And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”
You may know people who, when you ask them what time it is, they tell you how to build a clock. Well, in a good way, the Pharisees, at the beginning of Luke 15, said, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”, and Jesus replied with three parables, concluding with the Prodigal Son. We often see this as a moral tale for people to get their act together. That does not answer the Pharisees however. Jesus spoke of a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a LOST son. That is why the parable was told. We often ignore the older brother but Jesus made it clear that the father wanted to reach the “good” son with the good news that this son, once dead, is alive, once lost, now found. The older brother thought he was earning his father’s love when in reality, it was already his.
You may be praying for people who are lost and dead. You may even have a child who has wandered away from the faith. You are not the only one working for their return. Your heavenly Father is waiting with outstretched arms for your child and his. We were once dead but are now alive because the Author of Life went to the cross to die for us. And your loved one. If you think you inherit his blessings based on what you do for him, you will be disappointed. Let’s be like the Prodigal Son and fall at the Lord’s feet. Then…
Celebrate and be glad.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church