Luke 15:17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!.
The prodigal son gave heed to the wrong advice of scoundrels and left his father’s house with his share of the property. He had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living (vs 13). When all the money was gone, he found himself working as a hireling feeding pigs! Pigs are an ultimate symbol of loathing to a Jew. There are plenty of animals prohibited in the ‘kosher diet’ listed in Leviticus 11 however, pigs disgusted the Jews. This young Jewish man who wandered away from a righteous home into unrighteous living was both symbolically and literally sent to feed swine. In the pig’s pen, the prodigal came back to his senses and he made a statement that aligned with God’s perfect will. He said, while the servants in his father’s house were feasting, he was dying of famine in a foreign land. Hence he decided to go back to his father.
The horizontal voice within the voice of the prodigal congregated with the divine vertical vocabulary of heaven and he was restored to his father. I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you (vs 18). The letter-match in the crossword puzzle of the prodigal was “Repentance” horizontally, and “Restoration” vertically.
Horizontal and Vertical words in crosswords:
1. Repentance: Repentance did not mean the prodigal was perfect instantly. The smelly, stinking prodigal son progressed towards his father’s house. When the father saw him at a distance, he ran towards him and covered him with the robe. Beneath the robe he was still reeking. He had to be cleaned, washed and dressed. So is a sinner who repents. They do not change instantly as soon as they repent. The sinful nature, addictive habits and stubborn sins must be cleansed, sanctified and discarded.
2. Restoration: ‘Restoration’ matches vertically as the word ‘repentance’ falls in line horizontally. “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten— the great locust and the young locust,the other locusts and the locust swarm—my great army that I sent among you (Joel 2:25). The prodigal was welcomed back with great joy and celebration.
3. Recompense: As the two words fall in line in the crossword, the blood of Jesus becomes the ‘payback’ for all our sins. The father of the prodigal ran towards him and covered him with his coat to protect him from being stoned by the villagers. In the Jewish culture a prodigal son who has disrespected his family will be stoned to death (Deuteronomy 21:18-21). Likewise, we are covered by the coat of righteousness of Jesus who repaid the debt of sin when we return to Him.
The word match of repentance and confession covers us with the coat of righteousness.
Isaiah 61:10b For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness.
Prayer: Papa God, thank you for racing towards me, covering me with your righteousness and repaying my debt of sin on the cross. Amen
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