HE IS FOUND

Lk.15:24, ‘For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost and is found. And they began to be merry.’

In Luke, chapter 15, Jesus talked about three things that were lost and then found. One was the sheep (verse 4), the other- the coin (verse 8) and yet another was the son of a loving Father. Most of us are well versed with this parable.

In the cases of the lost sheep and the coin, their owners i.e. the shepherd and the woman, set out looking for their lost possessions. They sought them till they were found and were carried back to their homes. Both, the lost sheep and the coin did not have any part to play in their return to their masters.

But this was not so in the case of the lost son. Indeed the love of the Father sought the son, but, at the same time, the lost son, who is often called as the prodigal son(ധാരളിയായ പുത്രന്‍ ), had a part to play.         Verse 20, ‘And he arose, and came to his father. ..’. Verse 21, ‘And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.’

1. He arose : It was not the sinfulness which the lost son saw 1st. Instead, it was his starvation which caught his attention 1st. It was his physical hunger that made him make up his mind to return to his father. Often it’s not the realization of our sinfulness that makes us call upon the name of our Lord, but a physical situation from which no one except God Himself can res-cue us. This situation is brought about by God Himself so that we look up and call upon His name.

Though his father’s love and provisions caused him to remember his father’s house, he had to take the 1st step to arise out of his situation of physical and spiritual poverty, unlike the coin and the sheep. By arising out of his situation, the prodigal son said ‘no’ to his lost situation. Unless we decide not to continue in the filth( മാലിന്യം) of sin, we cannot arise to go our Father’s house.

2. He came to his father : As the lost son turned to go to his father, he saw the barrier of sin between his father and himself. Though the pangs of physical hunger caused him to remember his father’s house, the words he decided to speak was not ‘Father, give me food for I am hungry’. Rather, it was, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee.’

As the son approached his father’s house, even when he was a great way off, his father saw him. It’s at this point of time, when the father could say, “I found my son who was lost.” Though it was the son who was approaching his father’s house, it was not he who saw his father first. The guilt of sinfulness had caused him to walk with a head, bowed down in shame. But the loving father was quick to run to his son, whose paces were slowed down due to the burden of guilt.

The father could not wait till his son reached the house to embrace him. He saw the pathetic condition of his son, with the filth and smell of swine all over him, a heart full of burden of guilt of sinfulness, a head bowed down towards the ground he walked upon….the father saw his son from a great way off. He could see him from a great distance because his heart had been yearning to see his son. He had been eagerly waiting and watching for the return of his son. Now the very first sight of his returning son filled his father with compassion, so much so that no more could he wait for his son to mutter the pleading words of forgiveness. No more could he wait for his son to reach the house, have his bath first and change the foul smelling clothes. The compassionate father ran to his son, fell on his smelly neck and kissed him lovingly. Even while we were still sinners, He died for us. Jesus could not wait to die till we confessed our sins. He embraced us along with our foul smelling clothes of sin. He had seen us from a great way off….. He had seen our guilt burdened hearts at the garden of Gethsemane….He had seen our slow, exhausted and vain paces towards our heavenly Father much before.

So the father ran that ‘great way’ that still separated him from his father’s house to receive him. Jesus knew that our weak and tired paces, our vain traditions and religions, our imperfect sacrifices could never reach us to our heavenly Father’s house. So, He ran the great way of separation ahead to pay the full price of our sins on the cross and receive us into His loving arms.

3. He confessed : Lk.15: 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.’ The prodigal son was no more prodigal. He now confessed about his sinfulness and worthlessness to his father & thus he destroyed the barrier of sin between his father and him.

Confessing about one’s heart’s condition to our God is very much important. To profess a thing with the mouth is to speak of it; to declare it; to do it openly and publicly. Confessing one’s sinfulness is acknowledging the same. It’s the removal of the ‘covering up’ of sins. It’s a process of owning up one’s sin. It does away with the records accusing us and makes our intercessions stronger. Though the son received the love and warmth of his father’s arms even while he was a great way away from his father’s house, he could receive the best robe, the ring and the shoes only after confessing about his sinfulness.

Another important observation that differentiates the lost son from the lost coin & sheep is what the father spoke about the son…‘For this my son was dead, and is alive again.’ This statement could not be made about the coin and the sheep. Though the places of the coin and the sheep changed in the process of being lost and being found, there was no other change in them. But in case of the prodigal son, besides the place, the very heart of the son changed. In fact, the change of heart caused the change in his place. This son, before being lost, was with this same father, but he could not understand the depth of his father’s love. His knowledge and understanding about his father’s love was limited. Had he known it, he would never have left his father’s house. He was dead. A dead person does not respond to sound, smell, sight, taste or touch . This dead son did enjoy the provisions and shelter of his father, but could never respond to his love by yielding himself to him.

But now, this son saw the depth of his father’s love when he came running from off a great distance….not to accuse him or punish him….but to love him and receive him unconditionally. By confessing about his sinfulness and unworthiness, the prodigal son repented. By offering himself to be a hired servant, he expressed his complete submission to his father’s will thereafter. A hired servant has no choice of his own, but to do what his master asks him to do. Thus, he responded to his father’s love in the right way. Now he was alive. Being alive is not staying with the father or even coming back to the father’s house. It’s being able to respond to the love of our father’s love through repentance and complete submission.

The prodigal son expected to be received only as a hired servant, but his father gave him the spirit of son ship. He made him the heir of all that he was by giving him the robe of righteousness. He made him the heir of all he had by giving him the ring. He gave him a new walk of life of fellowship by giving him the shoes.

Dear friends, there’s none in this world who can ever love us more than our heavenly Father. Let’s not assume and be deceived that our regular attending of the prayer meetings or active involvement in the church activities are the signs of us being found. Even the prodigal son’s brother did that. Let’s not assume that the unhindered provisions and worldly blessings are the assurance of us being found. Even the prodigal son’s brother had that.

Day to day transformation into His image through repentance and submission is the only proof of us being found. Both, repentance and submission is not a onetime process. They are continuous in nature….growing with every step of closer walk with our Lord. Repentance is not saying just ‘sorry’. Instead, it’s saying ‘Sorry….I’ll never do it again.’ Submission is doing away with ‘our will’ and carrying out our Father’s will. Thus can we respond to our Father’s love in the right way, and be His heirs. Rom.8:15-17, ‘The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to son ship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ’