All Is Forgiven 一切都被赦免

[Dexu Xia]

This son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. Luke 15:24

Today's Scripture    Luke 15:17-24

Today's Insights  Luke 15 contains three related parables: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. The common theme in all is God’s great love for the lost. Why were these parables told in this sequence? Some have suggested it’s a matter of proportion (from smallest to largest): First, one out of a hundred sheep is lost; second, one out of ten coins; lastly, one out of two sons. No matter the reason, the last parable is the longest and most moving. Later in Luke, we read: “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (19:10). The message is clear: God pursues and longs for us to turn to Him and be saved—to receive the forgiveness and salvation He offers through His Son’s sacrifice for our sins. Why? Because He loves us: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).

Today's Devotional    In one of his short stories, Ernest Hemingway tells a tale about a Spanish father who longs to reunite with his estranged son. He places an advertisement in a local newspaper: Paco, meet me at Hotel Montana at noon Tuesday. All is forgiven. When the father arrives, he finds a crowd waiting. Eight hundred Pacos had responded to his advertisement, longing to be forgiven by their fathers.

It’s a touching story that speaks to our own deep desire for forgiveness, and it reminds me of a story Jesus told. There, a young man leaves his father on a hunt for “wild living” but soon finds himself in trouble (Luke 15:13-14). When he “[comes] to his senses” and returns home (v. 17), his estranged father rushes to embrace him before he’s even had a chance to apologize (v. 20). “This son of mine was dead and is alive again,” the father cries in joy; “he was lost and is found” (v. 24). In this story, the father represents God, the son represents us, and heaven’s joy is glimpsed when we too return to our heavenly Father.

Forgiveness lifts a weight off a guilty soul. But like a gift, what’s offered to us must be received. Hemingway never tells us if the father in this story finds his own Paco. Will the Father in Jesus’ story have His sons and daughters return? His arms are outstretched, awaiting our response.

Reflect & Pray  How would you feel if you were Paco’s father? What can hold you back from receiving divine forgiveness?

Father, knowing what I’ve done, Your offer of forgiveness is overwhelming. I receive it, thank You!  By Sheridan Voysey

我这个儿子死而复生，失而复得。路加福音 15:24

  今日经文    路加福音 15章17-24 节

  今日心得    路加福音15章包含三个相关的比喻：迷失的羊、丢失的钱币和浪子。所有这些比喻的共同主题是上帝对迷失者的大爱。为什么这些比喻按这个顺序讲述？有人认为这是一个比例问题（从小到大）：首先，一百只羊中丢失了一只；其次，十个钱币中丢失了一个；最后，两个儿子中丢失了一个。无论原因是什么，最后一个比喻都是最长、最感人的。后来，在路加福音中，我们读到：“人子来，为要寻找、拯救失丧的人”（19:10）。信息很明确：上帝追求并渴望我们转向他并得到拯救，藉着他儿子为我们的罪牺牲生命来接受他提供的宽恕和救赎。为什么？因为他爱我们：“人为朋友舍命，人的爱心没有比这个大的。”（约翰福音15:13）

今日灵修  欧内斯特·海明威在他的一篇短篇小说中讲述了一个西班牙父亲渴望与疏远的儿子团聚的故事。他在当地一家报纸上登了一则广告：帕科，星期二中午在蒙大拿酒店见。一切都会得到宽恕。当父亲到达时，他发现一群人在等待。八百名帕科人回应了他的广告，渴望得到他们父亲的宽恕。

这是一个感人的故事，它表达了我们自己对宽恕的强烈渴望，它让我想起了耶稣讲过的一个故事。在故事中，一个年轻人离开他的父亲去追寻“无拘束的生活”，但很快就发现自己陷入困境（路加福音15:13-14）。当他“恢复理智”并回到家时（11节），他甚至还没来得及道歉，被他疏远的父亲就冲上来拥抱他，（20节）。“我这个儿子是死而复生的，”父亲高兴地喊道，“他失而复得了”（24节）。在这个故事中，父亲代表上帝，儿子代表我们，当我们也回到天父身边时，我们可以瞥见天堂的喜乐。

宽恕减轻了灵魂中罪恶的重担。但就像礼物一样，我们必须接受给我们的东西。海明威从未告诉我们这个故事中的父亲是否找到了他自己的帕科。那么，在耶稣这个比喻中的父亲，祂的儿子和女儿会回来吗？他的双臂张开，等待我们的回应。

反思和祈祷   如果你是帕科的父亲，你会有什么感觉？什么能阻止你接受神圣的宽恕？

天父，知道我都做了什么，祢的宽恕真让我感动。我接受您的宽恕，谢谢祢！

作者  谢里丹·沃伊西