Luke 15:17-27

There was a time in my life that I honestly felt like the older brother...I tried so hard to be PERFECT. In truth I was always a sinner in such need of God’s forgiveness. Once I was blinded by the social norms of the world and now I see into the perfect eyes of my sinless Savior who saved a wretch like me. Only by His mercy and by His grace do I live! Precept by precept the Holy Spirit changes us into the image of His Son and His mercy is new each and every day. What God says is clean is clean...now I only need to forgive myself.

The son expected nothing and relied completely on the mercy of his father. So it is with the sinner who repents. The description of the father’s compassion in running to his son and kissing him illustrates the immediate acceptance of a sinner who turns to God. The father accepted his son’s confession but refused his request to make him a servant. Instead the returning son was made a full member of the family again. The son’s confession of sin brought full restoration. 

Luke 15:17-24

¹⁷ “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! ¹⁸ I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, ¹⁹ and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’ 

²⁰ “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. ²¹ And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 

²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. ²³ And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; ²⁴ for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.