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1.5 God Is Relationship: Father
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Like the younger son, I had to come completely to the end of myself before returning to the Father. How much more was the Father's welcoming embrace. From that point on, every blessing from the Father is received with overwhelming gratitude. In order to truly receive and marvel at the Father's love, the older son has to see his own brokenness and the fact that, in fact, he is no different than his younger brother. It reminds me of Jesus's words that the one who has been forgiven much, loves much (e.g. Luke 7.47). The portrait of the older son also makes me think about how divided the body of Christ sometimes is. The older brother distances himself from his brother when he bitterly says "this son of yours" (Luke 11.30). The Father is pleading with him and this gives me a glimpse as to how brokenhearted God must be when He sees contention, competitiveness, and divisiveness in the church. The Father's words "this brother of yours" (Luke 11.32) makes it clear that relationship is the key. He must be reconciled to his brother—sharing in the joy and celebration of the Father.
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Until recently I actually never really felt like I could relate much to this story. I grew up as a Christian and never had one of those radical “turn to Jesus” moments. The last few months/year God has been speaking to me more about how I can relate to the prodigal son even as a Christian.
As I was reading and listening to Holy Spirit this time, God showed me how I can be like the older brother sometimes. I have been a faithful Christian my whole life, but I get caught up in the things of life and sometimes my faith can feel like I’m just going through the motions because that is what is expected of me. I should be grateful I never had to go through life without Jesus, instead of moping about how my relationship with Him should look more like X, Y, or Z.
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@JWasmuth thanks for your honesty. Your comments remind me of this quote regarding the older brother from Kenneth Bailey’s book, The Cross and the Prodigal: “The younger son was a rebel and knew it. His brother is a rebel and does not know it. He answers, ‘I have never disobeyed you.’" It’s great that you have enough self-awareness that you are able to name your own shortcomings regarding obedience and love of the Father.
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I can't help but relate to the father in this parable. I have gone through this with a son. I remember always holding my phone, waiting, hoping, longing, looking out the window, hoping for his return. I think on this and it's more than a story. To realize God is so constant, while letting us do what we do, and our actions are not always good and wise…He's constantly watching and waiting for us. His eyes are never off of us. He is so constant and solid. He celebrates our return without pause. That's so merciful. He never fails us. So! Never take our eyes off Him. It's really so simple.
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@gatewaystuff I was studying this parable recently and ran across this quote by Henri J. M. Nouwen that I thought you might appreciate:
"God rejoices. Not because the problems of the world have been solved, not because all human pain and suffering have come to an end, nor because thousands of people have been converted and are now praising him for his goodness. No, God rejoices because one of his children who was lost has been found."
He is always, and constantly looking for reasons to extend his mercy, but most importantly, reasons to share his joy.
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