"Turn Back" by Biji Panchiyil, Gurukul

Text: Luke 15:11-24.

 One day a policeman went on his night rounds. On the way, he saw a man searching for something under the street light. He asked the man, what he is searching for?. The man replied that he was searching for his lost key. The kind hearted policeman joined in the search. Even after a long time, they couldn’t find the key. The policeman asked the man “Are you sure that the key is lost here?” Then pointing to the other side of the road, the man replied that “I lost my key there, but as there is no light there and enough light here, I’m searching here”.
In this passage alsowe can see such a person who was searching for pleasure in the light supplied by the world. This is mentioned in the gospel according Luke chapter 15:: 11-24, which is a familiar parable to us. The meaning of life lies in the type of choices that one makes.
In verse 13, we can see that the young man went in search of the pleasure under the world’s light. For that he broke his relationship with his father and his family. His priority was to enjoy his life in this world rather than to be an obedient son in his family along with his elder brother. He tried to find pleasure outside his family relationships. But his search for finding pleasure ends in a pathetic situation. His efforts finally failed. Verse 15 says that, in the end he landed among the pigs, which is a shameful association for Jews. 

In this modern world also, we are searching for worldly pleasures by breaking our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Like the younger son we also thinking that ‘our money, our property and our friends will give us ultimate pleasures. Sometimes it brings pleasure, but it will last for a short time only. They are like bubbles in the water which tempt us but will not exist for long.  

Dear friends many times for worldly pleasures we break our relationship with our God. But in verse 17 we can see that when the young man came to his sense he returned to his father’s love and care. Finally he found pleasure in the relationship with his father and his family. Sometimes we may also realise our pathetic or shameful association but we never tried to return rather adjust with the situation. Vainly we continue our search. But we have an opportunity to return. We have to use it.
It’s the time for us to return to our relationship with God. The God of the Bible always wishes to live with us. There are times for everyone when we come back to ourselves and realise so many things, our failures, our mistakes, what is good is to be done and what is not, but the question is how far we make use of it. We should remember that a loving father is waiting for us. The broken relationship has to be re-established in our life with our God which will always give exact happiness in our life
This is the time for us to realise and to think about ourselves, whether we are standing inside or outside in the relationship with our Heavenly Father? If we are outside in the relationship it is the time for us to return from the midst of the pigs to the love of the father.
Friends, returning to the relationship is always painful initially but, it ends in a rejoicing experience, it is what God is expecting from us today.

[Biji Panchiyil, the leader of this meditation is a first year BD student in Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, India.]