LIFE MARKS– REPENTANCE – SURPRISE!

After walking toward home for what must have been many days, the young man, thin from starvation and clothes torn and tattered, finally saw his village in the distance. At about the same time as the boy saw the village, the Father saw his son approaching. Remember, although this caring and compassionate Father did not go looking for His son, he was watching for his return each and every day. Like the shepherd who had lost one sheep or the woman who had lost one coin, the Father cared deeply for His lost son. Because sheep are not the most intelligent of animals, and because the coin could only lay at the place where it was lost, both the lost sheep and the lost coin needed someone to look for them until they were found, otherwise they would have been “lost” forever. But the son was different – he was a human being who could think, reason, and yes, “change his mind.” And that’s what the Father desperately wanted, a “changed” son, not a son whom the Father had to “drag” back from a distant country.

And so, once He spotted His returning son in the distance, the Father ran through the village to welcome him home. And what an embarrassing and “shameful” run it was! In order to run, the Father had to lift up his robe and wrap it around his waist so that he could run, bare legged, through town. Undignified and humiliated, the Father didn’t care what the townspeople thought as he sprinted through town toward the village gate. No amount of embarrassment was going to keep the Father from His son.

But why did the Father run? There are two significant reasons. First, and most obvious, He had great compassion on His son, and because He loved him as only a caring Father could, he couldn’t wait to see him again. But there is another very important reason, and that being the rejection of His son by the townspeople on the day he left home. Being told to “never come back,” the townspeople were ready to stone him if he tried. So the Father ran through town and through the village gate in order to get to His son before the rest of the village could turn him away or cause him harm (or even kill him).

As the two met outside the gate, the Father embraced him. Now imagine this scene. Before this rebellious son left, there were no “embraces” between the two. A loving Father, wanting desperately to embrace His son, only found distance and rejection from him. But now, everything had changed. The son returned willingly, and although ever embracing His son again was only a distant “hope,” the time had come for it to become a reality. And that embrace was genuine and heart-felt from both the Father and the son.

So, the boy began his first confession just as he had rehearsed while in the pig pen: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.” I can imagine that the Father said nothing, but just nodded His head, “Yes, you have.” No need to cover up the obvious, no need to sugar coat his defiance and rebellion, he had sinned, and “big time.” Then came his second confession: “I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” Again, I picture the Father saying nothing, but nodding his head in agreement, “Yes son, you are not worthy.” After all, he had sinned, and he wasn’t worthy, he had only brought disgrace on the family and the village. Because of his rebellion against His Father, he had sinned against Him and had done nothing worthy of anything when it came to his relationship with his father and the rest of the village.

But remember, the son had one more request to make of his Father, and that was his offer to work as one of His hired hands so that he could pay off the debt in order to make himself “feel worthy” to once again be his Father’s son. After years of toil and sweat, could he ever really “repay” his debt? Of course not! His sin went far deeper than monetary losses. He had brought shame upon his Father and the village. How could he remove his guilt over such an egregious offense? He couldn’t, and the Father knew it.

But this wise Father already knew what was coming next from His son’s lips, and so He stopped him before he could utter a single word. Instead of speaking to His son, the Father spoke to His servants, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him.” Now let me ask you, “Who had the best robe in the house?” Surely not the son, but the Father. He was the head of the household. It would be His own robe that would cover the shame of His son. In the Old Testament, it was called “The robe of righteousness,” that is, the metaphorical Father’s robe that covers all of our sin and makes us “righteous.” Imagine this, the unworthy son is now wearing the “best” robe in the house, the Father’s robe that now covered all of his sin and shame. He could have rejected it, but why would he? The boy, recognizing that the weight of his sin was more than he could ever repay, was now given the gift of righteousness. And he gladly received it!

Then the Father said, “Put a ring on his finger, and sandals on his feet.” The ring was a sign of position, favor, and dignity, and to go barefoot was a sign of shame and poverty. In short, the ring and the sandals which the lost son was now wearing were signs of “sonship.” When the son said, “Father, I am no longer worthy to be called your son,” the Father is symbolically saying, “Yes, you are.” But how could he be worthy? He had done nothing to earn it! And that’s the central theme of the story. No one can “earn” worthiness, it is a gift from the Father as a result of repentance that leads to confession.

The Father made one last request of His servants, “Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.” I find it interesting that the Father already “knew” that His son would come home, and was preparing in advance for the celebration. As opposed to killing a lamb or a goat, the calf was large enough for the whole village. Remember when the shepherd returned with his lost sheep and the woman found her lost coin, they both called their friends and neighbors together to celebrate. But this time, it was the entire village who was invited to the celebration. Oh the value of a lost son who is found! But someone in the crowd must have asked, “Why are we celebrating the return of this worthless son of yours?”

I have much to say about that, but it will have to wait until next week. But before signing off for today, I’d like us to see that the young boy was totally caught off guard by two gifts that the Father extended to him: First, the Father extended Mercy, that is, the boy did not receive what he deserved, which was rejection and punishment; and Second, the Father offered Grace, that is, the boy received what he did not deserve, which was forgiveness and reconciliation, both to the Father, as well as to the entire village whom he had offended. And those two “Gifts” from the Father are still being dispensed in copious amounts to every repentant sinner who has lost his way, yes, even today.

Next week, I want to spend some time with the Father’s explanation for the need to celebrate. But remember, this is only half the story. There is an older son waiting to welcome his brother home – Not quite! We will look at the older son’s response to his brother’s return in two weeks.