 Good afternoon, Pastor David. It is. Welcome everybody to a random moment with Pastor David unfiltered. You know, Pastor, the beauty of God's Word is there are so many things, especially in the Old Testament, so many things that we see Jesus teaching us as he's leading his disciples or he's rebuking the Pharisees. And and oftentimes we come across a passage that because we live in the Western part of the world, we view things through a Western perspective. But there are stories in the Bible, even things that Jesus has said, that it really doesn't have the... We don't get the true meaning of it unless we look at it through a Middle Eastern perspective. That helps. One of them being the prodigal son. And recently you and I were actually yesterday, we were talking about this and you shared something with me that was amazing. And a lot of times people when they look at the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15, they see that repentance comes when the son has said, Father, I have sinned against you. Would that be the place in this passage or in this story that Jesus gives or this parable? Is that the true part of repentance? Well, see actually, that's what he says when he is repentant. But prior to that he said, what should I do? This is what I will do. And he had concocted a plan. And so let me share how again, I'll kind of will visit once more of that because it is it is a touching thing when you consider the insights that the ancient church really added to that and gave to us. If we if we took the opportunity to actually investigate. Yeah, the Western Church has normally seen that repentance was when he says that I have you know, I have to work eating, you know, I have to eat pigs, food, which I do. And they think, I'll just go back and they say, well, that's his point of repentance. But what happens is that a young man approaches his father and he says, give to me the things that belong to me, which was a great insult. A son was never to make a demand of a father, though he could legitimately give to him that which was his should he desire. The idea that the son would come in such a way and say, give that which is mine to me now was a great insult to the father because that was an inheritance that was to come upon the father's death. So in asking for his share of the inheritance in an early way, it was another way of saying I can't wait for you to die. I want to go out and live my life. And so that's man. That's how man is. I want to live my life without you and without anything to do with you, God. And so yeah, so he leaves, he goes to a foreign land, begins to take an occupation of feeding pigs. He's so obviously in a gentile portion of the world and he's so hungry that he desires to eat from the pods that he's normally feeding the pigs. And so that's when he begins to say, you know, in my father's house, there are many servants and what should I do? I mean, they're eating better than I am. And so he creates a plan. He says, this is what I'll do. I'll just go home. I'll say to my father you treat me like a servant. What he was really doing at that point, though, was he was buying himself some time. He was getting some job training, if you will. So he could go out once again into the world and continue the way that he had. But what had happened upon his his leaving, the fact that he had insulted his father in this way, caused the community, elders to gather together in the middle of the world Eastern way and to form a council. They called it the Katsatsa. And they put together a council and made a declaration. They they had a ceremony burning some acorns and things of that nature. And then they said this person has vanished forever from this community. So he had been cut off and that's a picture of his sin. He's cut off now from the father and the community. And so should he return? That council had authority to well, one, banish him, you know, to stop him from entering in. But also depending on the the gravity of the situation could have done him harm possibly even um seen him die. And so when he makes this plan to return to his father, you know, he he begins to make his way home. This is what I'll say. He has his plan. Make me as a servant. Give me some job training. That's really what he's doing. Um, we see a picture of the father and the father is waiting for him and sees the son coming up the road at the road and he runs to him and he pulls his robe so that he doesn't trip himself, which is a picture of the humiliation the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ humbling himself to embrace the sinner and he chases him and runs after him, chases him and runs after him, catches him before he enters the village because in embracing him, he's keeping the village, the village elders from enacting any penalties upon the son. So he clothes him in himself and and in saving him from the judgment. And and so that's when the real repentance happens and seeing the voluntary humiliation of the father to embrace him and to to to welcome him home. That's when the real the real repentance because originally he had he had rehearsed his speech, you know, I I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me a servant with his speech. But this time he said I've I've sinned against you and that was it. That was his confession. Prior I've sinned against you. I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. But that was a plan. Make me a servant was part of his plan. But when he said I've sinned against you, that was the repentance and that that's when the father in his love embraced his son and the son came to realize his great sin and the welcoming embrace of a forgiving father. And that is so powerful when you hear that way because even as a parent the great lengths that we would do as a parental love to our children that we would go and embrace them and protect them from harm. And you know yesterday your shared this with me knew it was emotional because I'm a parent and I think about my little boy my little girl you're a parent pastor and you think about your children and how as a parent we would do the same thing to now reflect that and seeing that's Jesus's ultimate love God's ultimate love for us. I have seen pictures of mothers who under fire in the Middle East and there there are shots being fired. I have seen not only in the Middle East but also in other countries pictures of mothers who have actually blanketed their children with their own body laying over the babies you know to take the bullets upon themselves. That is what God did for us is he he embraced us to take the judgment upon himself and then any true father any true father would take the punishment upon himself. You know I have my dad said to me when my mother was very ill I've asked God to give me her illness give me her illness I can take it. My dad told me that put it on me you know take it off her and so if we in a in a human way if we in a human way would say I'll bear the pain myself Lord how much more how much more when my God voluntarily humbled himself took upon himself the form of a man and died on a cross right and so that's the picture the Muslims would use the parable of the um prodigal and say well there's no incarnation there's there's no cross and they actually in debates against Christian scholars the Muslim scholars would use that parable to say atonement doesn't have to occur because there's no cross or incarnation or the things that pertain to Christian faith how can you use that it's because they were they were apparently neglecting to understand or remember those elements that Jesus would be referring to you know in the voluntary humiliation in the embrace and taking upon himself protecting that one and offering forgiveness and when that young man says I have sinned against you the instant grace of God it's all there and so the Christian scholars during the middle ages when they would debate the Muslim scholars who would would say all of these things about that parable of the prodigal the no the scholars the Christian scholars would point these things out you know and the fact that the man raised his skirt and ran no no Middle Eastern man would do that and the fact is the Middle Eastern father would expect that son to come to his house and in front of everybody to beg forgiveness before he'd even consider it before he'd even for you know consider forgiving him you've insulted me and you've brought this honor upon me that was the Middle Eastern mentality and that's still here in a variety of forms you did it you did it against me and you come and you let everybody know you made me ashamed in front of the community now you you know you you apologize in front of the community and the father didn't do that because the father knew his son's heart and that's why the father is waiting he knew the son's heart one day this son's going to come back to me and I'm not going to turn him away and and I have to protect him from the judgment that's to come and then he did you know he runs and and he grabs him and he holds him father I have sent slay the fatty calf you know that's all it takes is for you to say I have sinned and I can see that you've repented right what a what a beautiful picture powerful pastor what would you say to those who are maybe watching or listening right now who do have a son or a daughter that's a protocol love them pray for them never stop praying you know I believe that no matter how godly a person may be uh that doesn't mean that their children will be you know you there are too many examples in scripture of of sons who who refuse their father you know um um Saul's boys and you know so many others David's sons see there are so many others that there were godly men who had ungodly children but what do you do you know sometimes your kids will go through a a stretch where they're trying to find themselves be their own person one of my kids told me dad I need not your testimony I need my own I didn't appreciate hearing it at that time and I had done everything I could to keep them from having a testimony like mine sometimes children are bent on forming their own testimonies but you never give up you never stop praying you never stop loving and you know the funny thing John I'll close with this little thought here this little tidbit is the church isn't always as forgiving as they should be because when they see that somebody's child is not doing well very often what they do is judge the parent for it and surely this person isn't really the person they appear to be because look at their children the only ones I think who have a legitimate reason to think that not to say that's right is the ones who don't have their own children because I don't know a single person not a single person who is a father or mother who has raised a perfect child I don't know a single one and so in a time when they're going through so much pain it it's important to have their friends they're with them loving them and encouraging them through it and and unfortunately John and I'll be real with you on this one when my children went through tough times and broke my heart it was harder sometimes dealing with the members who at one time thought would say to me how much they loved me and I was their father in the faith and all of a sudden they're disappearing to go to a church apparently that is pastored by a perfect pastor who never admits his faults to anybody and um I learned some things about the church that I knew but I never thought my church was made up of people who could do that and indeed I'd learn some things every church is filled with people who don't know what grace is every church is filled with people that uh can misunderstand a person's heart but you know when when you have friends who love you and you have you have a mate like I do who can pray with you and pray together for my children who who went astray for a while have returned to the Lord and uh and I'm blessed to see that so you you don't let go no matter what John you hold on to the very end you know there have been times where pastors have actually died praying for the children never seeing them come back and at the pastor's funeral the children come back to the Lord his prayers were answered he just didn't have a chance to see it on earth so you hold on you never let go and uh and bless God when you have people around you who love you and your children too amen pastor that father never stopped looking fathers never stopped real fathers never stopped loving and never stopped waiting and never stopped hoping and are always ready to intervene and to help pastor thank you that was powerful and uh I hope you guys really enjoyed this what I invite you guys to our Sunday morning service at 8 30 and 10 45 uh pastor David you're taking us through mark chapter four we're looking at the parable of the mustard seed I'm going to give two different applications to that because some believe that the parable of the mustard seed speaks of the extreme growth of the church over the years through its history and others give a different view of that so I'll give both and then I'll share what I think it's saying that's I remember yes that's going to be good invite your friends and family to come on out for that also those who are registered to go to Israel or interested in going to Israel we have our meeting with inspired travel this Sunday October 24th after second service in the sanctuary even if you have questions come check it out yep and we'll look forward to having you and pastor again thank you so much for your time and for the insight that you've given us this is a very powerful passage it really is and and we're thankful so much for God's grace and for waiting on even on us at least me that's what it's for right that's what the parable of all prodigals yes so pastor thank you so much God bless you guys we'll see you and thank you for tuning in