Lost- Youth -----------------Angry- Adulthood
In Luke 15: 11-24, there is a story of a lost young boy. He was not lost
by accident. No, this loss took time and many an encounter with his father and
his elder brother. Luke said that a "man" had two sons. The man is
every man. The son is two natures. The attitude of the younger of impatience,
I've got to live now. I can't wait for time to make me ready to deal with life.
I can't live by waiting. I've got to live now the way I want to live. The old
nature of Adam bringing rebellion causes the young man to break free of his father’s
loving arms. The parable is not in the story of go or stay, as the question
races through the reader's mind. To stay home or hunt a distant land is not the
center theme of this teaching. The only important fact is the
"relationship" with the father.
Youth wants what is not his, things that were provided by someone else.
Youth claims without second thought. He feels that whatever the father has is
his at no cost to him. Selfishness is the motivation behind the statement
"Give me the portion of goods that falleth to me".
Youth took what he had not worked for; thinking what his father’s was his
by relationship. Youth not only was willing to take his father's goods, but he
was going to journey far for the place where his needs were met. He was going
to a "far country". To youth, the grass is way greener somewhere
else. The problem is that the grass still has to be cut by someone. The end of
these type decisions is always wasting. He "wasted" his substance
with "riotous" (wrong, drunkenness, sexual) loose living.
When time has passed, Youth came to find himself in great want. That
which comes easy goes easy. Youth in this story tries to deliver him. He takes
a job in the "Hog Pen" and eating with the pigs. When we permit our
own attitude to take a vacation from church and the things of the father, it is
only a matter of time before we find ourselves in the hog pen of life. Instead
of accepting his mistakes and repenting of his sins, he pushes himself to the
end of his endurance and comes to harm.
Only when hunger gets so bad that it brings back memories of home does
Youth "come to himself". Too often when people leave the Father and
the church, people try to send them care packages. There is a danger as long as
they are outside of the Father's protection and the caring of His church. Let
them get hungry, real hungry and they will come to themselves. It was the
hunger that drove Youth home. Everything that we as the people of God do for
the outsider can never supply the hunger of the inside. Youth needs a meal of
"communion" with his Father. The structure of a heavenly home life,
given by the Heavenly Father. This is the only thing that can truly satisfy the
deepest longing of anyone.
Before Youth started home, he was already home in his heart. The pride of
his younger days gave place to the lesson of life. I will arise; everyone has
to get up there they feel. There has to come a day when "Youth" said,
"the servants of my father's house fare well", but he looks at me. He
was accepting what he had done to himself. Everything that had happened was a
direct reaction to the decision that he had personally made. I will go to my
father. The point of victory is when one is willing to face the Father, with
the fact of failure. I will say, Youth said, "I have sinned against you
(Father) and against heaven. To go against the word of the Father is to go
against the authority of heaven. Father I am no longer worthy to be your son,
make me a servant. No son of God is truly a son if he is not a servant. In
truth "Youth" had not been a real son before now, he was being born
again into the family where the Father is the head of the house.
When Youth reaches sight of home, his father sees him afar off and comes
meeting him. After the greeting and "Youth" confessing his wrong to
the Father and asking to be a servant, the father says, "rejoice". My
son that was dead to me is alive again. My son that was lost to me is back home
safe and sound. He is found to me. All of the family should rejoice over the
"lost son" being found. If not for "youth" sake then for
the father's sake. If you can't be happy of the return of the wayward, then
accept the joy of the father and rejoice with him. Church, for heaven sake is
happy of a repented sinner. If heaven can rejoice of a sinner repenting, should
not the family of God rejoice. The youth man had suffered for his decisions. He
lost his inheritance. He had shamed himself before strangers and then before
his father. But he did not need more pain. The father knew and understood this,
but not the "elder brother".
The elder brother had stayed home, working and saving. He had labored
while his "younger" brother was partying. When Junior talked the old
man into giving his portion, it hurt cash flow. It made operating expenses hard
to budget. There were a few months and years that the "elder" had to
cut corners.
Now here he is again. Back, broke, smelling like a pig, giving
"Dad" a sad story and wanting to get more of what I worked for. But,
as being the "elder son", there was a double portion, which was his
by law. The elder was always going to get twice as much as the younger. Right
and wrong is not in who worked, who failed, who has or who has not. We all must
remember it is the "father's right to do with what is his as he wished and
we should rejoice over all his decisions.
If the father wants to restore any claim back, then
rejoice with him.
If it pleases the father, it will also please his children.
Be happy that the father's wishes are fulfilled,
that his desire is completely
known in full salvation.
No matter what a son might be, he is still his
father's son.
