The Path of the Prodigal
"And he said to him, 'Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.'" Luke 15: 31-32
"And he said to him, 'Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.'" Luke 15: 31-32
What an amazing way to end this story. The father answers brilliantly to his angry son, and it is most certainly a marvel to wonder at. Let us take a closer look at this response.
What we first see is that the father did not get angry with the son. He didn't scold him, he didn't punish him, and he didn't upbraid him. We also see that the father did not condone what the younger son had done. He didn't try and make excuses for the younger son, but rather, just said that celebration had to happen. Do you think the father did not punish the younger son? I'm certain that he did. It would have been only right. But first there had to be a rejoicing over the return!
Also, if you notice, the father didn't deny the legitamacy of the older son's anger. He patiently and lovingly listened, and then made a calm response. He conceded the son's point by agreeing that, indeed, the older son had always been with him and had always labored for him. He also goes from there to reminding the son that all that the father possesses belonged also to the son. He's saying to his son, "Don't worry that he will take it all, son. Don't worry that you will miss out. I love you and will do what is right." How often God needs to remind me of this! How often do I feel His Spirit whispering to my heart "My child, I will do what is right. You are not unloved. I am still in control."
And once again, we see that this son was not just considered away, he was considered dead. The same can definitely be said about us. Ephesians says we were dead in our sins, but were made alive to God. When He overcomes the stubbornness of our wills, we come alive and can truly live for Him as we could never do before.
After all of this, I would like to point out that in Jesus' time, there were several people He could have been thinking of when He mentioned the prodigal son. It was most likely that He was talking about "sinners" and tax collectors, since that happened to be the point of the Pharisee's contention. It is also quite viable to point to the Gentiles as another meaning to the metaphor, as Jesus was talking to Jews. Whichever way, we can definitely apply this to every lost person who becomes a believer. What a great love God has for us, that He welcomes us into His presence!
It is my sincere hope and prayer that this study, as meager as it was, was of some help and some enlightenment to some. All glory goes to the one to whom is worthy, Jesus!
What we first see is that the father did not get angry with the son. He didn't scold him, he didn't punish him, and he didn't upbraid him. We also see that the father did not condone what the younger son had done. He didn't try and make excuses for the younger son, but rather, just said that celebration had to happen. Do you think the father did not punish the younger son? I'm certain that he did. It would have been only right. But first there had to be a rejoicing over the return!
Also, if you notice, the father didn't deny the legitamacy of the older son's anger. He patiently and lovingly listened, and then made a calm response. He conceded the son's point by agreeing that, indeed, the older son had always been with him and had always labored for him. He also goes from there to reminding the son that all that the father possesses belonged also to the son. He's saying to his son, "Don't worry that he will take it all, son. Don't worry that you will miss out. I love you and will do what is right." How often God needs to remind me of this! How often do I feel His Spirit whispering to my heart "My child, I will do what is right. You are not unloved. I am still in control."
And once again, we see that this son was not just considered away, he was considered dead. The same can definitely be said about us. Ephesians says we were dead in our sins, but were made alive to God. When He overcomes the stubbornness of our wills, we come alive and can truly live for Him as we could never do before.
After all of this, I would like to point out that in Jesus' time, there were several people He could have been thinking of when He mentioned the prodigal son. It was most likely that He was talking about "sinners" and tax collectors, since that happened to be the point of the Pharisee's contention. It is also quite viable to point to the Gentiles as another meaning to the metaphor, as Jesus was talking to Jews. Whichever way, we can definitely apply this to every lost person who becomes a believer. What a great love God has for us, that He welcomes us into His presence!
It is my sincere hope and prayer that this study, as meager as it was, was of some help and some enlightenment to some. All glory goes to the one to whom is worthy, Jesus!
posted by Charlie | 4:19 PM
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