04/13/2026
When we recall the parable of the prodigal Son it is easy to forget that there were two sons, the one who squandered his inheritance and yet was welcomed home, and the son who remained steadfastly at his father’s side. Which one of these best describes you? The prodigal son gives us hope in our Father’s love when we are lost, or are frivolous with our faith, but the dependable son never lost his inheritance and never left his father’s side. Who would you rather be? Who would the prodigal son have wanted to be as he travelled the road home?
“And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'"”
Luke 15:31-32 ESV
When we look around us at church there are many prodigal sons that have wandered off into the world, and have been welcomed back into the household of God. I give thanks for each of them, but there are also those who were in the church, and stayed faithful children all their lives; to them the Father says “all that is mine is yours.” What does that mean?
Not all prodigal children who return to the Church come home physically poor and destitute, but all of them come home impoverished in spirit. You see, the fortune and inheritance this scripture is alluding to is not made up of earthly treasure alone, but tells us of spiritual property; of Heavenly gold, and gems. As Jesus tells this parable about a worldly event, He is telling us a heavenly story.
“And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.' And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.”
Luke 15:12-13 ESV
I knew a man who was in the church and walked with God. He prospered in his earthly business, and began to pay more and more attention to it until one day he no longer graced his Father’s house. At first he did well and kept his faith intact, but there came a time when it was lost. Eventually trouble arose with one of his children, and he found that his Father was far away and he could no longer speak with Him as he once did; he could no longer ask for help and hear his father’s voice. He was lost and alone in the midst of many saints. I know this man’s story well because it is my story, and the road home was full of tears and remorse... yet my Heavenly Father welcomed me.
I have a brother in Christ named Tommy who had stayed home when I wandered away, and he faithfully worked our Father’s fields all the years that I was gone, and during those years, God blessed him. And his inheritance was that of the eldest son. When I returned home from my wandering and my Father’s servants were dressing me, and welcoming me, I had no idea what had transpired between Tommy and our Father regarding my return, but I can tell you this... once they had spoken Tommy placed his hands upon me and prayed for me and lifted up the trouble I was having with my child. Tommy welcomed me home, our Heavenly Father heard his prayer, and my child was restored to me in the midst of many of our Father’s angels as they laid hands upon me. That is how my own story of being a prodigal son ends, not just with my Father’s welcome, but with my Christian brother’s embrace as well.
So, if we stay home to do your Father’s bidding, and tend His fields while a brother or sister wanders away and squanders their heavenly treasure, how will we react when they come home? It is easy to say that we will be glad to see them, or at least it is easy until they return. But how will we react if they are then dressed in our Father’s finest robe, and what will we say when a feast is prepared for them? How will we feel when our Father embraces them as if they had never left home? Will we act out in anger, or will we embrace them as my friend Tommy did me? Will we confront our Father with our disdain for those prodigal sons and daughters who left home and squandered their inheritance, or will we lift them up joyfully? As we listened to the story that Jesus told us, who became the true spiritual prodigal when the eldest son lashed out in jealousy and anger at his brother? Didn’t he become the one that was lost by doing so?
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for welcoming your lost and prodigal children home, and I also thank you for the love of those faithful children who never wandered. When our wayward brothers and sisters of faith return home I pray Father that you will bolster the faith of those of us who stayed home, and cause the love in us to well up as we greet our lost siblings once more. Give us your touch as we lay our hands upon them in joy and thanksgiving. Never let us resent them Father, nor become jealous of the attention you shower upon them as you welcome them home and heal their brokenness... show us your grace in their faces, and give us your comfort as we witness their repose as they rest in your arms and recover from the arduous journey of loss and realization they suffered. Protect us from the temptation of our own jealousy and pride, and remind us of those times when we too have strayed, and received your grace upon our return... because in the story of the prodigal… there am I.
Holy Father your mercy abounds, and your grace is sufficient for me in the blood of your Son Jesus Christ. His hands are upon me as my sin and disappointment is lifted from me and I am cleansed once more. I was lost but now I am found and in your love I am welcomed home. Thank you Gracious Father for the passion of Christ, and the suffering that He endure as you lead me through His suffering into a greater realization of my faith. Help me to greet others with the same joy, and open arms, that you showed me when I was the lost sheep. You are full of grace Father, and your love and mercy run over me like a warm oil, fragrant and sweet. Holy, Holy, Holy, art thou my Heavenly Father, and your house is the place of my comfort now and forevermore.
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”
Luke 15:4-7 ESV
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Psalms 23:6 ESV
Amen!
Rich Forbes