The Wide Path Dropout Mama
The Wide Path Dropout Mama
Letting Jesus Define Repentance - Luke 15 Part 1 - A Cultural Foundation
In today's episode we begin a 3-4 part series doing a deep dive into the 3 parables found in Luke 15. Within these 3 parables are two of the most famous parables we've heard. The lost sheep that the Good Shepherd leaves the 99 for and the Prodigal son. Only in the middle east they call it the Running Father! We are going to let Jesus himself define what repentance means and blow both our minds and our hearts! Join me in this epidsode as I lay the foundation for the episodes to come as we do a deep dive into each of the 3 parables found in Luke 15.
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Hi, my name's Jenny. I'm a wife, a mom, an entrepreneur and, most importantly, a disciple of Yeshua Jesus. I've been a Christian for over a decade, having studied the Bible for at least that long or better. Until about three years ago, I thought I knew Jesus pretty well. Then my world was rocked. I started studying the Bible from its Middle Eastern context and culture, and what I found has completely changed my and my family's lives forever. Join me as I share all that I've learned about our Jewish Messiah and listen to my conversations with other moms on their own journey with Jesus as we discuss the practical ways that we walk out our faith in our everyday lives. This is a conversation for the Christian mom who wants more. This is the Wide Path Dropout Mama podcast. Hey everybody, welcome back to the Wide Path Dropout Mama podcast.
Speaker 1:On today's episode, I am going to be teaching you from Luke, chapter 15. We are going to be taking a deep dive into the context and culture of the three parables that you find in Luke, chapter 15. We are going to take a look at repentance and what that actually means in the way that Jesus defines it. So we're actually going to let Jesus tell us what repentance means, and not so much the dictionary or the Greek word and meaning or the Hebrew word and meaning, because if you look up those words in Greek, repentance is metanoia, and that means to return, or to have a change of heart and a change of mind. If you look up the Hebrew word, it's teshuva, or shub for short, and that also means to return. But sometimes, as we've talked about in past episodes, it's not so much the actual word and its definition that tell you what it means, but the culture itself defines what something means. I think I used in another episode the phrase hey look, I'm mad about my flat and we talked about in America we might think that somebody saying like I'm super upset about my flat tire, but in London it actually means I'm so excited about my new apartment. So you'll see that that word flat means two different things depending on where you are in the world, right? So with that in mind, we are going to let Jesus tell us what repentance means.
Speaker 1:So, with that in mind, we are going to let Jesus tell us what repentance means, and we're going to find that it's little to do with something that we do, but it's more to do with something that the living God does, and I'm going to submit to you that that's going to be hard for some of us to accept, to accept. I'm just going to be candid and tell you that when I first came across this teaching, I purchased a seven-week course on this particular parable and I got to about week three and I had to shut it off because I was not ready to accept that I didn't have more responsibility in this area. And that's not to say that we don't have a part to play in repentance. We absolutely do, but it's more something that he does rather than something that we do. And the more that I have leaned into God's word over these past four years, the more I have seen the patterns and the cycles that can be found in the word of God. And if any of you have known me for any length of time or if you've listened to any of my past podcast episodes, you will know that I absolutely love patterns and cycles in the Bible. They can teach us so much about who God is and what he does.
Speaker 1:And, with that in mind, one of the patterns that kind of helped me understand that repentance itself. It's actually a pattern. You can see that it's something that Jesus does and not so much what we do, based on the patterns that you'll find in the Bible. One of the biggest patterns and cycles that I came across it's one of the first patterns that I learned is that the Word of God always came to who it was supposed to go to at the time that it was supposed to get there. So let me give you some examples Jeremiah 1, 4 through 10, the word of the Lord came unto me. Ezekiel 12, and the word of the Lord came to me. Zechariah 4, the word of the Lord came unto me. So nobody ever went to the Lord right me. So nobody ever went to the Lord right, the word of nobody ever went to the word, rather, but the word of the Lord always came to them. Repentance is very much the same way. So in these following episodes, that's what we're going to be doing we're going to be letting these three parables that you can find in Luke, chapter 15, show us what repentance actually is.
Speaker 1:So in this first episode I'm just going to lay down kind of a cultural foundation and some scriptures that give you an example of this pattern. The first thing I want to look at is Matthew, chapter 11, verse 28 through 30, I believe it is. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Okay, so we have heard this verse so many times and, as it is at face value, is already beautiful and it's already life-giving. But when you really dig into what it actually is saying in the context of it, it's even more life-giving. But when you really dig into what it actually is saying in the context of it, it's even more life-giving.
Speaker 1:So in Jesus's day and time, rabbis which is what Jesus was rabbis were a dime, a dozen. Rabbis were everywhere, just like there's churches everywhere here in America. That's kind of the way rabbis were. You could find rabbis anywhere and if a person wanted to find a rabbi to sit under their teaching, they would go. And much like we would when we're looking for a church or for a pastor we would go to a church and check it out. Right, we would go check out a sermon online or whatever, just to go see what this church and what this pastor is about In the same way. That is what you would do, or what they would do when they wanted to check out a rabbi's teaching. They would go sit under a teaching and see what their perspective was on the scriptures.
Speaker 1:And here is the really cool part of this. This is where it ties into the scripture that I just read you. So a rabbi's perspective of the scriptures, or their interpretation of the scriptures, was what was called their yoke. So their yoke is what is how they would teach you the scriptures. It's how they saw the scriptures and that's, in essence, what you would be sitting under. So whenever you look at this scripture that I just read you, let's read it again using the word in its actual context Okay, it says come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, or take my perspective of the scriptures upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls, for my interpretation or my perspective of the scriptures is easy and my burden is light. Whoa, okay.
Speaker 1:So you see that right there, and the important thing to keep in mind here is the reason why everybody was so heavy laden and so burdened was that the Pharisees of their day was adding on all of these additional fence laws on top of God's good law that Moses had given, all of those laws that were given to them to teach them how to love God and how to love each other and how to give them peace amongst each other and to show those other nations how wonderfully and harmoniously they lived in shalom and peace. Right, because they were living under these good instructions. The Pharisees were putting all of these other small, what they called fence laws on top of those laws and it was making it so hard for the people to keep in good standings with God and to keep living within his law because they were adding all of these extras on top of God's law. So Jesus was saying come unto me all of you who are so heavily burdened because of what they've laid upon you. And I will give you rest because my interpretation of God's law is easy and it's light and it's not burdensome. So there are two things that you want to take from what I just shared with you, and one of those things is the definition of yoke in that scripture. So the yoke is going to be a rabbi's interpretation of that scripture. And the other thing I want you I hope that you've picked up on, but if you didn't, I'm going to tell you now. But you'll notice that I told you that if somebody wanted to find a rabbi to sit under, they would go and kind of sample their teachings, right?
Speaker 1:Well, let me just point out to you that Jesus chose his disciples. His disciples did not choose him. So that's one of the things that I want you to keep in mind. That's part of this pattern that I'm describing to you is that they didn't come to him. Jesus went to them. The Father drew them to him, and I'm going to show you that in scripture here. Take a look at this. Oh, y'all, I get so excited about this. Okay, take a look at this.
Speaker 1:So in John 15, chapter 15, verse 16, it says this and this is Jesus talking you not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, and so that whatever you ask in my name, the father will give you. So you see this pattern of Jesus going and getting his disciples and not the other way around. So this is what we're going to use, to build upon when we're letting Jesus define what repentance is in Luke, chapter 15. So here's what I'd like for you to do with this pattern being, or with this foundation being laid down of some of the background of the culture. I want you to read Luke, chapter 15, and I'd like for you to read it a few times. I really want for you to read these three parables and to really kind of get them, get them down into your spirit and ask the Lord to begin to reveal some things to you and a few things that I want you to be aware of. That I want you to carry forward as you're reading these parables in Luke 15.
Speaker 1:And as you listen to these next few episodes, as we do, a deep dive into each parable is in when Jesus is telling these parables, we are going to be looking at what was he doing? So he was traveling to Jerusalem. He was on his way, basically, to go give himself up on the cross. At this point, he was traveling with his disciples and he was sitting at a meal. He was having a meal, right, and that's very important to consider. We want to know who was he eating this meal with and who else was there listening in on this parable, why was he telling this parable and who was he talking to when he was telling this parable? Because those are going to be important things to know when you're when you're Learning about these parables is who he was talking to and what the overall theme, the overall point he was trying to make when he was giving these teachings of these parables. So that's going to do it for our episode today.
Speaker 1:I am so excited to bring you the next few episodes of this. It is going to be life changing. That is not exaggerating, I promise you. This is how this is exciting stuff. Be life changing. That is not exaggerating, I promise you. This is how this is exciting stuff, you guys.
Speaker 1:So I want to pray over you and pray that the Lord will begin to reveal these things to you. I pray that the Lord will kind of till up the ground of your heart so that it will be ready to receive what you are going to be getting in these next few episodes. And with that, thank you so much for joining me. I pray that he will keep you in perfect peace as you go about your day and I can't wait for the next episode on the Wide Path Dropout Mama podcast.
Speaker 1:And remember, guys, you can always find me on Instagram and you can also email me. If there's been anything that you have learned that's been exciting, or something new that you've learned from my podcast, I would love to hear about it. And if you want to hear any particular subject or teaching, or if you have any questions, please just reach out to me. All of that information will be linked in the show notes and also, if this has been interesting or fun or helpful, I would love for you to share this with somebody that you think may enjoy this. That would just really that would make me so excited and so grateful. But, as always, thank you for joining me and I cannot wait to see you on the next episode.