The son of a rich man ran away. After suffering severe hardship and deprivation, he decides to return home and tell his father “I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.”
But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” Luke 15: 17-22.
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People say nothing is black and white. But I see many sharp contrasts in the Bible.
Good vs. evil, purity vs. corruption, God almighty vs. a criminal executed on the cross, sinners vs. heirs, life being a mere breath vs. eternal life etc. etc.
Night and day repeating every day of our life… Showing us the difference.
Nothing grabs our attention like life and death
Nobody wants to die When facing death, Life is better in any form of existence than death, we feel.
Bible takes us on a journey from one to the other
From the loss of us to the recovery of our fortune and detailed accounts of what happened in between
A journey from here to eternity
It’s black and white. Not many choices we need to mull over. Just two. When things are not working out, turn around and walk in the other direction. That’s all we,( the son), need to do.
But it’s not that easy. Because unlike a coin or a sheep that are not held accountable for their loss, we humans are held accountable.
God sets us up as an equal party in the covenant he established. He painstakingly explains the terms. When we could not fulfill them, He made himself accountable for it. We need to admit our failure through repentance and acknowledge what God has done to make up for it. It is not that easy. But then it is not that hard.