Prodigal "Brothers"

 Hello Everyone, I hope you've all had a good week.

Welcome to Thursdays Child,

As I said Sunday, this week we'll start going to through a book I started reading called The Prodigal God written by Timothy Keller. As we start let's review the story, parable, in Luke 15:11-32 that Jesus told. Instead of writing out 21 verses word for word, to summarize it...

      There was once a very wealthy man that had 2 sons. The younger son went to his father and said give me the share of the estate that falls to me. He divided the wealth between them. This younger son took his inheritance, left home, went to another town and started living the partying lifestyle. Booze (whatever they had in that day), hookers and an all around wild lifestyle. Eventually his money ran out. To make matters worse it happened at the same time there was a famine in the land. He did get a job tending to some pigs but he still wasn't able to get food and satisfy his hunger. One day he was so hungry he started eating the pig slop and decided he better swallow his pride and go home. He'll at least be able to eat there. His father's servants were living better than he was. He figured he used up his inheritance so he still didn't have any money but maybe his father would let him be a servant.

        His father happened to be outside the day he was coming home and saw him walking on the road toward the house. He ran to meet him and, hugged him and all the way back to the house they talked. The son asked the father if he would hire him as an apprentice to one of the handymen. If he did he could earn money and pay back his inheritance. The father didn't agree to that. He gave him back his status as the son, told the servants to throw a party inviting all the community and to even kill the fattened calf. When the older brother come back to the house the party had started. He heard a lot of people talking and music playing. The father saw him at the door, went and talked to him to come to the party because "his brother was lost but now he has been found." The older brother was so angry he refused. That's where the story leaves us. It doesn't elaborate on what happens with the family in the future.

      What the Bible doesn't tell us and what we need to understand, according to The Prodigal God book is, in that day, the inheritance wasn't divided in half. The older brother would have gotten a double portion of what the younger brother would have gotten. So he would have gotten two thirds and the younger brother one third. And for the younger brother to ask for his share now was essentially telling the father, "you are dead to me." Also in that culture the father would have just kicked him out. Instead, to give them his inheritance he had to sell off some of his land to give the son his share. This would have infuriated everyone. The older son and the whole community. so you can imagine the whispers and even the uproar when the younger son came home. Everybody would have been in disbelief that the father would have welcomed, and reinstated him back with full family benefits

      When we're taught this story this is usually where we're left off. It teaches the forgiveness of God and no matter what we do, we will always be Children Of God. Never kicked out of the family of God. An important thing I always like to stress is that we all have the same benefits that Jesus had. All the abilities that Jesus had. The ability to heal, and to be directed by the wisdom of God. God will never disown us no matter what we do.

       This is also where I'm going to leave it today, but WAIT there's more. Next week we'll get into the righteous, holier than thou attitude of the older brother. Check it out between now and next Thursday

      Have a great week

      Keep searching,

            Paul