Orphans

“There was a man who had two sons.”

 (Luke 15:13 - NIV)

One of the hidden aspects of this story is that of what we might term the Orphan Spirit. The son who rebelled against his father became an orphan in a distant land, while the son who stayed at home was, in a sense, an orphan in his father’s house.

The inference in the story is that both these sons shared in the rejection of their father. One became a rebel travelling far from home while the other became religious. One became lawless the other a legalist. The inference is clear – one group represented the undesirables Jesus was eating with – the other the self-righteous religious leaders.

Rebellion always brings separation – and separation is the root of the orphan spirit. The ultimate orphan is, of course, Satan himself – and he, as a result of his rebellion against and separation from the Father, seeks, by all means, to draw us in to his orphanage.

To demand an inheritance while your father is still living is in effect to say – “I wish you were dead”. There could be no greater insult to a father in eastern culture. Still, this father granted the wish of his sons and divided his property between them.

The closing scenes of this story reveal that father never lost his love for these two boys. His longing until the end was to bring them to the place and position of true sons. Whether we are in the far away land or even living within the walls of the house - this it the heart of The Father towards us.