http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2015:11-32;&version=31;
this is such a beautiful picture of God's grace and mercy and love.
almost all believers resonate with the younger son...having lived for ourselves and coming in repentance to the Father and receiving a welcome filled with mercy and love.
but we like to scoff at the older son's reaction and in doing so, we are like him as well. looking down on others whom the Father has chosen to love b/c they have not lived like us (or they don't sing the same songs we do, or dress like we do, etc)...a jonah like response, a pharisaical response. but we don't like to admit that we too can be like the pharisees.
when the younger son's thoughts turn to going home, his thoughts are yet bound in the physical (i need food, shelter)
when the father sees his coming, he goes beyond the physical and draws him into restored relationship. how like our Heavenly Father!
and we are like the son...unable to get beyond our physical need without the Father's compassionate mercy to reveal and fulfill our spiritual needs.
the father's run is a humiliating experience as he humbles himself of position and pride to reach his son...how like Christ, who left His position in heaven and took on the mantle of humanity to reach those who are lost.
we are invited into the party as was the older son. but in coming into the party, we must be willing to sit with 'sinners', to join into reconciliation and to rejoice at one who was lost but is now found. and although the father does not have to explain, he does explain his reasons for the party to his eldest. the story ends without the son's response...an open invitation to come to the party or not....
what is your choice?
somedays i am the younger son.
somedays i am the older son.
somedays i am both.
also, look at this link for the masterpiece painting of "the prodigal" by rembrandt
http://www.artchive.com/rembrandt/prodigal.html
i'm not sure if you can see the detail here but the "father's" hands are that of two different men...his left hand appears aged, larger. his right hand appears youthful, more slender. just a thought i heard once upon a time--the 'older' hand is that of God the Father, the 'younger' hand is that of God the Son.?????
About Me
- natalie
- ok, who am i? i am a believer in Jesus Christ, a daughter, a sister, a sister-in-law, an aunt, a friend, a nurse. i hate wearing shoes, i would go barefoot most of the time if i could. i don't really have a set style, one day it's all about being girly, the next its' about comfort and i wear pajamas and houseshoes in public, and the next it may be jeans and a punk shirt, it's all about the mood. most days, i can honestly say that when i got up and got dressed, i didn't think about you but just about what i wanted to wear (as long as it fits within societal norms). the most important thing in my life is my walk with God. some days i'm better at it than others. the next most important thing in my life is family and friends. being an aunt has been so rewarding but no more so than being a sister and a daughter, a friend. my friends live all over the world (literally). by profession, i am a nurse currently serving as a ward nurse on the m/v africa mercy.