Pure Gift, Pure Grace

The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, “All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!” His father said to him, “Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!” Luke 15:28-32 NLT

In the famous painting, The Return of the Prodigal Son, Rembrandt portrays the older brother as aloof, to one side, looking down on his younger brother as he receives the father’s love and forgiveness. Though his father loves both of his sons equally, though the father extends an invitation to his eldest to come and partake of the banquet, resentment, and disdain have outweighed grace.

We all fall prey to this behavior at some point or other. Yet the instant resentment consumes us and we stare down our nose at a fellow human being, we share the same attitude as the prodigal’s older brother.

In those moments, we must choose between resentment and gratitude.

Unless we acknowledge that we are just as much in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness as the next person – regardless of their past–then we have not fully grasped the meaning of grace.

Thus our need to practice daily gratitude. All that we are and all that we have is pure gift and pure grace.