You are no doubt familiar with Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son. Maybe too familiar. Sometimes we let familiarity keep us from seeing things we’ve never seen before.

It really should be titled “The Parable of the Merciful, Gracious, Generous Father.” As I pointed out in my devotional, Praying Grace, neither of the two sons in Jesus’ story had a clue about the nature of their relationship and standing with their father. And the same thing is true of most believers.

Religion has robbed us of clarity and understanding of what it really means to be a child of God. The traditions of men have warped our view of who we are, and what we have and, most of all, who the Father truly is.

But for now I just want to pose a thought experiment concerning the brother who took his portion of the inheritance, walked away from his father, rejected every moral value his father held, and proceeded to blow through a big chunk of what his father had worked a lifetime to accumulate–and did so in the most defiling, self-destructive way possible. And he returned home only when on the verge of starvation and living in the most degrading, dehumanizing conditions imaginable.

Here’s what I want you to ask yourself . . .

Why did the young man in Jesus story wait so long to return home?

Why not go home when the money ran out? Or head back when he lost his place to live. Or at any other point in his downward spiral in life? If you put yourself in his place, you know the answer to that question. Two things kept him from the welcoming arms of his gracious father.

Pride and Shame

Pride said, “You can’t go back there with your tail between your legs. You’ll look like the fool you actually are.” Shame said, “You were an arrogant idiot. You were a bad son. You’ve done terrible things. You essentially rejected and spit on everything your father stands for and exemplifies.”

So . . . Only when desperation got bigger than pride and shame, did he head homeward. Only when he was willing to admit that he was utterly powerless to address his own basic needs did he make the choice to seek the face of father again.

Here is why I mention this here: The same two obstacles stand betwen most believers and the arms of their Father on most days. When they get in a pickle, they are reluctant or sheepish about seeking the face of their father. And for the same two reasons: Some combination of Pride and Shame.

Pride tells us we need earn our help. That we need to have exhuasted all personal, natural avenues and resources to fix it ourselves before we throw ourselves into the arms of our heavenly Father. Or until we done some penance or self-punishment. Pride tells us we mustn’t admit that we’re utterly powerless and completely helpless.

And Shame convinces us that we won’t be welcome if we run to God. That we’ve done too many “don’ts” and not done enough “dos” to qualify for help. That if we we run to Him, it’s not a smile of delight and open arms we’ll find there, but rather a frown and a punishment stick.

By the way, Pride and Shame often masquearade as authentic “Fear of the Lord.” But that’s a topic for another post.

The promise of Hebrews 4:16 which plainly states that, because of Jesus, we can “come BOLDLY to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and receive help in time of need,” seems like an unattainable benefit that “better Christians” than we have somehow earned or qualified for.

Of course, Pride led to the fall of humanity. And Shame was the first effect. And the then Pride moved our ancestors to create religion and religious activity (fig leaves) to deal with the shame.

But for the blood-bought Christian, Jesus’ parable exposes both Pride and Shame as liars.

One of the truths that make the Gospel “good news” is that Jesus bore our shame on the cross. (Hebrews 12:2) In fact, a key part of the sounds-too-good-to-be-true miracle of the new birth is that we receive “the gift of righteousness.” (Romans 5:17) In fact, we are wrapped in Jesus Himself and His righteousness. (Galatians 3:27) We actuallly “become” the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Deeply renewing your mind to that truth chokes out shame at the root. (But so few have actually done this.)

So the only remaining obstacle to deep connection and joy and power in the arms of the Father remains pride–the original sin. The sin that got Lucifer cast out of heaven. The sin that knocked over the first domino of The Fall at the wrong tree. The sin that drives, even believers, to try to contribute something to their salvation. Or pay back, or earn, or merit, or qualify.

Here, too, the neglected truth of the New Covenant has an answer. “Apart from me you can do nothing,” Jesus told us. What part of “nothing” do we not understand? Paul, in 2 Corinthians 12:9, passes along a word he heard directly from Jesus when he was struggling with something. Faithfully paraphrasing, “Rest. Relax. Chill. My grace is sufficient for you because my power emerges and takes over whenever and wherever you recognize that you’re weak.”

So, dear Christian, if you’re struggling or hurting and flailing in any in any area of your life, here’s my question for you today:

“What are you waiting for?”

Why not run to His arms now? It’s possible you’re letting Pride or Shame or some combination of both unneccearily keep you from the very place where you’ll find everything you need.

As I said in the devotional Praying Grace, in the entry titled “Our Rejection for His Acceptance”:

Fly to Him, child of God. Run as fast as your feet can carry you. Know that you are accepted, loved, and unspeakably welcome. Then with grateful mindfulness of all He has done for you in the past, pour out to Him your requests.

Note: If shame is your primary obstacle, please allow me to urge to you get this book by my friend Alan Wright–a pastor and brilliant writer: Shame Off You.

Many New Covenant scriptures call on believers to fight. To resist and overcome the enemy. To do the works Jesus did (and even greater ones!) To put on spiritual armor and do battle—not against flesh and blood—but with wicked, unseen powers. We’re called to push back darkness with light wherever we go. And to receive, by grace through faith, everything Jesus died to purchase for us. And receive, by grace through faith, freedom from everything He died to redeem us from.

On the other hand, don’t many scriptures call on us to suffer willingly and nobly? To accept whatever comes our way as being God’s will and for the best?

A recent assignment has me exploring the book of First Peter . . . and his exhortations about dealing with persecution and trouble, tribulation, trials, and testing (the 4 “T”s!). Peter wrote his first letter in a season in which Christians were enduring a double persecution—one from the Jewish establishment in Jerusalem and a new, emerging one from the Roman government under Nero in Rome. 

The believers of the fledgling Jesus movement were caught in a terrible squeeze between the two. Literally pressed in from all sides. 

When you examine the book of 1 Peter, thirteen different Greek words appear repeatedly and are translated into the English words, trouble, tribulation, trials, testing, suffering, sorrows, etc. Knowing which Greek word is beneath those English words is pretty helpful.  Let’s take a look at them:

lupeo – “distressed”

pirosmos – “trials”

dokimazo – “testing” (NOT the kind of test that qualifies you to graduate to the next grade, but rather the kind that reveals the true nature of something.) 

pathema – sufferings (of Christ)(Jesus’ redemptive, substitutionary suffering on the cross; which includes the suffering rejection by fallen people and this fallen, broken world’s system.)

lupe – “sorrows”

pascho – “suffer” or “suffering” (unjustly or justly or Christ’s)

molops – “wounds” (of Christ)

kako’o – “harm” (the result of violence)

tarasso – “troubled” (in soul)

epereazo – “to be reviled or insulted” 

blashempeo – “to be maligned or smeared”

oneidizo – “to be reviled”

purosis – “a fiery ordeal”

{Note: in the Gospels we see Jesus using the Greek word thlipsis instead of many of the words in the list above. It, too means “persecution or oppression from others.” I’ll write more about that word another time.}

A deeper linguistic dive could be taken into each of these words and the way they’re used in 1 Peter and elsewhere in the New Testament, but . . .

The picture that emerges is that believers should expect persecution and trouble from the world’s system and the people in it. (This aligns perfectly with what Jesus told His disciples. “Expect persecution (thlipsis). Expect resistance. Those enmeshed in this fallen world’s systems hated me, they’re going to hate you once you’re IN me.”) So, First Peter exhorts us that when that persecution comes, we should bear up under it with calm, restful, assurance in faith that we have become sharers in Christ’s sufferings. For example . . .

. . . but to the degree that you share the sufferings (pathema) of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the revelation of His glory you may also rejoice and be overjoyed. (1 Peter 4:13)

A significant element of Jesus “sufferings” was rejection. Isaiah saw it: “He was despised and forsaken/rejected by men . . .” (Isaiah 53). We too, will suffer rejection by people in the world and the systems of this world.

Here’s the thing.

Because most Christians don’t see the nuances and differences between these very different Greek words, And because Peter beautifully and powerfully exhorts his readers to bear up, persevere, endure, and remain in the faith under the “fiery ordeal” of persecution—they assume, wrongly in my view, that we are to passively accept anything and everything the unseen enemies of Christ, and the Curse unleashed by “the Fall,” throw our way. 

In other words, they lump the presence, activity, and attacks of Christ’s “enemies” as well as the effects of the Curse . . . in with Jesus’ and Peter’s exhortations to accept persecution gracefully and suffer it with quiet dignity. 

As a result, many believers think they’re getting mixed messages from the New Testament. “Which is it?” some wonder. “Am I supposed to fight or just suffer nobly?” 

Which brings me to . . . 

Dixit Dominus!

That’s Latin for “The King says…” or “The Ruler says…” Why did I just tell you that?

Well, I sometimes listen to classical music while I’m writing. I’m particularly fond of Handel and Haydn and Vivaldi. This week I was listening to a few Handel works in my headphones while working when I noticed that the piece currently playing seemed to have a special anointing on it. So, I glanced at my phone to see what it was.

If you’re unsure whether or not it’s possible for a work by Handel can have anointing on it, I suggest you listen to a skillful performance of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. Handel had some insight, and there’s some “oil” on his sacred music. 

Turned out I was hearing a work by Handel titled “Dixit Dominus.” Unfamiliar with that Latin term, I looked it up; found that it’s Latin for “The Lord says”; and that there are a number of classical works that carry the same name.  All of them are “church music” and are based on the first three words of the 110th Psalm. You long-time Cup and Table Co. folks will instantly recognize it and know why I found that interesting. Just to remind you, Psalms 110:1 reads:

The Lord says to my Lord: 

“Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies 

a footstool for Your feet.” 

“The Lord says . . .” (or in Latin: dixit dominus)

You C&T veterans will also know (because I’ve prattled on about it hundreds of times) that the above verse is the most-quoted Old Testament verse in the entire New Testament. And that there is a reason for that. Forty days after His resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of His Father. 

That ascension is recorded (from earth’s perspective) in Acts 1:9-11 and from heaven’s perspective in Daniel 7:13-14. That day is not a future event. It happened nearly 2000 years ago. The 110th psalm is both messianic and about the coronation ceremony of a King. Which is why the very next verse talks about a “scepter” and “ruling.”

The Lord will stretch out Your strong scepter from Zion, saying,
“Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”

So what does this have to do with the 4 “Ts”—trouble, tribulation, trials, and testing. Because it helps give us a guide as to whether or not some attack or adversity or trouble should be FOUGHT by faith, or ENDURED in faith. 

Here’s where I’ve landed “as for me and my house.”

If it’s persecution from lost people or systems created by lost people . . . I’ll receive grace, in faith, to endure it and come through the other side. BUT . . .

If it is an enemy of my enthroned King; or an effect of the Curse He came to roll back, I’m fighting it. And I’ll expect to overcome it. It’s that simple. 

By the way, we can identify those things by simply observing what Jesus DID, specifically what He attacked and reversed; AND what He announced His mission to be when he read from the Isaiah 61 scroll (see: Luke 4:17-21).  

It’s vital to remember that, from the Bible’s perspective, Jesus’ “enemies” are not people. No, people are the the object of His love and the objective of His redemptive work on the cross. No, a large but subtle theme of the Bible is that, in the Unseed Realm of the spirit, a heavenly rebellion took place and both earth and humanity got caught up in it.

The begninning of the end for Jesus’ enemies was the season in which He emerged from that tomb and, 40 days later ascended to heaven and took a seat at the right hand of the Father. There “the Lord says” (dixit dominus) He will “rule in the midst of His enemies) until the implications and the outworking of that victory are fully realized.

Paul had this incremental conquest in mind when He wrote:

 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. (1 Corinthians 15:25-26)

To sum up: Don’t mistake the Scriptures’ exhortation to expect and endure persecution with our mission and calling and empowerment to extend Jesus’ rule, push back darkness, and receive all He died to obtain for us.

If it’s in the Atonement, fight for it. Fight by remaining in rest. Fight by remaining in gratitude. Fight through worship and praise. Fight by putting the sword of truth in your mouth.

As I said on social media earlier this week:

I hope that helps somebody today.