| 01 Jun 2015 |
| GOD'S PROMISE TO PRODIGALS (1) |
| '...when he was still a great way off, his father...had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.' Luke 15:20 |
| Here's
an interesting and largely unknown thing about the story of the
Prodigal Son, as pointed out by Pastor James Bradley. Jewish families
living in small villages were tightly knit communities where people knew
one another well. So when something like this happened, word travelled
fast. When the younger son demanded his inheritance it was like saying
to his father, 'I can't wait until you die. I want what's mine, now!'
Such a thing was unheard of. Then he went away, forgot the values he'd
been taught, and squandered his inheritance on parties and prostitutes.
As a result he ended up destitute, working in a pig-sty. For a Jew, you
can imagine the stigma. After breaking his father's heart and the rules
of the community, he decided to come back home. And that's when his
father 'ran' to meet him. Here's why. Had he reached home after failing
so badly, the village elders would have held a 'ceremony of shame' known
in Hebrew as kezazah. They'd have taken a clay pitcher and smashed it
on the ground in front of him, meaning his ties with the community were
broken and he was no longer welcome. That's why his father ran to meet
him. He was saying, 'I have to get to my son with grace before they get
to him with the law. I have to give him hope before they take it away. I
have a different ceremony in mind: a homecoming party to celebrate his
restoration.' What the father did for his Prodigal Son that day, God
will do for you today, if you'll only turn to Him. |
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