REPENTANCE – WHEN THE STAKES ARE HIGH
Because repentance was such a critical part of His message, Jesus told several stories to illustrate it. We looked at one of those stories in Blog #3, and two more stories last week in Blog #4. Today, we will jump into the last story recorded in the fifteenth chapter of Luke’s gospel.
But first, I’d like to review some key points from the two stories from last week. Remember, Jesus began telling the story of a shepherd who searched for one lost sheep out of a hundred, followed by the story of a woman looking for one lost coin out of ten. Surely, the shepherd could have survived with just ninety-nine sheep, and the woman with just nine coins. But the one that was lost was of incalculable value to the shepherd and the woman. The lost sheep and the lost coin simply had to be found.
In the third story which we will look at in this Blog, it was a Father who had lost one of his two sons. With each story, the stakes got higher and the potential loss more pronounced. Furthermore, if the lost sheep were caught on a precipitous ledge or in a thicket, it was helpless until the shepherd found it. And, the lost coin was also helpless because it could not jump up and announce, “Hey, I’m over here!” The shepherd had to search until he found the lost sheep, and the woman had to search until she found the lost coin. Both involved a desperate search for that which was lost. But in the third story, not only were the stakes higher, but unlike the shepherd or the woman, the Father who had lost one of his sons decided to not go searching for him. If the stakes were so high (losing one of his two sons), how could the Father stay home? The answer to this question will have to wait another week, but let’s begin by looking at this famous story, a story told around the world. (Note: I capitalize “Father” because the Father in the story is a picture of our heavenly Father).
There was a Father who had two sons, the older was very “religious,” and the younger quite “rebellious.” Because of his rebellious attitude, the younger son wanted to take his portion of the inheritance and leave the family. His portion was just a third, because in that culture, the older son always received a “double portion.” Furthermore, realizing that his older brother would always be looked upon by those in the village as the “head” of the family and the chief decision-maker, the younger son decided to break all ties with the family and begin a new life elsewhere.
Making this “outrageous” request, the Father could have called his servants and had his younger son beaten. After all, making such a request while his father was still living, the son was essentially saying, “Father, I wish you were already dead!” Surprisingly, the father consented, and proceeded to sell cattle, sheep, and grain in order to accumulate the cash needed to give his son what was requested. This process took several days to complete, and during that time, word of what the son had requested and what the Father was doing began to circulate around the village. The son was considered to be a worthless renegade and the Father had to be borderline insane.
Let me pause for a moment and ask, “Why did the Father agree to such a request?” First, it is obvious that the Father did not want to keep his son at the family estate against his will. After all, the son was seeking independence, and he would maintain his rebellious attitude until he got the freedom he was seeking. Secondly, the Father did not want a “rebellious” son, but a “repentant” son, and because of that, the Father made the decision that he would not only allow his son to go, he needed to let him go!
After several days, the Father accumulated the required cash, handed it over to his son, who then proceeded to leave town. As he exited through the village gate, the elders of the town gathered together and broke a clay pot at his heels, stating in no uncertain terms,
Do not return. You are no longer welcome in this village. Our relationship is irreparably broken. You have disgraced your father and brought shame on the village. Stay away, and don’t even think of coming back!
(Note: although not in the actual story, this would have been a likely scenario based on middle-eastern culture and customs at that time).
The son left the village in haste and headed off for distant lands, excited to leave behind all ties to his heritage and culture in order to begin a new life in gentile territory. Soon, he discovered that he had spent all of his wealth on “riotous living,” and as famine ravaged the land, he desperately looked for work, but was turned away until he made a deal with a farmer to feed his pigs in exchange for food. At this point, he had almost hit bottom, but because he now had work, he felt that he had turned a corner and would be climbing out of the pit he had dug for himself. After a day’s work, the young man knocked on the farmer’s door looking for the food that had been promised, but the farmer told him that the only agreement made was that he would provide food for work. The farmer had never intended for the lad to sit at his table, but only at the pig’s table, eating their food. Returning to the pigs and starving “to death,” he had finally hit bottom.
It was the “perfect storm” of events all colliding over the young boy. Out of cash, famine throughout the land, and sitting with the pigs starving to death, Jesus said that this young man finally “came to his senses” (that’s the essence of repentance). This boy suddenly realized that regardless of what he had done, he was still his Father’s son, and that the servants back home were living far better than he was. Broken in spirit, he “told himself” (notice his change of heart and mind, which is again, the essence of repentance) that he would get up and return to his Father and confess that he had sinned against heaven and in his Father’s sight, and that he was no longer worthy to be called his Father’s son. But in addition to his confession, he also devised a plan which would help him “save face” in spite of his failures, and that plan was to now work as a hired hand in order to pay off his debt for the inheritance that was lost.
As he left the pig pen and headed for home, he felt quite good about his confessions and his plan to repay the debt. As each step brought him closer to home, uncertainty must have made each step a little more labored as he wondered if his Father would accept his confession, offer forgiveness, and agree to his plan to repay the debt. As he saw his village in the distance, little did he know the surprise that awaited him.
That surprise will have to wait until next week.
