May 14, 2024

DEVOTIONAL FOR MAY 14, 2024

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32 – “11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.  13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.  17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.  “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.  21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’  22 “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. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.  25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’  28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

What it means

I know we’ve looked at this before, so forgive me, but this passage of scripture has always intrigued me.  The more you study it, the more there is to really dig into and learn about – the obvious points that the Lord Jesus shared were that the spoiled brat younger son took his share of his father’s inheritance early so that he could blow it on prostitutes, lavish food and wild parties.  The money ran out very quickly and the son found himself face down in a pig sty, penniless and starving.  Scripture says that he came to his senses and realized that even his father’s servants had life much better than what he was experiencing, so he swallowed his pride and solemnly trudged back home to face the music, expecting the worst.  But when the father saw his son a little ways down the road, he didn’t yell and scream at him.  He didn’t lecture him.  He didn’t even politely open the door for the son to come back in.  He RAN after him – and I mean he was sprinting for all he was worth.  Some translations say that he was having to hold onto his pants so that they wouldn’t fall down.  Back in the day, that wouldn’t have been a good look for the master of the house to have done such a shameful thing, but he didn’t care one bit – “he was lost and now is found.”  He had written his son off to be as good as dead, but was absolutely overjoyed that he was on his way back home, and was more than willing to forgive his son’s transgressions.

What it means to me

As shocking as that story is to all of us, and as tempting as it is to act indignantly towards the boy and what he managed to do…we’re not any different.  We’re really not any better, left to our own devices.  As much as I want to think that I’m somehow above that, I’m not.  And it’s not even close…thank God for His radical grace and His forgiveness.  It is available to us all – and we all need it!

Love you all, we’ll talk on Thursday!

In Christ,

Brian