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In Luke 15:11-32 Jesus tells of a man having two sons. The younger son, I can imagine, is fed up with daddy’s house rules, wants to do his own thing, on his own terms, no strings attached, says to his father, I’m now of legal age and I’m leaving your house so whatever inheritance you have for me you can give it to me because I’m out of here! Being a loving father, heartbroken of course, having TRAINED HIS CHILD UP IN THE WAY THAT HE SHOULD GO, knowing that according to God’s Promise he would return; and, having full confidence that his child had made a CHOICE of FREE WILL., his father was agreeable to his request. The Loving and Impartial father divided the inheritance between the two sons. Imagine, not long after, that younger son excitedly gathering together all of his wealth, his many possessions, fine jewelry, everything he had…there he goes, headed off into a distant country with vain imaginations running rampant in his head! Once there, having reached HIS PLACE OF CHOICE, it wasn’t long before he had squandered all of HIS wealth in WILD living. But the worse was still yet to come! This young son had spent EVERYTHING and then there comes a FAMINE in that WHOLE COUNTRY, there was no help to be found anywhere nor from anyone; he had NOTHING, he had exhausted ALL POSSIBILITIES! A light went off in his head, I have an idea he thought, “I will hire myself out to a citizen of the country”! So, he hired himself out but…what an idea…he ended up in the fields feeding pigs! Wow this was quite a lifestyle change! Life at the Big House to life in the Pigpen! He found himself hungry, longing for the food he was feeding pigs to fill the emptiness of his stomach; not one of his fair weather friends he had wasted his wealth on once came forth to offer him even a crumb from a table, a grape from a vine or an apple from a tree. When he came to his senses, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servant have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father I have sinned against heaven and against you.” (In other words, he began to chastise himself, saying, “You fool, you have eyes but you do not see, ears but you cannot hear, you are blind, deaf, and dumb!” But, the key to it all was when he said I will say to him, “Father I HAVE SINNED AGAINST HEAVEN and against you”, because this was his act of true REPENTENCE, this was his TURN-around, this was the key that would get him back into good grace with his Father, this was his sincere TURN from his wrong to the right! This, I believe, is what, at that very moment, got the full attention and the heart of his Father!) I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants. So he got up and went to his father. (The son is now humbled, realizing now what he had given up and left behind! Oh how he longed for his father! He prayed his father would forgive and receive him back, but understood he was undeserving.) “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him (you see, the Father was ALWAYS watching and waiting for the return of his son, confident that one day he would return. He had NEVER lost sight of his son, he always knew his whereabouts and he knew everything about what he was doing anyway; after all he was his son and he had never stopped loving him! He had trained him well, instructed him, and walked before him as a good example! He knew one day the waiting would be over. Today is the day, here comes his son limping, stumbling, weak, worn, weary, tattered, tears streaming; filth and pig stench preceding him in the hot blowing wind); he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. (The father did not wait for the son to reach him, but as soon as he was able to see him in the far distance…his EYE was always ALERT, WAITING and WATCHING for his son to make that RIGHT TURN into the lane! Although his son was a LONG WAY OFF, when his father saw him make the TURN he RAN to meet his son; he didn’t wait any longer but HIS FATHER RAN TO MEET HIM JUST WHERE HE WAS! His father only needed to know that his son had made the turn and was headed to him, it mattered not that he was struggling to get there; it mattered not to the father that his son was dirty, still smelling like the stench of the pigpen he had just left, it mattered not that his clothes were worn, torn, that he was coming home looking like a pauper. All that mattered to the father was that his son had made some right CHOICES, and had COME HOME TO HIS FATHER FOR HELP! The father cared not about the fine linen clothes that he was wearing, when he reached his son he excitedly grabbed him, wrapped him in his arms and comforted him, drew him close to his chest, gently held his head against his breast, held him oh so close, whispered welcome home my son, daddy loves you, you can rest in peace now; kissed the dirty, grimy tears away from his son’s face…tears that were mingled together from the both of their eyes!) The
father had his servants to QUICKLY bring and put on his
son the BEST robe. And they put a ring on his finger and
sandals on his feet. (All this was done BEFORE the father was
concerned about getting the son all CLEANED UP and SMELLING GOOD).
Sure, there would come a time for this process but this was not
the time. NOW was the time to FEAST and CELEBRATE!
This was a critical point in time, for this was the time the father
had anxiously awaited for so long. This was A TIME TO CELEBRATE
NEW LIFE! His son who had been dead in SIN is now ALIVE;
he was lost and is found. So they began to celebrate. Meanwhile,
the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he
heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and
asked him what was going on. Your brother has come, he replied,
and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him
back safe and sound. The older brother became angry and refused
to go in. So the father went out and pleaded with him. But he
answered the father. “Look! All these years I’ve
been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you
never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.
But when this son of yours has squandered your property with prostitutes
comes homes, you kill the fattened calf for him! (The older
son is overtaken by the spirit of jealousy and envy which will
undoubtedly cause strife and division between the two brothers
that the father MUST deal with sooner rather than later…remember
Cain and Abel!) “My son,” the father said, ‘you
are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had
to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead
and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” Writer/Editor: Anita (Rita) Johnson /June 12, 2011
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