City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh.

The Word

²⁵ “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. ²⁷ And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ ²⁸ But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, ²⁹ but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ ³¹ And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. ³² It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’” 

–Luke 15:25-32 ESV

¹ For everything there is a season,

    a time for every activity under heaven.

² A time to be born and a time to die.

    A time to plant and a time to harvest.

³ A time to kill and a time to heal.

    A time to tear down and a time to build up.

⁴ A time to cry and a time to laugh.

    A time to grieve and a time to dance.

–Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 NLT

Aisha’s Analysis

Today’s verses beautifully illustrate our heavenly Father’s heart toward repentant children coming home. They also show the heart posture of the older brother, who was indignant that his wayward younger brother who acted shamefully was receiving a royal welcome. 

A few things to note: 1) there is a time to celebrate; 2) the party will go on whether we decide to join it or not. 

Let’s dive into the first point. The father tells his older son: 

³² It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.

–Luke 15:32 ESV

Why would it be fitting to celebrate a son who dishonored his father, but decided to come back home? For starters, the father wanted his son to come home regardless of the son’s outrageous behavior. The father cared more about having a relationship with his son than saving face before others. 

This is a beautiful picture of God’s heart toward sinful humanity. Even though we have acted shamefully and dishonored our heavenly Father through sin, God rejoices when we seek Him in faith and trust in His ability and willingness to restore us. That’s exactly what the younger son did, and it was cause for celebration. 

Secondly, let’s explore where the bad attitude of the older brother is coming from. Why did he not want to join the party? Why couldn’t he celebrate his younger brother’s homecoming? 

The older brother’s inability to celebrate his wayward younger brother coming home illuminates what’s in his heart–the celebration was unmerited/undeserved, so he couldn’t join in the festivities. To do so would mean giving up his own version of righteousness, which by his years of hard labor show us, is the idea that being righteous and approved by his father and others came from earning it, not receiving it as a free gift from a loving father. 

There is nothing wrong with working hard, but no amount of hard work can earn God’s holy righteousness. That comes as a free gift based on God’s grace not man’s righteousness. If the older brother had realized this truth, he could have had and enjoyed what was right in front of him all along. 

However, the father was intent on showing his goodness to his younger son whether the older son approved or not. This is an encouraging reminder to anyone who knows they don’t deserve God’s goodness, but comes to Him anyway. Heaven rejoices in that decision and nothing can stop the celebration that follows! 

Application

Today’s text shows us that God loves sinners, and God also loves hard workers, but neither deserve a right relationship with Him. Frankly, it’s not about deserving, it’s about being humble enough to believe in God and receive His kindness towards you. 

How are you struggling to believe in God and receive His kindness? Ask yourself: are you struggling to stay committed to Him or are you unable to celebrate His goodness in others’ lives? Are you trying to escape or are you trying to earn? Either way, you’ll be far from God. 

The only way back is by honestly evaluating your deep need for Him and Him alone. After pondering your deep need for Him, invite and embrace Him into your life as your loving Father. He’ll never let you down. 

Prayer

Lord, I’m so grateful that there’s nothing I can do to disqualify myself from Your great love for me, and at the same time, there’s nothing I can do to qualify for it. You just love me because of who You are. I pray that I would know and experience Your love personally, though it is so great, I could never fully comprehend it. In Jesus’ name, amen.