“There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. (Luke 15:11-12)
I love the precision in the Bible!
You won’t find a word that is there by mistake. And usually there’s more than meaning to everything. Most passages can be studied many times and each time something new can be discovered!
On top these multiple interpretation levels there are also mystical levels, impossible to get to through regular studying! But let me get to the point.
I have always considered the Parable of the Lost Son (PLS) to be one of the greatest stories in the Bible. It is also known as the parable of the Two Brothers, Loving Father, Forgiving Father, or of the Prodigal Son, the latter being most popular, but in my opinion also being the worst, putting emphasis on what’s not the most important there).
Every now and then I got to discover some new level of the story… Initially I only understood that the parable was telling us that no matter how bad we screw up, if we repent – whatever that word meant – God will forgive us.
Then, thanks to one the books, I can’t remember for sure but I think it was John MacArthur’s, I realized that if the father in the story is to depict God… then God is much more loving that what’s preached in churches. At least the churches I went to.
Father runs to meet his son (Luke 15:20b) though in those times running in public was regarded as lacking dignity and was considered faux pas. Basically only slaves ran.
Here however I’d like to focus on some other details. Three little details which helped me change the way I see God.
DETAIL 1
“I don’t need your apologies”
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. (Luke 15:21-22)
The son prepared an apologetic speech. We can all probably identify with this and many a time we have prepared one for someone we mistreated.
If we wronged someone really bad – like the parable – the process of apologizing may look like this:
-
- Person A hurts person B
- B is offended at A
- A apologizes B
- B feels too hurt to forgive and doesn’t feel like listening
- After some time A repeats their apology (sometimes points 3 to 5 repeat many times which may last many years)
- B officially forgives A though still having a grudge and the relationship between them is not how it used to be (and this as well may last years)
- B forgives A from the bottom of their heart, doesn’t remember the fault and the relationship comes back to the original state (and this unfortunately may never happen)
This is how it looks between people.
What really struck me in PLS one day is realizing the points 2-7 from the above list never took place!
“The son said to him”.. But the father isn’t listening! Interrupts his son! The son had decided to give a speech how unworthy he is and then ask for letting him work but not as a son but as a common worker. The father isn’t letting him finish though.
He’s not answering, not even listening, just yelling to the servants “bring him some clothes and shoes!”
His heart is filled with joy!!!
A religious god would say, “Well, you have sinned badly and now for some time you’ll need to work hard to atone for your sins… let me “bless” you with a few illnesses, and after you suffer a lot here on Earth I will also lock you in purgatory for 5 million years, and after you’ve paid for your sins, I will take you back”.
It is not happening.
God’s heart is filled with joy when He sees us… when we speak to Him… actually, anything we do! He doesn’t remember past issues!
Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more (Hebrews 10:17)
DETAIL 2
“Everything I have is yours (Luke 15:31)
I am pretty sure that these words aren’t without a deeper meaning!
One of the words that are on almost everybody’s mind is LACKING. I lack time, money, health. I lack, I don’t have enough or… don’t have at all. Marketing departments of the largest companies in the world are mostly responsible for this. No one will buy something unless they realize they LACK IT. Lack something they badly need.
It seems we totally lost the difference of meanings between the words “need” and “want”.
I need a car to drive to work. Not any car because it wouldn’t be reliable and might break. Nor a battered or my neighbors will laugh at me. Not a cheap one or I won’t be able to show off. Not older than 5 years or my kids will be ashamed of me as I pick them up from school.
My work is only 5 minutes on foot. What I need is legs. A car is something I want.
We are told by omnipresent advertisements that we need cars, watches, brand clothes, vacations in exotic countries, sophisticated dishes and such a comfort that we won’t even have to get out of bed to get anything we want.
This culture of lack, apart from advertising, is also proclaimed by religion. The churches have learned that they will best attract us to them if we are persuaded that we are lacking many things that these churches are supposed to help us obtain.
We’re told we lack God’s forgiveness, God’s grace, love. We ourselves are deficient; we lack good deeds, a pure heart, and love for our neighbor.
God is telling you – that’s not true. Everything that is mine is yours. If you needed anything, it would mean that I am either an unloving Father or a weak Father!
And I am perfect and infinitely loving.
Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present nor future, nor powers, nor high, nor deep, nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8: 38f)
DETAIL 3
you are worthy!
“I am no longer worthy to be called your son” (Luke 15: 19a)
“we will feast and party because this son of mine …” (Luke 15: 23b-24a)
My fault, my fault, my very great fault…
Lord, I am not worthy for you to come to me…
These two passages are repeated hundreds of millions of times in different languages in churches around the world every day.
People are taught that they are loathsome worms, and that the most logical thing to do is for them to be trampled by God, but God, however, in His infinite goodness, decided not to trample us… if we fulfill some quite difficult conditions.
God the Father in PLS , however, is different. He doesn’t even comment on his son’s words “I am not worthy to be called your son” – because they are so preposterous – a son is a son and will always be worthy to be called a son, and nothing will change that! Legally speaking, even here on Earth sonship cannot cease… One can cease to be someone else’s husband or wife, one can renounce the citizenship of a given country, but no one can cease to be a child of their parents!
So how could a perfect God stop calling His children children? How could he turn away from them, forget about them, throw them into some hell and torture them without listening to their pleas for help and rescue?
Only a religious idol is capable of such things. But it’s not real. It doesn’t exist.
The God that exists is the God that Jesus told us about. God who sends rain on all thirsty people, regardless of their religion, education, skin color or number of offenses committed.
He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5: 45b)
PLS has many more threads. The attitude of the second son is also fascinating. Later his father comes to him, too, although according to local customs it was also surprising. But that’s a topic for another article, and many books can be written about PLS. Which, moreover, was done. God is a loving Father. Love is the opposite of fear. So God is the last person in the world you are to fear.
Smile! You are safe in the Hands of Love!
