October 6th, 2022
“And he said, A certain man had two sons:
And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
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.
But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and entreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.” (Luke 15:11-32)
And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
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.
But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and entreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.” (Luke 15:11-32)
Jesus is a revealer. He's revealing God is all love. God loves you so much. God never gave up on you. Even when you fell asleep, and you believed you turned your back on God, God didn't turn away from you. That's what the whole prodigal son parable is about; that Jesus loves so much and taught that over and over. Even if you've squandered your inheritance, you covered over the light, you're still welcome to return to the light. No penalty. That's right. No consequences. That's a big love.
When the awareness of our true Self dawns—the knowledge that all is forgiven and that we are one in God where we have always been—we know that we are nothing but mind.
Jesus told the parable of the prodigal son, where one son left after asking for his inheritance. Off he went and used his entire inheritance for riotous living until he had nothing, until he was hungry, until his only job was feeding the pigs and he was eating the husks. And after some time, he said, “Even my father’s servants have more than me. Maybe I should go back.” And he went back in shame; he went back in guilt. He went back with his head bowed low.
But before he even got close to home, his father came running down the road, running to welcome, running to celebrate. In the same way, our shame, guilt, and believed wrongdoings are met with open arms. The father can only see the son’s innocence, so he celebrates with a party, by killing a fatted calf. And then the other son, the dutiful son, the son that tried to play it safe and do all the right things, sees the condemned brother come back. He says, “What is happening here? A party? I have stayed here dutifully by your side all along and not once have you killed a calf for me. This wanderer, this betrayer, this weak one who blew it all, you welcome him back and have a party?” The dutiful one is angry. And the father says to him, “Dear son, all that I have is yours; it has always been yours. But your brother, my son, he was lost, and now he is found.” There is nothing more important than to be found, to find our true inheritance again, regardless of what seemed to happen when we were lost.
This second chance is the olive branch that is there for all of us. God is saying, “Just take the olive branch, just take the branch of peace.” This realization is what the second coming of the Christ means. It’s our Self-realization. When the awareness of our true Self dawns—the knowledge that all is forgiven and that we are one in God where we have always been—we know that we are nothing but mind. This mind is whole and complete. It never dreamed of fear, loss, and separation. It is free and happy in God. It is guiltless—innocent!
But before he even got close to home, his father came running down the road, running to welcome, running to celebrate. In the same way, our shame, guilt, and believed wrongdoings are met with open arms. The father can only see the son’s innocence, so he celebrates with a party, by killing a fatted calf. And then the other son, the dutiful son, the son that tried to play it safe and do all the right things, sees the condemned brother come back. He says, “What is happening here? A party? I have stayed here dutifully by your side all along and not once have you killed a calf for me. This wanderer, this betrayer, this weak one who blew it all, you welcome him back and have a party?” The dutiful one is angry. And the father says to him, “Dear son, all that I have is yours; it has always been yours. But your brother, my son, he was lost, and now he is found.” There is nothing more important than to be found, to find our true inheritance again, regardless of what seemed to happen when we were lost.
This second chance is the olive branch that is there for all of us. God is saying, “Just take the olive branch, just take the branch of peace.” This realization is what the second coming of the Christ means. It’s our Self-realization. When the awareness of our true Self dawns—the knowledge that all is forgiven and that we are one in God where we have always been—we know that we are nothing but mind. This mind is whole and complete. It never dreamed of fear, loss, and separation. It is free and happy in God. It is guiltless—innocent!
2 Comments
Thank you for sharing this profound article! God bless your ministry work for His cause!
SDA Hymnal
The prodigal son, seen in the light of the mystical jesus, has a rich and deep meaning that was as applicable 2,000 years ago as it is now. David has said that we are given "contrast experiences" and in my own parable, I needed to leave home and squander my inheritance (literally yes i did do just that). However, that is the world's story. Because, in the new story, how could I have squandered what was not real (green paper strips and round metal discs). Moreover, had I not lost the money my grandfather left me, I would not have needed to pray to jesus for hellp. This parable has always touched my heart in a very deep way, and, it is a beautiful and timeless story to help us see that we simply cannot judge our advances from our retreated. Score one for Jesus!