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22 “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. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. ~ Luke 15:22-24
We return to the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15. The father in this parable pictures for us our heavenly Father who not only ran to welcome his once wayward son, he embraced him and he also threw a party to celebrate his homecoming. Just as the previous two parables in this chapter ended, we see the exorbitant joy of the father on display.
In Christ, the father's heart has broken through the dark clouds of mankind's rebellion. And, before this youngest son could finish his well rehearsed confession, his father interrupts him, revealing his broken heart for his once lost son.
In spite of the fact that this once rebellious son had brought disgrace to his father and his family, the heart of his father scurries through with an embrace that enables him to lose sight of his rebellion. Everything the prodigal had hoped to find in that far off country, he discovered back home.
In v.22 we read, "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."
God replaces the filthy, stinking rags of this rebellious Hedonist with His own robe of righteousness. This happened for us when the Lord Jesus went to the cross. It was on Calvary's hill that God made it possible for us to be brought back into His family and to be clothed with the very righteousness of Christ.
In those days, families had a special robe that was most expensive because it was so finely crafted. This was the father's robe and he had this robe put on his once derelict son. The believer's robe is the Lord Jesus Christ who has not only covered our sin, He has washed it away with His blood.
Then the father has a ring placed on the hand of the youngest son. This ring was a signet ring and it had on it the family crest or seal granting the son the family authority. The authority of the Son of God has been applied to the one who would turn from his wayward life and has banked on the scandalous grace offered through the Lord Jesus.
In v.23 we hear the father say, "Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate." This fattened calf was grain-fed veal. This was prime meat. And, this was the greatest celebration that had ever occurred in the family for it was the father's way of saying to the son, "Everything I have is yours."
This is what our Father in heaven has done for us as believers in His Son, He has shared all that is His with us. The apostle Paul coined a word in order to communicate this phenomena. The term is co-heirs. We are co heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Even though the father had already given part of his estate to the older son who had not left home, the father maintained the right to use the older son's wealth to throw this party. So, essentially, the father throws a party with the inheritance of the older son.
The grace of God triumphs over sin at its worst. This is undeserved forgiveness and unmerited salvation. This kind of love is scandalous and bizarre to the legalistic mind. This parable provides us a glimpse of heaven. When one lost sinner comes home, God puts on a feast of sizable proportions.
In v.24 we read, "For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate."
Rather than tell his son to change, his father's expression of grace provides the change. Max Lucado once wrote, "Grace is the voice that calls us to change and then gives us the power to pull it off.” The father insisted his youngest son join in on the festivities. I do not know about you, but when I deliberately sin and I am caught in that sin, I want to crawl into a hole out of sight. But the heart of my Heavenly Father is such that I can't do that. He insists on embracing me and lavishing me in His acceptance, especially when I am at my worst.
