Will The Father Accept Me Again?

Luke 15:18-19

I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

Here Luke begins to tell of a certain young man that was son to a father. He had another brother also that was appointed his portion in his father's house. In due time, the younger brother felt entitled to his share of the inheritance, or what he would get after the father had died. Now, I am not sure at all why any good father would listen to such a request, yet nevertheless he did. It seems the younger brother had his share of the blessing as well as his share of the burden. Should you have asked this younger son, he wanted nothing to do with the burden as he only was after the blessing. I can hear some of you now 'I would never.' But this younger son did as some of us are so often wont.

Some long for Heaven and the riches of the kingdom and miss out on the Lord's calling here below. Jesus calling, my friends, why don't you come out to meet him. Remember in the parable of the virgins, how when the bridegroom came at midnight a cry was made for those inside to come out with their lamps and meet him. See, it is nearly impossible to be set apart, holy, unspotted from the world for God without first seeing it. Seeing it though implies being found therein as we travel through this weary world below. Else would not God's power be strong enough to keep you, for you know it always is.

And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

Could it be that the older son had more of the eternal perspective in mind. Being that the other son was younger, he likely did not know. How good the grace of God is when we do not know or are willful. Sure, all we like sheep might very much go astray at times. But thanks be to God who brings us all back. For so he loses none that are his. Just as surely as he knows them, so does he keep them. Oh, to have the mind, knowledge, and wisdom of the Father today. So, the younger son left with his blessing leaving his burden behind. Notice the older son with his burden retained ought of the blessing. Then again, it should be seen the power of the Heavenly Father to keep the younger son wherever he went from the wanderings to the pigpen and from there back again. Here in the text is the prodigal son to be seen as he wanders home back again.

See his sin wasn't just against his father or even his elder brother. It is against Heaven itself as seen in the text.

I just love how God swoops down as the good, good Father, out in the street in the middle of nowhere just waiting for his son to come back home to him again. Could it be we can see God in the heart of the earthly father that so does appear. See the riches of the kingdom with me now if you will. The eternal father, God has everything needed with nothing to lack and wanting not anything more. Yet here the son though wandered off was still a son, albeit one in the far country. The son returns without all the blessing but wanting merely the burden. So often the recipients of God's grace think something is owed. Quite possibly some penance or repentance or such. But that is not of God my friends.

And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

He restores the blessing and with it the burden that comes along with the work. Here the reign of the pigpen is ended and with it the rule of that other land. In the Father's house the far country would be remembered no more. See too the realm of the Father's compassion. The son in repentance remained still a son, whether fresh from the land of the stranger or not. With it, his outlook resolved as the burden of service became a burden no more. That is, unless you count the weight of the Father to be so great a burden.

See how care in the house of the Father means nothing wasted or broken and not a thing that got left out. There are no leftovers in the house of our God nor anything yet unused from his service. I can almost hear the older son now coming in from the fields, 'I've eaten and drunk in your house but what is all this.' How good are the riches and mercy and grace of God to his people my friends even as ways far above finding out. So should we trust him just that much more my friends.