Published: 18/06/2020
The Parable of the Lost Son:
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“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.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But 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. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” (Luke 15:11-32, NIV)
Unpacking the Parable of the Lost Son:
Garden of Love: The Deceiver's Gaze -
Jesus’ parable, of the lost son, is a story of a wealthy family, lacking anything, they had everything: the land and field, crops and orchard, servants and employees, domestic animals, as so on. Do you know why? This is because they created the Garden of love, a replica of the Garden of Eden, outside the original, through ‘rigorous toil’, which is true repentance – where nothing lacks from spiritual to worldly needs – there flows the river of milk and honey beside love, peace, humility, kindness, forgiveness, compassion, endurance, patience and justice. Therefore, Satan, the adversary, arrives there to infiltrate to steal Godly love - he is an enemy of love, as he is hatred; an enemy of peace, as he lacks it; an enemy of bliss, as he lives by unrest. He knocked around the boundary of the Garden of love, in its endeavor, to find a weak link to break in there.
The Deceptive Effort -
In his crocked effort, he met with the father of two, and sow a seed of negative thoughts in his mind, ‘Hey! You are aging old, divide the property among your sons’. Father, upset with the struggling mind, disgustingly muttered, ‘even if I die, I can’t divide my sons by dividing my property among them.’ He wondered, 'Why am I having such terrible thoughts? God! I seek you grace and mercy to protect the love among my sons.’ Listening to father’s mutter, the thief of love, Satan, sensed father’s faith strength, and quietly moved further to accomplish his ill-intentions.
Satan's Relentless Pursuit -
Satan neither accepts defeat nor retires tired, adamant of stealing Godly love, keeps his intense search of a weak link to break in the Garden of love. In the process, he meets with the older son, and sow the seed of enviousness, ‘hey! You work hard, wholeheartedly, the whole day, and your brother doesn’t, yet he will have equal share of your father’s and your hard earnings. Take half of the share from your father’s earning and yours all, and separate from your brother.’ On this the older muttered, ‘Oh! Why such a terrible thoughts disturbing my mind?’ He continued to mutter, ‘I cannot separate from my brother, I love him immensely. I don’t want him work hard, whatever belongs to me, belongs to him, and I can’t even imaging of a separation from him, not even in my dreams.’ He continued, ‘Dear Lord! Please help me escape the terrible thoughts, striking me.’ Listening to the prayers of the older son, Satan, envious of love, stood still for a while, understood his strong bond with God, then left him and moved away slowly.
Satan Never Tires or Retires -
Stubborn Satan, neither accepts defeat nor retires tired, the thief of love, became desperate to infiltrate by breaking in the Garden of love, created by the family. He approached the youngest son and sow a seed of envy and division to gauge the strength of his faith in God, ‘Your father has immense property, and your brother too, as he works very hard to earn, what do you have? You do not have anything that you can claim yours!’ The striking thoughts provokes the youngest, as he thought, ‘there is really nothing, that I can claim my own property.’ Gauging his thoughts, the thought reader, Satan, the thief of Godly love, found the weakest link of the Garden of Eden. Thus, to break in, to infiltrate, and to steal love and instill discord, Satan sow another, the seed of temptation, ‘if the property of your father is divided among you two, you will have your own, and then you can capitalize the property to multiply.’
Satan's Relentless Pursuit of Deception -
The seed of temptation sparked joy in the youngest of his own property, but he was hesitant to approach his father to ask him to share the parental property. Satan realizes that simply sowing the seed of temptation, will not fetch him success in stealing the Godly love, so he continually puts an ultimate effort towards this. How could I best illustrate, with an analogy, Satan’s relentless effort? Let me try:
An Analogy of Satan’s Tireless Pursuit:
You must have seen a farmer. He puts in extensive effort after sowing seeds. In fact, farming involves much more than just sowing seeds. A farmer has to work hard afterwards – irrigate, fertilize, apply pesticides, loosen the soil and remove weeds – to get crops and vegetables.
Another Analogy to Understand the working of Satan:
In the 1970s and 1980s, when LPG was scarce in my country, people relied heavily on coal ovens for cooking. Have you ever lit a coal stove or seen someone do it? Even today, coal ovens are used in some hotels. If you want to see a coal oven in action, visit a nearby bus station, roadside eatery, or tea stall.
A Sincere Enquiry -
I asked someone, ‘What are the necessary materials to light a coal oven?’ They replied: the coal oven, ash powder, kerosene oil, pieces of dry wood or dry cow dung, a piece of tile or a small sheet, a piece of paper, a hammer, a matchbox, and coal. I responded, ‘Lighting a coal oven requires a lot of effort; your list of materials is insufficient, as two more items are needed: an L-shaped lance made of an iron rod to create airflow and a fan or pipe to blow air.’ Those who have used coal ovens know that lancing and blowing air are essential. Nowadays, people use electric fans to blow air, making the process little easier. However, lighting a coal oven during the monsoon season, when the wood is damp, is extremely challenging.
Satan's Persistent Efforts -
Satan, the thief of Godly love, labors hard like a farmer after sowing seeds, and as someone who uses a prod and a handmade bellows to light a coal stove. When Satan observed the youngest son hesitant to speak to his father about the share, he approached him in his room, with a prod to goad him and a bellows to blow up his mind, to charge him up to speak to his father – get the share, then only you will have a treasure. Prodded and blown by Satan, he went hesitantly to his aging father and said, 'Father, I am grown up now, and I can do myself. Please divide your property in two halves and give me my share.' Listening to his youngest son, the father was astonished, but composing himself calmly, he said, 'Indeed, you have grown up. Why do you waste your time sleeping? Stop sleeping unnecessarily and help your elder brother in his efforts. And do not worry, as whatever belongs to me belongs to both of you.' Listening to the father, the youngest returned to his room.
Humanity's Unawareness of Satan's Coziness and Influence-
Satan, an enemy of Godly love who neither tires nor retires, was awaiting him there, continuing to prod and blow the bellows upon his arrival. Filled with determination, keeping aside all his hesitations, he angrily approached his father and spoke in a high pitch with rationale, 'Father, you are aging out; therefore, divide the property amongst us brothers to prevent any discord between us in the future.' The father responded with a slightly higher pitch, suppressing his son's voice, 'Our family exemplifies love to others. I will not let the division happen as long as I am alive. Your character and behavior are spoiling. You are forgetting to be respectful and gracious to me. Who are your friends? Let me meet your friends.' Oh! The father did not know that his son was in friendship with Satan, who resided in his room.
Satan's Triumph -
Satan observed the youngest son returning, suppressed, to his room, so he continued to prod and blow the bellows even more rigorously. In the tempest of which, the youngest son ran down to his father's room like a whirlwind and yelled arrogantly, 'Father, your shoes fit into my feet. If you do not divide, I will file a lawsuit.' To such disrespect, the father stood calm for a while, like a statue – he felt utterly helpless, like a forsaken old father. When the youngest finished, he said with humility, 'Alright! As you wish.' Then, he divided his entire property among his sons.
Fall of Humanity -
The youngest collected his immense share and moved to a foreign land. The division caused sin, as not only the property was divided, but his father's and elder brother's hearts were also broken into pieces. The consequences of sin are expulsion. When sin happened in heaven, Lucifer and his followers were banished; when it happened in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were expelled; and when it happened in the Garden of love, replicating the Garden of Eden, built outside the original, the youngest son was expelled from there. Thus, Satan broke into and successfully infiltrated the Garden of love to steal Godly love.
The Consequences of Sin -
Therefore, when we sin, Satan steals Godly love from us, and we get separated from the Almighty Father, God (love).
Some notable points about Jesus’ parable are as penned below:
(1) Only hard work flourishes -
How can someone flourish away from Godly love? Did the youngest son flourish beyond the Garden of love, in the foreign land, resembling a desolate wilderness? He thought he would double his property in the foreign land. However, his expectations were not met. Why couldn't he succeed? Because his earnings were a result of his sinful nature, not an outcome of his hard work. As a result, property collected without hard work never flourishes, as written in the scripture:
………. through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. (Genesis 3:17, NIV)
Therefore, property acquired through plunder, extortion, bribery, idleness, forgery, coercion, gambling, lottery, or obtained through oppression or illegitimate means does not flourish. Only hard-earned property truly flourishes.
Message - Those who relinquish the desire to acquire without hard work can successfully build the Garden of Love, outside the Original Garden of Eden, only through rigorous toil. There, they lack nothing, for God dwells with them.
(2) The Wealth Earned through Sin -
The youngest son's property was not a result of his hard work. Consequently, instead of increasing, it began to dwindle, as numerous foreigners befriended him and he indulged in revelry with them. Just as easily as he had acquired wealth, it began to slip away.
(3) Superficial Friendships Don't Endure -
As the youngest son's ill-gotten gains dwindled, his foreign friends, who had been enjoying the fruits of his sin, began to fly away like pigeons at the threshing floor. Pigeons at the threshing floor glean as long as the grains are available. Once the grains are gone, they fly away. One day, he found himself alone, as all his foreign friends had flown away. He also realized that the remaining property was barely sufficient for a month or so. He found himself in a precarious situation, with no one to share his pain and suffering in the foreign land, having lost both friends and property.
Message - A multitude of friends surround you in good times, but none in sorrow. If anyone remains with you in sorrow, it is the one who hates sin but loves sinners – His name is Jesus Christ.
(4) Satan Brings Devastation to Humanity:
The youngest son's condition was left pathetic – to the extent that all his friends vanished and the remaining property was barely sufficient for a month or so. He was left in a dilemma. How can I go back to dad's dwell? What will the neighbors think if I go back at all? Probably they would say, 'Behold! The one who had left to flourish, but returned empty-handed.' Oh! Satan, left stripped bare – He stripped the youngest son bare – Today, he was not left with any property. It had happened against his initial thoughts. Oh! Satan is at unrest – He caused unrest in the youngest son's life. A taunting and daunting challenge to survive in the foreign land was troubling him.
Message - One must not overstep their capacity. When exceeded, it may tear apart, causing discontentment, which can fill life with nakedness and unrest.
(5) Laziness is Detrimental:
When the youngest was left in turmoil by Satan, he started to look for a job to overcome the hardships he foresaw after a month or so. What will I eat after a month? How will I survive? Couldn't return home, fearing neighbors' ridicule. Employers rejected him job offers. They asked him for his work experience, but on knowing he lacked, they returned him straight away – utterly dismayed by his lack of work ethic as he had never worked in his life at all. The irony is, sometimes back, he was in the employer's family, living a life of luxury, today he was straying for a job and in doing so his mental and physical situation were worsening. Finally, he was offered a job as a swineherd (feeding pigs). He had to accept, as it was a matter of hunger which was bound to come his way after a month or so.
Message - Whatever physical and mental capacity God has provided, if not exercised properly, they diminish.
(6) God's Plan vs. Human Planning –
In his trouble, in the foreign land, as he planned for a job, he started one as a swineherd. He used to nourish himself from the remaining property and worked whole day at the swineherd job. This way, his days were passing by, and proportionally his ration reduced. Right after a month, his property finished; but as he had planned, he was comfortable today, as it was the salary day. So, he was thinking of spending on pizza and burgers from his first salary. After finishing his work at the swineherd, the owner paid him the salary. As he happily came out, with his salary in hand, from the swineherd, he saw everything closed - the restaurants, tea stalls, food parlors, supply chains, pizza huts, burger joints, and so on; everything was shut down. He went near the people from whom he knew that it was due to a severe drought in the country. Therefore, the shutters were pulled down to save the stock for their families.
Message - Plans must be made within the Garden of love to ensure they align with God's. Beyond the Garden of love, in the desolate wilderness, God's plan supersedes humanity's. If humanity's plans are not in line with God's, they are bound to fail, but God's plan always achieves success.
(7) Money is Not Everything –
With salary in his hand, yet himself in a dire situation, as there was nothing to eat and refresh – he fell from the heights of his expectations. In extreme hunger, he went back to his workplace, swineherd, desperate in search of food in the food served to pigs. There is a proverb, ‘As you Sow, so shall you reap.” For the money he had created a desperate situation, nuisance and turmoil in his family, today he experienced that very money was useless, worthless. I recall a Hindi song, resonating the situation, trying to translate the lyrics:
Why to be so proud of the money!
This money has guts to divide love bonds!!
Why to be so proud of the money!!
Message - One must not earn by extortion and exploitation, and must not be proud of wealth. It is crucial to remember that we have come empty handed and gave to return empty-handed. Someone earns and others enjoys – I am writing this article sitting on my grandfather’s land, as written in scripture:
Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” (John 4 :37-38, NIV)
(8) God's Ways are Always Good –
In the drought, the youngest son was forced to glean his food from the pigs. The pig-food is only nutritious to pigs, not for human beings – therefore, in drought, pigs were becoming healthy while his health was deteriorating. Drought was sent by none other than God. God's grace disguised in drought put him to hunger and starvation to the extent that:
(A) He sidelined his earlier hesitation and shamefulness to return home and renewed his thinking, as recorded in scripture: When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! (Luke 15:17-16, NIV)
(B) The situation instilled the dire need of true repentance in him, as recorded in scripture: 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 servants. (Luke 15:18-19, NIV)
(C) He knew his father's home was the Garden of love, outside of the Garden of Eden, so, he stood and started to move towards his home occupied with the feeling of true repentance, as recorded in scripture: So he got up and went to his father. (Luke 15:20, NIV)
Now, he is no more hesitant and feeling shame about his return. He got up from his living in the desolate wilderness and started to accomplish the rigorous toil, the true repentance, by God's grace. He began to build a Garden of love, outside his father's residence.
Message - Humanity often fails to undergo true repentance due to hesitation, shamefulness, and pride. True repentance is the 'rigorous toil' that leads us back to God's love. Remember that sin separates us from God's love, to desolate wilderness, and true repentance brings us back to that love, the Garden of love.
(9) Good Character is Unforgettable -
Unwavering Paternal Love - A father never forgets his son. The poor, old father sent his servants to search for his son everywhere. He published a lost notice with his son's picture in the newspaper and announced a reward for anyone who could inform him about his son's whereabouts. He waited every day on the terrace, from morning till sunset, for his son's return. Years passed, but there was no trace of his son. Yet, the old father continued to climb the terrace in hope.
Only a Father Can Recognize -One day, while waiting on the terrace, he jumped with joy and shouted, "My son, my little one!" Seeing his excitement, his servants looked around and asked him, "Master, where is the little master?" He pointed towards the way leading to his house. The servants looked and said, "Master, the person coming towards us looks pale, sick, and lean, like a skeleton." They added, "You are mistaken, he is not your son." Listening to them, he yelled, "If a father cannot recognize his son, how can you recognize him?" He added, "I have held his fingers and taught him to walk; I know him by his gait."
Father: The Natural Forgiver - Saying this, he ran down the street, held his son, and hugged him tightly, despite his skeletal appearance due to starvation. Then he ordered, "Wash him, clean him, attire him in new clothes and shoes, as he was lost, and now I have found him, as mentioned in the scripture:
……. 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. (Luke 15:20, NIV)
Message - The mortal body and its beauty will eventually merge with the soil, and if fortunate, our children and relatives might enshrine our memory in a photo frame. However, good behavior is unforgettable, exemplifying itself across generations and remembered forever.
(10) God Searches for the Lost -
God's Unfailing Remembrance - When the worldly father does not forget his son, then how can God, the creator, forget the creation of His hands, the creation in His image and likeness, the one who was loved before being created in the mother's womb. The worldly father's wait ended because of God's intervention. God's drought enforced him for the 'rigorous toil', which is true repentance, as a result, he changed his direction from the foreign land, the wilderness, the hell, towards the heavenly abode, the Garden of love, the replica of Eden Garden, heaven.
God's Unfailing Redemption - Seeing his 'rigorous toil', which is true repentance, in the foreign land, desolate wilderness, God cleansed him with His living water, forgave him, hugged him, and then changed his direction towards his biological father who was anxiously awaiting him, as written in the scripture:
”Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:4-10, NIV)
Message - God searches for those who have strayed from Him. Therefore, when He searches for us, it is essential for us to call out to Him, acknowledging that we have been found by Him.
(11) Heavenly Bliss Reflects on Earth -
Rejoice in Heaven - Angels and Saints rejoice in heaven, as stated in scripture:
I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. (Luke 15:10, NIV)
Rejoice on Earth - Whenever there is a celebration in heaven for a repentant sinner, that reflects as a celebration for him in the world too. The biological father's declaration confirms this truth: "Kill the fatted calf and rejoice, my son was lost, I have found him, he was dead, he has now resurrected." And the celebration began with beating the drums for the return of the youngest son, now a true repentant.
Garden of love: A Natural pasture both physical and spiritual Both Physical and Spiritual -
As a result, the youngest son, now a true repentant, entered the Garden of love, where the river of milk and honey flows, and enjoyed a sumptuous feast after a long time. Do you know why? This is because of his rigorous toil, which is true repentance. God's word was fulfilled in his life, as scripture states:
Through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. (Genesis 3:17, NIV)
God's word was fulfilled in his life, as stated in Genesis 3:17 (NIV), and as a result of his rigorous toil, he entered his father's Garden of love, where the river of milk and honey flows, nourishing his servants as well. Thus, the words of Jesus Christ were fulfilled, as written in the scripture:
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. (John 15:4, NIV)
Message - The heavenly Father loved us even before we were conceived in our mother's womb, and therefore, He cannot forget us. However, His presence and protection are available only to those who, through rigorous spiritual discipline, including fasting, repentance, and prayer, strive to align their conduct with His holy wishes by embracing a lifestyle modeled after Jesus.
(12) Whenever Garden of Love is Built, Satan Comes to Break in -
The celebration was a result of the youngest son's true repentance, which involved rigorous toil, and it brought back the heavenly bliss. The joyful atmosphere, with its delightful drumbeats and songs of joy, filled the air. As the sun set, evening began to fall. The eldest son, returning home from his field, heard the drumbeats and was dancing in his heart. As he drew closer to his home, the joyful sounds grew louder, and he wondered where they were coming from. Seeing one of his servants dancing, he asked, "Where are these joyful sounds coming from?" The servant replied, "Master, these sounds are coming from your house, as the elder master has organized a grand party to celebrate the return of the youngest master." He added, "There is joy all around, and a fatted calf is being slaughtered for the party." Filled with irritation and anger, he rushed towards his father as soon as he heard his servant. He shouted, "You have never even killed a small lamb for me, and yet you are celebrating the return of the one who squandered everything..." His father tried to explain, but he continued to express his discontent... Do you know why? As I mentioned earlier, whenever someone builds a Garden of Love outside the Garden of Eden, Satan tries to infiltrate it. Can you identify the weak link in this Garden of Love, through which the devil is infiltrating? Yes, you are right; at this time, the "eldest son" is the weak link in the Garden of Love.
Message - Let's Embrace Jesus' Lifestyle and through continuous fasting and prayer (true repentance), safeguard ourselves against becoming the weak link in our families, communities, societies, institutions, workplaces, villages, towns, cities, states, countries, and the world at large, which reflect the Garden of Love. Let's remember that Satan constantly seeks a weak link to infiltrate, steal God's love, spread discord, and create an unpleasant environment. As humanity must be the branches of the vine, Jesus, as recorded in the scripture:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:1-8, NIV)
Therefore, let us examine the path to the Garden of love, to rejoice both physically and spiritually.
To be Continued…..
==> Stay tuned for our next article, where we'll uncover how 'Calvary - The Path to Garden of Love’ that transforms our faith journey.
Amen!
Praise be to God, Thanks be to God.
Not being Unrighteous is Religion!!
India! Peace be upon you!!
Peace to the whole world!!