Come Home, Come Home

But when this son of yours who has squandered your inheritance with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him! (Luke 15:30)

The story of the prodigal son tells us of a son who went out and squandered his inheritance, but then when feeding pigs and living off of pig slop he comes to his senses and returns home. The father when he sees the son from afar, which implies he had been waiting and watching for his son to come home, runs to him and welcomes him home.  

Some people say that all men are created in the image of God, referring to all mankind. It is true Adam was created in the image of God but he sold his inheritance for a piece of fruit. Mankind fell into sinful nature, no longer in the image of God. Christ came to reconcile mankind to God. The new covenant is a ministry of reconciliation, and we are being transformed from glory to glory into the image of God. In Christ, the image of God in mankind that was corrupted is being restored. John tells us Jesus came to give us the right to become children of God. Those who are chosen by God predestined for adoption as his own, birth of the Spirit a new creation, of God's image, also that reflected in Christ, the second Adam. 

In this light coming home has new meaning to me. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, for example, he was a son of the Father. Yes, he squandered his inheritance much like Adam, but he was a son of the Father, and when he came home the Father said, he was dead but now alive, he was lost but now he is found. Can we as children of God wander away from God? Once we were dead and made alive but can we wander from the fold? I think the plea to come home applies to all the children. "See, on the portals he is waiting and watching, watching for you and for me. Come home, come home, you who are weary come home. Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling O sinner come home." The father is watching from his portal for the prodigal sons to come home.

The lost sheep was of the fold, and became lost. The Good Shepherd left the ninety-nine who did not need saving to save the one lost, which there were one hundred sheep. One hundred percent were saved, not one was lost. "And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me" (John 6:39). Christ is the good shepherd and we are his sheep, the scriptures say that he has made sure that not a single one of his flock will be lost (John 18:9). 

celebrate and rejoice because this your brother existed dead and is alive, also lost and is found (Luke 15:32)

We are chosen, lost until we are found, until we hear the gospel of our salvation and believe and are sealed by the Holy Spirit as his own. But can we be sheep and wander away from the fold? I think so, and to both Jesus calls, come home, you who are weary and heavy burdened, come home. And when they do, rejoice and celebrate, have a feast, this your brother has come home!