Reflection

Luke 5:11-32

To really drive home the point Jesus shared one final story on the topic. He shared a story about a man with two sons. The story focuses primarily on one son who asks for his inheritance before his father dies. What a slap in the face… The son then separates himself from the father and family completely and squanders all of it. He eventually decides to return to his father to ask to be a servant.

As his father sees him in the distance, he runs up hugs him and decides to throw a huge party to celebrate his return. The second son doesn’t like this very much as he has never left the father or family and has in his own mind done only the right things. And while he has been doing the right thing his brother has run off and done all the wrong things. Yet the father has chosen to forgive his son and throw a huge party in celebration.

We don’t know if the son remains in the fathers good graces. We also don’t know if the other son chooses to get off his high horse and join the celebration. But what we do know is that the father who seems a minor role in the details of this story is the one giving all the forgiveness and celebrating the return of his son. This story seems to be about a forgiving father. It seems that Jesus is trying to say with finality the kingdom rejoices the repentant sinner. It’s not the outside that matter its the heart and a acknowledgment of a need for a savior and seeking after that savior that ultimately matters.

Devotional Questions

How can you cultivate a spirit of repentance and humility, allowing yourself to be drawn back to God when you have strayed?

How can you emulate the father's unconditional love and forgiveness in your relationships with others, especially those who have made mistakes or have strayed from God?

How can you create a space for celebration and rejoicing in your own life and community, mirroring the father's joy over the return of his son? 

Lord, thank you for letting us return to you and your ways and celebrating our return, lead us to stray less and trust you more. Amen