His death .

Comparably, Luke places the major emphasis and depicts the dramatic progress of Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem. The whole movement of events had meaning for him. Jesus was moving on towards Jerusalem in order to die. The parable of the prodigal son was one of these events. The parable serves the same subject: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners and die for them.

IV Law and Gospel: the fattened calf

“Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate”.

What does “Bring” mean? That is the Father’s will. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father (Galatians1:3-4).

What does “the calf” mean? We already noticed that "ton moscon ton siteuton" was repeated 3 times in the parable, it does make sense. "ton moscon " dose not only mean "a calf" or "a bullock", but also means "a tender juicy shoot" (Cf. Isaiah 53:2)

What is “the calf” for? It is for quw , for sacrifice. Exodus 29:14 says: “But burn the bull's flesh and its hide and its offal outside the camp. It is a sin offering”. The calf was sin offering. It was repeated almost 120 times in this sense in OT. But how dose the NT say? Hebrews10:4-5: “because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me”. That is why after the sacrifice of the calf, the family will have a feast. What are you hearing? “Take and eat, this is my body”!

In Hebrews10:5, Jesus mentioned “a body you prepared for me”, that is why the Calf is “the fattened”. What does “the fattened” mean? It is prepared for sacrifice instead of other purposes. Let’s go back to Genesis 22:13-14: “Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided’”.

Finally, what does the celebrate mean? Let’s go back to Isaiah 53 and Isaiah 54. After the de????ion of the suffering of the servant, The LORD says: Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband (Isaiah 54:1). That is the “celebration”. That is the Gospel: He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

But like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. So From generation to generation, nobody looks at the calf in the parable. Christ Jesus who is talking about the parable made himself nothing; he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!

V Conclusion and Benediction

Dear brothers and sisters, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. He redeemed us that we might receive the full rights of sons. We all are the prodigal son, we all are the elder son, we all were lost. But because the Son of God, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba , Father." So we are no longer a slave, but a son; and since we are a son, God has made we also an heir. To God be glory, praise and thanks for ever and ever. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

The grace mercy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.