Prodigal son - running Father

I have a Fob watch that my grandfather bought a long time ago. When he died in 1971 it was in his will that it be given to his son - my father. This watch along with a few other things was his inheritance to my father.
It was in my fathers will that when he died this watch was to be given to me. This watch along with a few other things was his inheritance to me. However I got the watch early, the reason is that when I was in Invercargill a couple of years before his death my father was worried that if anything were to happen to both he and my step-mother, someone else would pick up the watch before I got there and that I would not be given it. He wanted to ensure that I got my inheritance - although not in the normal manner of waiting for him to die first.

In the bible the are a couple of times when this normal manner of the giving of the inheritance as gone awry. The one I will focus on is the story Jesus told. Luke chapter 15:11-32 also known as "the parable of the prodigal Son. Prodigal means wayward and in this story Jesus tells, the son was certainly wayward. Quite an understatement when we look at his behaviour.
This son was in a wealthy family. A family that had servants and had special animals set aside to be killed just for a party. Other poor families had no servants and all they had went to just feeding them day-by-day.
This son goes up to his father and says "Father give me my share of the estate" Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that rude? "Hey dad I can't wait until you're dead so give me my money now. "I don't care if you are alive or dead Pops - I just want your money."
For reasons we don't know the father give the son his inheritance and watches as the son leaves with it. We see that the son went off and spent it all in decadent living. "Wild Living and prostitutes" is what the text tell us he spent the money on.

Then the money is all gone, and famine also hits the land. The wayward son is in trouble. He gets a job feeding pigs and seeing the food given to the pigs in his hunger he longs to eat the pigs food. Jesus was telling this story to Jews and a quick look through Leviticus and Deuteronomy will see that to the Jews pigs are unclean. Not just icky - don't step in that unclean but - banned and an affront to your holiness and standing before God if you were to touch one - let along eat one. The disgust the Jews would have felt hearing that this son wanted to eat the pigs food would be akin to us hearing of a person who found a half eaten week old banana sandwich in the bottom of a rubbish bag and wanted to eat it. Stomach churningly disgusting.

Anyway he doesn't eat the sandwich he comes to his senses and thinks that if my father doesn't accept me back as his son at least I could be his servant. So he heads back seeking forgiveness and a full stomach.

Years ago, Price Harry, it was revealed, had been going down to the pub for some underage drinking and to smoke marijuana. When the media caught on that he had gone into a hospital they started asking questions - his father, Price Charles, said "This is a family matter and has been dealt with in private".

What a completely different picture we read of the father in Jesus' tale of a wayward son. "When he was still along way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he RAN TO HIS SON, threw his arms around him and kissed him" And then he decided to throw a very public party. This father loved his son so much, that even in his disgrace, the father threw away the social norms and his dignity and RAN to his son - in plain view of all. And then partied.
Can you imagine the shock if we were to see Prince Charles run to Prince Harry kiss him and hug him as he came out of the hospital?

This story ends with a disgruntled brother being told off by his father - but still being loved by his father, for not being happy for what he has and for thinking of himself instead of the joy that the return of the prodigal has brought.

Adrian Plass once wrote that "A parable is a story that keeps your mind busy at the front door while the truth slips in through a side window". So what is the truth in this story?

Looking at who Jesus originally told this story to in Luke 15: 1-2, we can see that in the immediate context the lost son was the tax collectors and sinners. The ungrateful brother would have been the pharisees and the father would have been God - the Father.

But that was then - this is now. Who are we in this eternal drama of love?

We all have been, at some time, or currently are, the prodigal son. Before we gave/give our lives to God and asked forgiveness, we were/are the ones saying "I don't care that Jesus was live or dead, so what about the cross - I'll live my life my way just give me the good things." In our lives of disobedience to God our lives were so unholy that we were the ones wanting to eat the week old rotted banana sandwich. Of course I assume that those of those reading this here have made the journey home. So we, therefore, need to be careful not to become the ungrateful brothers - and sisters. We mustn't look at the "sinners" out there and consider us as superior. "There but the grace of God go I."

The father in this modern story is still God the father. God is still the one who lets us live our lives till we come to our senses. God is the one who looks for us, God is the one who throws away social norms and dignity and runs to us in our depravity.

How does He run to us. He runs to us in the form of Jesus Christ of Nazareth - God The son. Jesus was born, lived his life as an example to us, taught us about the father and how to live and then died. He died in disgrace and humiliation.He died as the atoning sacrifice - to pay for our sins. God the Son died to be the instrument that bridges the gap so we can be forgiven by God the Father.

God runs to us, he kisses us and put the ring on our finger calling us his children. "John 1: 12 Yet all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."

God runs to us, kisses us, calls us his children and has a party. "Luke 15:10 In the same way, I tell you, there is more rejoicing in the presence of angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Tom Wright once said that this parable should be renamed. Instead of calling it the Parable of the Prodigal Son. It should be called the Parable of the Running Father. and I agree.

Wayward children we see every day,
Ungrateful, jealous siblings we see often as well.
How often do you see the Father throwing away his social status and dignity to love his child? Not as often as God would like I"m sure.
It is up to us sensible siblings to tell and show the love of the father to all those wayward brothers and sisters who are yet, to "come to their senses".

Now they tell me!

Why why why did they not tell me this before! :-)

Shall I put some music on for you?

I work for an organsiation that as part of it's many services has a geriatric hospital.

Often I have to go over there and they have CD's playing and today there was even a concert with live musicians. (better than a concert with zombie musicians I suppose). The music they play is of course of the "golden oldies" genre. i.e. anything that is from, or sounds like it is from, around 70 years ago.

So I wonder.... what is the music going to be like in these geriatric homes in 40 to 50 years time?

I can imagine it now, the nurse comes up to me, makes sure I'm securely in my chair and not about to fall out. and asks ever so nicely. "shall I put some music on for you? Would you like a nice bit of AC/DC - maybe some Metallica - would you like U2 instead? That would be nice wouldn't it?"

Then the grandkids come in to visit their old poppa, and behind his back roll their eyes at the dreary music.

How many mountains?

Here's a question. “It is apparent that I wholeheartedly believe in Christianity but what about the people in the eastern countries they wholeheartedly believe in their religions as well. Isn’t it arrogance to say that I am right and they aren’t? Does it really matter what you believe as long as you are sincere about it? “

Will all the religions in their various forms (Jesus, Mohamed, buddha and co.) get you to heaven?

I would say no they won’t. Let us examine this.

Many young Muslim men are very sincere and wholeheartedly believe that strapping explosives to themselves and detonating them in public areas is the will of Allah in their lives.

They are wholehearted about their beliefs… so does it matter? Well most Muslim clerics and most of the rest of the world would say it does matter and that these sincere young men are wrong to be suicide bombers. Let me stress that the majority of Muslim clerics say that suicide bombing is against the teaching of Islam.

Just because you are wholehearted and are convinced what you believe is to be true does not make it so. I could say and believe this chair is a pig but this does not mean I will have roast pork for dinner tonight. Blowing up the infidel will not get you to Paradise.

It is possible to be sincerely and wholeheartedly wrong about something so where does that leave the major religions of the world?

Well one of the teachings of the Hindu's is that all religions have the truth in them and that they are all just different paths up the same mountain. Each separate religion heads towards eternity but takes a different method to get there.

So lets us look at the major religions of the world.

For starters one obviously noticeable thing is that there seem to be three different mountains.

Hinduism and Buddhism has it’s afterlife as a continual cycle of re-incarnation leading to Nirvana with an impersonal God which is the universe. In eternity you will have no self – no individuality you will be one with the universe in the same way that a drop of water falling in the ocean is one with the ocean.

Confusism and Shintoism the afterlife is one of spirits interacting with humans and an impersonal god or gods if a deity exists at all. Your strength in the afterlife is dependant on your descendants.

Finally Judaism, Islam and Christianity each individual has but one life and then resurrection to eternity with it's creator or separation from the God for eternity. Resurrection is where you have a body that is a combination of physical and spiritual. In 1 Corinthians the resurrected body is compared to this body as a plant is compared to it’s seed.

The Deities are also very different amongst them all as well. Hinduism, and Shintoism all have many gods with one or more main gods. Confusism and Buddism all began with the founders saying there are no gods and yet centuries later their followers have deified them.

Hinduism is the only religion to say that all religions lead to heaven all others say that theirs is the only way and that all others are wrong. Especially with Shintoism where you have to be born Japanese.

Another noticeable thing is that in all religions bar one the method to obtain the afterlife goal it is one in which the human must work. The human must climb the mountain, be pure, sacrifice, do good works and not do bad deeds to get to their reward. But Christianity is different. Ephesians 2: 8 and 9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast”.

Salvation is the Gift of God.

God came down to the cross and there is no mountain to climb. Any good works or non evil-doing is a response of the love and gratitude we have for what God has done.

If a house cat has fleas, the cat can not apply the flea powder to itself. All it can do is allow the owner to apply the treatment and be grateful. (as much as cats can be grateful) It is a gift of love from the owner. This is like Jesus’s gift to us.

In the eastern religions the founders all stated they were not divine however in the following centuries the followers have venerated them to the point of worship and have named them as Avatars of Brahman and so forth.
Jesus however stated his divinity and his immediate followers also proclaimed that as well.

John 14: 1-10 When Jesus said I am the truth the way and the life and no man come to the father except by me was He lying? Was He a lunatic or was He Lord.
John 10 28-33 Jesus Said – “I and the Father are one” and so the Jews went to stone him for blasphemy calling himself God.

The Jews holy name for God translates as “I am who I am” At one point Jesus said Before Abraham was I am. The Jews were so incensed by his words they attempted to throw him from a cliff due to his "blasphemy".

The tombs of all other founders are enshrined and worship occurs there - the tomb of Jesus is empty - the people who could have stolen his body would not have wanted to and the people who would have wanted to could not have done it. There is more logic behind it but the historical fact is that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead, He performed the miracles proving he was who He said he was and He said He was God. And if Jesus i.e. God incarnate says that he is the only way then I will believe Him.

Now however this leaves us with the question of how we should treat people of other religions.

Jesus gives us two very good examples. He loves and gave miracles for Romans and Samaritans – people who did not follow Yahweh. Yet he had compassion on them, He taught them the truth. He praised them for when they did have faith in him but did not berate them for when they did not.

Paul when he went to Athens was talking at a meeting of the intellectuals of the day called the Aeropogus. Paul congratulated them on the devotion to their religions and then explained to them the truth of Jesus – but without ridiculing their beliefs.

In the same light we are called to share the truth in a loving and respectful way – choosing the appropriate times and not arrogantly trying to humiliate their “foolishness”

We to can also learn from them. The Muslims have a great devotion to prayer, the Buddhists have self-control and many have morality that we can aspire to.

We do these thing not because they will earn our way to heaven but because are grateful for the gift of eternity given to us.