He uses 1-2 verse(s) describing the sin
3 verses to describe the consequences
4 verses on the sons process of coming back and then asking for forgiveness
6 verses of the Father's response
3 verses about the older son figuring it out
3 verses of the older son complaining
Jesus starts out the parable directly with what happened. He cuts out all of the unnecessary stuff and gets directly to the root of the problem the sin. Shows that it is the problem, and it is the first thing that needs to be dealt with.
Then we see 3 verses used to describe the consequences. Most of the time, the consequences for our sin last much longer than the act of the sin. We want them to be coinciding. Doesn't work that way. David slept with Bathsheba (we'll say a couple of hours from when he saw her and lusted to when they had sex) but then dealt with the consequences for the next couple of months/years. The Israelites didn't listen to God about the promise land and refused to listen (I'll give them a week of deciding to be generous) and their consequence was 40 years of wandering around.
Jesus uses 4 verses to describe the process back to his senses and seeking forgiveness. I think he uses this with the second most amount of verses to describe any event, is because he wants the focus of the story to be on this fact the most. To emphasize more than the Son turned from his ways and sought forgiveness more than the sin. Yes, he knows we're going to sin and it has to be dealt with. But wallowing in sin, is not what he wants. He wants you to come to Him and seek forgiveness. Many times I want to wallow in it. I don't feel like I can go to God because I'm so dirty and I've just screwed up so bad. But is that really God's voice? God gave all he had to have a pure relationship with me and you. Why would he want you to sit in your filth? Its then as soon as that relationship is off, he wants you to come and restore it by asking for forgiveness. So 4 verses showing the importance of your action you need to focus on is coming to forgiveness.
I love this part. He uses 6 verses to show the Father's response. He starts it out with the old Father, at the expense of disgracing himself, running to his prostituted son and throwing his arms around him. He ends with "He was lost and now is found." What I love about this is so many things. But the most verses he uses to describe any part of this story is on the Father's response. It's all about the Father's unconditional Love for the son. How he Loves him in-spite of what he does, not because of it. How really our salvation is focused solely on what God did, and not on what we did. Yes we need to seek forgiveness, but without God doing all of the work, then there would be nothing to seek. Such a beautiful section. He leaves his place, runs to him, loves him, welcomes him home, then has a party for him. He ends by sharing it with everyone that his SON IS HOME! It's all about the Father's love and what He's done. Whew.
The next 3 verses are the son finding out. People rejoicing and telling about the younger son coming home. Solid that he focuses on telling people. That the celebration is not confined to just those who saw it but is welcomed to all members of the family to celebrate. It's like sharing our story or testimony when you get saved, or hearing someone else share theirs. You hear/know about them being away from home, then you hear they come back and they're saved, loved by the father.
Then 3 verses focusing on the older brothers self-centeredness. I used to think he had a right to be mad. He had been working his butt off and now this other one comes home and gets "so much more" than he does. I realized thats what I thought, and how selfish I was being. It's like someone else gets saved, someone else knows God and choses to follow Jesus and we celebrate with them. We celebrate with all of Heaven at this. We get excited. It's like if during this celebration I threw a hissy fit because I've been trying to love and serve Jesus for years now but no one ever gets this excited for me. Yeah, self-centered. Selfish. Instead of rejoicing for someone who was going to Hell who now isn't, someone under the grasp of Satan who is now free, someone who had no idea what love is and now does. Instead of celebrating, he focuses on what he's done, when Jesus just made it clear that it's about the Father and not the son's efforts. The father does say he'll be rewarded for his hard work, but yeah whatever look at the bigger picture here. He's safe and home. Kind of reminds me of how we're Ok with salvation for us. We're ok when others are saved, but when there's someone that has really hurt us, someone who has hurt one of our friends, our family, someone we love. Then we get, at-least I, get selfish. Who am I to withhold grace from someone. "But if you knew what they did" I argue. Then the Father reminds me, "But I knew what you did, and I forgave and loved you through it." My selfishness and withholding got more attention than the original sin.
I know this way of digesting scripture doesn't always work about the most important stuff is talked about the longest. It's just something that God showed me for this story that I thought was very interesting, and humbling. Today, God showed me how I've been both sons, and have been a jerk to the father both times. It was rough, but very good.
When God Ran Video
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