Imagine for a minute or two that we are a member of a very small community family assembly in the wealthiest neighborhood of town. One day one of our brethren runs out with the collection plate presumably never to be seen again. Over the grape vine we hear that they have moved into the red light district of town and are spending the assemblies money on prostitutes. When they run out of money they becomes a prostitute them self. They end up with HIV Aids and are unable to support themselves. They attempt suicide and by the favor of Elohim fail. They then realize that those in their past have the potential to help and they decide to come back to the assembly in shame and repentance. How would our priest receive them? How would we receive them? What if we had been married to them? As we drove to our assembly place we may have passed them on the road trying to wave us down for a ride. There is even the strong probability we were tempted to wave our index finger in their direction.

My life has something in common with the person male or female above. I attempted suicide and spent time in jail for a poorly conceived and badly timed reconciliation effort with an assembly member who happens to be my ex-wife and claims to have a loving and forgiving relationship with Elohim. Today if I showed up at my old assembly repentant for all my sins it is highly likely the police would be immediately called and I would be escorted out of there with the warning “Don’t ever come back!!”. For many of us The Parable of the Lost Son is a living parable and for the rest it is a parable waiting to happen to us. This parable magnifies the awesome, sometimes incomprehensible, possibly peculiar and abounding love that Elohim has for all those who become “Reborn Again”. Those who have lived the parable want everyone else to as well. If my old assembly lived this parable they would be encouraged to take up another collection funding a celebratory “back from the dead” party in the basement for a found family member. Instead the basement in the assembly is more likely to be used to encourage people to gamble with Elohim’s assets to fund the assemblies existence. There maybe many more Bingo assemblies (Gambling on the Sabbath) than there are Lost Son or Daughter Assemblies.

Our Savioress Yashayahnah Messiasess response to the Yehudah Leaders accusation of receiving and eating with sinners was the teaching of three parables illustrating Elohim’s love and yearning for the lost. The first two parables “The Lost Sheep” and “The Lost Coin” teach us how heaven celebrates more over the finding of one lost soul who repents than over those who do not need to repent. That is so hard for us to conceive. How can heaven celebrate more over sinners when we have been regularly attending our assembly and acting the way Elohim expects us to? Maybe it is due to a “more set apart than thou” attitude!  Do we really believe there would be a party in heaven if someone like Hitler had fallen to his knees, genuinely repented and sought the forgiveness of the Yehudah Nation, the rest of the world and from Elohim? That maybe the most obscene statement written in this scroll and yet none of us can speak for Elohim; we must let Elohim speak for Elohim and one way Elohim speaks to us is in parables. We must embrace the lessons given to us in parables.

We also must be very careful about using parables to justify the wicked or condemn the just.

Proverbs 17:15

He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Masteress.

We must understand the nature and the lessons within the parables. We need to try and elevate our thinking to a higher level and a higher understanding because Elohim thinks and acts very differently than we do;

Isaiah 55:8

“ For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Masteress.

Our ways, our traditions, our lifestyle and our thoughts are very different from Elohim’s. These parables provide strong evidence supporting the Scripture recorded by Isaiah. Let us now review the Parable of the Lost Son in more detail and try to break down its many components. Please read it a few times and meditate on the message Elohim is trying to deliver to us. We need to try to elevate our thoughts and feelings about repentance to the level of Elohim. As members in the family who want to worship Elohim in spirit and truth we must reach a point in our lives where the major component of our mission is to seek lost sheep and help them find their way home to Yashayahnah Messiasess and Our Father. We must try to give Elohim plenty to celebrate about in heaven.  It means changing our way of thinking and it means reaching out to the same people Yashayahnah Messiasess received and ate with. Surely each of us wishes to one day dine with Yashayahnah Messiasess at the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.

Luke 15:11-32

The Parable of the Lost Son

Then She said: “A certain man had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’

“And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

“Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’

“But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’

“And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”

Most importantly we all are potential sons and daughters of Elohim. Our Father is in heaven and we know from the Scriptures that we have a choice of only two destinies. We either will participate in the resurrection with Yashayahnah Messiahess or resurrect to a White Throne Judgment. We either are “of this world” or in training to become servants hoping to participate in the Second Coming of Yashayahnah Messiahess. Elohim wants All of us to be united to and part of the resurrection with Yashayahnah Messiahess. In this parable the elder son may symbolize a righteous person on their way to becoming a servant at their resurrection with Yashayahnah Messiahess. The younger son represents a son or daughter of Our Father headed for the White Throne Judgment who comes to their senses and seeks to become a mere servant in the Sovereigndom to come.

In Mosaic Law the eldest son is entitled to a double portion of the estate of his father. In a family of two sons then the eldest is entitled to two thirds of the estate and the youngest one a third. The youngest son asked for his entitlement and the father gave it to him. The lesson here is The Father in heaven gives to both the wicked and the righteous but more is given to the righteous.

The younger son chooses to leave the family and the ways of Elohim The Father moving into the world which lives in opposition to Elohim. We all live in that world. He lives extravagantly and wastes away Elohim’s assets in a sinful, rebellious and wicked life. The squandering of his wealth compounded by tribulation in the form of a famine befalls him resulting in a Yehudah man working as a farm hand rearing pigs. In a sense this is a curse as no Yehudah would voluntarily want to be raising animals that are unclean and in Elohim’s eyes not fit for human consumption. This is most likely still true today and it is very revealing that ham is a traditional serving at Easter family celebrations. Thus Satan has deceived the world into eating unclean meat on the very day Christianity celebrates the resurrection of the Lamb. The youngest son reaches a point where he just wants a portion of the food being fed to swine hogs. In an Epiphany he realizes how far he has strayed from home, Elohim and the security of his family. He begins to understand and yearn for “true love”.

In coming to his senses he values his Father and Elohim and takes accountability for wasting what his father had given him. In his mind he is unable to return as a son because he had so grievously sinned against his father and heaven. He hopes to return as a laborer and hired hand of his father. Imagine Elohim letting us lost souls be hired hands in the coming Sovereigndom. Wow! Personally it is a miracle to participate with others in this hope. He returns and despite being a great distance away his father see’s him and runs out in great compassion and love, embracing him in a hug. He kisses him before he says a word of repentance. This illustrates to us that Our Father and Yashayahnah Messiahess are always looking for us. When we turn towards them they will rush out to welcome us back. The very act of turning our back on Satan’s world and looking towards Elohim again results in them rushing towards us. In their compassion and love they seek us BEFORE we get on our knees in repentance. Elohim knows that when we turn to look for the Sovereigndom we will ultimately be led to repentance. After the embrace and being kissed by his father the son admits to having sinned in his father’s sight and claims to be unworthy of being called a son.

Meditate for a minute on the admission of the youngest son. Father is capitalized symbolizing the son talking to our Fatgher in heaven. Here are his words ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ Do we in our repentance admit to Elohim that we are unworthy of being Elohim’s sons and daughters? Humility is a very important component of our relationship with Elohim and in our repentance admitting we are unworthy to be sons and daughters is a way to present ourselves humbly before Our Father and Yashayahnah Messiahess.

The father is ecstatic and receives his lost son by giving him the finest clothing available, sandals and a ring on his finger. A ring symbolizes marriage to Our Savioress Yashayahnah Messiahess. A fatted calf is offered to Elohim in celebrating the son’s return and a “Welcome back from the Dead!!!” party with accompanying music and dance is held.

The calf, the ring, the sandals and the robe all are a part of the inheritance of the eldest righteous son. The righteous son hears about his brother’s return and in jealous anger refuses to participate in his father’s joy at the recovery of a lost one. We as Messianics may be tempted into dreaming about the rewards Elohim will reward us with as servants in the Sovereigndom. We may assume too much about our inheritance and even the taught ones argued over their coming inheritance and chain of command. Our Father’s point to us through this parable is simply that once in the Sovereigndom we will always have more than we need and we will be able to share our excess with others. If we believe we already are participating in the Sovereigndom we are not to count our current or future possessions but we are to share them with all those willing to return to a life with Elohim.

In envy and jealousy there is a condition of selfishness and lack of appreciation for the blessings we have. Harold Coffin once said “Envy is the art of counting the other fellow’s blessings instead of our own”. The following is a slightly changed version of a quote Jennifer James made on Jealousy: – “Jealousy is simply and clearly the fear that we do not have value. Jealousy scans for evidence to prove the point – that others will be preferred and rewarded more than us. There is only one alternative – self-value.  If we cannot love ourselves, we will not believe that we are loved.  We will always think it’s a mistake or luck.  We need to take our eyes off of others and look within ourselves.  Find the seeds of our jealousy, clear the old voices and experiences.  Put all the energy into building our personal and emotional security.  Then we will be the one others envy, and we can remember the pain and reach out to them.” Jennifer’s approach and outlook is one Elohim would ask us to implement in our lives with the possible addition that we should be humble and not seek to be envied by others.

Jealousy at one time was a thorn in my personality. It took me many years to stop becoming a watch dog over my first wife’s life. This parable challenges us to rein it in and eliminate it from our lives. The elder son expressed anger and outrage at his father; the very one who had given him all that he needed. He complained bitterly that a party celebrating his righteousness had never been given. The message in the parable is clear. When we are righteous Elohim will provide everything we need and our celebration should be one of daily thanksgiving to Our Father in Yashayahnah Messiahess’s name. If we are celebrating Elohim in spirit and truth we can be assured that we will be blessed with all we need especially love, compassion and forgiveness.

Anger is a cancer and uncontrolled anger is a hurt we put on family, friends and others that they may find impossible to forget, forgive and cure. A minute of anger can lead to a lifetime of regret. Anger sometimes leads to dire consequences and hurt feelings. Self directed anger may have been a contributing factor in my suicide attempt. Thankfully a lifetime of regret has turned into a life with eternal hope, forgiveness, love and a new found joyfulness. When we are angry and choose to turn our anger on society unimaginable tragedies can result. A man admittedly angry at Elohim blew away young children at a school for Amish children. The incredible response from the Amish was forgiveness and compassion bringing tears to my eyes every time it comes to mind. Our weekly news is filled with victims at the hands of angry individuals. As Messianic taught children we must strive to eliminate anger from our lives. Our Savioress died by the hands of angry non believers and Our Savioress will be the one who administers justice for all inappropriate reactions of anger. Our anger is our way of administering our justice on others and we must be careful not to act in an unrighteous manner. Confucius says “When anger rises, think of the consequences” and we as Children of Elohim must remember that we are accountable to Yashayahnah Messiahess for all our angry words and actions.

The Scriptures have much to say about anger. There is righteous anger but the majority of The Scriptures on anger deal with unrighteous anger. This parable encourages us to learn more about anger and to implement what we learn in our lives. Here are a few Scriptures addressing anger. We will begin with Our Teacheress, Shepherdess and Savioress Yashayahnah Messiahess;

Matthew 5:21-24

Murder Begins in the Heart

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brethren without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brethren, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brethren, and then come and offer your gift.

Before we bring gifts or offerings to Elohim we must first be reconciled to our brothers and sisters. “Raca” is a word or action of contempt meaning “to spit” at a person who maybe is vain, empty, worthless or rejected. Yashayahnah is telling us that we as Messianics must make the effort to reconcile with others before approaching Elohim. Wow. How many people in our lives have said or spat “Raca” at us and disappeared into the sunset? More importantly how many have we “Raca” ed?  Sometimes we see professional sports players spit at others. They may as well be spitting at Our Father in heaven. When we “Raca” somebody it is Elohim we are spitting at;

We must make a colossal attempt to live without traits of anger and we must speak with a clean mouth;

Colossians 3:8

But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.

Have we listened to what comes out of our children’s mouths lately? They are Elohim’s children as well as ours. Elohim puts us to tests and thru trials to learn the ways of Elohim. That is why I was humbled to the point of suicide and put in jail. The Taught One James encourages us to develop specific qualities in dealing with trials;

James 1:19-20

Qualities Needed in Trials

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of Elohim.

The Parable of the Lost Son touches on many characteristics that we should embrace in our treatment of repentant sinners looking for their way home. These sinners, myself fully included have been quick to hurt others but for us turning in Elohim’s direction is abundant reason for Elohim to celebrate in joy. We must be quick to understand Elohim’s joy and understand that we who claim to be righteous have the power to bring more joy to Elohim and our communities by encouraging more children to come home.

The Parable ends with the father saying to his righteous son “Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”. Everything Elohim owns Elohim will share with us. All we need do is give ourselves to Elohim in spirit and truth. It is more than right that merriment was the end result of the lost son coming home. It is a miracle when one of Elohims’s lost children comes back from the dead. Miracles and truly repentant sinners are the joy and domain of Elohim. They are the apple of Elohim’s eyes. If we can find one apple for Elohim’s orchard how many orchards will Elohim give us in the new Sovereigndom? As many as we will ever need. Saving a soul is so precious that we should live a life in perpetual thanks and joy to Our Father and Our Savioress who believe in finding Lost Sheep. We have forgotten them and we refuse to celebrate when they return too righteousness. The Sovereigndom to Come is truly an Assembly and community we must learn to embrace, celebrate and share with as many others as possible.

This is an important parable and my favorite parable for the simple reason I have lived the lives of both sons. We all will end up living both lives until we have found all truths. In celebration the article is going to end with a collection of songs covering a few aspects of the lessons in this parable. Please take the time to watch and sing along enjoying the re-inforcement of the songs.

We all have the capacity to hurt others and to be hurt by others. May we learn the true love, compassion, forgiveness and reunited embrace of Elohim in our times of greatest pain and need. I know I have. Here is one of my favorite people singing “Hurt”

Press and Sing Along with Cat Stevens “Hurt”

You say you want to seek the truth, but it’s hard to find
No one to help you, your friends don’t have the time
So you ride around in your car, switch on the radio
You want to relate to something you once read in a book
What kind of a way to try to take a look
Until I got hurt I was looking, I was on my way
Until I got hurt, until I got hurt, darling I painted my face grey
Until I got hurt, ’til I got hurt, why didn’t I
I didn’t think of this until I got hurt
‘Till I got hurt, baby, I didn’t know what love is
You say you want to learn to laugh ’cause music makes you cry
But the tears you shed are only in your eye
So you turn to any phoney mouth with a tale to tell
But he’s just a hoaxer don’t you know, selling peace and religion
Between his jokes and his karma chewing gum
Until I got hurt, I was looking, I was the same as you
Untii I got hurt, until I got hurt, I did not know what to do
Until I got hurt, ’till I got hurt, why didn’t I
I didn’t think of this until I got hurt
‘Till I got hurt, baby, I didn’t know what love is
Young son, don’t let me down, young son
I’m trusting you to keep on, never turn away now
Hold on, never let go, now hold on
Turn your heart to the bright sun
Love will come your way
Cos ’till you make that final show
You’ll never know what love you’ve been missing
Missing
You say you want to seek the truth but you work alone
No one to help you and nobody to push you on
So you sit at home drinking your wine, television on
You wait for a miracle, cos you say one day one’ll come along
any minute now ! You might be gone
I’d like to help you brother but that would be wrong
Until I got hurt, I was looking, I was on my way
Until I got hurt, until I got hurt, darling I didn’t know which way
Until I got hurt, ’till I got hurt, why didn’t I
I didn’t think of this until I got hurt
‘Till I got hurt, baby, I didn’t know what love is

Until I got hurt, oh I didn’t know what love is

In the parable the father was hurt when the son left. The youngest son eventually ended up in a world of hurt. It was the pain that turned the youngest son home teaching him the value of “true love”. The eldest son felt hurt at the celebration of his brothers return. We are in a world of hurt and we must exhibit “true love” if we are going to participate in healing of the world. This means learning to Sacrifice our past for the future of Elohim. Here is Elton impersonating the vocal Taught One Yohanan.

It’s a human sign
When things go wrong
When the scent of her lingers
And temptation’s strong
Into the boundary
Of each married man
Sweet deceit comes calling
And negativity lands

Cold cold heart
Hard done by you
Some things look better baby
Just passing through
And it’s no sacrifice
Just a simple word
It’s two hearts living
In two separate worlds
But it’s no sacrifice
No sacrifice
It’s no sacrifice at all
Mutual misunderstanding
After the fact
Sensitivity builds a prison
In the final act
We lose direction
No stone unturned
No tears to damn you
When jealousy burns

Cold cold heart
Hard done by you
Some things look better baby
Just passing through
And it’s no sacrifice
Just a simple word
It’s two hearts living
In two separate worlds
But it’s no sacrifice
No sacrifice
It’s no sacrifice at all

Cold cold heart
Hard done by you
Some things look better baby
Just passing through
And it’s no sacrifice
Just a simple word
It’s two hearts living
In two separate worlds
But it’s no sacrifice
No sacrifice
It’s no sacrifice at all
No sacrifice at all
No sacrifice at all
No sacrifice at all

Like the two sons in the parable living in different worlds sacrifices (the appropriate word is really offerings) have to be made by both to bring true love back into the equation. We are no different. It doesn’t matter which son we choose to identify with. We should try to relate to both. At some point in each son’s life they chose to sing Linda Ronstadt’s song “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” to each other.

There you go baby, and here am I,
Well you left me here so I could sit and cry.
Golly gee, what have you done to me?
Well I guess it doesn’t matter anymore.
Do you remember baby, last September,
How you held me tight, each and every night?
Oh baby, how you drove me crazy,
But I guess it doesn’t matter anymore.
There is no use in me a-crying,
I’ve done everything now, I’m sick of trying,
I’ve thrown away my nights,
Wasted all my days, over you.
Now you go your way, baby, and I’ll go mine.
Now and forever, till the end of time.
And I’ll find somebody new, and baby,
We’ll say we’re through,
and you won’t matter anymore.
There is no use in me a-crying,
I’ve done everything now, I’m sick of trying,
I’ve thrown away my nights,
Wasted all my days, over you.
Now you go your way, baby, and I’ll go mine.
Now and forever, till the end of time.
And I’ll find somebody new, and baby,
we’ll say we’re through,
and you won’t matter anymore.
(no you won’t matter anymore)
you won’t matter anymore.

This is our human condition. We as potential Messianic Children are constantly singing this song to each other but to Elohim nothing can be further from the truth. We are to constantly look out for each other, correct and shepherd each other in truth. Every Child of Elohim matters and will continue to matter to Elohim throughout our entire lifetime both in this life and the next. Let us make a commitment to Elohim that every child and person matters and try to live our life with that as an integral part of our persona. Thankfully in our human condition there is A Father and A Savioress who will step to the plate and ensure that everything matters.

The power of  Elohim’s love is beyond our wildest imagination. In the end it is Elohim’s Will that Will be done. Elohim will rescue all Their children and will have a party for each and every one as they are rescued. Elohim is the Pied Piper of love, the searcher and rescuer of lost sons and daughters. It is a very Marvinlous love and very peculiar. Elohim uses Marvin Gaye to sing to us the Peculiarity of Elohim.

Honey you do me wrong but still i’m crazy about you
Stay away too long and i can’t do without you
Every chance you get you seem to hurt me more and more
But each hurt makes my love stronger than before
I know flowers go through rain
But how can love go through pain

Ain’t that peculiar
A peculiar ality
Ain’t that peculiar baby
Peculiar as can be

Oh You tell me lies that should be obvious to me
I’ve been so much in love with you baby til i don’t wanna see
That things you do and say are designed to make me blue
It’s a dog gone shame my love for you makes all
Your lies seem true
But if the truth makes love last longer
Why do lies make my love stronger

Ain’t that peculiar baby
A peculiar ality
Ain’t that peculiar baby
Peculiar as can be

I cried so much just like a child thats lost its home
Maybe baby you think these tears i cry are tears of joy
A child can cry so much until you do everything they say
But unlike a child my tears don’t help me to get my way
I know love can last through years
But how can love last through tears

Ain’t that peculiar
A peculiar ality
Ain’t that peculiar baby
Peculiar as can be

We cannot fathom the depth of Elohim’s love. The three parables on the lost and repentant have given us just an inkling of the love Our Savioress is going to bring to this world when we need it most. That day is coming upon us very quickly. Let us unite with Dido and join in a celebration of “Thanks” for all the lost sons and daughters who have found their way back to Elohim. The Parable of the Lost Son applies to each and every one of us and our eternal Thanks in Yashayahnah’s name Above All Names is worthy of A Father who refuses to lose us.

My tea’s gone cold, I’m wondering why
I got out of bed at all
The morning rain clouds up my window
and I can’t see at all
And even if I could it’d all be grey,
but your picture on my wall
It reminds me that it’s not so bad,
it’s not so bad

I drank too much last night, got bills to pay,
my head just feels in pain
I missed the bus and there’ll be hell today,
I’m late for work again
And even if I’m there, they’ll all imply
that I might not last the day
And then you call me and it’s not so bad,
it’s not so bad and

I want to thank you
for giving me the best day of my life
Oh just to be with you
is having the best day of my life

Push the door, I’m home at last
and I’m soaking through and through
Then you hand me a towel
and all I see is you
And even if my house falls down,
I wouldn’t have a clue
Because you’re near me and

I want to thank you
for giving me the best day of my life
Oh just to be with you
is having the best day of my life

Add your own lyrics or simply get up and dance to take part in your own way with Elohim’s celebration of the returning lost.