Prodigals
“And he
said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all
that I have is yours. It was right that we should
make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead
and is alive again, and was lost and is found’”
(Luke 15:31-32)
In Luke Chapter 15, we find a
record of Jesus’ words, including a parable He
directed toward a group of “Pharisees
and scribes;” who were among the religious
leaders of that day. They had just “murmured”
against His lifestyle, grumbling that He “welcomes
sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2-3).
Indeed He did. Jesus came to be with sinners, just
like those Pharisees and scribes, just like you and
me.
The way the story of the
prodigal son is often read, the father who forgave
his son symbolizes God’s forgiveness for people
everywhere, and the other son shows us how to NOT
receive a formerly lost sinner. In our lives,
there’s often a third element in action – How did
the “prodigal” HIMSELF then respond to his
unforgiving brother? We don’t know because the
story ended with the father urging his son to
forgive his brother.
The story DOES sadly continue
in the lives of many who are forgiven by God, but
for some reason, they cannot forgive in return. So
MANY are caught at the moment where the two brothers
encountered one another once more, and the one
simply could not forgive the other. It’s as though
time stops and they can’t go on. The older brother
resented the “prodigal’s” apparent “freedom” to
squander his inheritance and then receive what
seemed an “easy” forgiveness for what he had done.
Implied is the older son’s anger toward his FATHER,
for being too easy on his profligate son. You’ve
probably met those who are angry at God because they
feel He should PUNISH sinners instead of forgiving
them.
The assumption is that the
“prodigal” simply came home and lived happily ever
after, but the real truth is that if someone like
the older son dislikes you and is cold and
suspicious toward you or someone you love, you
probably resent it. If you don’t like me, I won’t
like you, creating a circle of enmity that just goes
on and it becomes a cancer in the family.
We can look in a telephone book
in many countries and find not one, but many
different churches – why is that? It’s because some
group, somewhere in the history of those churches,
chose to dislike some in their midst and the others
responded to the point where they would not
fellowship together anymore. BOTH groups might have
the Lord in their midst, but sadly they don’t love
one another. ALL of us have been the “prodigal,”
and if we are honest about our deepest feelings, ALL
of us have been like that older son. What will
others think about our Lord when they look at us and
see our lack of love?
The “prodigal” acted in
selfishness and squandered all he had. The older
brother also reacted in selfishness, preventing the
healing touch of forgiveness to enter his own
heart. The “prodigal” now had a choice – would he
be angry also? The choice is extended to us all.
When someone is angry with you, will you be angry
toward them in return?
Every one of us, each in our
own way, is a “prodigal son,” if not in actions,
then certainly in our thoughts, and God knows our
thoughts. Every one of us is also that older
brother, because we have all withheld forgiveness
and hurt others. Only God Himself can completely
forgive, for everyone else tends to carry a grudge
and will not let it go.
Esermons.com quotes Watchman
Nee, who “told of a new
Chinese convert in deep distress who said, ‘No
matter how much I pray, no matter how hard I try, I
simply cannot seem to be faithful to my Lord. I
think I'm losing my salvation.’ Nee replied, ‘Do you
see this dog? He is my dog. He is house-trained; he
never makes a mess; he is obedient; he is a pure
delight to me. Out in the kitchen I have a son, a
baby son. He makes a mess, he throws his food
around, he fouls his clothes, he is a total mess.
But who is going to inherit my kingdom? Not my dog;
my son is my heir. You are Jesus Christ's heir
because it is for you that He died.’ We are Christ's
heirs, not through our perfection but by His grace.”
This quote, this analogy
captures the heart of God in relation to
forgiveness. He is “not
willing that any should perish, but that ALL should
come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Jesus
Himself said that “God did
not send His Son into the world to condemn the
world, but that the world through Him might be saved”
(John 3:17). By your simple willingness to trust in
God through His Son, the grace of God is yours.
Just as surely as the father in the parable was
willing to forgive his son, so God longs to forgive
you. You don’t deserve forgiveness any more than I
do, but God, in His grace has provided a way.
Jesus Christ died for you. He
died in your place. The older brother could not
abide what his sibling had done, but Jesus has
super-abundant forgiveness that will fill your life,
to the point where you can be forgiven and
ultimately forgive the one who hurt you.
We talked about the offender
and about his brother who points the finger of
accusation – BOTH are sinners and both have strayed
far from God. The one has broken God’s Law and the
other shows he lacks God’s Love by denying it to his
brother. We hurt others by our cold and aloof
responses, we cause confusion in and out of the
“Body of Christ,” the church, and ultimately we hurt
ourselves. I’ll paraphrase a quote from Chuck
Boucher: “Unforgiveness
is the poison WE drink, trying to harm someone else.”
The incident in your past may
have taken place many years ago, perhaps when you
were children… that person has gone on in life. He
or she may not even be alive anymore, and yet, you
keep the negative part of them alive in your heart.
If alive, they possibly forgot it, or the Holy
Spirit may have brought it to their minds after they
received Christ as their Savior, and they long to
make things right, but can’t because you won’t speak
to them. We really don’t know the heart of that
other person, but we do know this: unforgiveness
takes years off our lives and adds lines to our
faces. The “father” in the parable for today was
right in saying, “‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right
that we should make merry and be glad, for your
brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost
and is found’” (Luke 15:31-32). If he or she
is still your enemy, pray for them. If you are the
problem, pray - all concerned need the healing touch
of God. Let’s pray right now:
Father, forgive my enemy,
forgive me. I need to be made right in the sight of
God, in my heart. Help me. Set me free. Let me
love once more. In Jesus Name. Amen.
