Many know Jesus’ parable of the two sons and their generous, forgiving father. We especially love how it explicitly teaches God’s unconditional love for destitute sinners. He seeks the lost, forgives the guilty, and without hesitation welcomes the estranged. So Christ’s Church, you and I, follow our Lord’s command to go and find the lost and tell them God loves and forgives them, no questions asked.
Unfortunately, we don’t talk enough about the second son in Jesus’ parable, who never left but was just as lost as his brother! If you listen closely to his complaint about his father’s foolish forgiveness of the lost son, he thought his dad loved him because he was obedient. The father corrects him, saying, “All that is mine is yours!” In other words, the father provided for him the whole time because he adored him, not because he was a good son. He proved that by even foolishly giving the youngest his inheritance ahead of time!
Sadly, the oldest son saw himself as just a servant earning his keep for his whole life until then. He didn’t see his father as his loving father but as his boss. His story saddens us more than the other kid’s. He needed the Gospel and his father’s embrace as much as the prodigal.
Christians and churches are tempted to think that the good news of Jesus Christ is for the lost sinner. But once someone is saved, they must work to please God and stay in His grace. Some churches even teach or imply this. Even if it’s not explicitly taught, many people in the pews on Sundays perceive it because that’s our natural religion – you get what you deserve.
It’s easy to feel lost in the church and before God, even as Christians. Christians need to hear the gospel of free forgiveness in Jesus just as much as the outside world. We can never hear it enough. God loves and values us not because of how we perform but because He does. God is love. An 84-year-old lifelong member of Christ’s body still needs to hear the blood of Christ forgives her.
The phrase “preaching to the choir” is often used to criticize someone who tells people something they already know. But the choir needs to hear the Good News, too! Christians need forgiveness, too. A Christian never graduates from the simple Sunday School message that Jesus died and rose for them and that the Father loves them as daughters and sons regardless of how hard they work in the field!
For Jesus is the son of the Father telling this parable, who indeed died so we may have His inheritance for free! All that He has is ours. Pastors, there are lost sons and daughters sitting in your church. They doubt their salvation. They think that they are loved because they are good. They doubt they are loved because they aren’t good. Though they have heard it before, they need to hear, eat, and drink the Gospel every Sunday. The mission of God begins at the pulpit inside the church, not the exit sign outside. Preach it!
