LESSONS FROM THE PRODIGAL SON:
There are times when a family has to face the departure of one or more family members. A spouse may leave with or without the children, or a child may walk out of the home. In such situations what does one do? The scriptures describe the story of the prodigal son and his journey away from home and the consequences of his actions. While this parable refers to our relationship with our Heavenly Father, there are lessons which are applicable to us as we live out our Christianity daily before God. These are lessons we must learn from this parable:
Now for the word which is taken from Luke 15:12. Here the prodigal is saying to his Father: "Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me." The Good Book
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All that remained belonged to his elder brother, who had remained with the Father. The point here is that every time we go our own way and return to the Father, we lose some of our blessings in the sense that we would have been much further in our walk with God had we stayed on our path and not strayed.
9) Even though the father loved his son he never went seeking after him nor did he send him messages asking him to return home. The son had to “come to himself” and appreciate what he had walked away from and return and then we see the father running toward his son to receive him on his return home. We must pray for our lost loved ones who may have gone their own way and allow the Father to bring them to their senses.
10) When the prodigal had squandered all that he had with riotous living, he joined himself to a member of the far country who treated him shamefully by making him, a Jew, tend to swine which was forbidden by the law for a Jew to even touch. The devil will always humiliate us (by treating us shamefully) when we leave the Father for the things of the world and this may be God’s mercy in action as he tries to draw us back to
2.?But it was not only that the coming to his house of a bit of hopeful young life was like the lighting of a fire on a cold hearth.?
In their lifetimes, many people experience the loss of loved ones and the departure of children. One of the most difficult things to do is to keep strong and good relations with friends and family members, before it is too late. The short story “David Comes Home”, by Ernest Buckler, follows Joseph, who worries his son David never had the same connection to the land as he does, though memories of past experiences, finding old belongings, and discovering the boy’s true feelings, resolve this conflict.
The telling of this story provokes many questions. Why didn’t God, being all-good and benevolent, "immediately restore His fallen creatures to their original union with...
The father sees himself asking if his child is a “god…that [the father] sites mute before [him,” and then asking if he himself is “a god in that [he] should never disappoint?” The father first describes his child as a god because he feels that his son is a being that is untouchable, and it to be able to fully connect with him is something the father does not comprehend. The father then describes himself as a god, asking if he failed to be like a god in his child’s eyes and be perfect in every way. Another metaphor in the poem are the books. The father uses books to connect with his son, much like how Christians use the Bible, a book, to connect with their God. The Bible is something that can have a positive influence on the lives of Christians and support them through their lives all through the use of words. This is similar to the books the father uses. The father does not know how to be a positive influence on his son, so he uses books as a medium to communicate with his son due to the fact that he cannot think of what to say himself. By using these metaphors, the father is comparing his and his child’s relationship to one of a mortal and a god: a relationship that is not familial love, but rather one of a love or worship for a divine being. The father feels that he cannot have a good relationship with his son because his child is something that he cannot understand no matter how hard he tries. He is also worried that he will never live up to his son’s expectations and will fail to support
In the first chapter of God Behaving Badly, David Lamb argues that God is unfairly given a bad reputation. He claims these negative perceptions are fueled by pop culture and lead many to believe the lie that the God of the Old Testament is angry, sexist, racist, violent, legalistic, rigid, and distant. These negative perceptions, in turn, affect our faith. Ultimately, Lamb seeks to demonstrate that historical context disproves the presumptuous aforementioned. In addition, he defends his position by citing patterns of descriptions that characterize God throughout the Old Testament. “Our image of God will directly affect how we either pursue or avoid God. If we believe that the God of the Old Testament is really harsh, unfair and cruel, we won’t want anything to do with him” (Lamb 22). Clearly, they way Christians choose to see God will shape their relationship with Him.
...ho have run away and left their burdens behind.... I can give them something that neither a husband, a father, nor a grandfather ever did, so they want to hold on as long as they can. Not realizing that their holding on will break me too." [pp. 166-67]
God is waiting with open arms, we need only to turn back to him like the waiting father in this parable. I try to always look at my relationship with God as my father (yes I know he his) but I mean like how you view an earthly father. I had a wonderful father growing up. Not matter the situation, good or bad, that I found myself in, I knew that I could always turn to my dad for support, understanding, advice, and he was my ultimate supporter during these times. But he did as any father really should and told me when I was wrong, or that I had really thought through my situation and was making the right decision. I knew I could always turn to him. I think that is the relationship that God seeks to have with us. He wants us to come to him, in good and bad times, to seek his advice, or feel his joy in our joyful times, or even to fall into his arms during trivial times. In the story of the prodigal son, the son wanted everything that his father would have given him, but he wanted it now, unlike when you receive your inheritance after the passing of them. The father gave the son exactly what he wanted, and it hurt him maybe he even suffered a little, but he did it anyway. After the son had taken it and left and then found himself eating with the pigs did he think about his father again. No matter the time that passed, that father was so thrilled to have his son return home to him and accepted him
“Why the devil came you between us? I was hurt under your arm.” (III, I, 103-105)
It seems that the prayer is more for his own benefit than that of his traveling companions. He
father. He admires the times he had with his father, and seeing both of them walk in an
A parable is any image or story taken from everyday life to instruct with hidden meaning. The word for parable came originally from the Hebrew word “Mashal.” When it was translated into Greek, it was written παραβολή (pronounced parabolē). This Greek word meant to “throw beside,” showing that parables throw a story alongside the truth, just using fake figures.
248 “ I will not send you into the darkness alone.” This line by the father shows that if he loses his boy that he will go with him (die with him). It’s very depressing we see that the child is very sick and usually if you’re this sick in a world like this you will die. However, he makes a miraculous recovery; I guess this was to let the reader think that the boy was going to die. We also get heartfelt moments of the father taking care of his son, even though the father is also not well at all.
The lines “we spoonfeed our adorable remorse, like whores or beggars nourishing their lice” (656) indicate the hypocrisy of people by comparing them with dirty whores and beggars. Filthy beggars do nothing to change the fact that they are ridden with parasites and whores continue their dirty acts knowing they are immoral. Relating these miscreants and vagabonds to everyday people provide stark insight to the hypocrisy that people acknowledge their sins, yet do nothing to change the way they act.
Clifford, Richard J., A Commentary by… Proverbs, The Old Testament Library. Editorial Advisory Board; James L. Mays, Carol A. Newsom, David I. Petersen. Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1999.
What are parables of Jesus Christ? The word parable in general may mean the placing of two or more artifacts together to make a comparison or explain an ideology. This same concept could be related to the parables of Jesus Christ the son of God. Some people may choose to define these in various meanings depending on their own understanding. However, in my opinion, a parable is basically an analogy consisting of human circumstances that is accompanied with a spiritual or biblical lesson. Altogether, there are thirty-two parables; which could be found in the books of Mathew, Mark and Luke. Out of all these parables, eighteen of them are found in Luke and ten in Mathew. The eighteen parables found in Luke include, the Lost Coin, the Lost Son, the Unrighteous Steward, the Rich Man and Lazarus, the Unprofitable Servants, the Unrighteous Judge, the Pharisee and Publican, the Pounds, the Two Debtors, the Good Samaritan, the Friend at Midnight, the Rich Fool, the Watchful Servants, the Barren Fig Tree, the Chief Seats, the Great Supper, the Rash Builder, and the Rash King. The ten in Mathew include, the Laborers in the Vineyard, the Two Sons, the Marriage of the King's Son, the Ten Virgins, the Talents, the Tares, the Hidden Treasure, the Pearl of Great Price, the Draw Net, and the Unmerciful Servant. Again, the parables of Jesus Christ could be compared to a class of students with a teacher in the front. Basically Jesus Christ was the teacher and the whole world would be considered as the students. Out of all the parables of Jesus Christ, the main ones I will be talking about will be the parable of the good samaritan, and the parable of the sower.