Jesus continued: “There once was a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, ‘Father, give me my fair share of the estate.’ So the father divided his property between them.
“It wasn't long before the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country where he wasted his money on rowdy, undisciplined living. After he had blown all his bank, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to hurt. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him a thing.
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired hands.’ 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 disdain for him; rolling his eyes, he turned to the older son and said, ‘Oh great—here comes your “brother.”’ He sent his servants out to confront him at the gate.
“The son said to them, ‘Tell my father, I have sinned against heaven and against him. I am no longer worthy to be called his son.’
One of the servants delivered this message to the father while the others kept a knowing eye on him.
“The father said to his servant, ‘Darn right he sinned against me. Tell him it’s time for him to find a new gig. Quick! Take his family robe away—he’s got another thing coming if he thinks he can still have his position in this family. Put a ring in his ear like the rest of the servants and give him a pair of work boots. I don’t even know him any more. Meanwhile, bring the fattened calf and kill it in honor of my true son. He and I will be dining alone tonight. For the dutiful life of my older son has warmed my heart while this lost “son” is dead, but perhaps he will work his way back into my heart someday.’
“Meanwhile, the older son was filled with awe at the incredible wisdom and judgment of his father. When he left the house that evening, he heard music and dancing in the distance. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Some woman across town found her lost coin, and by coincidence her neighbor found his lost sheep. So they decided to throw a party and invite the whole town.’
“The older brother became angry and demanded to know why he wasn’t invited. But the servant couldn’t answer. So he went back inside to ask his father. ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But tonight was about your brother owning up to what he did—we cannot neglect family discipline for the sake of banquets and music and dancing. I thought you'd have figured that out by now.’”
Now, go back and read the original parable as Jesus told it (Luke 15:11-32) and see what the Father's heart is really like, despite how some of His brokers represent Him.
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Copyright © 2005 by Steve Coan
All rights reserved. Written permissions must be secured from the publisher to reproduce any part of this work, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.
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