What does your picture of God look like?
Jesus spent a lot of time painting pictures with his words of what God looked like. He lived a life intended to show us who God was. Jesus actually creates two different views of God in one of the most famous of his stories.
The Prodigal Son
In the parable of the Prodigal Son the focus usually falls on the two main characters – the father and the younger son. The father hands this son his inheritance early, but the older son continues to run the family business with his father. The younger son carelessly blows his money, becomes destitute, and returns home in shame. The father is waiting though. The door is open. He welcomes the boy home with open arms.
However the story ends with a twist and cliff hanger. The older brother, who has been working diligently all along, angrily approaches the father wondering why all the kindness for his younger brother. The father responds to the older son (“All I own always has been and always will be yours, but now we celebrate your brother’s return.”). We never know what the older brother does with his father’s rebuke. It’s the cliffhanger.
Repentance + Relationship
The story of the Prodigal Son is chocked full of interesting nuggets on both human nature and the nature of God. We can learn about making wise life investments, how to handle things lost, or the transformation of the soul. But at it’s core, the story is about repentance and relationship.
God wants relationship. His nature demands repentance, but God longs for relationship.
In this story, Jesus pits two views of repentance against each other. One is full of anger and retribution. The other is based on love and compassion. One may bring repentance. The other is designed to create both repentance and relationship.
Because God is holy, his nature demands repentance. He needs men and women to repent of their sin when they come before him. I don’t completely understand it, but God’s perfect nature doesn’t mix with humanity’s fallen nature. So Jesus tells this story knowing that the character of the older brother represents a view of God common in the culture.
It wasn’t just common in the day of Jesus, but it’s a view held by many in today’s culture — especially in religious settings. Many believe anyone can find repentance, but only after you’re your pound of flesh has been dutifully extracted. The belief is there better be some pain…that can be seen…otherwise, is it really repentance?
Kindness + Repentance = Open Doors
Paul in the book of Romans lays out a clear theological treatise for God, sin, repentance and grace. In chapter one, he makes very clear the sin that separates us from God, and how it is the nature of man to both sin and to continually fall deeper into depravity. Paul, of course, is writing to those who are already followers of Jesus, so he begins the second chapter telling his readers that we are no better than those still walking in sin. We were once just like those people!
Paul goes on to make an amazing statement about the nature of God when it comes to sin, repentance and relationship:
“Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and restraint and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” -Romans 2:4
Each time I read, hear or even think about this statement, my breath is taken away. It’s quite unbelievable. It goes against common belief. It’s kindness, not anger, that pushes me toward God. Paul’s statement simply lines up with the picture Jesus already painted through the character of the father in his The Prodigal Son. Yes, the father wants to know his son is sorry and repentant, but just as important, the father wants a lasting relationship with his son. It’s the father’s mercy and kindness that leaves the door open.
God wants relationship. His nature demands repentance, but God longs for relationship.
What does your picture of God look like?
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