Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-10-28

| that not even his food was a part
of his consideration; if he got any
| thing it was just part of the husks
that he could get like, one. of the
pigs!
The Fathers Love
! Yet in all of this the father did
not seek for him, like the shepherd
! had for the lost sheep or the woman
! for her lost coin. Strange isn't it?
! No, not strange when you stop to
| think, for the father loved the boy
too much. He might have employed
! detectives to follow him and report
/ to him the boys condition from time
! to time; he might have sent to his
necessity as he received, information
! thus; he might have sent messengers
/ TO bring the boy home-but that
would not have been the wisdom of
| love. The boy might have been
| urged to come home or might have
been forcibly brought home and his
need supplied, but his heart was I'M
! changed and he would soon have
| gone astray again. His greatest need
was a change of heart; he had to
| come to himself. You see he had
not just wandered off like the sheep,
nor been carelessly lost by someone
like the coin. He had Willfully and
deliberately gone away He had re-
scented his fathers restraint and had
Intentionally left his fathers pres
ence. In love, therefore, the father
had to hands off until the boy came
to himself and had a change of
heart. That was his greatest need.
So the father didn't send for him,
but waited. Oh, yes, his heart was
ever with that boyl Not one mo-
i ment was his mind off of him. He
watched the gate every day; his eyes
/ were way down the road that he had
gone; his imagination was active IN
, wonder as to what he was doing and
where he was; his heart was break
ing for his boys presence. But he
didn't turn a hand to bring him
back--he had to wait for the boy to
come to himself.
Finally that happened. The boy
had been stripped of his all. Mate
rally he had nothing, and then he
| began to realize how poverty strick-
en- he was spiritually, as well. He
began to think-first it was about
| how much better off the servants
away from home. Then came the
turning point in his life-his de-
sire crystallized in two words 81 will
When that point was reached, the
rest was quickly done. 81 will arise
and go to my father, etc" He be-
gan to see the greatest truth of his
life-that to be with his father and
have nothing is worth more than
all the world if he is away from him.
1t cost him u tremendous price to
learn that, but Il was worth the
price.
The will made up, action was
| quick. He arose and went to his
| father.
Not a very attractive picture
dirty, unshaven, smelling of hogs,
clothes tattered, sandles worn out,
feet sore and bleeding from the
rough stones of the long journey,
the lines of dissipation in his face,
| bleer-eyed; instead of the springy
step, the tired drag. No, not a very
attractive picture; he would not be
recognized by the ordinary person.
But the father! Yes, he recognized
| his son. When he was yet a great
distance off, that father who had
been watching the road every day,
whose heart had been yearning for
this moment, that father saw him
and recognized his son! Rags and
| dir4 and sin-lines could not blind
| that fathers eyes!
Throwing aside dignity and self
restraint, his heart moved with COM
passion for that poor boy, he ran
to meet him, threw his arms around
his dirty neck and kissed him.
| (You see now that Jesus was re.
! bulIilg the critical spirit of those
Pharisees and scribes who objected
to his eating with publicans anC
! SinnerS.)
The Restoration
The boy began his speech that he
had determined upon in that fal
country: Father, I have sinnet
against Heaven, and in thy sight
! and am no more worthy to be
called thy son''-but he didn't gel
any further with it. That confession
was necessary and the father lei
him get that far, but no further
He stopped him right there, and be
! gan giving orders to his servants
to restore the son completely. Bring
! out the first" robe GOr so is the
| Creek, the robe he wore before he
went away, and put it on him
| thus restoring him completely tC
the place he had occupied before
! he left. Put a ring on his hand--a
! symbol of authority; restored TO his
! place of authority as q son. The
! servants would have been loath tC
honor his commands otherwise. Ant
! pat shoes on his feet-as one has
recently suggested that he might &c
over the same journey again with
out harm. Bring the fatted calf
the family festival, that at the table
with his father he might have fel
lowship in the biggest way.
And the father tells the servants
the reason for all this-a resurrec
ton has taken place! The old boy
is dead, a new boy is here in his
/ place. The old one wanted to &C
away, this new one wants to stay
and be with his father forever.
And so in each Case-the shep
herd who finds his sheep, the WON
an who finds her coin, the father
who finds the boy-there is great
rejoicing over that which was lost
What terrific rebuke to those re
| ligious leaders who were murmur
ing because Jesus was finding lost
souls, souls which these leaders
knew were lost and for that reason
were doing nothing to find them.
That Other Son
Jesus hasn't finished with these
scribes and Pharisees yet. though
He concludes the parable with {
1 picture of themselves. The friends
/ and neighbors came in and re
joiced with the shepherd and the
woman; but the elder brother had a
different attitude He resented the
merriment; he was angry and woult
not go in. He complained to his
father, falsely accusing him of never
. having given him a tbiOo a,T q 9