It was 1:57 AM in the morning, i have just arrived in the office. I did the usual routine, open my laptop, fill my mug with cold water, Opened my browser, my emails, and other office related stuffs, nothing new. No new work assigned to me. I opened the facebook, and see what's new. So many statuses from different people i knew.. some posted their "usual" activities as if the world is watching every move they make, some posted indirect attacked from somebody(or in tagalog nagpaparinig or nag papatama) and some posted some religious "stuffs" as if they wanted to gain points from above..
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The Parable of the River (Kudos to Max Lucado)
Once there were five sons who lived in a mountain castle with their father. The eldest was an obedient son, but his four younger brothers were rebellious. Their father had warned them of the river, but they had not listened. He had begged them to stay clear of the bank lest they be swept downstream, but the river's lure was too strong.
Each day the four rebellious brothers ventured closer and closer until one son dared to reach in and feel the waters. "Hold my hand so I won't fall in," he said, and his brothers did. But when he touched the water, the current yanked him and the other three into rapids and rolled them down the river.
Over rocks they bounced, through the channels they roared, on the swells they rode. As the strong current of the river cast them down the stream, they all found themselves in strange place, far away from their home. They consider climbing back but the mountain is just too high for them to climb.
Finally, they built a fire and sat down. "We shouldnt have dis-obeyed our father," they admitted. "We are a long way from home."
With the passage of time the sons leaned to survive in the strange land. They found plants for foods and killed animals for clothes. They determined not to forget their homeland nor abandon hopes of returning. Everyday they always hope that someday they will see their father and their older brother again. All for sons longed to see them again.
Then one night, one brother failed to come to their built hut. The others found him the next morning in the valley with some people from that place. He was building his own hut of grass and mud. "I've grown tired of our talks", he told them. "What good does it do to remember?" Besides, this land isn't so bad. I will build a great house and settle here." "But it isn't home," they objected. "No, but it is if you don't think of the real one." "But what of Father?" "What of him? He isn't here. He isn't near. Am I to spend forever waiting his arrival? I'm making new friends; i'm leaning new ways. If he comes, he comes, but i'm not holding my breath." And so the other three left their hut-building brother and walked away.
Some days later a second brother failed to appear at the built house. The next morning his siblings found him on a hillside staring at the hut of his brother.
"How disgusting," he told them as they approached. "Our brother is a failure and an insult to our family name, he forgets our father he is a failure.."
What he's doing is wrong, agreed the youngest brother, "but what we did was wrong as well." We dis-obeyed. We touched the river. We ignored our father's warning.
"Well, we may have made a mistake or two, but compared to sleaze in the hut, we are saints father will dismiss our sin and punish him." "I will keep my eye for our brother., someone must keep a record of his wrongs to show father."
And so the two returned leaving one brother building and other judging.
The remaining two returned to their house encouraging each other and speaking of home. Then one morning the youngest son awoke to find he was alone. He searched for his brother and found him near the river, stacking rocks.
"It's no use," the rock-stacking brother explained as he worked. "Father won't come for me. I must go to him. I offended him. I insulted him. I failed him. There is only one option. I will build a path back up the river and walk into our father's presence." "Maybe if he see how hard i tried, he will have no choice but to let me in again." The youngest brother did not know what to say, as he returned back to their built hut alone.
One morning, the youngest brother heard a familiar voice behind him. "Father has sent me to bring you home." The youngest brother lifted his eyes to see the face of his oldest brother. "You have come for us!" he shouted.. For a long the two embraced. "Where's our brothers?" the eldest asked. "One has made a home here. Another is watching him. The third is building a path up the river." And the firstborn set out to find his siblings. He went first to the thatched hut in the valley.
"Go away stranger!" screamed the brother through the window. "you are not welcomed here!". "I have come to take you home." "You have not. You have come to take my mansion." "This is no mansion," firstborn countered. "This is a hut" "It is a mansion! The finest in the lowlands. Now go away! you can not have my mansion."
"Don't you remember the house of your father?"
"I have no father", "go away!!"
The firstborn went out and find the second brother who we're watching the hut builder. He didn't have to walk far, outside the hut, there is the fault finding son. When he saw the firstborn approaching, he shouted, "How good that you are here to behold the sin of our brother! Are you aware that he turned his back on the castle? Are you aware that he never speaks of home? I knew you would come. I have kept careful account of his deeds. Punish him! I will applaud your anger. He deserves it! Deal with the sins of our brother."
Firstborn spoke softly, "We need to deal with your sins first."
"My sins?"
"Yes, you disobeyed Father."
The son slapped at the air "my sins are nothing compare to him!" pointing his fingers to the hut.
"I'd rather you tell me about yourself". "Don't worry about me, let me show you who need's help" the fault finding son run to the hut.
The firstborn then walked to the river. There he found the last brother, knee-deep in the water, stacking rocks.
"Father has sent me to take you home." the brother never looked up. "I can't talk now. I must work." "Father knows you have fallen, But he will forgive you..." "he may.. but i must show him that i am worthy.. i will go up there and will ask for his mercy"
"He has already given his mercy. I will carry you up the river, I am stronger."
"I have sinned greatly! i need much work!"
"No brother, you don't need much work, you need much grace."
"No! look at me, i can walk against the river now, i can walk five steps now... i am strong enough to go back up there.."
"But you still have five millions steps to go.."
"Go away! i can do this! i can win our father's mercy! i will work harder to earn it!"
Firstborn shook his head "Favor won is no favor. Mercy earned is no mercy. I implore you, let me carry you up the river." The brother ignored the firstborn. So the firstborn turned and left.
The youngest brother was waiting near the built hut, when the firstborn returned.
"The others didn't come?"
"No, one chose to indulge, the other to judge, and the third to work. None of them chose our father."
"So they'll remain here?"
The eldest brother nodded slowly. "For now"
"And we will return to Father?" asked the youngest brother.
"Yes."
"Will he forgive me?"
"Would he have sent me if he wouldn't?"
And so the younger brother climbed on the back of the firstborn and began journey home.
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All four brothers heard the same invitation. each had an opportunity to be carried home by the elder brother.
Now the question is.. who among them are you?
The first said no, choosing grass hut over his father's house.
The second said no, preferring to analyze the mistakes of his brother than admit his own.
The third said no, thinking it wiser to make a good impression than an honest confession.
And the fourth said yes, choosing gratitude over guilt.
May i ask a vital question? as you read of the brothers, which describes your relationship to God? have you like the fourth son, recognized your helplessness to make the journey home alone? Do you take the extended hand of your Father? Are you caught in the grip of His grace? Or are you like one of the other three sons?
Are we those people in my FB page? who's status are only to show the world what he/she is doing, or maybe we are the people who were busy looking and judging others. And just like the third son, maybe we are the hardworking christians who always, go to work, forgetting the fact that God already did it for us. Our job is to trust Him, not to trust our capabilities. I saw some people in my FB working hard for God's kingdom, but if i look and give honest opinion about their lives, nothing really changed at all. The Gospel should be lived by, not talked by. It is very nice to share the Word ofcourse! and i also believe that to be our goal. But don't you think we may share the gospel by living and practicing it? and it will be much powerful for us to share it, and show it rather than just mere talking about it? Why not practice what we preach?
When i first read about this parable, i thought what the third son did was good. He kept working to earn his Father's mercy. But as the story goes, i realized that it's no use at all, and besides, the work made the third brother proud of his works.. Just like us, if we work for God's kingdom, the tendency we became proud. We look at other people's works too.. We say "well, i do the devotion everyday, he doesn't, i do this and that, he doesn't" and the list will go on...
We must realize that only by His Grace we are saved... No other things needed. Jesus the firstborn is enough to carry us back home to our Father. The bible said He is the only way to God, there is NO OTHER WAY to father except through Jesus(John 14:6). So i urge you to once and for all, respond to His invitation to accept Him as your Savior and Lord, and you will have peace in your heart forever.
