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You Can Go Home Again
In the early part of the twentieth century, novelist Thomas Wolfe wrote a literary classic, You Can’t Go Home Again, about a man who leaves his humble family origins in the south, goes to New York, makes it big as a writer, and then seeks to return to his roots. It wasn’t an easy transition; hence the title of the book.
In the story of the prodigal, who is the one who makes the long journey in order to be reunited with his father? Contrast that to, for instance, the parable of the lost sheep and lost coin (Luke 15:4–10). What might be the important difference here?
Perhaps in the two other parables, the lost objects didn’t even know that they were lost (certainly the case with the coin), and they couldn’t make it back even if they tried; whereas, in the case of the prodigal, he walked away from the “truth,” as it were, and it was only after he was in the darkness (see John 11:9, 10) did he realize just how lost he was. All through salvation history, God has had to deal with those who, having light, have purposely turned away from that light and gone their own way. The good news of this parable is that, even in their cases, even those who turned their backs on Him, even after knowing His goodness and love—God still is willing to restore them to the position that they once held in His covenant family. Just, though, as the young man chose on his own free will to leave, he had to choose by his own free will to come back. It works the same way with all of us.
What’s interesting, too, about these parables is the context in which they are being told. Read Luke 15:1, 2. Look at the different people who are listening to what Jesus is saying. What a powerful message it should be to us all that instead of giving warnings about end-time apocalyptic events or about doom and judgment upon the unrepentant, Jesus gives parables showing the Father’s earnest love and care for all of those who are lost, regardless of the situation that led to their being in that position.
Have you known folks who have walked away from God? What hope can you take from this story that all is not lost? How important that we all pray for those who still haven’t learned the lesson that the prodigal so painfully did.
| TUESDAY | May 31 |
In the early part of the twentieth century, novelist Thomas Wolfe wrote a literary classic, You Can’t Go Home Again, about a man who leaves his humble family origins in the south, goes to New York, makes it big as a writer, and then seeks to return to his roots. It wasn’t an easy transition; hence the title of the book.
In the story of the prodigal, who is the one who makes the long journey in order to be reunited with his father? Contrast that to, for instance, the parable of the lost sheep and lost coin (Luke 15:4–10). What might be the important difference here?
Perhaps in the two other parables, the lost objects didn’t even know that they were lost (certainly the case with the coin), and they couldn’t make it back even if they tried; whereas, in the case of the prodigal, he walked away from the “truth,” as it were, and it was only after he was in the darkness (see John 11:9, 10) did he realize just how lost he was. All through salvation history, God has had to deal with those who, having light, have purposely turned away from that light and gone their own way. The good news of this parable is that, even in their cases, even those who turned their backs on Him, even after knowing His goodness and love—God still is willing to restore them to the position that they once held in His covenant family. Just, though, as the young man chose on his own free will to leave, he had to choose by his own free will to come back. It works the same way with all of us.
What’s interesting, too, about these parables is the context in which they are being told. Read Luke 15:1, 2. Look at the different people who are listening to what Jesus is saying. What a powerful message it should be to us all that instead of giving warnings about end-time apocalyptic events or about doom and judgment upon the unrepentant, Jesus gives parables showing the Father’s earnest love and care for all of those who are lost, regardless of the situation that led to their being in that position.
Have you known folks who have walked away from God? What hope can you take from this story that all is not lost? How important that we all pray for those who still haven’t learned the lesson that the prodigal so painfully did.
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