Fourth Sunday in Lent

WesleyMen Lenten & Easter Devotionals 2025

 Gospel Lectionary

 Luke 15:1-3 New Revised Standard Version

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. ² And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” ³ So he told them this parable:

“There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the wealth that will belong to me.’ So he divided his assets between them. ¹³ A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant region, and there he squandered his wealth in dissolute living. ¹⁴ When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that region, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that region, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. ¹⁶ He would gladly have filled his stomach^[b] with the pods that the pigs were eating, and no one gave him anything. ¹⁷ But when he came to his senses he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! ¹⁸ I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.” ’ ²⁰ So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. ²¹ Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’^[c] 22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate, ²⁴ for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.

²⁵ “Now his elder son was in the field, and as he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. ²⁷ He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has got him back safe and sound.’ ²⁸ Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command, yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ ³¹ Then the father^[d] said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’ ”

Reflection

Luke 15^th chapter covers three parables- ‘The lost sheep’, ‘The lost coin’, and ‘The lost son’. Let’s meditate on ‘The lost son’. Here, we see about three characters: The younger son, the Prodigal; the elder son, who is supposed to be a good one; and the loving father.

I would like to focus on the character of the father first. He seems to be a loving father who has been waiting for his younger son’s arrival at any time. Because of that, he looked for him every day, gazing toward the street.  He could identify him on the street when he returned and ran towards him, hugged and kissed him.  Secondly, he prepared the house ready to receive his son on his return back home. For instance, he had a robe, a ring, and sandals for his feet, a fatted calf for the feast, and invited the participants like dancers to come to dance with music, etc.   Thirdly, the father received the son as he was. Despite his pathetic condition with unclean dress coming from a pig farm, he was received with a hug and kiss from the father. The son had resolved to say the verses he had in his mind to ask for forgiveness from his father.

Meanwhile, the father never even bothered to listen to that. The son expected acceptance, but the father gave him a grand reception. He expected to have the food of a servant, but the father gave him a grand feast. He expected his father to forgive him, but his father expressed his love by giving him a ring as a sign of sonship.

Next let me narrate the character of the younger son. When he had a lot of wealth, he was not himself. There is a saying, ‘he who knows not and knows not that he knows not is foolish’. He had fallen to the above category. Only when he lost everything, there was a severe famine and no one employed him, He then joined with a citizen of that country. He was sent to work in a piggery and was denied even the pigs’ food. It is said that then he came to himself. This was the first step of change in his life. Secondly, he left the piggery. (For Jews, the pig is an unclean animal). If he had not moved from that place, he would have lost his life due to starvation and famine. Thirdly, he started his journey towards his home to meet his father.  He resolved to ask forgiveness from his father by saying, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.”

I, too, had a similar experience in my life. I was away from God during my teen years. When I was doing my first year of my bachelor’s degree, I had the privilege of attending a camp organised by UESI in India (Union of Evangelicals Students India, which is part of a global ministry called IFES). There, I came to myself, meeting my Saviour as the Prodigal Son. I asked God for forgiveness and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. There was a transformation in my life, and I have been blessed since then.

The older son, who seemed to be an obedient one, thought that his younger brother was lost forever. When there was a festival mood at home, he could have come inside and asked his father. Instead, he enquired with the workers at home about that. Secondly, he was angry about his brother’s return, which was a very bad thing. Thirdly, he couldn’t go inside his house even at his father’s request.

We learn about the three characters through this parable. Which one do you think you want to identify yourself with? If given the chance, I want to inherit the nature of my Heavenly Father who forgives all my sins and accepts me as His child to inherit His blessings in life. So I, too, want to extend the same love to welcome the individuals who are lost and the underprivileged, to recognise the migrants who are in need and provide help for them in all possible ways to restore them to a life of enjoying the freedom in Christ and help them to lead an everyday life. This reflects my Heavenly Father’s character.

Prayer

As I close this devotion, I am reminded of the chorus that says,

“Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me

All his wondrous, compassion and purity

Oh thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine

Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me “

This chorus can be our prayer too during this Lenten season.

Mr. D. Barnabas Emmanuel, WesleyMen Regional Leader Asia