So he arose and stated to return home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. Luke 15:20.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
I want to show you how Jesus taught you about My love in parables. These parables are very important to Me because they reveal so much about My mercy. My mercy is inexhaustible and My love is without limits. Psalm 103:11. You can cover your past with My mercy and clothe your future in My love. Jesus let you know this, because in hearing and seeing Him, you are hearing and seeing Me. John 14:9.
Now this is how these parables came about: Tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:1-2.
So Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Luke 15:3-7.
Yes, I seek out and save the lost. Ezekiel 34:16. This is why I sent My Son. Once when He was criticized by the Israelites after He had spent the day in the home of a Jewish man who was employed by the Roman occupation government as a tax collector for Rome, and therefore held as a sinner by his fellow Israelites, He answered the people by saying “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Luke 19:9-10.
Jesus continued with another parable, “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:8-10.
Yes, it gives Me great pleasure when My children come back to Me. I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked. I revealed this to My prophet Ezekiel far before My Son reaffirmed this to you. He wrote:
Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, “Thus you have spoken, saying, ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we are rotting away in them; how then can we survive?”‘ Say to them, “As I live!” declares the Lord GOD, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?” Ezekiel 33:10-11; Ezekiel 18:22-24.
Every person is precious to Me. Isaiah 43:4. Far more precious than the silver and gold that you will search so hard for and place such value on, I place such value on you that I redeemed you with the precious Blood of My Son! 1 Peter 1:18-19. As far as gold goes, I pave the streets with it in My Kingdom. Revelation 21:21. But I am preparing mansions for you and I will come back and take My children with Me. John 14:2-3. All those who want to go with Me that is. Deuteronomy 30:15-20.
And Jesus had more to say about this. He wanted to make a very important point about My mercy and love. He continued with a parable that is the most important one that He taught. It tells the story of man and God, of Me and My children, of you and Me, of salvation history. It is known as the story of the Prodigal Son. It is a story of repentance, it is a story of reconciliation, and it is a story of restoration. It is a story about the gift of righteousness to My children. It is your story.
And so we begin: “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in loose and immoral living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. Luke 15:11-16.
You see, the younger son took the good things given to him by his father and wasted them. And for all that he had spent he had nothing good.
Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:11-16.
The younger son, who had been rich, had brought himself to a lowly life of mediocrity. He was no longer the head but the tail. He was no longer the lender but the borrower He became like a slave. He was trapped by his sins. He was hungry and empty. So are some of you. But this caused him to come to himself and remember the abundance at his father’s house. And so should you.
How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; and You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light. Psalm 36:7-9.
Jesus continued: “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’ So he arose and stated to return home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ Luke 15:17-21.
Once your heart turns and you begin to come towards Me, I see you, I know you. My eyes go to and fro across the earth looking for those whose hearts are toward Me to show Myself strong on their behalf. 2 Chronicles 16:9. When you begin to draw close to Me, I draw close to you. James 4:8, Psalm 73:28. In fact, I come running to meet you.
So Jesus continued, revealing the surprising, unconditional love of the father for his repentant son: “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.”Luke 15:22-24.
When the sin is gone, the party is on. Abundance of grace is filling this place!
The father watched and waited for his son’s return. When the boy finally came back, he was in filthy rags. This, however, does not repulse the father. The father does not tell the boy to go clean up and get new clothes before he can be received, but instead the father clothes his son in the finest robe in the house.
What this illustrates is that when you return to Me after sinning or going after false gods you cannot fellowship with Me until you are reconciled with Me and made righteous. Just as two cannot walk together unless they are in agreement, Amos 3:3; 2 Corinthians 6:16, we cannot fellowship with a wall of sin between us. Isaiah 59:2. As My prophet Isaiah wrote:
Behold, the LORD’S hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken falsehood, your tongue mutters wickedness. Isaiah 59:1-3.
When you sin and go after idols and evil works you corrupt yourself. Genesis 6:11-12. Remember when Moses was on Mt. Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments and the Israelites, saying he had abandoned them, turned away from Me and built a molten calf which they began to worship in a wild orgy? Exodus 32:1-29. I told Moses to go down to the people at once because they had corrupted themselves. Exodus 32:7. As you read in the Psalms:
The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. Psalm 14:2-3.
All that corruption needs to be cleansed out before our communication is open and from the heart. Otherwise, what do righteousness and unrighteousness have in common? 2 Corinthians 6:14. Nothing.
You see the prodigal son needed to be cleaned up to reenter the family celebration. But the father here did all the clean up, not the son. The father took away the boy’s filthy clothes and clothed him in the finest robe he had. This was not painful. This was the beginning of celebration! This was foretold by My prophet Isaiah when he wrote:
I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness. Isaiah 61:10.
The father also put a ring on the prodigal son’s finger. This represents the covenant relationship, like marriage, that I have with you. Isaih 54:5. I have espoused you to Me forever in faithfulness and love. Hosea 2:19.
And as if that is not enough, the father celebrates the son’s return with a party. And what a party he gives him, killing the finest calf for the meal! I too invite you to a feast, a wedding feast, when your heart turns back to Me in repentance and love. Matthew 22:2.
But there is more here. There is another level here as well. To make the son free from the sin that has so entangled him, the father sacrifices the unblemished calf. Does this remind you of the sin offering for the priests?
If the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer to the Lord a calf from the herd without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed. He shall bring the calf to the doorway of the tent of meeting before the LORD, and he shall lay his hand on the head of the calf and slay the calf before the LORD. Then the anointed priest is to take some of the blood of the calf and bring it to the tent of meeting, and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil of the sanctuary. The priest shall also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense which is before the LORD in the tent of meeting; and all the blood of the calf he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. Leviticus 4:3-4.
My Son has released you from your sins by His blood and made you to be a kingdom, priests unto Me! Revelation 1:5-6.
This story is very powerful. It tells you how I operate with you when you have left Me for other pursuits and have fallen into sin, but then make a decision to return to Me. Isaiah 55:7.
Yes, just like the father does for the prodigal son, when you come to Me filthy and corrupted by the idols you have followed, I cleanse you by the Blood of My Son, 1 John 1:7, by which you have been redeemed. This was foretold by My prophet Isaiah when he wrote:
I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud and your sins like a heavy mist return to Me, for I have redeemed you. Isaiah 44:22.
I then clothe you in the robe of His Righteousness, so that in My Son you become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21; Isaiah 61:10.
All who are baptized in Christ, are clothed in Christ. Galatians 3:27. You become My child, John 1:12, and are joined into My everlasting Covenant which My Son sealed in His Blood. Luke 22:20. I give you the Covenant ring. No more shall men call you “Forsaken,” or your land “Desolate,” but you shall be called “My Delight,” and you shall be My espoused. Isaiah 62:4. For I delight in you and make your land My spouse. As a young man marries a virgin so I shall marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so shall I rejoice in you. Isaiah 62:5. So, you see I celebrate and rejoice over you when you come to Me. Zephaniah 3:17.
Not everyone is happy that I am so forgiving and that My mercy is equal to My Majesty. And it is not mercy on a whim, it is legal mercy for I paid your debt to Me with the life of My Son. You are justified and your sentence is satisfied in full.
Let us hear how Jesus concludes the story of the Prodigal son.
“Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, and he asked one of the servants what was going on. ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’ The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’ His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you are with Me always, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’” Luke 15:25-32.
If people only knew Me, they would be running to Me instead of away from Me. I have everything you could ever desire and more. Yet many people disobey My Word to go after the things of the world because they think I cannot give them or provide for them like the world can. But this is not the case. It has pleased Me to give you not only the earth and all it contains but My Kingdom as well. I have given it to you already, but most people do not reach out and take it by faith. It has pleased Me to give you My Son, won’t I give you everything with Him? Of course I will.
I have given you everything then that I have: My Kingdom and My Son. As the father told the older son in the story of the “Prodigal Son,” “Son, you are with Me always and everything I have is yours.” Luke 15:31. I say this to every one of you who is My child.
But do not be like the older son in the story of the Prodigal Son, even though everything was his, he did not know it or take advantage of it. Instead he lived a poor and mediocre life when everything was his and he could have taken it and had a life overflowing with good things and celebration. He just did not know it was his so he did not use it or enjoy it. And what you do not value and are not grateful for you lose. Like Adam and Eve.
Adam and Eve were like the elder son in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, they thought I was withholding things from them when I was not, everything was theirs already and they had wisdom and were like Me. But because they did not know or value what they had, they thought they had to reach out to what the devil had to offer to get what they needed and for that they disobeyed My Word. If you learn to trust in My Word and obey it because of that trust that I will perform My Word then you will not be trying to satisfy your cravings and fears with things of the world that demand you disobey Me to get them.
Remember I gave the Israelites, your ancestors, the promised land but the older generation, who had seen My mighty deeds for them in Egypt and the desert, refused to take it because they were afraid of the peoples in that land. What they did not realize is if they had just stepped forward in faith I would have cleared the way for them. Instead they refused to let Me operate in their lives. They hung back in their tents and cried. Then they blamed Me. Numbers 14:3.
Don’t be foolish as they were and miss your time of salvation, which is available to you now. You know not the day or hour I will return. Matthew 25:13. And then the period of grace, of amnesty, will end, and you will not have the opportunity to take the free gift of righteousness. This was the subject of a few of the parables I had My Son give you, and we will talk about one of them in our next Life Lesson.
I love you! Come home, the door is open wide and so are My everlasting arms!