What Jesus Wants Us to Know About God!
14 After he had spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he had nothing. 15 Then he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to eat his fill from the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one would give him anything. 17 When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I’ll get up, go to my father, and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. 19 I’m no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired workers.”’
20 So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. 21 The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father told his servants, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Then bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let’s celebrate with a feast, 24 because this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate.
Luke 15:14-24
Ephesians 1 must be applied if it’s going to make any real sense at all. Sometimes when reading this chapter it can remain theological. For instance, the terms predestination or adoption remain on our bookshelves and somehow they never enter our spiritual hearts. We may assent but we do not absorb.
Both Ephesians 1 and Luke 15 are magnificent. They truly belong together.
I use the word magnificent—let’s define that as both passages declare that fact:
- impressively beautiful, elaborate, or extravagant; striking (“a dramatic landscape of magnificent mountains”)
- very good; excellent (“she paid tribute to their magnificent efforts”)
These two chapters, Luke 15 and Ephesians 1, taken together, are potent. If the Bible is a mountain range, then these two chapters, taken together would be Everest. In Luke 15 there are 3 parables, each dealing with things that are quite lost. Everything is terribly off-track—-but we can also say that everything is found.
Our Father runs because He sees our hearts. His joy can’t be explained but only received. The words in Ephesians 1–chosen, adopted, accepted, and redeemed become truths that are just waiting for us to take hold of.
Just perhaps it will take an eternity to understand these words? If so, we should get started now.
There are just three characters here in Luke 15:14-24: there’s the Father, the son, and the elder brother–and each plays an integral part. The prodigal is the main character, yet the father is the main focus. The son is a wastrel, a good-for-nothing rascal who blows his father’s inheritance on parties, booze, and prostitutes. He lives for the moment, he seeks pleasure in those things which are destroying him.
Haven’t we all done that–at least to one degree or another?
The father represents God, who represents the loving patriarch of the parable. He’s the one who has turned over the prodigal’s portion of the inheritance. To a degree I suppose he has funded the prodigal’s descent into depravity, and yet it was the son who decided to go crazy. The father is not to blame.
But in this story, the father is vital. His actions are very difficult for us to grasp. God behaves outrageously, and His character is difficult to understand or fathom. (After all, who acts this way?) Granted we think our earthly fathers might do this for us–but even that may be a stretch for some. Yet this parable describes how God feels about sinners.
The mysteries of this parable and Ephesians1 explain who God is, and His love for nasty varmints like us. We are His Church, and yet we still need to come home.
And we serve a running God.
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“Jesus wants to make it clear that the God of whom he speaks is a God of compassion who joyously welcomes repentant sinners into his house.”
Henri J.M. Nouwen, Return of the Prodigal Son
(My favorite painting. Rembrandt’s painted this in 1669. I know that that was done long ago, but I enjoy seeing and reacting to what he did. I’m always blessed.)
Ephesians101 