Through Their Eyes

Introduction

Technology wonderfully. I know there’s some bad things about it, but overall, I’m thankful to live in the time in which I live to have the advantage of technology to be able to preach to you this morning, knowing that this message can be spread not just throughout Orlando, but throughout this country and the world, and hopefully people are hearing the gospel because of the efforts that we’re using in technology. And there’s other ways and means in which technology is just amazing. It lets us see what other people are seeing. And even us old folks can benefit from it. I want to share with you a conversation that I witnessed on Facebook last evening. Someone had posted that they didn’t have cable and it was an emergency. How are they going to be able to watch the Alabama football game?

And so another old person came to their rescue via technology. They had the solution.

And you can have your phone watching FaceTime, watching my phone, watching my television miles away. And so I thought that was pretty. I don’t know if that speaks to their age, to them being rednecks, or the technology that they were able to see what the other person was able to see. And that’s how I often use technology. The extent of my text messages with Deedra and the use of our camera is send me a picture of that. Something’s not working. Well, send me a picture of that. I left that at the house, send me a picture of that. I wrote something down, send me a picture of that. It lets me see what she’s seeing in another location. And there’s some benefit in that. To be able to see what someone else is seeing.

Vision is important, not just the ability to be able to see something with our eyes, but the idea of being able to see, to perceive. Turn with me, if you will, in your New Testaments to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15. Donald read for us the first seven verses in that chapter. This is a very familiar chapter to many of us as Bible students. It’s the story, three stories really, of lost things a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost boy or lost son.

We usually call it the story of the prodigal son. But I want to look at it in a little bit different way this morning. I want to talk about the eyes of the three people in that story. There is the prodigal son, the younger son, there’s the father in that story, and then there’s the older brother. And rather than focusing upon what those three men did, and we know that story well, most of us, I want to talk about what those three men saw. And to try through the telling of that story or the retelling of that story is to try to be able to put ourselves in their shoes, or if it’s the right way of saying it, try to put us in their eyes to be able to see what they saw.

Because, you know, the Bible talks about the importance of vision. I’ve asked you to turn there to Luke chapter 15, and while you’re sitting there, I’m going to read a passage of Jesus from his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 6, where he said this the lamp, the lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.

How great is that darkness? Again, Jesus on the Sermon on the Mount talks about the importance of the eye. And we understand that in that spiritual context, Jesus wasn’t talking necessarily just about our physical vision of being able to see things, that he was talking and speaking more spiritually. The idea of us being able to see. And so he talks about the importance of what we see. Now I think there’s really three lessons or three principles in that passage that we can draw out of it. The idea that the lamp of the body is the eye. Number one is the most obvious one is be careful what you look at. What you let in, the light you let in, whether it’s good light or bad light, is going to affect who you are.

So be careful what you see. Isn’t there a little child song about that? Be careful what you see. But there’s a second lesson also in that is to be careful how you look at something. Our perspective matters. Yes, it matters what we look at, but it also matters how we look at something. Whether we look at something and say, that’s wrong, I don’t want any part of it, or whether we look at it and go, that’s enticing, I want to be a part of that. That makes a difference for us spiritually. Then also there’s a lesson, and the lesson we’re going to try to draw out of this story in Luke chapter 15, beginning in verse 11, is the lesson, the value in seeing something through someone else’s eye.

And so let’s talk about that story. The story that Jesus told to illustrate really the Father’s eye, of how he views us. Because really, in reality, the story is not about that prodigal son. He’s not the main character. It’s not even about that elder brother who represented that shameful attitude of the Pharisees. The main character of that story is the father and how he viewed the son who had wandered away. It was to that father that the younger brother went and said, Father, can I have my portion of the inheritance? And the father divided up the inheritance between his two sons, that younger son who made that request and the elder brother who would stay at home. And the text tells us in this story that Jesus told that that prodigal son took that money, this inheritance that the father gave him, and he left home.

And he wasted that inheritance in wasteful living. That, by the way, is what the word prodigal means. This means wasteful. He blew that money, we would say, in wasteful living. And as often is the case, when you make bad decisions, that’s often compounded by other circumstances in life. And so when he had wasted his money in this wasteful lifestyle, it just so happened that was the same time a famine came. And so he found himself in very dire straits. We’re assuming, are we not, that this story that this Jewish carpenter told to this Jewish audience was about a Jewish son, and this Jewish son finds himself in the lowest of all circumstances, not eating pigs, but feeding pigs. If that wasn’t low enough, that he was so destitute and so hungry that he actually lusted after the food that those swine were eating.

And as often the case, it took him getting to that bottom of the barrel to come to his senses and say, This is crazy. How much better was it in my father’s house than the way I have it now? In fact, even the servants in my father’s house have it so much better than I do in this pigsty. And so he made the decision. I’m going home. And when I get there, I’m going to humble myself and I’m going to tell my father, Father, I don’t deserve to come back as your son. But if if you’ll let me back in the house as just one of your hired servants, because I’ve sinned against you and against heaven.

And I’m not, I’m not deserving to be your son, but if you’ll have me back, can I just be a servant in your house? Father brought out the sandals, a ring and a robe, killed the fatted calf, welcomed him back as a son, despite what he had done. The older brother was out in the field and he heard the noise of and the commotion, and he asked the servant, what’s going on? And he said, Well, your brother, your brother’s back home, and and they’re throwing a party for him. And we might have expected this older brother to be happy at the return of his younger brother, but despite those expectations, he was upset and angry. Pouting, wouldn’t even go in the house. And so that father, loving both of his sons, went out to find him and asked him, What’s wrong?

1. The Wandering Eyes of the Younger Son

And that jealous brother said, that no good son of yours who went and wasted your money with harlots has come back, and you’ve killed the fatted calf, and I’ve been here this whole time. I’ve never done anything wrong or disappointed you, and you haven’t so much as offered a goat for me and my friends. And the father said, It’s right. It’s right that we’re doing this. Your brother, who was lost, is now found. He was dead, and he’s now alive. Let’s talk about the eyes of those three men and what they saw that made their circumstances so different. Let’s start with the younger son. In the beginning of this story, and really the bulk of this story, what were the eyes? What did he see? This younger son.

We could say he certainly had wondering eyes. He wanted to leave home. We could certainly say of him that he had covetous eyes. He wanted that that the world had to offer. We could take it a step further or a step lower and say he had lustful eyes. I don’t know how the older brother knew it, but there’s no contradiction made to the fact that the older brother accused him of wasting that money on garlic. The text says it was in riotous or wasteful or prodigal living. Certainly may have included that type of degradation and debauchery.

He did not have the eyes of contentment. He would come full circle to realize that things were better at home. But at the beginning of this story, he could not see that. The value of what he had at home with his Father. He was not content with the blessings that he had. And isn’t that the temptation of life? We have savings. The grass is always greener. The idea of always wanting something that’s not ours. It’s something that’s not where we are now. Hold your finger there in Luke chapter 15. I’m putting my bookmark there and go to a very familiar text, the book of Philippians, chapter 4. Let’s look through the eyes of another man, the apostle Paul, who shows us what it’s like to look through the eyes of contentment.

Paul, in the context of thanking those Philippian Christians for sending financial aid to him and his preaching of the gospel, would say this in Philippians 4, verse 10. You may know this text, but I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again, though surely you did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I’ve learned in whatever state I am to be content.

Everywhere and in all things, I’ve learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

Paul says, I have learned. One thing we need to notice about this, this is not Paul patting himself on the back of saying, I’ve pulled myself up by my own bootstraps. I’ve learned this principle of stoicism. He says, I learned this, but I learned this through Jesus Christ. This idea of being content in whatever circumstances I am in. I can look at my circumstances of abounding and rejoice in that. I can look in my circumstances of being hungry and rejoice in that.

But initially he did not have eyes of contentment. He had eyes of discontentment.

So many things that life and sin and temptation and the trouble we get into begins with this idea of wanting something else that’s really not ours to have.

What wondering eyes and covetous and lustful eyes is really about. It’s really a decision that we’re making. James chapter 1, verse 12 simply says, we’ve made this observation again before, but let’s make it again. James 1 12, blessed is the man who endures temptation. For when he has been approved, he’ll receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those that love him. Let’s see if we can make this connection pretty quick. James says in James 1, verse 12, the crown of life, that’s the reward. And James says that reward, that crown of life has been promised to two groups of individuals. The one who has endured temptation, he says, blessed is the man who endures temptation, because he will receive the crown of life.

But then he concludes that verse by saying, But that crown of life has been promised to those who love the Lord. Now the question is, contextually, is James saying that two different groups of people will receive the crown of life. Those who endure temptation will see the crown of life, and those who love the Lord will receive the crown of life. Now it’s possible.

2. The Jealous Eyes of the Older Brother

Blessed is the man who endures temptation. For when he is endured, he will receive the crown of life, which is promised to those who love the Lord. I think what he’s saying is, who love the Lord more than they love that temptation. More than they love that sin. They’ve made that choice. They have looked at the Lord rather than looking at whatever that temptation is. If we were in that story that Jesus told, would we not counsel that young man? Quit looking out there. Look at your father. Look at all the blessings that you have here. Appreciate those things. The second set of eyes that we see are the eyes of the older brother. Here we see hateful eye. Unforgiving Ialous. I’m obvious in the story that this older brother is jealous for the party that’s being thrown, the fatted calf and the ring and the robe and the slippers that are being brought to his brother.

But I think in not so subtle undertones, he’s also jealous that the younger brother got to go and do those things.

That’s not fair. He should be punished, not because he sinned against you, Father, not because he sinned against God, but because he got to do something that I didn’t get to do. Look with me in 1 John chapter 2. We remember the passage in 1 John chapter 2 because of the way it concludes. And it says, Do not love the world. 1 John 2, verse 15. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For the love of the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. And we immediately say, Well, yeah, that’s talking about that younger son, the one who went off into the world and did those things.

But notice the verses that precede that. Back up to verse 7. 1 John 2. And let’s start in verse 7. Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment, which you’ve heard from the beginning. That old commandment is the word which you’ve heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there’s no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his easy to see that that younger, the prodigal son went out into the world and left the love, the safety and the salvation of the father.

3. The Loving Eyes of the Father

It should be just as easy and obvious to see that that older brother who stayed home actually went out into the world and left the love of the father and the safety and the salvation of that father. Because when he looked at his brother, he didn’t look at him in the same eyes as the father did. So let’s talk about the eyes of that father. The first observation is a somewhat subtle one, but I think it needs to be made.

I think the implication there is the father had been looking for him and saw him and ran to meet him. That’s the eyes of our father. Looking, longing, waiting for that lost sheep, for that lost coin, for that lost son to come home. The eyes of this father were loving eyes, compassionate eyes, forgiving eyes. Such different eyes than the older brother. Because if you think about it, if anybody had the right to be angry and hateful and unforgiving, it was the father. The younger brother had really done nothing to the older brother. He hadn’t taken his inheritance. Father had divided that up appropriately. The father pointed out, yes, a fatted calf has been killed for your younger brother, but everything that I’ve had’s always been here and it’s always been yours.

None of this is taken away from you.

His vision was only blurred by the tears of joy. Seeing his father come home.

Again, these stories really aren’t about the sheep, the coin, or the boy. The stories are about the one who found. Stories about the shepherd who would leave and go find the sheep. The stories about the woman who would sweep her house and look and look and look and find it, and finally rejoiced that she found her coin. The story is about the father, who was just as extravagant in his love and affection and forgiveness as the son was in wasting his inheritance.

Remember the reading as Donald started this for us? Go back to there to Luke chapter 15 in verse 1. Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to him, that’s to Jesus, to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes complained, saying, This man receives sinners and eats with them. So, because that was their attitude, so he spoke this parable to them, saying God is the point of those three stories. But I think God’s the point of those three stories in two senses, the two ways, the two ends. Number one is Jesus is illustrating this is God’s view of the loss. The same as a shepherd would be for a lost sheep, the same as a poor woman would be with a lost coin, the same as a father would be when his adult child leaves home.

That’s the way God sees us. But surely there was a second lesson in that.

4. The Younger Son’s Vision Cleared Up

Not the way you’re seeing it, scribes and Pharisees. You’re murmuring and complaining about what I’m doing. You’re not seeing things. Let me show you how God sees things. Because that’s the way you ought to see things. You ought to see things from the shepherd’s viewpoint. You see things from the poor woman’s viewpoint when she’s lost a coin. And you see things from the father’s viewpoint who has a lost child. That’s how God wants us to see. But we’ve got one more set of eyes to look through. And I know your mind’s going through that story. Wait a minute. Who else? The only one we got left is the fatted calf. But let’s go back to the younger son. It’s maybe not fair to just look at through his wandering, covetous, lustful eyes.

Because as Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story is that his vision cleared up. As he was sitting there in that mire and filth of that pig pen.

Yes, we could be cynical and say he should have seen them that way before he left home. But he’s seeing things clearly. We see through the eyes of repentance and godly sorrow. Eyes that are now clear of worldliness and earthly passions and personal desires, eyes that are filled with hope and humility and love for the Father. And eyes of faith. You would only rehearse that speech that he rehearsed in the pig pen and make that journey home. If through the if through the eyes of faith you could see a father looking down the road.

Conclusion

See a father fling open that door, come running to meet you. See the eyes of a father hugging, kissing, and saying, Welcome home. How’s your eyesight this morning? What’s your perspective? I hope you have the eyes of the Father. That’s the point of this story, I think, is to help us have those compassionate, loving, and forgiving eyes that God has. We’re to be his disciples, we’re to be his children, we’re going to love as he’s loved. Forgive as he’s forgiven. And I hope you have the eyes of the prodigal son. Not at the beginning of that story, but at the end of that story. Where you can see clearly through the eyes of faith. Where you belong is at home with your Father. And that you can see that your Father will welcome you home no matter what and no matter where.