The Parable of the Prodigal Son has always been one of my favorite biblical parables, possibly because it's one I can easily relate to. Many people, though, I think take the wrong lesson from the parable, or they simply don't understand it. My theory on this is very similar to the story of the threstrals in Harry Potter. Let us digress for a moment.......
In the wizarding world of Harry Potter, threstrals are a type of winged horse that are only visible to people who have seen death. Similarly, I think the only people who truly understand the Parable of the Prodigal Son are people who have turned away from God's Grace and later come back to it.
Now, getting back to the Prodigal Son.....
For anyone who has not read the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament, the Parable of the Prodigal Son is the final parable in a trilogy that talks about loss and redemption, with the previous two parables being the Parable of the Lost Sheep and the Parable of the Lost Coin.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son talks about a young man who asks his father for his inheritance early, so that he may travel the world. The father gives in and gives the son his share of the father's inheritance and the son departs his father's house. The father has one other son who stays behind to continue helping his father with the duties of the farm and household. As the departed son travels the world, he squanders the money on prostitutes, wine, and all sorts of frivolities until finally he finds himself with no money left. He ends up having to take a job as a pig herder, which is the lowest of lows. As he minds the pigs he realizes that he is jealous of them for the riches they have, even as pigs, that he does not - such as food and shelter. He develops a plan to go back to his father, tell his father that his son is no longer worthy to be called his son, and beg for a place as one of the servants because even as a servant in his father's house he would have more than he has now. The son makes his way back home and the father sees him coming up the way and runs to him, embraces him, and rejoices that he has returned. The father orders a fattened calf to be slaughtered and a feast held in celebration of the joyous occasion of his son's return. Now, while all of this is going on, the son who had stayed behind with the father grows angry. He never left his father, he stayed to do his father's bidding, even while his brother went out and partied all of his inheritance away. The father tells the son who stayed that he should not be angry but rejoice, for his brother has returned from the dead.
This parable has many lessons for those that really pay attention, and the more subtle lessons come from the stories of the two sons. There is more here than a father who is relieved to have his child home safe and sound, and there's more here than a son who is jealous that his brother got to travel and party on their dad's dime and then gets welcomed back home like a celebrity. No, there is so much more.
The story of the son who left is easy to decipher. The son took his father for granted, wanted to try to make it on his own in the world, took his share of his inheritance (not bothering to wait until his father had died), and set out to enjoy the world. It didn't take him long to realize that he couldn't survive on his own. He became lower than the lowest animal and had nothing to sustain him. He missed his father's love, his warm house, and the nourishment his father provided him. He decides to go home and offer to become a lowly servant just to be able to get back a small portion of what he had before. The father welcomes his son back with open arms, grateful that the son would rather be a servant with him than alone in the world.
The story of the son who stayed is a little more difficult. This son stayed behind, got no celebration or thanks, but continued his duties faithfully, even up to the point when his brother returned and got a hero's welcome. Why did his father welcome his brother back so quickly and so warmly? Had he not been the one who stayed while his brother spent their father's money on wine and women? Truth is, he didn't stay because he loved his father any more than his brother did. He stayed because it was what was expected of him. So, the son who stayed did so out of duty, not out of love.
This is where the parable gets truly dynamic and mind-boggling to those who have never been on the outside looking in at God's good graces. God does not want us to love Him because we're supposed to....He wants us to love Him because we want to. It's the whole reason behind free will. God gave us free-thinking minds, without which we would be nothing more than puppets. No, He gave us a choice - a choice between good and evil, between loving Him or not. The Parable of the Prodigal Son is God telling us that He wants us to appreciate Him for who He is and what He does for us, not simply because our parents or our church tells us we should. The wonderful thing is, and this is what the parable is all about, God forgives us if we stray. If we tell our Heavenly Father that we would rather give it a go on our own and sample the riches of the world without Him, He will be there waiting for us when we epically fail and come home begging just to be let in as a lowly servant, much less one of His children. The parable is about choosing to love Him, and understanding that if we mess up along the way He will be there to welcome us back no matter what.
As for me personally, I will admit that I am a prodigal daughter. I have left my Father's house before. I have tried life on my own, and I'll tell you a little secret.....there's no place like home. And if you're wandering in the cold, come home. Father is waiting with open arms to greet you.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
The Greatest Gift
I was thinking about you the other day and wanted to get you a gift. As I thought more and more I couldn't think of anything worthy to give you. I wanted to get you something special.....something that would show you how special you are to me, how great a friend you are, how much I appreciate you, and how lucky I am to have you as a part of my life. I decided the task was too great to bear alone, so I took my dilemma to God.
I prayed to Him and said, "Lord, I want to get them something special, so they'll know how grateful I am to have them in my life and how much they mean to me."
And then the Lord said, "If you could give them anything, anything at all, what would you give them?"
I thought for several long moments and said, "I would give them peace; peace like I can only find when I am with you, Lord."
And the Lord said, "Is that all?"
I thought some more and said, "If I could give them anything at all, I would give them peace. But I would also give them a lifetime of making sure their needs were met so that they could have security. So I would give them peace and security. And faith, Lord, I think faith is important. With faith they would be able to weather the bleak days knowing that better ones are coming. I would also give them the strength to bear those dark days, to stay strong until the sun shines through the clouds. Yes, Lord, I would give them peace, security, faith, and strength.....and love. Love is important too....maybe the most important. If I could give them love then they would know that they are still special even if the whole world turned it's back on them.....they would still be special to me. That's it. I would give them peace, security, faith, strength, and love."
I thought about this for a moment, wistfully thinking that this was the perfect formula.....all I had to do was find a gift that represented love and strength and faith and security and peace. Where would I find such a gift, though? I frowned, troubled again that I was right back where I started from. But then the Lord spoke to me, and He said, "My child, don't feel sad. I have the perfect gift for you to give." and in my mind flashed a picture of a book. A simple book, aged and weathered by years of pages being gently turned.
"A book, my Lord?"
"MY book, my child. You see, in the Bible....in MY Word, you will find peace that only I can give you, a peace that will make the worries of the world fall at your feet. And security. Through my Word you will see that I will provide for your every need and take care of you all of your days, so that you can rest assured and secure. And faith. In my Word you can have faith that the bleak days are fleeting and better ones are already on the way. And strength. In my Word you can take strength in knowing that the darkness will fall and the Son will shine through to guide you and protect you. Nothing can keep you from the Light of the Son, and in this knowledge you can gather strength to move mountains. And love. My precious dear one, in my Word you will find unconditional love that knows no end, for you are special to me and if the whole world were to turn its back on you then you would still be precious to me, because I love you and there is nothing that can change that. I have already given you these things that you want to give as gifts, and they are all there for the giving in My Word."
And I knew right then and there that He was right....I had already received the greatest gift and it was mine for the giving if I wanted to share it. I could share with you the Word of God and in His words you could find all the things I wanted to give you.......peace, security, faith, strength, and love...the greatest gift, provided by the greatest giver - God.
Peace: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11: 28-30
Security: "I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:19-34
Faith: "Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." - John 14:11-14
Strength: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. - Ephesians 6: 10-17
and Love: "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” - John 14: 18-21
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:37-39
I prayed to Him and said, "Lord, I want to get them something special, so they'll know how grateful I am to have them in my life and how much they mean to me."
And then the Lord said, "If you could give them anything, anything at all, what would you give them?"
I thought for several long moments and said, "I would give them peace; peace like I can only find when I am with you, Lord."
And the Lord said, "Is that all?"
I thought some more and said, "If I could give them anything at all, I would give them peace. But I would also give them a lifetime of making sure their needs were met so that they could have security. So I would give them peace and security. And faith, Lord, I think faith is important. With faith they would be able to weather the bleak days knowing that better ones are coming. I would also give them the strength to bear those dark days, to stay strong until the sun shines through the clouds. Yes, Lord, I would give them peace, security, faith, and strength.....and love. Love is important too....maybe the most important. If I could give them love then they would know that they are still special even if the whole world turned it's back on them.....they would still be special to me. That's it. I would give them peace, security, faith, strength, and love."
I thought about this for a moment, wistfully thinking that this was the perfect formula.....all I had to do was find a gift that represented love and strength and faith and security and peace. Where would I find such a gift, though? I frowned, troubled again that I was right back where I started from. But then the Lord spoke to me, and He said, "My child, don't feel sad. I have the perfect gift for you to give." and in my mind flashed a picture of a book. A simple book, aged and weathered by years of pages being gently turned.
"A book, my Lord?"
"MY book, my child. You see, in the Bible....in MY Word, you will find peace that only I can give you, a peace that will make the worries of the world fall at your feet. And security. Through my Word you will see that I will provide for your every need and take care of you all of your days, so that you can rest assured and secure. And faith. In my Word you can have faith that the bleak days are fleeting and better ones are already on the way. And strength. In my Word you can take strength in knowing that the darkness will fall and the Son will shine through to guide you and protect you. Nothing can keep you from the Light of the Son, and in this knowledge you can gather strength to move mountains. And love. My precious dear one, in my Word you will find unconditional love that knows no end, for you are special to me and if the whole world were to turn its back on you then you would still be precious to me, because I love you and there is nothing that can change that. I have already given you these things that you want to give as gifts, and they are all there for the giving in My Word."
And I knew right then and there that He was right....I had already received the greatest gift and it was mine for the giving if I wanted to share it. I could share with you the Word of God and in His words you could find all the things I wanted to give you.......peace, security, faith, strength, and love...the greatest gift, provided by the greatest giver - God.
Peace: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11: 28-30
Security: "I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:19-34
Faith: "Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." - John 14:11-14
Strength: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. - Ephesians 6: 10-17
and Love: "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” - John 14: 18-21
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:37-39
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