One day, as Jesus taught, the tax collectors and sinners moved closer to him to hear his words; and the Pharisees and scribes began to complain quietly to each other that Jesus, who was supposed to be a holy man, would rather be with sinners.
Jesus, knowing what they said, replied: “Who among you who might have one hundred sheep would not go after one that was lost, leaving the other ninety-nine behind? And when he finds the sheep, carries it home and declares happily to his friends and neighbors that the sheep is found? That is the joy in heaven when a sinner repents.”
“A certain man,” Jesus continued, “had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, give me my share of the inheritance now. An inheritance is a share of his father’s money that he would get after his father died. So the father divided what his son would have received as an inheritance. Soon after, the younger son packed his things and left for a far country where he used up his inheritance on careless and sinful living. But when everything he had was gone, a famine spread through the land and he began to starve.”
The younger son began to work for a man in that country feeding pigs, and he was so hungry that even what he fed the pigs looked good to him. Still he was given nothing.
Then, he began to realize that in his father’s house even the servants had plenty to eat. “I will go home and apologize to him and beg that I be allowed to be one of his servants.” So he went home. Yet, even while he was still far away, his father saw him coming and ran to him with joy, hugging him.
“Father,” said the son, “I have sinned against Heaven and you. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.”
But the father commanded that his servants bring the best robe to put on him; and a ring for his hand and shoes for his feet. “And,” he continued, “bring the fattened calf so we can celebrate that my son, who was dead to me is alive again. He was lost and is found.”
The elder brother, who was in the field, came home and heard the party. He called to one of the servants to ask what was going on and the servant explained that the elder son’s brother had returned home and his father had killed the fattened calf so they could feast and celebrate.
The elder son was so angry that he refused to go into the house. When his father came out to ask him to enter, the son said: “All these years I’ve served you and didn’t do anything wrong and you never even gave me a small goat to have a party with my friends. But then my brother comes home after spending all that you gave him, and you celebrate with the fattened calf.”
“Son,” said the father, “you are always with me. Everything that I have is yours. But it is right to celebrate. Your brother was dead to me, but is now alive again. He was lost and is found.”
Eph 2:4-6 – But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, has made us alive again together with Christ, (by grace you are saved;). And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places. . .
Eph 5: 14 – “…Awake you who sleeps, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.”
Read the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15
