Continual Burnt Offering: Daily Meditations, July 25 (15:21-24)
“And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry” —Luke 15:21-24.
THE three-fold parable of Luke 15 sets forth the joy of heaven over the salvation of sinners who repent. The Lord Jesus is the seeking shepherd; the Holy Spirit is the light that makes manifest the lost coin; the returning prodigal is welcomed to the arms of the Father whose love saw him afar off and led him to run to meet him on the way. Pharisees and haughty scribes could find no joy in the display of grace. But poor sinners revel in its blessedness. The merriment of the Father’s house will go on forever.
—T. P., Trans. by Mrs. F. Bevan.