When Angels Cheer
Roger Thomas
Luke 15:10
Luke 15 may well be the best-loved and least understood chapter in the entire Bible. This chapter is among many people's favorite sections of scripture. And for good reason! Luke 15 is a chapter of parables. Jesus tells about a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. We have been looking at the story of the Prodigal Son for last few weeks. These are unforgettable stories of redemption, recovery, and restoration.
But we miss half the story if we think that these are parables of sweetness and light. All three are parables of contrast. All three stories are about the contrast of the sadness when something is lost and the joy when it is found. But there is more. The last story contrasts the forgiving father and angry brother. In the context, the stories contrast Jesus who welcomes and his critics who muttered. Did you hear the contrast? Angels rejoice. Pharisees complain. Angels cheer while others jeer.
Christian song writer Larry Bryant pictured this in his song recorded by the Gaither Vocal Band: "Now heaven doesn't strike up the band for any old occasion at hand; it's got to be a special thing to make those angels sing. When the Model T first hit the street, It didn't bring all heaven to its feet. And when the first computer was born, They didn't blow Old Gabriel's horn. There's only one thing that we're sure about That can make those angels jump and shout: It's when a sinner makes the Lord his choice; That's when the angels rejoice."
Today I want to pursue a simple question, why do the angels cheer? What is it that they know that Pharisees don't? What is it that they know that we sometimes forget? We will only appreciate these parables to the degree we understand the answer to this question. I propose three possible answers to "why the angels cheer?" Probably it's a combination of all three. I suggest that if we knew what the angels know we too would cheer when angels cheer.
Why do ...
Roger Thomas
Luke 15:10
Luke 15 may well be the best-loved and least understood chapter in the entire Bible. This chapter is among many people's favorite sections of scripture. And for good reason! Luke 15 is a chapter of parables. Jesus tells about a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. We have been looking at the story of the Prodigal Son for last few weeks. These are unforgettable stories of redemption, recovery, and restoration.
But we miss half the story if we think that these are parables of sweetness and light. All three are parables of contrast. All three stories are about the contrast of the sadness when something is lost and the joy when it is found. But there is more. The last story contrasts the forgiving father and angry brother. In the context, the stories contrast Jesus who welcomes and his critics who muttered. Did you hear the contrast? Angels rejoice. Pharisees complain. Angels cheer while others jeer.
Christian song writer Larry Bryant pictured this in his song recorded by the Gaither Vocal Band: "Now heaven doesn't strike up the band for any old occasion at hand; it's got to be a special thing to make those angels sing. When the Model T first hit the street, It didn't bring all heaven to its feet. And when the first computer was born, They didn't blow Old Gabriel's horn. There's only one thing that we're sure about That can make those angels jump and shout: It's when a sinner makes the Lord his choice; That's when the angels rejoice."
Today I want to pursue a simple question, why do the angels cheer? What is it that they know that Pharisees don't? What is it that they know that we sometimes forget? We will only appreciate these parables to the degree we understand the answer to this question. I propose three possible answers to "why the angels cheer?" Probably it's a combination of all three. I suggest that if we knew what the angels know we too would cheer when angels cheer.
Why do ...
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