{"id":886,"date":"2011-03-09T12:55:12","date_gmt":"2011-03-09T16:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/?p=886"},"modified":"2011-03-09T22:16:32","modified_gmt":"2011-03-10T02:16:32","slug":"the-prodigal-son-no-story-book-ending","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/?p=886","title":{"rendered":"The Prodigal Son – No Story Book Ending"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Luke 15:11-32\u00a0(New International Version, \u00a92011)<\/h2>\n

The Parable of the Lost Son<\/h2>\n

\u00a011 Jesus continued: \u201cThere was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, \u2018Father, give me my share of the estate.\u2019 So he divided his property between them.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a013 \u201cNot 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.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a017 \u201cWhen he came to his senses, he said, \u2018How many of my father\u2019s 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.\u2019 20 So he got up and went to his father.<\/h5>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cBut 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.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a021 \u201cThe son said to him, \u2018Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a022 \u201cBut the father said to his servants, \u2018Quick! 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\u2019s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.\u2019 So they began to celebrate.<\/h5>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a025 \u201cMeanwhile, 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 \u2018Your brother has come,\u2019 he replied, \u2018and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.\u2019<\/h5>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a028 \u201cThe older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, \u2018Look! All these years I\u2019ve 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!\u2019\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a031 \u201c\u2018My son,\u2019 the father said, \u2018you 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.\u2019\u201d<\/h5>\n

When\u00a0reading this passage for probably the millionth time this morning, I had a bit of a realization – the Holy Spirit tends to do that.\u00a0 After finishing it, I so wanted to know the end of the story.\u00a0 We hear the father’s response of compassion and forgiveness as he explains them to the older brother\u00a0is telling of\u00a0his\u00a0concerns\u00a0for justice, but that’s where the story ends.\u00a0 We never hear what the older brother has to say back.\u00a0 I so wanted to continue to read that the son was overcome by his father’s compassion, love and forgiveness and his bitterness and anger was quickly transformed by his father’s example and the work of the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

But that probably wasn’t the case was it?\u00a0 More than likely, the older son was not transformed in that moment.\u00a0 He probably remained angry and would not enter to greet and celebrate with his brother.\u00a0 Possibly, he remained angry until his dad passed away and then maybe realized his hardness of heart many years later.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Really, we do not know.\u00a0 Jesus doesn’t tell us this part does He.\u00a0 I think I wanted this story book ending because my experience with stories tells me it should have this kind of ending.\u00a0 As I read stories to Simeon at night, read books myself\u00a0and as I watch movies and tv shows, I am being conditioned to expect “the story book ending.”\u00a0 And especially with having a Christian worldview and reading a Christian story, it ESPECIALLY should have a story book\u00a0ending, right?\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

But life tells us otherwise.\u00a0 And the Bible tells us otherwise-\u00a0have you read\u00a0Ecclesiastes recently?\u00a0 Life very often doesn’t have the story book ending in many instances.\u00a0 However, we have faith that God is at work in the world and in control of all situations that even though the ending isn’t as we had hoped it is His will and it is good.\u00a0 So why doesn’t Jesus tell us the ending to prepare us for the fact that life doesn’t always have story book endings.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Well, that is point of his teaching style.\u00a0 He is teaching through a parable as he does through much of this part of Luke.\u00a0 Parables always have a point and the point wasn’t to show us life isn’t always perfect.\u00a0 The point of the parable is, as you know, to show an example of compassion and forgiveness for the lost.\u00a0 If Jesus was to tell the whole story, then we would have all missed the point.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Do your best to not be like me and always look for the perfect ending even though our world tells us that there needs to be one.<\/span><\/p>\n

Report This Post<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Luke 15:11-32\u00a0(New International Version, \u00a92011) The Parable of the Lost Son \u00a011 Jesus continued: \u201cThere was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, \u2018Father, give me my share of the estate.\u2019 So he divided his property between them.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a013 \u201cNot long after that, the younger son got together all … Continue reading »<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[321,42],"tags":[8,24651],"class_list":["post-886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotions","category-ministry","tag-blog","tag-updates"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Prodigal Son - No Story Book Ending - Delplog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/?p=886\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Prodigal Son - No Story Book Ending - Delplog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Luke 15:11-32\u00a0(New International Version, \u00a92011) The Parable of the Lost Son \u00a011 Jesus continued: \u201cThere was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, \u2018Father, give me my share of the estate.\u2019 So he divided his property between them.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a013 \u201cNot long after that, the younger son got together all … Continue reading »\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/delp\/?p=886\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Delplog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-03-09T16:55:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-03-10T02:16:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2011\/03\/prodigal.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joel & Kim\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Joel & Kim\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/?p=886#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/?p=886\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Joel & Kim\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e3bb4fa8f67e57eaed2bce69b8835663\"},\"headline\":\"The Prodigal Son – No Story Book Ending\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-03-09T16:55:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2011-03-10T02:16:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/?p=886\"},\"wordCount\":970,\"commentCount\":0,\"keywords\":[\"Blog\",\"Updates\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Devotions\",\"Ministry\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/?p=886#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/?p=886\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/blogs.covchurch.org\\\/delp\\\/?p=886\",\"name\":\"The Prodigal Son - 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