Luke 15:20, taking the humiliation upon himself, does that sound familiar? A father who runs toward the broken, who absorbs the shame, who puts himself between the guilty and the judgment they deserve, who takes the humiliation upon himself, Jesus was not just telling a story, he was describing the cross. He threw his arms around him and kissed him. Kissed him, this son reeks of pig, he is filthy, he is covered in the evidence of every wrong choice he has ever made and the father does not say, go wash first, he does not say, we need to talk about what you did, he does not hold him at arms length and demand an explanation, he grabs him, he holds him, he kisses him, before the son can even begin his rehearsed speech.
Luke 15:21-24, the son started his confession, but the father cut him off, he did not let him finish. The son had planned to say, make me like one of your hired servants, the father would not even let those words leave his mouth. The best robe, not a servants tunic, but the finest garment in the house, almost certainly the father’s own robe. The ring, a signet ring, a symbol of family authority and identity. Sandals, because slaves went barefoot, but sons wore shoes, every single item was a declaration, this is not a servant coming home, this is my son and his identity as my son was never contingent on his behavior, it was contingent on my love.
The son came home prepared to negotiate for a position as a hired worker, the father restored him to full sonship before he could finish his first sentence. The son came with a contract, the father responded with a celebration. This is grace and grace is offensive, grace does not make sense, grace does not add up, grace looks at a pig stained, money wasting, father dishonoring failure and says, kill the fattened calf, not because the son deserves it, but because the father’s love is not measured by the son’s performance. And if that makes you uncomfortable, if something in you bristles at the idea that someone who messed up that badly could be welcomed home that easily, then you might have more in common with the older brother than you realize.
Luke 15:21-24, the son started his confession, but the father cut him off, he did not let him finish. The son had planned to say, make me like one of your hired servants, the father would not even let those words leave his mouth. The best robe, not a servants tunic, but the finest garment in the house, almost certainly the father’s own robe. The ring, a signet ring, a symbol of family authority and identity. Sandals, because slaves went barefoot, but sons wore shoes, every single item was a declaration, this is not a servant coming home, this is my son and his identity as my son was never contingent on his behavior, it was contingent on my love.
The son came home prepared to negotiate for a position as a hired worker, the father restored him to full sonship before he could finish his first sentence. The son came with a contract, the father responded with a celebration. This is grace and grace is offensive, grace does not make sense, grace does not add up, grace looks at a pig stained, money wasting, father dishonoring failure and says, kill the fattened calf, not because the son deserves it, but because the father’s love is not measured by the son’s performance. And if that makes you uncomfortable, if something in you bristles at the idea that someone who messed up that badly could be welcomed home that easily, then you might have more in common with the older brother than you realize.
