第五週 · 週三

w05d03-ch

📖晨興餧養

路十五20 『於是起來往他父親那裏去。相離還遠，他父親看見，就動了慈心，跑去抱着他的頸項，熱切地與他親嘴。』

      23 『把那肥牛犢牽來宰了，讓我們喫喝快樂。』

路加四章…宣告禧年的來臨（18~19），…控制了整卷路加福音的中心思想；但四章這個禧年，還不能把十五章浪子回家的故事講解得透徹，還需要更進一步的解明。

浪子賣了產業，也賣了自身。有一天他歸回產業，回到父家，那就是禧年，就是自由；那也就是一切應心，萬事如意。在家裏只有享受，只有喫喝，沒有勞苦。這符合利未記二十五章十一至十二節，那裏說，在禧年的時候不要種，也不要收，只要喫和享受。…要喫地裏自產的，就是喫神所供給你的，不需要你去勞苦。這就是路加十五章，父親不要聽兒子所說作雇工的話的原因。父親乃是給兒子肥牛犢，要他喫喝享受。這裏沒有不配，全是配；因為神說，『我悅納你。”禧年就是神悅納人的年代，是神悅納人的時候。這就是十五章那個父親悅納回頭的浪子所指明的（李常受文集一九八四年第四冊，二四、二九頁）。

📖信息選讀

我們從前都是離開了父親和父家的浪子。我們既離開了父親和父家，就必然離開了自己的產業。所以，我們需要歸回父親和父家。

浪子耗盡了一切之後，遇見那地方大遭饑荒，就窮乏起來（路十五14）。『於是去投靠那地方的一個居民，那人打發他到自己的田裏去放豬。他恨不得拿豬所喫的豆莢充饑，也沒有人給他。”（15~16）他醒悟過來，就說，『我父親有多少的雇工，口糧有餘，我倒在這裏餓死麼？我要起來，到我父親那裏去，向他說，父親，我犯罪得罪了天，並得罪了你。我不配再稱為你的兒子，把我當作一個雇工罷。』（17~19）在這裏我們看見，浪子想要用自己的努力耕種、收割，這些是禧年裏不可作的事。浪子的用意是要告訴父親，他不配再作兒子，他願意像雇工一樣勞苦作工。但是按照利未記二十五章的豫表，禧年裏不可耕種，不可收割，不可在地上有任何勞苦。因此，浪子不該回到父親那裏作勞工，乃該回到父親那裏享受他的產業。

浪子回來時，就說，『父親，我犯罪得罪了天，並得罪了你。我不配再稱為你的兒子。』（21）父親不願聽這樣的胡言亂語，就打斷他的話，吩咐奴僕說，『快把那上好的袍子拿出來給他穿，把戒指戴在他手上，把鞋穿在他腳上，把那肥牛犢牽來宰了，讓我們喫喝快樂。』（22~23）…肥牛犢表徵豐富的基督作我們的產業。按歌羅西一章十二節的話，這是基督作眾聖徒的分。在浪子回來以後，他、父親並家裏的人就開始享受產業。這裏在浪子的事例中，有一幅新約禧年清楚的圖畫（路加福音生命讀經，六五○至六五二頁）。

參讀：禧年，第三至四篇。

WEEK 5 — DAY 3

Morning Nourishment

Luke 15:20 And he rose up and came to his own father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion, and he ran and fell on his neck and kissed him affectionately.

            23 And bring the fattened calf; slaughter it, and let us eat and be merry.

The proclamation of the jubilee in Luke 4:18-19 governs the central thought of the whole Gospel of Luke, and the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15 is an excellent illustration of the jubilee.

The prodigal son sold his possession and himself. One day he returned to his possession and his father’s house. That was a jubilee, a liberation, and everything became pleasant and satisfying. In the father’s house there was only enjoyment with eating and drinking; there was no labor. This corresponds to Leviticus 25:11, which says that the people were neither to sow nor reap in the year of the jubilee; they should only eat and enjoy. Furthermore, they could only eat of the produce directly from the field. This means that they ate what God supplied without the need of their own labor. Similarly, the father in Luke 15 did not listen to what the son had to say about being a hired servant. Instead, the father desired to give the son the fattened calf for him to eat and enjoy. No one is unworthy; rather, all are worthy because God says, “I have accepted you.” The jubilee is the age, the time, of God’s acceptance, indicated by the father’s acceptance of the prodigal son in Luke 15. (CWWL, 1984, vol. 4, “The Jubilee,” pp. 19, 22)

Today’s Reading

We all once were prodigals who went away from the Father and from His household. As those who went away both from the Father and from His house, we certainly went away from our inheritance. Therefore, it was necessary for us to be returned to the Father and to His household.

After the prodigal had spent all, a severe famine occurred, and he began to be in want (Luke 15:14). He then “went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed hogs. And he longed to be satisfied with the carob pods which the hogs were eating, and no one gave him anything” (vv. 15-16). When he came to himself, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants abound in bread, but I am perishing here in famine! I will rise up and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants” (vv. 17-19). Here we see that the prodigal wanted to be like those who sowed, reaped, and harvested (things which were forbidden in the year of jubilee) by exerting his own effort. His intention was to tell his father that since he was no longer worthy of being a son, he would like to labor as a hired one. But according to the type in Leviticus 25, during the year of jubilee, there was to be no sowing, reaping, or harvesting. During that year there was not to be any labor on the land. Hence, the prodigal son should not have come back to the father to be a laborer. He should be returned to the father as one being returned to enjoy his possession.

When the prodigal son was returned, he began to say, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son” (Luke 15:21). The father, not having an ear to hear such nonsensical talk, interrupted him and said to his slaves, “Bring out quickly the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fattened calf; slaughter it, and let us eat and be merry” (vv. 22-23)… The fattened calf signifies the rich Christ as our inheritance. In the words of Colossians 1:12, this is Christ as the portion of the saints. After the prodigal son was returned, he, the father, and those in the household began to enjoy the inheritance. Here in the case of the prodigal son, we have a clear picture of
the New Testament jubilee. (Life-study of Luke, 2nd ed., pp. 552-553)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1984, vol. 4, “The Jubilee,” chs. 3—4