The Beauty of the Incarnation

Hooray for Christmas!

In Jason Boyett's latest TrueU article, he talks about his very favorite Christmas story. (He also mentions his favorite Christmas movies which include Charlie Brown, The Grinch and good old Rudolph.) Boyett's favorite is not found in Luke 2, though. It comes from Luke 15 -- the parable of the prodigal son.

Boyett loves this story because it reminds him of how completely amazing the incarnation is. God came to earth -- as one of us -- in order to redeem us, forgive us, make us whole. It's a story of a son and a father -- a sinner and a Savior.

As far as parables go, the title is misleading. Somewhere along the way, it got named after the son who leaves his family, squanders his money, and returns home a failed wreck of a man. But I wonder if maybe the story isn't so much about the son as it is about the father. When the son left home, requesting his inheritance in advance, what he was symbolically doing was telling his dad to drop dead. He humiliated his father. The son's actions would have stunned Jesus' listeners, and they wouldn't have been surprised had the family immediately disowned the boy and moved on as if he never existed.

But that's not what the father did. In fact, when he saw his son coming down the road, he ran to him and gave him a hug, forgave him and brought him home. It shows us what God did for us when He sent His Son to earth.

By coming to Earth in the person of Jesus, God doesn't wait for us to approach Him. He comes to us. He puts on flesh and blood, and in doing so, He redeems what it means to be human. He wraps all of Creation in his hug, restoring us to fellowship with Him. Through the example of His love, He restores us to fellowship with each other.

How grateful we should be this Christmas as we remember the God who redeemed what it means to be human. Simply put: It's beautiful.

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Hooray for Christmas!

As far as parables go, the title is misleading. Somewhere along the way, it got named after the son who leaves his family, squanders his money, and returns home a failed wreck of a man. But I wonder if maybe the story isn't so much about the son as it is about the father. When the son left home, requesting his inheritance in advance, what he was symbolically doing was telling his dad to drop dead. He humiliated his father. The son's actions would have stunned Jesus' listeners, and they wouldn't have been surprised had the family immediately disowned the boy and moved on as if he never existed.

By coming to Earth in the person of Jesus, God doesn't wait for us to approach Him. He comes to us. He puts on flesh and blood, and in doing so, He redeems what it means to be human. He wraps all of Creation in his hug, restoring us to fellowship with Him. Through the example of His love, He restores us to fellowship with each other.

How grateful we should be this Christmas as we remember the God who redeemed what it means to be human. Simply put: It's beautiful.

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1. Jo said the following at 11:50 AM on Dec 21:

I heard somewhere (though I can't confirm that it's correct - maybe someone else can..) that there is a very similar story in Buddhism, the big difference being that when the son returns home, he basically becomes the father's slave, doing penance for his sins. The prodigal son shows the huge difference between Christianity and other religions: grace grace grace.

2. Kim said the following at 1:51 PM on Dec 21:

I think the passage is titled correctly, if you look at the two parables right before (still in Luke 15), and take it in context of Jesus responding to the Pharisees, the story is about what happens when one sinner comes back (repents). Discussing the fathers response is great, but the main gist of the story seems to me to be about about the son.

3. Rachael said the following at 2:01 AM on Dec 22:

Redemption is indeed beautiful. Thanks for the reminder. It's interesting how he saw the story of the prodigal son like a 'Christmas story'. It's so cool how there are various deliverance stories sprinkled throughout the Bible. In reflecting upon THE ultimate redemption story, it's also amazing to remember that it was God's plan all along. Tonight I was actually listening to Selah's song "Mystery" on repeat. In that song there is a focus on the redemption being in God's plan. Amazing. The incarnation is amazing. And the fact that God planned it all along is amazing.