Today’s exhortation – welcome home
The story of the prodigal son can easily be called the story of The Father’s love. We read yesterday that, the son decided to go back home, but while he was still a long 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. The father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate… (Luke 15:20-24). In the custom of the day, it was shameful for an old man to run. So what the father did was an act of taking the son’s shame away. He brought himself down to the level of his son who was full of shame because he took his inheritance before his father died.
In Jesus, God came down to our level, became one of us and took our shame by dying naked on the cross! He ran to us through the cross and took away all our shame by dying naked on it. The robe over the son is a robe of righteousness just as we now have a right standing with God. The ring on his finger, signalled that he was now part of the family again and had it’s authority because the ring bore the family crest. We now have authority in Jesus Name! The sandals is peace and the angels celebrate in heaven over one person who gives their life to Christ. In a nutshell, it’s a big deal to God when we go back home. Even as the father went out everyday to see if his son was coming back, God’s still looking for those who are far away from Him. This is the good news of Jesus Christ. Amen!
Francis Hans-Jorie
