7/31/2007

God is the Sufferer

In reading the story of the prodigal son most people are impressed with all the troubles the prodigal meets; they are occupied in thinking what a bad time he is having. But that is not the point of the parable. “My son... was lost, and is found”—there is the heart of the story. It is not a question of what the son suffers but of what the Father loses. He is the sufferer; He is the loser. A sheep is lost: whose is the loss? The shepherd’s. A coin is lost: whose is the loss? The woman’s. A son is lost: whose is the loss? The Father’s. That is the lesson of Luke chapter 15. -Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life
I came across this quote yesterday and thought it's pretty amazing. It's hard for me to say God needs me, and that God is the one that has the biggest loss over a sinner. It's hard for me to see God rejoicing over a sinner passing from death to life more than the sinner himself rejoices. But I can't argue with the logic here. It goes against all my human instincts, but maybe it's true...

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