"And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'"
--Luke 15:21 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on August 16, 2013 of Psalm 139:13-24; Luke 15:11-32; Nehemiah 11:15-12:26.
We've all heard the story of the Prodigal Son, the parable told by Jesus as recorded only in the Gospel according to Luke. In this tale a father has two sons. The younger grows impatient and asks for his inheritance now, before his father dies. The father rather unwisely agrees to this most unusual request and the son takes his share of his father's wealth and sets off, drawn by the lures of foreign lands. There, in what Luke calls prodigal living, characterized by profuse and wasteful spending, the young son quickly runs out of money and is forced to hire himself out feeding swine, a very lowly and humiliating job for a Jew. He finally realizes that even his father's servants are better off than he, so he swallows his pride and heads home. Seeing his son approaching, the father runs out to welcome him home and orders a great feast. The older son, who stayed home and worked the whole time, is angry over the treatment his brother receives. The father responds that, yes, the older son had been there all along, and so had been fed well all that time and everything the father owned had been available to him. But the younger son had been gone and is now returned, he was as if lost but now is found.
There are so many points that Jesus is trying to get us to see in this parable that it is hard to look at just one. Today's focus verse illustrates the necessary first step toward reconciliation, whether with God or with man. This concept is so important Jesus actually mentions it twice, the first time in verse 18 when the younger son says it to himself. Before anything else, before we can be reunited with family or friends or God, we must admit when we have done wrong. We must take personal responsibility for our actions. And then, like the young man, we must be willing to humble ourselves, ask forgiveness, and face whatever consequences may come. If we do this and truly repent of our sin, as the younger son did, our Father in heaven will welcome us with open arms, just as the father received his prodigal son. The feast is already prepared and awaiting us.
The behavior of the older son is also important to note. He was angry and resentful that his brother was receiving such special treatment while he, in his own way of thinking, was being slighted. His father had to remind him that he had enjoyed easy access to all the family wealth during this time, everything had been at his disposal. Jesus used this point to describe the Pharisees in attendance, who were jealous of Jesus' popularity with the people, who felt He treated sinners better than He treated the righteous (them), who didn't know what they had the whole time Jesus was with them.
One last aspect Jesus chose to emphasize by repeating is how the father viewed his wayward son's return. To him, while the son was gone he had been as if dead, separated from him by a great distance, but now he was alive again, with him again. He wandered lost in far off lands, but found his way home. This is how our Father in heaven sees us when we have been born again. We were dead in sin, separated from God by a vast chasm, but now are alive again in Christ, the gap bridged by His cross. We were lost, but now are found. Through Jesus we are forgiven and welcomed home. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we have sinned against You and are unworthy of being called Your children. We have squandered and wasted the great wealth You have given us, by Your blessings and through the greatest gift of Your Son. Only by Your merciful grace, dear Lord, and by the sacrifice of our Savior Jesus are we forgiven and saved, made alive again and redeemed. Thank You, Father, for welcoming us home and preparing a feast just for us! In the beautiful name of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
There are so many points that Jesus is trying to get us to see in this parable that it is hard to look at just one. Today's focus verse illustrates the necessary first step toward reconciliation, whether with God or with man. This concept is so important Jesus actually mentions it twice, the first time in verse 18 when the younger son says it to himself. Before anything else, before we can be reunited with family or friends or God, we must admit when we have done wrong. We must take personal responsibility for our actions. And then, like the young man, we must be willing to humble ourselves, ask forgiveness, and face whatever consequences may come. If we do this and truly repent of our sin, as the younger son did, our Father in heaven will welcome us with open arms, just as the father received his prodigal son. The feast is already prepared and awaiting us.
The behavior of the older son is also important to note. He was angry and resentful that his brother was receiving such special treatment while he, in his own way of thinking, was being slighted. His father had to remind him that he had enjoyed easy access to all the family wealth during this time, everything had been at his disposal. Jesus used this point to describe the Pharisees in attendance, who were jealous of Jesus' popularity with the people, who felt He treated sinners better than He treated the righteous (them), who didn't know what they had the whole time Jesus was with them.
One last aspect Jesus chose to emphasize by repeating is how the father viewed his wayward son's return. To him, while the son was gone he had been as if dead, separated from him by a great distance, but now he was alive again, with him again. He wandered lost in far off lands, but found his way home. This is how our Father in heaven sees us when we have been born again. We were dead in sin, separated from God by a vast chasm, but now are alive again in Christ, the gap bridged by His cross. We were lost, but now are found. Through Jesus we are forgiven and welcomed home. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we have sinned against You and are unworthy of being called Your children. We have squandered and wasted the great wealth You have given us, by Your blessings and through the greatest gift of Your Son. Only by Your merciful grace, dear Lord, and by the sacrifice of our Savior Jesus are we forgiven and saved, made alive again and redeemed. Thank You, Father, for welcoming us home and preparing a feast just for us! In the beautiful name of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
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