Title: Second Son or First Son?
Contents
3rd week of March
second son or first son
Luke 15:25-32
Just like a son returning to his father, a second son is returning to the church these days.
The wounded in the world come to the church. And God is trying to fill them with abundant blessings. Therefore, we must realize how important and precious it is to meet God.
In the biblical text, the father celebrates the return of his son and throws a feast. At that time, the feast lasted two or three days and was long and full of abundance. But the eldest son does not attend the feast. Why? In verse 26, the word 'a water stand' appears. It means 'to be persistent, sure, and persistent'. The eldest son asked persistently and tenaciously. “How did your brother return, how much money did you spend on the feast for your brother, and how many cattle did you slaughter?”
The older brother who should be happy at this feast is rather dissatisfied and angry. The only thought is, 'How much do you spend on this feast? How much is your wealth going down?’ But the father thinks that life comes back to life. This is because they have different interests. There is a difference in interest in matter and life.
Saints! Where are your interests? Is it in keeping my place, mine? Or is it about saving lives? Are you a father's heart? Is it the heart of the eldest son? What should we pay attention to when we are called by God? The heart of the Lord is a heart of forgiveness. That is, the heart on the cross and the heart of Stephen who was stoned to death. When we have this heart, the nation will come to life and the church will come to life. Father's emotion should be my heart and my emotion. Where are our hearts? May our hearts be restored to the Father's.
Why was the eldest son sad? In verse 29, the word “serve” appears. Words are not used in a father-son relationship. It is a word used between master and servant. In the end, he thought of his father only as ‘a person who would hand over his property’ rather than ‘a father’.
What was Jesus' purpose in telling this parable? This is because tax collectors and prostitutes, who thought they were worthless by meeting Jesus, turned into worthy people and hopeless people into hopeful people. With these confessions, more and more lowly ones are with Jesus and are gathering together. This is what the Pharisees and scribes complain about. But Jesus is telling them to understand the heart of a shepherd who has gained a lost sheep, and a father who has lost his son and gained it.
The church is different from the world's standards. Not that the Pharisees were wrong, but he wanted them to change their minds. I hope that we will become saints who bind up each other's pain. Divorce, bereavement, and those who have been hurt by the church are the second sons we need to bind up. In other words, these are the second sons that God is eagerly waiting for and looking for. Our church is ‘New Love Church’. We have a mission to tirelessly bind up those who have been hurt. You must embrace it with new love.
Is your heart your father's? Is it the heart of the eldest son?
I hope that you will become a mature believer like the heart of a father who does not condemn.