The Parables of Jesus

Day 7

Reading through this chapter first, a question popped into my head that I never thought of before.  Why did the shepherd go after the sheep and not the father after the son? I think the answer to that lies in verse 2 when the Pharisees and teachers of the law were arguing with Jesus about Him eating with sinners.

While meditating on this, I realized in the three parables (the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son) they all had one thing in common...they had lost something of great value.  In the "Quest Bible" notation, it gave an answer to my question.

The Quest noted that the younger son had to find his own way home, though diligence was made in the parables of the sheep and the coin.  The difference it says was that the coin and the sheep wasn't able to return without help, but people can choose to return or not. The Quest  notes that it was highly irregular for a son to claim his inheritance before his father's death and that a less loving father could have had his son stone to death for such a rebekllious attitude. It notes that the son's terrible offense to his father illustrates the depth of the offense sinners give God.

 I think that is probably the best analogy of the difference.  It wasn't that the Father didn't want and long for his son to be at home, but he had to wait patiently for the heart of the son to return home. 

Sometimes we think the grass is greener on the other side, and especially when we were younger, in our teens and early twenties, we all can probably relate to wanting to get out on our own.  We as parents need to instruct our children in righteousness, and train them up in the way they should go.  But there is a time that comes we have to let our children go and let God work in their hearts just as He did in ours.  When our children get to adulthood, we may not always like their choices, but we can still love them, just like Jesus did us, despite our choices He didn't like.  Scripture tells us, 'Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."  So we too need to find it in our hearts to be merciful to a wayward son or daughter or even those who have made choices we don't agree with, and let them know our love is constant for them.

One thing the prodigal learned during his absence from home, was how good he had it back home.  And as his circumstances humbled him, he was able to get a true understanding of this. 

Now when we get to the elder son in the parable, we find him being in a rage of jealousy when the Father gives the wayward son a giant welcoming home party on his return.  He had had the Father's attention all that time the prodigal son was gone, reaping all the beneifits of being in the Father's house, yet was angry when the prodigal returned for more.  He was angry that the brother had already gotten all the inheritance which was a double portion, and now he had come back for more.  The Father wasn't even considering the loss of the monetary value his prodigal had imposed on him; He just rejoiced that his son's heart had changed toward him and he had returned home.  Evidently the Father loved his son very much, because even though his son had left demanding his inheritance, which would have been 2/3 of his Father's estate, the Father loved his son more than he loved his estate. 

The Quest notes, "The forgiving love of the Father in the parable symbolizes the divine mercy of God, and the older brother's resentment is like the attitude of the Pharisees and teachers of the law who opposed Jesus."

Let us always rejoice with the return of those who are lost and are found!  Even the angels in heaven rejoice at one sinner who repents, shouldn't we?