Luke 15:11-32 A Father’s Joy

Have you ever done something you wish you could take back, something you need to ask forgiveness for but thought that maybe it couldn’t be forgiven? Listen to a story of a man looking back at just such a time.

When my son became a man, I told him our family story. Son, I’m glad we’ve found time for just the two of us. You’ve asked me a number of times why your uncle and I don’t get along and why your grandfather gave him everything when he died and we got nothing. Today it’s your Bar Mitzvah, meaning you’re old enough to hear how much your grandfather loves us and yet how even his love for all of us can’t seem to help your uncle and I get along.

My son asked, “Why don’t you and uncle get along, dad?”

It all started when I was just a little older than you are right now, about 16. I had celebrated my Bar Mitzvah, meaning I was considered a man now. I thought because I was a man now that I shouldn’t be treated like a child, being told what to do and how to live by my father. I was old enough to make my own decisions and I knew they would be better than my father’s decisions. I saw how dad ran the farm and how he would give money to people when they were having a hard time, even though he knew that they would never pay him back. Dad showed practical love to everyone, especially to people he often didn’t even know. I believed that dad was just giving away money that belonged to me. The people should work harder for their money, it’s their fault that they’re poor. Either they’re lazy or they’ve sinned so bad that God must be punishing them by making them poor. It’s not my fault, but it is my money!

It finally got to me one day. I’ll never forget that day. I wish I could take it back. Your grandfather had just helped out another family who had been robbed. He took them in, fed them, and when they left the next morning, he gave them a pouch of coins to help them on their way. He didn’t even ask the man to work around the farm, and it was harvest time, a really busy time. Grandfather just gave them money, blessed them and sent them on their way. I stomped up to your grandfather; I had had enough and I demanded my share of the farm, my inheritance, before he gave any more of it away. I was telling him I wished he was dead! I still can’t believe how selfish and mean I was as a young man; how greedy I was. This is why I’m telling you this story, because I want you to be a better person than me

I never expected my father to give me my inheritance, I thought he would beat me instead and I deserved that, but instead, a week later my father handed me a bag of coins. He had sold part of his land, a third of his flocks, and had money at home; he put it all together and gave it to me. I was rich, I could do whatever I wanted now! I knew I needed to leave home because I didn’t think your grandfather let me keep the money, so I packed up my stuff and left the next morning. I didn’t trust my father.

My son jumped in, “I understand why grandpa didn’t give you anything what he died dad. But when you left, didn’t you think that you’d miss grandpa and uncle, wouldn’t you get lonely leaving home?”

You’re asking wise questions son. I thought with all my money, it would be no problem finding new friends, and you know what, when I got to a new town far away, I found lots of friends when they saw I was rich. Life was good, I could do whatever I wanted and nobody told me what to do. There were lots of pretty girls and parties. Life was good. I hadn’t learned yet the difference between short-term happy and long-term joy. Wine, women and song are often short-term happy; family and deep relationships are long-term happy. After a couple of years, as rich as I was, my money began running out and a severe famine happened. As I stopped spending my money on parties and wine, my friends disappeared, and finally, I ran out of money. Then I was lonely, everyone left me. They loved my money, not me. I was in a foreign country and people didn’t care about me. The only work I could find was for a pig farmer.

My son reminded me, “But dad, we’re not supposed to touch pigs because that would make you unclean in God’s eyes, and everyone who touched you would also become unclean in God’s eyes.”

You’re right son, but when you’re hungry and your stomach aches all the time, you become desperate and willing to do almost anything to get a little food in your stomach. The farmer gave me nothing to eat, and I was so hungry I was even willing to eat the pig’s food. I was so stubborn and angry at my father though. It was only when I thought I was going to die from hunger that I began to think about home again. I remembered that even the servants back home had food every day. They had clean clothes and family and friends close so they weren’t lonely. I wondered if your grandfather would take me back as a servant. Anything was better than this, so I left one night began the journey home.

As I walked home, looking for scraps of food, begging from other travellers, I planned what I would say to your grandfather to get him to take me back. I will never forget what I came up with, “Father, I’ve sinned against heaven and against you. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.” By hating your grandfather and treating him so terribly, I’d sinned against God, showing God that in my heart I really didn’t care about God, in fact I hated him too. But I still prayed to God to make my father’s heart soft enough to take me in as a servant and I asked for forgiveness. The closer to home I got, the more nervous and afraid I got. Was your grandfather going to beat me, would he throw me off his land, he could have me killed for what I did to him.

My son stopped me, “But dad, you know how much grandpa loves you, he would never hurt you! He always wanted what was best for you.”

I know that now son, but I didn’t then. Satan has a way of making us doubt our father’s love, he loves to see families broken up. As I got closer to our village and home, I walked slower and slower with my head down. When I came to the corner of the road where the trees are, suddenly I heard someone shout out my name and there was your grandfather running as fast as he could towards me. I could see the tears running down his cheeks as he called out, “My son, you’re home again!” Before I got a chance to say anything he hugged me even though I was filthy and still smelled like pigs. He shouted for the servants to bring clean clothes and even a family ring for me. He forgave me, he had been patiently waiting for me to come home the entire time, he never stopped loving me even though I had wished him dead. He forgave me even though I had been so evil to him and had wasted everything he’d given me. I had abandoned him, but he never abandoned me, he patiently waited, knowing his love would bring me home again.

My son asked me then, “Wasn’t uncle happy to see you too, why does he always look at you as if he hates you?”

Your uncle was just as greedy and selfish as I was, he just showed it differently. He was angry when I came home and your grandfather forgave me so quickly. He thought I would take part of his inheritance away from him, he though your grandfather loved me more than him. Jealousy has a way of breaking up even really close relationships, even though your grandfather loves you uncle just as much as he loves me. Your grandfather never let the things we did make his love for us any less. You can always trust in his love and I pray that one day his love will bring your uncle and I back together again as we learn to forgive and love as he did.  

Jesus came to earth to call us back home again, to go to the cross to take the punishment for our sins and reconcile the relationship between us and our father. We’re unable to make things right on our own, but our father loves us so much he gave up his own son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but be welcomed home by the father and have eternal life with the father and the son.