Calvary Lutheran Church

Grasping God's Grace

May the God of peace fill you with all joy in believing. Amen.

Luke 15:11-27

Dear Christian friends:

It is not surprising that this book, God’s Word, contains some amazing concepts that we find difficult to comprehend. Take, for example, the concept of God’s love for us his creatures. Who can comprehend it? Oh, we know something about love in our lives. After all, we experience human love from our spouse, our parents and grandparents, our children, our family and friends. But who can begin to comprehend the infinite love of almighty God?

One author in this Bible by the name of the Apostle Paul wrote to the members of the Ephesian congregation, “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:17-19). In other words, truly grasping God’s love takes a power that can only come from God himself.

When Jesus preached on this earth 2,000 years ago, he especially wanted his hearers to grasp the love that God had for them and us. But he knew it would be difficult because of our human limitations. So he resorted to parables. A parable is a metaphor, a simple human story that has a profound godly meaning. Jesus told several parables about God’s love, but perhaps the most famous is his Parable of the Lost Son found in our Gospel lesson for today.

This morning I wish to retell this story, and when I finish I will pray for you, as Paul did for the Ephesians, that the Holy Spirit might work his power to help you grasp this love that surpasses human knowledge.

Grasping God’s Love

Jesus’ parable was this: a father had two sons whom he loved dearly. He was a very rich man with many servants, and he gave his two sons everything they needed in life—a nice home, good food, the best of clothing, and especially his unwavering love.

One day a most shocking thing happened that no doubt grieved the father. The younger son demanded his inheritance. He knew that one-third of his father’s estate would eventually go to him. According to Jewish law the oldest son got double the inheritance. So, if there were just two sons, one-third was left for the younger son. But it was still a substantial amount. And remember that this was an inheritance, a gift, not something that either son deserved or earned or worked for. No, this wealth became theirs simply because they were born his children.

But this younger son didn’t see it that way. He didn’t see it as a gift at all but as his personal property. And he couldn’t wait for his father to die to inherit it, he demanded it now to spend it as he saw fit. He was that selfish, that disrespectful, that unappreciative. But an amazing twist of Jesus’ parable was that the father agreed. I suspect the father knew his son well enough to know what he would do with his wealth, probably squander it on wild living, but he gave it to him anyway.

Here now we begin to see the depth of this father’s love. Would you hand over one-third of all your hard-earned wealth to an immature, ungrateful, imp? This father did. And the only possible explanation for his actions was that he knew his son was heading down the wrong path in life and had a yearning for the wild life. And not all the talking, not all the warning was going to change this son’s mind. So the father’s only resort was to let the son go and experience the heartache and the emptiness of this sinful world, with the hope that he would come to his senses and see what he really had under his father’s care. I tell you, turning over that inheritance was an act of deep love on the part of the father.

How much does God your heavenly Father love you? Enough to give you everything you have and need in life. When we say the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth,” Martin Luther’s explanation to that article is this:

I believe that God created me and all that exists, that he gave me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my mind and all my abilities. And I believe that God still preserves me by richly and daily providing clothing and shoes, food and drink, property and home, spouse and children, land, cattle, and all I own, and all I need to keep my body and life. God also preserves me by defending me against all danger, guarding and protecting me from all evil. All this God does only because he is my good and merciful Father in heaven, and not because I have earned or deserved it. For all this I ought to thank and praise, to serve and obey him.

That’s what we ought to do. But often times we are like this younger son and take it all for granted. We receive these things from God, and yet we think of them as really our own. After all, we work hard for the things we have accumulated in this life, they didn’t just fall from the sky. But if we stop to think about it, what is it that we have that has not been given to us by God? Certainly not our body and life—every child born is given the miracle of life from God. We earn a living, but God gives us our abilities to function well at a job. We buy food and clothing at the store, but God creates the weather and crops and animals to make those items available. How many times has God protected us from harm and disease and danger? We don’t even know. Sometimes we act a lot like this younger son, and can only focus inwardly and not see the big picture of our heavenly Father’s love and blessings. This son was completely blind to his father’s love and blessing, so the father let him go.

One question I almost always get in confirmation class is this: when God created the world didn’t he know that the first two created humans, Adam and Eve, would disobey God and bring sin into the world? The obvious answer is “yes.” So then why did he still create them? The only possible answer is that God still loved Adam and Eve even after their fall into sin, and he wanted them to enjoy his new creation even in their sinful state and to experience his presence and fellowship.

It is no different today for you and me. Why did God bring us into this world knowing full-well that we would, first of all, be conceived and born in sin; and then, secondly, that we would rebel and sin against him every day of our lives for 30, 60, 90 years? We would have to say, “Because he still loved us, and he wanted us to enjoy his creation and experience his presence and fellowship.” Paul told the Athenians, “From one man God made every nation of men that they should inhabit the whole earth (yes, all seven billion of us on this planet can trace our beginning to one man—Adam); and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live (God decides when we are born, when we die, and even where we live). God did this so that all would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us” (the first reason God put us on this plant is that we might come to know him, and that he might become a part of our lives and our eternity), (Acts 17:26-27).  

Back to our parable: this son acted just as the father expected. Shortly after receiving his inheritance the son gathered his belongings and left home to a far away country, as far away from his father as possible. And there he squandered his wealth in wild living.

So also, there are some today who want to get as far away from God and religion and church as they possibly can. They get preoccupied with work and family and entertainment and sports and money and fame and fortune. Nothing wrong with those things in themselves, until those things completely take over their lives. Others fall off the deep end and engage in wild living and moral corruption. They end up with drugs and alcohol and addictions that result in poverty and homelessness. The life they thought they wanted to live did not bring them the happiness they were looking for.

So also, this son’s downfall came quickly. He was soon out of money, and now a famine struck. The timing could not have been worse. Oh, he still had his life, but that was about it. Now he was hungry. So hungry that he easily would have eaten the slop that he had been hired by a farmer to feed to the pigs.

How bad can sin get in a person’s life? It can get so bad that you turn on your loved ones with anger and abuse. It can get so bad that you become chronically discouraged and depressed and fearful over what is going on in your life. It can get so bad that you place the value of your life on what other people think of you or say about you. It can get so bad that you place all your energy in the accumulation of things that are only temporary and can be all lost in a hurricane or earthquake. These are critical times in a person’s life. Because you can go in one of two directions. You can continue down the road that leads to misery and ruin and death, or you can turn to the Lord that leads to peace and joy and hope.

This son took the latter road. He thought of his father. That was the first step in the right direction. Could his father possibly have an ounce of kindness and love and forgiveness toward him that he would give him the lowliest job as a hired hand in his household? At least he would have food to eat? He had to find out.

Verse 20, “So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” Remember, this was the father that was jilted by his own son, who grabbed the money and left. You would expect the father to run him off his property. But instead, the father was waiting for his son to return. He had longed to see him again. He was filled with compassion that his son had to go through such misery and pain in life. And he embraced him as though nothing had changed, because in his mind nothing had. He was still his son, and he still loved him with an unfailing, unconditional, undeserved love.

The godly meaning of Jesus’ parable is this: our heavenly Father loves us with unfailing, unconditional, undeserved love. We call it his “grace.” He has demonstrated his grace over and over again in this word. This is the same God who expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden when they rebelled. But before doing so he also promised to send a Savior who would crush the head of Satan. This is the same God who destroyed the world with a flood because of its wickedness. But before doing so had Noah warn the people for 120 years. This is the same God who send fire and brimstone upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of their wickedness. But if ten righteous had been found in those cities, he would have spared them as well. You see, our heavenly Father takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but desires that they turn to him in repentance and faith.  

But here is the amazing part, in his grace God forgives us even before we turn to him. Paul wrote to the Romans, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God didn’t wait for us to come to the waters of baptism. He didn’t wait for us to suddenly show up in church one day or crack open a Bible or make a move toward him. No, while we were still in our state of unbelief and sin, he declared us and the whole world righteous and holy through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus. This was the whole purpose for Christ Jesus coming to this world. To demonstrate God’s love for all the world by taking its sins upon himself.

And it isn’t that God just forgives us, but he blesses us beyond belief. This father would hear none of his son’s begging for the lowest position as a hired hand. But he 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. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”

Sometimes we may think, “Even though God forgives me he could ever find it in his heart again to bless me.” The answer is yes. In fact, he blesses us beyond expectation. He, first of all, calls us his very own child and heir of eternal life, “How great is the love the father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God ! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1.)  He then turns our lives around and makes them complete and fulfilling. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). He comforts us in times of trouble. Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He pours out on us the gifts of the Holy Spirit, “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22). And finally, he promises that there is nothing that we will ever lack or need in this life or the life to come. David wrote in Psalm 23, “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:8).

I promised that I would pray for you as Paul did for the Ephesians that you might receive the divine power it takes to grasp his love. I will keep that promise now with these words:

May we pray:

Heavenly Father, it is such a staggering realization to understand that you, the infinite God of the universe, truly love each one of us here with a love that is everlasting. Give us an understanding of that love that is beyond human understand. You richly provide us with good things every day to enjoy. Keep us mindful of all your precious gifts for body and soul. But especially enlighten us to your unfailing, unconditional, undeserved love of forgiveness. Impress upon our hearts and minds today that nothing can separate us from your love which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. In his name we pray. Amen.