Luke 15:11-31
We all grew up hearing the familiar stories of Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding hood, Hansel and Gretel and many more. These stories have been told from generation to generation and each one of them had a lesson that we needed to hear and learn. Coming from another country, I was amazed to see that the same stories were told in America that were told to us as kids in Africa. I still remember the lessons that I learned from these stories and how it helped me to make the right decisions sometimes.
Jesus loved to tell stories to the people that came to listen to Him. The Bible calls them parables but they are still stories with lessons to learn. In the bible times the stories that were told were that of their heroes and their kings and how they fought for Israel and won against the enemies of Israel. The Hebrew word for “story” means "to investigate, to frequent or to follow". I wonder if that was the idea that Jesus had in mind when He told those parables?
One of the parables that has always remained with me is the story of the Prodigal Son. A father had two sons and then the youngest comes and asks him to give him his inheritance. The father gives it to him and the son departs and wastes it on living and partying. He ends up in the pigpen and decides to go back home. His father is waiting for him and welcomes him back. He gives him a new ring, shoes, and a new garment to wear. His older brother doesn’t like it and complains and the father tells him that the brother was dead but is alive again. This is the brief version, in case you have never heard of it or have forgotten it. There are so many things to learn from this story.
I want to talk about the papa in this story because we have all heard about the brothers before. He was an amazing papa. We see him waiting everyday, looking down the road to see if his lost son would return. Can you even begin to imagine what he must have felt like, as day after day he waited and no one showed up? He never gave up. He waited with expectancy knowing that one day his son would run out of options and when that day came, his son would need to see a papa waiting and ready to have him back. This is the heart of our Papa. He is waiting for us to turn away from sin and the first thing you will see on your way back is a Papa that is welcoming you back.
In the story, the lost son prepares himself to repent and to say that he has done wrong. When he sees his papa he immediately starts repenting and asks to be a servant. The papa ignores that request. Not only that, but we don’t see him scolding his son for making the wrong choices. Neither does he say, “I told you, and you wouldn’t listen.” No. Instead he embraces his son and immediately organizes the biggest party his house has ever seen.
I want to tell you that before you can say you are sorry, your Papa in heaven knows that you are. He sees your heart before the words come out of your mouth. He is ready to rejoice because you have returned and in His great love and grace He will not scorn you when you come as you are with all your mistakes.
This papa then gives him a ring that speaks of his authority as a son being restored, shoes on his feet that tells him that he is a son and not a slave, and a new robe that shows he has an inheritance in the family. He kills the fatted calf and has a celebration to celebrate his son’s restoration. The papa says he was dead and now his son is alive. Life and death are the two most opposites that you can get. See that your heavenly Papa wants to restore you to be the complete opposite that you were before. He rejoices in doing that kind of a restoration in you!
I hope you begin to see why Jesus told stories. We never forget them. We tell them to our children and they see this Papa that we have.
There is a story of a young boy that made himself a little boat. He worked countless hours on it and when it was done he painted it in his favorite colors. Then one day he took it down to a stream to play with it. Soon the wind blew it out of reach and it was caught in the current and swept away. He was really sad to have lost his boat. Months later he walked by a pawnshop and to his amazement his boat was in the window of the store. He went in and asked the owner about the boat. The owner of the store said that somebody found it and he paid for it. The only option the boy had was to buy it back if he wanted it. So he asked the store-owner to keep it for him until he had the money to buy it. So the young boy started working to get the money to buy his boat back. Finally, he had enough money saved up and he went to the store and bought his boat back. When he left the store he said to himself, "Little boat, I made you, I bought you with a price, and you are now twice mine.” God made you, He bought you with the precious blood of Jesus and you are now twice His.