A Rich Father

Fast food restaurants try to figure out the best combo meal deal, so you'll be enticed and satisfied enough to want to keep coming back for more. There probably is some combination of sweet deals, or loving words, or adventure that might catch your attention in life.

What would God use to catch your attention? Eternal life?! Being truly loved? Peace?

Jesus often used a series of parables or teachings to get his point across. One place in particular is Luke 15, the parable of lost sheep, coin, and son. They all tell a story that in some ways "entices" you to long for God's kingdom and how it functions.

But there may be a different set of parables that Jesus was using to help us "get it" than those three together.

The lost sheep and coin highlight the value God places on anyone in his kingdom - no favoritism! (Romans 2:11).

But what if the prodigal son, prodigal manager, and the rich man and Lazarus were intended to be "heard" together?

They all start in a story form, more so than the sheep and coin parables. They all address a rich man. The big difference is between the character of the rich men. One is sacrificial in his giving even to someone who didn't deserve it (the son), the next one focuses on his response to his servant who "blesses" the rich man's debtors with a kind of forgiveness of debts (but for a personal gain purpose), the last one tells of a rich man was stingy towards those needing "blessings."

When read together, it helps shed light on the meaning of the "unjust steward" (Luke 16:1-13). This parable has caused many scholars to scratch their heads in confusion.

God is the rich father who is willing to bless His children (Matthew 7:7-12), and even empowers them to bless other people with what He has entrusted to them (2 Corinthians 9:6-11). He doesn't want us to be stingy with what He has blessed us with (Hebrews 13:16).

In each of these stories, there is a mention of, or a reference to, the fact that generosity is a big deal to God and that's what all of the law and the prophets were pointing towards--a rich father who wants us to use the riches He bestows upon us to bless others.