Luke 15:11-32J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)
11-19 Then he continued, “Once there was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the property that will come to me.’ So he divided up his property between the two of them. Before very long, the younger son collected all his belongings and went off to a foreign land, where he squandered his wealth in the wildest extravagance. And when he had run through all his money, a terrible famine arose in that country, and he began to feel the pinch. Then he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country who sent him out into the fields to feed the pigs. He got to the point of longing to stuff himself with the food the pigs were eating and not a soul gave him anything. Then he came to his senses and cried aloud, ‘Why, dozens of my father’s hired men have got more food than they can eat and here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go back to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have done wrong in the sight of Heaven and in your eyes. I don’t deserve to be called your son any more. Please take me on as one of your hired men.”’
20-24 So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still some distance off, his father saw him and his heart went out to him, and he ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. But his son said, ‘Father, I have done wrong in the sight of Heaven and in your eyes. I don’t deserve to be called your son any more ....’ ‘Hurry!’ called out his father to the servants, ‘fetch the best clothes and put them on him! Put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet, and get that calf we’ve fattened and kill it, and we will have a feast and a celebration! For this is my son—I thought he was dead, and he’s alive again. I thought I had lost him, and he’s found!’ And they began to get the festivities going.
25-32 “But his elder son was out in the fields, and as he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants across to him and enquired what was the meaning of it all. ‘Your brother has arrived, and your father has killed the calf we fattened because he has got him home again safe and sound,’ was the reply. But he was furious and refused to go inside the house. So his father came outside and called him. Then he burst out, ‘Look, how many years have I slaved for you and never disobeyed a single order of yours, and yet you have never given me so much as a young goat, so that I could give my friends a dinner? But when that son of yours arrives, who has spent all your money on prostitutes, for him you kill the calf we’ve fattened!’ But the father replied, ‘My dear son, you have been with me all the time and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and show our joy. For this is your brother; I thought he was dead—and he’s alive. I thought he was lost—and he is found!’”
J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS
This is a tale of two sons, both wanting to have nice things and enjoy life
but only one of them comes to love, to know the joy of being loved
Both sons had so much
a loving father and home
many, many nice things
but it was not enough for either of them
So the one demanded his share of his father's wealth and then abandonded him
he sought adventure, pleasure and fun
He found it... for a while
Then he found deprivation, hunger, alienation, shame and desperation
He came to a truthful acknowledgement of his own selfish and destructive choices
He acknowledged that all along he had a Father who loved him
and would do what was right to take care of him
He saw both himself and his Father in a new and more truthful way
He summoned up the courage to return home
to face whatever was to come
to clearly state his own behavior as wrong
to admit the damage he had done to the relationship
He was willing to do whatever it would take to make things right in time
What he found was beyond belief -
joy in his return
love for his person
forgiveness for his wrongs
absolution of his debt
a return to his place in the family
What was his response?
How could it be anything other than joy, pure joy
grace, gratitude and amazement
knowing he deserved none of this
deserved lots of things he was not getting
getting lots of things he did not deserve
The joy of being loved,deeply truly loved for no reason at all other than
A Father's love
The other son also wanted all the nice things around him and a good time with his friends
But he never found it
He felt like a slave
he didn't feel like he got what he deserved
He thought he was okay and would get it eventually
until his brother returned
and the father lavished the best they had
on another
He even refers to his brother as "your other son"
He had missed developing a relationship of love with his father and with his brother
He had lived all those years not enjoying what was right there all the time
the deep and wonderful love of such a father
He was doing what he did for what it would get him
not out of love for such a Father
Oh, Lord
help me
not to miss YOU
YOU in all things
YOU above all things
YOU more than anything
YOU are here
right now
right here
yearning to love me
deeply
truly
Both sons thought the treasure was the stuff that belonged to the Father
But only one discovered that the real treasure was
the Father himself
to be enjoyed
right here
right now
‘My dear son, you have been with me all the time and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and show our joy. For this is your brother; I thought he was dead—and he’s alive. I thought he was lost—and he is found!’”
John 14:1-7 Phillips
14 1-4 “You must not let yourselves be distressed—you must hold on to your faith in God and to your faith in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s House. If there were not, should I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? It is true that I am going away to prepare a place for you, but it is just as true that I am coming again to welcome you into my own home, so that you may be where I am. You know where I am going and you know the road I am going to take.”
5 “Lord,” Thomas remonstrated, “we do not know where you’re going, and how can we know what road you’re going to take?”
6-7 “I myself am the road,” replied Jesus, “and the truth and the life. No one approaches the Father except through me. If you had known who I am, you would have known my Father. From now on, you do know him and you have seen him.”
J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)
J. B. Phillips, "The New Testament in Modern English", 1962 edition by HarperCollins
