The times-news., 1936-04-18

pitieth them that fear him tfsalh
lO3:13).
The time was probably Janu
ary, 80 A. D. The place was the
country Of Perea, east of the Jor
dan. A chief Pharisee had JUS
served a Sabbath meal at hi:
house to Jesus with his disciple:
and several other guests. lmme
diately afterward, they dispersed
in the vicinity and Jesus contin'
ued his. teaching. Among his hear,
ers. were .publicans who collected
Roman taxes and and sinners
who. .dislegarded. Jewish cereinon-
ialism. ..
Severely criticized for associat.
ing with such characters, Jesus
| delivered the parallels of the Lost
Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost
| Son. He justified on the human
side the attempt to save a lost
soul which is more valuable than
straying sheep or u misplaced
coin; and he revealed on the di-
vine side the JOY that Heaven
feels over the penitence of even
single sinner.
SO the Parable of the Prodigal
Son is also the Parable of the
Forgiving Father. 80.
FORTUNE FROM
THE FATHER .'.
(Verses l1-l3.) ..
The Father Recognizes Person
al Responsibility. The heir of for.
tune in q luxurious Oriental home,
the prodigal son calls for his share
(one-third, since his older brother
would be entitled to double. por-
tom of the paternal possessions
consisting mainly of money, jew
els, and precious stones. Seeing
the futility of restraint, the faith.
er grants the request, though re-
tanning q financial reserve and
parental authority. Now a free
man. with a fortune and . future,
he frets no longer at the narrow
ness of home with its irksome du-
ties, dull companionships, and un-
satisfying pleasures. Out into the
great wide world he goes osten-
sibly, perhaps to visit the, centers
of trade and become q Croesus. OF.
finance, but actually in search of
pleasure. Soon he finds himself in
. far country with plenty of mon
ey and daily making new friends
whose company costs in cash and
character. Does he become dis
solute? Perhaps so. At least he, is
wildly wastefur without the slight
est income to cover his enormous
output. The result is ineyitable; /;
soon he is solitary. and penniless
in a strange land overswept at
the moment by a mighty famine.
FAMINE WITHOUT :
THE FATHER a;s
: (Verses 14-l6.) 49,
The Father Pities the Prodigal
in Distress. AS the hireling, Of
famine, .ignoble as it is, and nn-
worthy of his, fathers family. the
sprodigdl son forces himself upon
the generosity of a Gentle, who
mot having the heart to thrust
him forth to certain starvation,
puts him at the, task of the loy-
est menial in Israel! How quickly
the rich heir has become the rag
ged swineherd!. And his earnings
are not enough to secure suffi-
cicnt food. He fain would fill him.
self with the pods of the carob
tree which the hogs greedily ate,
but they were a meckery of physi-
cal nutriment. Oh, for a crumb
from those who erstwhile sat
down to his banquets! But not q
hand is extended to him..
FAITH IN -;
THE FATHER ''''.. -. {.
(VerseS l7-20.) :,
The Father Awaits the. Exercise
of Faith. AS the hero of faith,
the prodigal son energies from the
depths. Spendthrift and swine
herd successfully, he is now again
the son of his father He sees his
condition is due to his conduct
and knows that he. is in q far
worse plight than the servants on
his fathers estate. That he had
left home is ebscured by the fact
that he ha dtransgreSsed his To-
theirs law. What must he do?
First, he must quit the scene Of
his wickedness and. wretehedness
and find his way back to that in
iured father. 1t would not do to
write or send word. Nothing so
appealing as the emaciated body,
the tattered garment, the falter-
ing words, the humble disposition
of the prodigal himself. The good
determination is carried cut and
every mile is crowded with sad
Frecolleetions.-- -.-----,--s. -,
FAVOR WITH - =. :. ~
THE FATHER s.. = -. -
J. lVefses 2l-24.) J. -, 49,.
The Father Receives and Re-
stores the, Penitent. At last the
,, prodigal. son comes within sight
of. the old home. Does he hesitate
with q sense of -unworthinesS and,
with fearful eyes7 The father who
Ehas looked and longed many %
day for the return Eof his boyt
sees afar the totferang wreck I6f
a once glorious manhood Iand rec,
htognizes the pr6digalH son. The
fwelcome is infinitely more than
the young man from the swine
pastures could expect. In his pen
itence he would have been salts
fed if his father, without a word
of greeting, had permitted him 4
place in the servants quarters.
But he sobs. out his confession of
unworthiness which insured on his
part and his fathers a permanent
restoration. So the tears must be
dried and the sobs hushed. No
however Sprodigal and profligate,
| If he returns with ,sorrow;no Maori