Luke Chapter 15:11-32 is the popular section of the Bible about “The Parable of the Lost Son.” We were told that a parable has only one central message. But we usually hear preachers who preach from parables with multiple emphases. Maybe it is now time for us to deviate from the usual standard.
The common theme in this parable swings between the love of the father and the younger son. Difficulties in life cause us to read the Bible in a more meaningful way. We hope that by revisiting the passage we see ourselves.
Do you see yourself in the person of the older brother? Emphasizing the lostness of the younger son is actually missing the whole point why Jesus shared this parable in the first place (Luke 15:1-2).
It was the older brother who was really lost here. It was him who got angry when his repentant brother was received by his father. It was him who was actually lost for people like him, like those Pharisees and teachers of the law, judged in their heart and in their words the graciousness of Jesus to associate with “dirty sinners.” The older brother did not see himself dirty. He felt too righteous to be compared to his younger brother. But in reality his heart was far from his father. Even though physically he did not separate from his father just as his younger brother, but in reality he was far distant from his father than his younger brother.
The older brother though a son saw himself as a slave. The older brother could not feel the heart of his father. The older brother could not share the joy of seeing the return of his younger brother. The older brother could not feel the love of his father for his younger brother. If this is not lostness, then what is it?
We usually think that if we are “faithful” in the ministry we could not be lost. We assume that through our consistent attendance during the Lord’s day, there is no possibility for us to be lost. There is no way that a pastor or a seminary professor could be lost. A faithful tithe giver and prayer warrior would never be lost.
There is a kind of lostness, which is more deceitful than when we first came to know the Lord. We knew then that we were sinners. But when we came to know the Lord, little by little we do not realize that something has replaced Jesus in our hearts. Someone has replaced Jesus in our hearts. It could be your love for pastoral ministry. It could be your passion for theological education. It could be your wife. It could be your dream for financial freedom. It could be your concern for the future of your kids. We will only realize this once we lost everything. You will see that for so long you are not yourself. When you replaced Jesus you lost yourself.
The good news is when you lost everything, that’s the time for you to gain everything. When you lost something that you consider precious, that’s the time you will see Jesus as your greatest treasure. When you lost someone important, that is the time you will see Jesus as the most important person in your life. When you lost your “heaven,” that is the time you will experience “Where Jesus is, ’tis heaven there.”
Only By Grace 