Commentary from Papa JoeMac:
#137 - God's Example of the Ever-Loving Father - Luke 15:11 – 32In this parable Jesus is teaching about us. What you say? About us? How can that be? We all know that when we fall away from God and subsequently come to our senses that God welcomes us back with open arms! We don’t need a parable to tell us that. How can you say Jesus is teaching about us, Pa Pa Joe? In Jesus’ story, the older brother resented the younger son when he came home. The older brother in the parable represented the Pharisees. The Pharisees were angry and resentful that sinners were being welcomed into God’s Kingdom. The Pharisees had created all these laws for themselves and had burdened the people down with rules and regulations! When the Pharisees saw that God would forgive all, they couldn’t cope with it. The Pharisees believed that they had sacrificed much for God and that others, especially those they viewed to be far worse sinners than themselves, should not receive such grace!
Making more sense now? We ARE those “Pharisees” when our self-righteousness gets in the way of rejoicing when others come to Jesus. When this happens, we are no better than the Pharisees.
The younger son, like many of us who are rebellious and immature, wanted to be free to live as he pleased. How many of us believe that we can live as we please without serious consequences? There are consequences for sin. Families are destroyed by such sins as adultery. Lives are shattered by sinful addictions to alcohol or drugs. Children are left without the security they need when a parent is incarcerated for robbery, drugs, or worse. The younger son in the parable had to hit bottom before he came to his senses. It often takes great sorrow and tragedy to cause people to look to the only one who can help them—Jesus. If you look at most of the hymns that are sung in churches today, you will see that most were written when the writer was in a dark period of their life. How are you trying to live life? Are you trying to live your own way, selfishly pushing aside any responsibility or commitment that gets in your way? Stop and look before you hit bottom. You will save yourself and your family much grief.
In this parable, the father watched and waited. He was dealing with a human being with a will of his own, but he was ready to greet his son if he returned. In the same way, God’s love is constant and patient and welcoming. He will search for us and give us opportunities to respond, but he will not force us to come to him. Like the father in this story, God waits patiently for us to come to our senses.
The younger son had left his family out of selfishness. God’s great love reaches out and finds sinners no matter why or how they got lost. Are we that way? When we have family members who get caught up in the drug world and steal from us, manipulate us, cause great disruptions within the family, does our love still touch them? We may say we love them unconditionally but do they know it?
It was hard for the older brother to accept his younger brother when he returned, and it is just as difficult to accept “younger brothers and sisters” today. People who repent after leading notoriously sinful lives are often held in suspicion; churches are sometimes unwilling to admit them to membership. Instead, we should rejoice like the angels in heaven when an unbeliever repents and turns to God. Like the father, accept repentant sinners wholeheartedly and give them the support and encouragement that they need to grow in Christ.
In the story of the lost son, the father’s response is contrasted with the older brother’s. The father forgave because he was filled with love. The son refused to forgive because he was bitter about the injustice of it all. His resentment rendered him just as lost to the father’s love as his younger brother had been. Don’t let anything keep you from forgiving others. If you are refusing to forgive people, you are missing a wonderful opportunity to experience joy and share it with others. Are you of a faith that believes others not like you should die? Do you believe that your ‘god’ wants others to be punished and harmed for the sake of your religion? Have you searched your heart to ask why?
In this parable, we learn that God loves us all – regardless of race or creed. He loves us regardless of how many mistakes we have made. The mistakes that should concern you are not the past mistakes committed in your life but the concern is for the mistake you will make if you do not come to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior. God forgives us all regardless of how godless we may have lived prior to coming to Him. Get to know Jesus. You’ll never regret it. We do not have to be prodigals!
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