Thank You, Father, for a good night’s sleep! As I get older that is not always the case. Thank You for Your presence.
Luke 15:25-32 (<<click here to read the passage)
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve shared thoughts on this parable from a couple of different angles…but here is a third. We know who the prodigal son is, but have you ever thought about the other prodigal?
When the younger brother returned, we know he was welcomed by his father. And not just welcomed but celebrated! The father proclaims here in verse 32, that his son who was dead…has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”
But the first-born son was just a tad less joyous upon his younger brother’s return. In fact, he was so angry that he wouldn’t even join the party. His father had to come out and beg him to come in.
Don’t we all sort of side with the older son? He had done the right thing. He had stayed the course. He had done what he was supposed to do. He never even got a little goat party, much less a fattened calf party! He was ticked! And we all pretty much think he got the short end of the deal…right?
He may have stayed home and diligently worked on the farm. He may have kept his nose to the grind. But he was no less a prodigal, he was no less lost, than his brother.
Just because we hang around our Father more frequently than those who turn their back on Him, doesn’t mean that we cannot be lost. Just because we reside in righteous territory doesn’t mean that we don’t get angry, or stubborn, or have a mindset of entitlement, or have to deal with self-righteousness. We can be just as guilty as the older brother.
And how about forgiveness? That’s a toughie. It is so easy to hold a grudge…to become imbittered. What’s tough is letting those kinds of things go. The older son was going to have to deal with his need to forgive his brother for doing all he did and then having the gall to come back and expect any kind of welcome. And he needed to forgive his father (if you can call it that!) not just for welcoming but celebrating his brother’s return.
Lord Jesus, may we closely examine our own hearts.
Search me, O God, and know my heart today
Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray
See if there be some wicked way in me
Cleanse me from every sin, and set me free – J. Edwin Orr, 1936
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Matthew West released a song a few years back entitled Forgiveness. It’s a great song inspired by a true story. Here’s a video, with lyrics, of the song. I’ve also included a video of the story behind the song.
Sept 16th, 2020, Wed,
