Daily Readings and Thought for September 22nd. “HE WAS LOST, AND IS FOUND”

 The detailed parable of Jesus in Luke ch. 15 from v. 11 to 32 about the prodigal son is a challenge to understand. We see it as applying to the Jewish nation, which, of its’ own initiative chose to return to its ancient homeland – it was to a large degree a miracle! How did these long scattered people do this!?   How did their god, the only God that has ever been, who sees all and knows all, do this?

If we are to know the answer to that question, we need to come as close as possible to God, beginning with being baptised into the name of His Son – and then, following a life that brings us closer and closer to him, we will be in His Kingdom and then, and only then, will we know how he does such things.

Paul told the people in Athens about “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, (he) does not live in temples made by man” (such as the Athenians made for the gods of their imagination!) [Acts 17 v.24]  He told them more about the true God who “made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth … that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for ‘In him we live and move and have our being’ “ [v.27,28]

So, with this perception of God in action in our minds we turn back to our parable and ‘see’ there is a sense into which the “father” represents God – and the Jews are the prodigal son, and in our days have returned to their homeland.  And, also although the media gives this little or no publicity – there is renewed study of the Old Testament, the only part of the Bible they accept, and acceptance of the one true God. The Jews were “lost” – and soon we will see the wonder of them being “found.”

Then those who count themselves as true believers in Christ and have absorbed all that he and his followers need to see the point of this parable for themselves – they will “celebrate and be glad” [v.32] when Jesus returns – and how soon now!?