Luke 15: 21-24

The Loving Father has just run out to greet His son in the streets of the village. He has just humbled himself in front of everyone by revealing his love-sick heart, and all his emotions explode as he embraces and kisses his son, who has come back from a far country.

Luke 15: 21 “And his son said to him, ‘Father I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'” The son is now reciting his rehearsed statement, that he has been practicing all the way home, but his father doesn’t need to hear it, he knows what is more important than words, action. His son has come home! The one who ran away is home, he turned around, it is not his words but his doing that is important.

Luke 15: 22. Cutting the rehearsed statement from his son off; “The father calls to his servants, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet;'” The symbolism here is; in essence the boy was naked, so the father clothes him with a robe, and puts sandals on his feet, and the ring is one with the family crest on it, showing his being reinstated as a son with full rights.

Luke 15: 23 “And bring the fatted calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate;” Unique in this culture is a spontaneous feast, and this one is no small gathering, for a calf will feed up to one hundred and twenty people. As we have seen in past parables and stories, normal celebrations are planned in advance and invitations are sent out to give time for proper preparations. But in this case the party is a ‘come as you are party’, there is joy in this house that can’t wait to be expressed.

Luke 15: 24. And the reason we are told is, “For this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and now has been found.” ‘And they began to celebrate.’

In this trilogy of parables, Jesus told of lost sheep, and lost coins, representing lost souls, revealing the value of each, the anguish of the one who has lost each, and the ‘joy of the angels in heaven, over the one sinner who repents’. This third parable represents repentance also, but focuses more-so on the Loving Father, who welcomes back the lost son, without penance.

Ephesians 2:1-6. “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, … but God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love, with which He loved us,…made us alive together with Christ, …and raised us up with him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

The passing pleasure of sin is of no enticement when compared to the love and reinstatement of our Heavenly Father.

Blessings

Karl