Lost and Found, And Lost Again Part One
Luke 15: 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
The Parable of the Prodigal Son is perhaps the most widely known throughout the Gospels. Also known as the Parable of the Lost Son it conveys a story rich in the forgiving grace of Jesus Christ and it is word-picture of salvation. Yet within the symbolism and rhetorical teaching points lies deeper truths to explore. Not only does Christ provide a picture of salvation but a warning to those who are already saved. This first devotional examines the life of the younger son who was lost but then found. The second devotional in this series will examine the life of the older son who was found his whole life, only to be lost in his own heart. The younger son is representative of an unsaved life before coming to Christ. The older son however is representative of a saved life in error, lost in his heart.
The story starts with a father who has two sons. The younger son asks his father to give him his portion of the estate; his inheritance. The father divided the estate between the two brothers and while the older son stayed with his father, the younger one took off for a distant country where the Bible says he squandered his wealth on wild living. Perhaps we can relate to this son. Squandering our years on wild living in the world; distant from our father who provided us with everything we need. Buying into the promises of the world to keep pushing for more and more of a humanistic lifestyle; farther and farther away from God. Perhaps our wild living was related to drugs or alcohol. Perhaps it was in the casualness of relationships. Perhaps it was just in the godlessness the world promotes and sells so well. Either way, many of us can relate to this lost son, wasting away all we had been given. But here is what happens to the promises the world makes:
After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. Luke 15: 14
The promises the world makes will become deserts eventually. After it has taken everything from you, the world will begin to dry up around you. Famine will set in. As long as you're buying, the world will sell to you but the moment you are in need the world will have nothing to offer you. The mantra of the world says "nothing is free" but the grace of God is not only undeserved but entirely free.
to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. Ephesians 1:6
I am sure some of us can relate to that dry place this lost son found himself in. That desert place, lost in a world that we had bought into. Empty promises and shallow assurances. Lost in our desperation and unsure of where to turn next, we will often find ourselves delving deeper into the mire we have crawled into.
So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. Luke 15: 15-16
Jesus is painting a picture for us about how far down this lost son had fallen. Forced to sell himself out in labor, he was placed working with the filthiest of animals. As if that was not bad enough, he longed to be eating what he was feeding to the pigs but no one would give him anything. Once you scrape away the lies of this world, this is what we are left too beloved. No one will give you anything. The pigs ate better than he did.
I would think that some of us can relate to this as well. Our desert in the world growing worse to the point of starvation either literal or figurative. Starving for food. Starving for sustenance. Starving for the hope that someone will care; that someone will give you something, anything. The Bible reflects back to such a time before salvation in the Book of Titus:
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. Titus 3:3
And so it was for the lost son and possibly for us at one point as well. Foolish enough to believe the lies of the world. Disobedient to the ways of God and deceived by the world. Enslaved to what the world values only to find ourselves waking up in a desert place. Steeped in malice, envy and hate; we too may have found ourselves amongst the mire of pigs, starving literally or spiritually. Just like the lost son though, we can come to our senses:
"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father. Luke 15: 17-20
What powerful verses and truth. First of all, the lost son was not in his right mind. His choices were poor and led him down the path to destruction but the decision to stay in the desert, starving, when his father had all he needed clearly indicated that he was not in his right mind. We are also not in our right mind when we continue to stay in the world, knowing full well the damage it continues to do to us. Why do the addicted continue to do drugs? Why do the abused stay in abusive relationships? There is so much pain in the world but the remedies it offers are not even band-aids when a tourniquet is needed.
