sons – Hope Walking

The Father and His Sons Part 4

The noise of the celebration grew as word of the son’s return spread through the community. Friends and neighbors showed up to welcome him home. (click here for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)

The band arrived and music spewed into the nearby fields, reaching the ear of the older brother. He had been working hard and was uncomfortably hot when he stopped to wonder what the noise was.

“What neighbor could possibly be having a celebration on a work day?” he wondered. Looking around for an answer he was stunned to realize the commotion was from his father’s house.

Not having been told of any plans for a party, he called one of the servants and sent him to see what was going on.

When the servant returned he rather shyly told the older son that his father had hired a band and killed the fattened calf.

“What would ever make him do that?” demanded the son.

“Well,” the servant began hesitantly. “Well.”

“Well what!”

“Well, your brother has come home.”

“My brother is home and this is what my father does!” the son fumed, as he threw down his field tools and rushed to the house, sputtering insults as he went.

When he arrived in the front yard his father saw him and motioned him to come in and join the party.

But he would not. He stayed outside, getting more and more enraged.

Finally his father came out. The father should not have had to come out. His oldest son’s refusal to come in was insulting. But the father loved him.

“Son,” he said. “Please come in and celebrate with me. You know how heartsick I have been since your brother left. But now he is home. We can forget the sorrow and be happy again. Please come in.”

But he would not go in. Instead he quite disrespectfully yelled at his father.

“Look, all these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, but you never gave me even a little goat, so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!”

Now this father’s heart broke all over again. But he loved both his sons, so he said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It’s right that we celebrate and are glad, for your brother was dead, and now is alive; he was lost, and is found.”

And that is the end of the story. Jesus doesn’t tell us if the older brother joins the party. I think he wants you to decide.

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Scripture referenced: Luke 15:25-32

Would You Ever Leave Again?

What do you think about the older brother’s reaction to his brother’s returning home? Read about him here.

In Jesus’ story we often refer to the younger brother as “the prodigal son.” You know how after wasting his father’s hard-earned wealth, he finds himself destitute, walks home barefoot, and is enthusiastically greeted by his dad who throws a big party to celebrate his return.

What could possibly have given the younger son the courage to walk back up to the door from which he had so arrogantly departed? What kind of man do you think the son knew his father to be? At least he knew he was a good man, not lacking in compassion or prone to retribution. I would guess he also knew his father loved him. That he did not expect the welcome home celebration he received tells us he had underestimated both his father’s love and his father’s grief when he left home. But he knew his father would treat him as well as any other beggar who showed up asking for work, so he went home.

Imagine yourself in this son’s place. You are expecting a lecture and hoping for a few pieces of bread, and instead you get the best clothes, a ring on your finger and the fattened calf with the local band. Would you ever leave your father again?!

Now imagine you are the older brother. You had watched your dad worry and grieve over your brother. You saw him age years in the months his son was away. You had hoped to never see the ungrateful brat again, but here he is and your father has not held back anything to celebrate. And you are mad! So you stay outside, hoping your father will notice how mad you are. When he sees you he comes out with a big smile on his face and begs you to please come in and be glad with him. Why do you refuse?

I love the story of the prodigal son because it speaks so clearly and loudly of God’s heart for you and me. He wants us home. Never mind where you have been – never mind what you have done – never mind all the time you wasted – just come home and celebrate our being a family. Your Father loves you. He wants you with him, under his roof, safe and sound, surrounded by love.

Jesus told us to pray, “your will be done.” Maybe we left home like this younger son because we thought we knew better how to enjoy life. When we found out how wrong we were, we went home, knowing our Father’s will was our good. Would we ever leave again?

How different this is from the relationship the older son has with his father when he says,

“Look, all these years I have worked for you like a slave, and I have never disobeyed your orders.”

He’s doing the father’s will, but his obedience is contractual, and he feels like a hired worker.

Meanwhile inside the younger son is eating and dancing and reveling in his father’s love. Tomorrow morning the three of them will head out to the fields together.

Which son would you rather be?

The Farmer and His Sons. Part 2

Please read Part 1 if you were not here last week.

And the father kept watching.

Every morning, before he did anything else, he would look down the road for his son. At noon, while out in the fields, he would wipe the sweat from his brow and look down the road. And the last thing he did at night before he closed the front door was look out again and ask God to bring his son home.

But his son was far from home. He had walked until he was in a far country where no one knew him, where no one could carry reports of what he was doing back to his family. There he enjoyed spending his new wealth. He made many new friends and bought them dinner and drinks. He bought nice things for the pretty young women he met. He had plenty of money, so this lasted for quite some time. But finally his money ran out. And when his money was gone, much to his surprise, his friends were, too.

About the same time a famine hit the land. Food became expensive. He sold his fine clothes, gold chains and jeweled rings just to pay for something to eat. In the end he sold his shoes for a small loaf of bread.

He tried begging. When that didn’t work, he took a job feeding pigs. Hungry and alone he sat out in the field watching the pigs gobble down carob pods. He wished he had pods to eat. But no one gave him anything.

What he did have was plenty of time to think.

“What am I doing here?” he thought. “This is dumb! Back home the servants are eating all they want and I am sitting here starving to death.”

It did not take him long to decide he would return home, admit he had been wrong and ask his father to let him work as a hired servant.

So he left the far country and headed back to the farm.

(To be continued)

The son doesn’t know his father has been longing for him to come home, but he does know his father’s character. What do you think there is about his father that motivates the son to go back?

What do you know about the character of God?

If you knew God the Father loves you like this farmer loves his son, would you go to him?

The prophet Jeremiah wrote this:

“For I know what I have planned for you,” says the LORD. “I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope.”

Hope to see you back here next week for the homecoming.

Scripture quoted:Jeremiah 29:11 (NET Bible)

The Farmer and His Sons. Part 1

A long time ago there was a Middle Eastern farmer who had two sons. It was a large farm with hired help. The farmer lived comfortably and had plenty to eat, but he and his sons worked hard. I’m not sure exactly why, but the younger son grew tired of it all. Maybe it was the long days and getting up before dawn. Maybe it was sweating under the hot Mediterranean sun that burned him. Maybe it was taking orders from his older brother. (If you have an older brother you know how bothersome that can be.)

Maybe it was all of the above that led this younger son to go to his father and say, “Give me my share of your property. I’m leaving.”

This broke his father’s heart, but he did it. He shouldn’t have done it, tho. His son was being mean and arrogant. The father should have become angry and kicked the son out for good. Asking for his inheritance was saying to his father, “I wish you were dead!”

However, even though his heart was broken, the father divided up all he had and gave this ungrateful son his share. In a disgraceful move the son sold off part of the family farm, packed his bags and left.

You would think his father would slam the door behind him and say, “Good riddance! Never come back.”

But he didn’t. He watched his beloved son walk away- walk down the path – walk to the main road -turn left and walk away. The father watched until his son was just a speck on the horizon. Then he was gone. And the father kept watching, hoping his son would change his mind and come back.

And every day after that the father kept watching.

(To be continued)

Would you like to have a Father like that? Well, we do! God our Father loves us no matter what and watches for us to come home, no matter what.

John the disciple writes this: See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children — and we are!

Where are you today? Home with your Father or out on the road? Wherever you are your Father loves you.

See you next week for the rest of the story.

Scripture quoted: 1 John 3:1