The son chooses to leave home and creates distance between himself. He violates Jewish beliefs, and suffers as a result of his immoral behavior. The son hits rock bottom when he feeds pigs and no one is there to help him, so he “came to his senses.” when he realizes, The son determines to return home and confess his sins to his father, realizing it is better to be a hired servant in his father’s home than to live in dire poverty. To everyone’s surprise, he his father’s embraces him and throws a welcome back party. The father gets an earful from his grumbling son over how he has been disrespected. He thinks he has deserved.
What is forgiveness? Luke tells us about forgiveness, but I wish Luke had shared more about reconciliation.
Forgiveness may be enacted quickly but reconciliation between the runaway son and his father and brother would take time. Reconciliation requires truth-telling, repentance, and the restoration of trust. Forgiveness means a willingness to try to reestablish trust, but that reestablishment is always a process. Until a person shows evidence of true change, we should not trust him or her. To immediately give one’s trust to a person with sinful habits could actually be enabling him to sin. Trust must be restored, and the speed at which this occurs depends on the behavior.
About Corey Sharpe
Where do we get our beliefs?
Three theological perspectives have significantly shaped my Christian identity: Evangelicalism, the early Methodist tradition and liberation theology.
From my coming to faith in a Baptist church and throughout my education in a Baptist school and college, I was nurtured by convictions that emphasized a spiritual rebirth, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the centrality of the Bible. Even when I disagree with certain aspects of evangelicalism, it has deeply influenced my sense of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
My seminary studies spawned my interest in early Methodism, particularly its approach to spiritual formation. Its leaders were convinced that only a foundation of doctrine and discipline would lead to a meaningful transformation of the heart and mind. In other words, having the mind of Christ enables me to be more like Christ.
Life in a suburban culture obscures the increasing gap between the poor and rich, as well as the Bible’s close identification with the poor. My doctoral work in socio-cultural context exposed me to liberation theology, which helps me see redemptive history as a history of oppressed groups, written from the perspective of the powerless, about a God who is actively involved with the poor in their struggles.
I am now the pastor at Mount Zion United Methodist Church in St Mary’s County, Maryland. Together my wife and I have 4 children.
The Other Six Days 