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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy
word.
“But while he was still
a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he
ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
“The son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to
be called your son.’”
“But the father said to
his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his
finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have
a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was
lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.’”
Luke 15:20-24
This ends
today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the
land the Lord your God is giving you.” Exodus 20:12
It was one of the most
renowned commandments of God, one that all children were trained to follow.
Perhaps the young son had forgotten this based on his actions in regard to his
father.
You remember what
happened, right?
The young son decided to
go to his father and ask if he could have his share of the inheritance before
his father was even dead. It was a move that by all rights was blatantly
disrespectful and the father would have had every reason to rebuke his son for
such a thing.
But he didn’t.
Instead, he gave his boy
what he asked for and off the son went to a foreign land where he did his own
thing and lived wildly, liberally blowing his inheritance money until there was
none remaining. Now penniless, the son found himself in dire straits as a
famine struck the land and he found himself starving.
He had hit rock bottom.
Desperate, the young son
connected with a citizen of the foreign land and labored for him to try and resolve
his dismal situation. As he fed pigs pods in the field, the son realized the
pigs were better off than he was. At least they had food and the son found
himself yearning for a pod to eat. Such was his hunger level. Something had to
give and give soon or the son would perish away from anyone who truly cared
about him.
And so he came to his
senses and resolved to try and return to his father, confessing his sins and
hoping he would at least be allowed to be a servant as he felt he was no longer
worthy to be counted as his father’s son.
So what would happen
when the son returned home?
Would the father condemn
him for his sins and send him away, banishing him from ever returning home
again?
We find the answers in
today’s excerpt from Jesus’ parable as they frame an outcome that might be
surprising for some. Look again at these verses here:
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was
filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him
and kissed him.”
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against
you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’”
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and
put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the
fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of
mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.’” Luke 15:20-24
I think the first thing
that should catch our attention here is that the son didn’t arrive at the front
door of his father’s place and knock, trying to summon his dad to come and
listen to his plea. Rather, the father was looking for his son. Who knows how
long he might have gone out and watched for his son to hopefully return but one
thing is for sure. The father had not given up hope that he one day might see
his son again.
Imagine the joy the
father had to feel when he saw his son coming while “he was still a long way
off.” As soon as the father saw his son who had been gone for some time, we
read where he was “filled with compassion for him” and in his excitement, he “ran
to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
I wonder what the son
thought at that point. Surely he thought he would come back to an angry father
who would offer up a sharp rebuke if not an all out rejection. But despite any preconceived
expectations and unexpected greetings, the son stayed on script and the plan he
had formed after coming to his senses. He said to his father:
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer
worthy to be called your son.”
It was a heartfelt,
sincere confession, one the son had hoped would garner a small portion of mercy
from his father but as we see through the father’s actions, the son got more
than he believed he deserved”
“The father said to his
servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his
finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have
a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was
lost and is found.’”
“So they began to celebrate.”
Do you remember these
words Jesus said earlier in the Parable of the Lost Coin?
“In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the
angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10
He was using this as a
parallel to the story where the woman and all her friends were rejoicing over
finding her lost coin. Jesus likened this to the joy in heaven among the angels
when any sinner repents.
In the Parable of the
Lost Son, Jesus shows us what that celebration might look like from an earthy perspective.
For the father is ready to throw a big party for his son who was once lost but
now found, a son who was blind but now was seeing. It truly was amazing grace
in action as the father called for the best robe and sandals for his son. He
also commanded the signet ring, a symbol of family heritage, be put on the son’s
finger. And for the feast, the redeemed son’s dad had the fattened calf killed
so a great feast could be held in celebration of the son’s return.
Over the past few
devotions, I have shared my own prodigal story, bearing my soul as to how I had
done my own thing, hit rock bottom, and then come to my senses after meeting my
wife to be.
So what happened in my
life after I returned to the Lord?
Did He condemn me for
the sins I had committed, banishing me from ever coming into His presence
again?
Not at all. Rather, He
wrapped His arms around me and welcomed me home. I could feel a spiritual
celebration was happening over me confessing the wrongs of my ways and
committing myself to the Father for life through His Son Jesus, the very Son
who told me how the grace and mercy of the Father looks like through this
parable we have been studying.
I was once lost but when
I returned to the Father, I was found. And since then, I have never been lost
again.
For the prodigal son and
myself, it was an amazing return, one that produced unexpected outcomes but
outcomes that opened my eyes up to the compassion and provision of the God who
created me, the God who loved me enough to send His Son Jesus to die in my
place and the place of other sinners like me.
Friends, I don’t know
where you are in your spiritual walk today. Maybe you’re doing your own thing
and have no clue about the harrowing situation you have put yourself in. Maybe
you have hit rock bottom and are unsure where to go from there. Maybe you have
come to your senses, choosing to return to the Father and hope He will receive
you and accept your repentance.
Indeed, I don’t know
your situation but there is one thing I know and I can speak not only from the
standpoint of the scriptures but my own personal life as well. If you come back
to the Lord, confess your sins, and seek His forgiveness, you will be taken
back with compassion and loving arms. The Father longs for you to come back to
Him and He desires that you abide with Him forever through belief and trust in
His Son Jesus.
I pray you will come to
Him and receive a grace that is truly amazing, allowing the angels in heaven to
once again rejoice over the returning of yet another sinner into the kingdom of
God.
In tomorrow’s devotion,
we’ll see where not everyone was celebrating the prodigal’s return.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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