AP

The Parables of Jesus (Part II)

By James Jeffery

Today, I want to share with you the most dangerous sin in the entire world. This sin is more dangerous than adultery, theft, murder, and deception.

C.S. Lewis, the author of the Chronicles of Narnia, explains:

“There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which everyone in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves. I have heard people admit that they are bad-tempered, or that they cannot keep their heads about girls or drink, or even that they are cowards. I do not think I have ever heard anyone who was not a Christian accuse himself of this vice.”

Mere Christianity, Chapter 8.

Which sin are we talking about? Lewis continued:

“The vice I am talking of is Pride…and the virtue opposite to it…is called Humility…the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.”

Mere Christianity, Chapter 8.

There is no sin more dangerous than pride, and Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son shows this – as clear as crystal.

A Tale of Two Sons

In Luke 15, Jesus was talking with tax collectors and sinners. The religious leaders scoffed at Jesus and couldn’t believe he was spending time with such ‘unworthy’ people. They thought to themselves: “How could Jesus associate with prostitutes and thieves?” Jesus exposed the heart of the religious leaders by telling them a parable: the story of the Prodigal Son.

The story begins with two sons. The younger son demands his share of the inheritance from his father. This is the equivalent of saying, “I wish you were dead, because I want your money.” Nevertheless, his father gave him the inheritance.

The younger son went on an international trip and squandered his father’s inheritance on gambling, prostitution, and alcohol. He eventually lost it all and was took a job as a farmhand feeding pigs. He was so hungry and poor that he longed to eat the food that the pigs were eating. 

It was at this moment that he came to his senses. Not even his father’s servants were living like this! He decided to go back to his father and repent of his sin. He planned to say: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.”

When he arrived home, his father saw him in the distance, dropped everything, and embraced his son. He didn’t even get the opportunity to ask for his forgiveness because his father was so excited to see him. His father requested the servants to throw a party to celebrate his son’s return and asked his older brother to join them.

The older brother was furious. He had worked hard all his life, had never wasted a cent of his family wealth, and here his younger brother was receiving all the treatment. How could his father be so unjust?

Bitterness and Resentment

Rather than rejoicing that his younger brother was safe and sound, the older brother was consumed with jealousy and hatred. His heart was filled with resentment, for he did not think the younger son was worthy of a party. He was right to think that his younger brother did not deserve it, and yet neither did he.

The parable ends with the father saying: ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’ (15:31)

The Ugliness of Pride

Jesus told this parable to show the ugliness of pride. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were like the older brother. They thought that the father’s love and affections could be earned through their good works. Therefore, they despised those who were not like them.

Rather than rejoicing when Jesus saved sinners, their hearts were consumed with fury and rage. The reason being, they could not understand why God would bless such wicked people. Yet, if they were honest with themselves, they were guilty of committing the same sins in their hearts.

Two Types of People

Two Types of People

The parable of the Prodigal Son shows us that there are two types of people:

1. The Proud — Those who believe God’s favour can be earned through our good works.
2. The Humble — Those who believe God’s favour is a free gift to helpless sinners.

On one hand, those who believe salvation can be earned through good works. They despise those who are ‘unworthy.’ If salvation is a reward for good people, then those who are not saved are the ‘bad people.’ Apart from Christianity, all the major world religions teach this.

On the other hand, there are those who believe salvation is a free gift from God. They rejoice that God has been gracious to them, and often wonder why God would choose them, and not someone else. They boast not in their own righteousness, but in God’s grace through Jesus Christ.

How to be Freed From Pride

If we are honest with ourselves, we have all been like the older brother. We have all looked down on others before, thinking that we are better than them. Yet, Jesus’ parable exposes the ugliness of pride, and its devastating impact on our relationship with God and others.

How then can we be freed from pride? Lewis helps us in this regard:

If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realise that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.

When we confess our pride to God, we acknowledge the truth about the state of our hearts. But more importantly, we bring our sin to the one who promises to cleanse us, renew us, and restore us in His grace. Jesus promises that whoever comes to Him, He will never cast away.

Knowing God’s grace is the only antidote to pride. This is because God’s grace is a gift we did not earn. Rather than despising those who are lost, God’s grace causes us to pray for them in the hope they will be saved.

Gazing at others, the proud person questions: “How can God be gracious to such evil people?”

Bowing his face, the humble person marvels: “Why did God choose to save a sinner like me?”

Closing Prayer

Dear Father,

Give us eyes to see that we are all too often people of pride. Our joy is in receiving the praises of men, rather than humbling ourselves before You. Forgive us for our pride and restore us by Your grace. Show us the riches of Your kindness and mercy in Jesus, that we may relate to others with humility and kindness.

In Christ’s name we pray,

Amen.