To every error, justice must answer
That is the way of law and order
But is this so with the Father
Who profusely lavishes mercy
Where justice demands punishment
New beginning instead of condemnation?
Many us do not have law degrees but we are pretty up there when it comes to knowledge of law and order. In fact, who needs legal education to know that justice must be satisfied for every error? Yeah, we heard you are sorry but someone has to pay for this? You can’t walk away free after committing an offense and call it fair. No, it is only fair when you pay a due price for the infraction. Thus is the law of God and man.
But what do you make of a father who was disgraced by his son. Not privately, the young man took his inheritance and walked out before a watching community of family, friends, servants and neighbors. It was not done in secret. In fact, it was breaking news long after the young man was gone. The publicity of his exit makes it impossible for his return to be made a private affair. How could he return? Every normal father will serve justice at the gates to this dishonorable son who wasted all he was given. It was another breaking news in the making: the whole city will gather to watch the shaming, in support of the father and in the end, everyone would go home confirming that justice has been served: he got what he deserved. But the story took a totally different turn because this father was not a normal one.
Like his prodigal son, this father was also prodigal. The son wasted a lot but the father wasted even much more by letting the son go unpunished for all he squandered, and by taking him back in. As if that wasn’t bad news enough, this father was in merry mood that the young man returned. An occasion that would have been considered shameful, the father turned into a celebration, wasting additional riches on this scandalous son who deserved nothing but rejection. The father threw a party! He called everyone to come and celebrate the return of someone who should not be allowed home ever again: a son that could not wait for his father to die. Of course, it is hard to say no to a rich man especially when free food and drinks are flowing so shocked as the community was, they turned up and joined in the celebration.
Such is the love of God our Father toward us: so stupendously extravagant! Every time a sinner comes home or any of us turn from our evil ways toward Him in repentance, Abba goes into celebration that shocks angels who have known this God of justice even before man was formed. “What’s come over Him,” they wonder about the Father? “What is man,” they ponder among themselves? Yet, wasteful as it appears, God never ceases to pour His love and forgiveness, generously upon everyone of us, every time we turn toward Him. What a prodigal Father we have?
Blessings
Glory!