Daily Devotions
A Gift of Grace
Title: A Gift of Grace
Reading for April 10: 1 Kings 3-5
Weekly reading for April 8-14: Luke 10-14
"I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.'"
Luke 15:18-19
There were different Greek words translated as "servant" in our English New Testaments. One word is doulos which means a slave. A slave earned no wages because he was the property of his master. That is not the word used here. Jesus used the adjective misthios, which means "employed for hire" (Strong's).
The Prodigal did not see himself worthy of being a son. He asked to be a servant. But why a "hired" servant. Why not as a slave? That would show even more humility, would it not?
Maybe this was not just humility. Perhaps this son wanted to pay back his debt by earning it through his labor. Maybe this was an attempt at redemption.
This would seem to be the right move to make. This is what justice demands. Even the hateful older brother would approve of this arrangement. He wasted his father's inheritance. He should pay it back.
But the father accepted him back as a son, not as a servant. He would not be required to work off this debt because the debt was freely forgiven.
How can we thank you, Father God, for forgiving us of the tremendous debt we owed!
