“It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”” Luke 15:32 ESV.
Reflection: how can something that is lost lose its value?
As Jesus is talking about sons and daughters of the kingdom of heaven, he gives three parables to describe scenarios of being “lost”. The first being the one lost sheep out of one hundred; the second being one lost silver coin out of ten; and the third being one lost son out of two. And while each parable ends up with the lost being found, there are many similarities between them, but also an interesting difference to consider.
We see in the first two stories, the lost sheep and silver coin, that it is the owner that goes searching for it. Puts everything aside to find this one that is lost. And we see in both of these stories that the “lost” is representing “a sinner”. Someone that has been led astray like sheep, believed Satan’s lies, and is stuck in sin. Or perhaps made one big mistake in life that changed everything, and have fallen down and cannot get back. Like the silver coin. Jesus is looking, searching for that person, high and low. To find them.
But in the third story of the son that left home, you notice that the father doesn’t go after the son searching. He remains at home, waiting and hoping for his son to return. We might wonder why? Why didn’t the father go after, traveling to the distant lands to search for and find his son? Let’s look at what happened.
“And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 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 15:11-13 ESV. Notice that he made a conscious decision.
It was the son’s decision to leave.
To trade in his inheritance, to leave his father and family. His home. And notice that the father didn’t stop him; in fact, he gave him what he asked for and let him leave. And, in such a situation, the son had to therefore come to his own conclusion, whether he wanted to return. While he was still son, living out there among the pigs, he had no benefit from being a son. And he had to lose everything to understand the value of his sonship. Another interesting point here is that this son knew the way back home again.
He was lost by choice.
Now, in each of the three stories, we see a celebration when what was lost is found. And, we get a very good insight into the heart of our Father, when in the third story we see how he received his lost son. “And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.” Luke 15:20-23 ESV.
In each story, we see that what was lost has the same value, regardless of whether the lost was ever found. However, there is a significant difference in whether the value can be realized. Jesus is looking for the sinners who are lost, to free them from captivity so they can live fully again. To bring them home. But for the son who decided to leave home, he would not have experienced the value of being son again if he continued to live among the pigs. Keep in mind that our loving Father doesn’t prevent us from leaving home, to live among the pigs. But as the good, good Father that he is, He desires to be with us, to give us all what is His. To experience what sonship truly means, and tell us ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.” Luke 15:31 ESV.