We left off from Jesus’ parable with the older son refusing to join the joy. How will the father respond? A slap for this petulant upstart? Frog-march him into the party? That’s not his style. Instead, in verse 31, he boils down the whole issue to a single word: “Son,” Son! You might even translate […]
When the prodigal came home, they killed the fatted calf. From the father, it was the most lavish gesture of reconciliation. He would publicly welcome, celebrate and eat with his lost son. For the younger son, it was the most incredible token of the father’s forgiveness. The father from whom he had only taken, now […]
Every story has a turning point? What’s the turning point of the Prodigal Son? Perhaps we think it’s in the pigsty. There he is, hungry and helpless, and the prodigal hatches a plan… “17 When he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and […]
The world divides into two camps – sinners and slaves. The sinners love freedom. The slaves love respect. The sinners opt out of the system to discover themselves. The slaves opt in to prove themselves. When sinners are upset they riot or hold protest rock concerts. When slaves are upset they write stern letters to the Daily […]
Jesus has hit something of a brick wall in His evangelism (Matthew 11:20-24). He brings the living and life-giving word of God. He answers every question with the wisdom of heaven. He performs the mighty works of God. He is like a little oasis of paradise walking around planet earth. Everything that He touches turns […]
“She knows my name,” says Ted, amazed. “Some of my best friends don’t know my name.” (There’s Something About Mary.) To be known is an incredible thing. Many a marriage is destroyed when one of the spouses feels unappreciated. As they take up with someone else they will often say, “It’s just that so-and-so really […]
Everything is relative. By which I mean that all things correspond to God. Even God corresponds to God and has His existence relative to God. That is the doctrine of the Trinity. Therefore how much more ought the creature to properly relate to its Creator. So the vital question arises, how should we correspond to […]
Suppose I told you that anyone could drive my car. What kind of car would you imagine? And if I told you that anyone could have my car, what would you suppose? Would you imagine a sports car? Probably not. More likely I was offering a rust bucket due for an expensive MOT. If we […]
Everyone prays. At least when they’re desperate. But no-one seems to know why it works or how it could. It’s an uncertainty that keenly afflicts westerners labouring under three false assumptions. 1) We think of “nature” as a closed system, grinding along according to iron laws. 2) We consider ourselves to be self-sufficient masters of […]
Some people are good at multi-tasking. No-one is good at multi-seeking. Jesus has been teaching us that we have only one heart. And our hearts attend to what we treasure. Essentially we can treasure God or we can treasure the things of this world, Mammon. To invest in earthly treasure is the way of worry. But, […]
