Welcome Home!
Let the truth of the Gospel convince you of who you really are. Jesus came to invade our lives with His reality. In Mark 15:38, we see this reality, “At that moment the veil in the Holy of Holies was torn in two from top to bottom.” What does this mean exactly? The veil separated the Holy of Holies which is where the presence of Yahweh resided and only the High Priest could enter in at certain times. The veil being torn proved that it was Yahweh who came to invade our hearts with His presence. This veil could have only been torn by Him, it was very thick, heavy and nearly 60 feet tall. Hebrews 10:20 tells us, “For he has dedicated a new, life-giving way for us to approach Yahweh. For just as the veil was torn in two, Jesus’ body was torn open to give us free and fresh access to Him.” Let’s continue with Hebrews 10 to see what He came to convince us of. “And since we now have a magnificent High Priest to welcome us into Yahweh’s house, we come closer to Yahweh and approach him with an open heart, fully convinced that nothing will keep us at a distance from him. For our hearts have been sprinkled with blood to remove impurity, and we have been freed from an accusing conscience. Now we are clean, unstained and presentable to Yahweh inside and out.”
We did not have to do anything to receive this glorious inheritance. We only have to believe what He says about us. Since the veil has been torn, we can see the truth of our identity. Beloved identity does not come and go based on our actions or behaviors. We can see this in the story of the redeemed heir in Luke 15. This story is about the love of the Father more than it is about the son. Most of us have heard him called the Prodigal son and made this story about his reckless living and disrespect by asking for his inheritance. This story is more so about how we can have our inheritance now and even if we do not handle it well it doesn’t change the love of the Father nor does it disqualify us from our identity as sons and daughters.
“Then Jesus said, “Once there was a father with two sons. The younger son came to his father and said, ‘Father, don’t you think it’s time to give me my share of your estate?’ So the father went ahead and distributed between the two sons their inheritance. Shortly afterward, the younger son packed up all his belongings and traveled off to see the world. He journeyed to a far-off land where he soon wasted all he was given in a binge of extravagant and reckless living.
“With everything spent and nothing left, he grew hungry, because there was a severe famine in that land. So he begged a farmer in that country to hire him. The farmer hired him and sent him out to feed the pigs. The son was so famished, he was willing even to eat the slop given to the pigs, because no one would feed him a thing.
“Humiliated, the son finally realized what he was doing, and he thought, ‘There are many workers at my father’s house who have all the food they want with plenty to spare. They lack nothing. Why am I here dying of hunger, feeding these pigs and eating their slop? I want to go back home to my father’s house, and I’ll say to him, “Father, I was wrong. I have sinned against you. I’ll never again be worthy to be called your son. Please, Father, just treat me like one of your employees.” ’
“So the young son set off for home. From a long distance away, his father saw him coming, dressed as a beggar, and great compassion swelled up in his heart for his son who was returning home. The father raced out to meet him, swept him up in his arms, hugged him dearly, and kissed him over and over with tender love.
“Then the son said, ‘Father, I was wrong. I have sinned against you. I could never deserve to be called your son. Just let me be—’“The father interrupted and said, ‘Son, you’re home now!’ “Turning to his servants, the father said, ‘Quick, bring me the best robe, my very own robe, and I will place it on his shoulders. Bring the ring, the seal of sonship, and I will put it on his finger. And bring out the best shoes you can find for my son. Let’s prepare a great feast and celebrate. For my beloved son was once dead, but now he’s alive! Once he was lost, but now he is found!’ And everyone celebrated with overflowing joy.”
Love will always lure you back home. My favorite part is when the father interrupts the son’s speech about how he doesn’t deserve sonship. He can’t even listen to shame and condemnation spill out of our mouths. Why? Because love covers it all- the failures, the mess ups, sin, our own thoughts of ourselves, and the damaging words of others. You must let His love cover it all. He is ready to clothes you with His own robe, place the ring of sonship and the shoes on your feet. Remember the value He sees in you? The price He paid for you to be His beloved. Welcome home, beloved! Welcome home back into the arms of your Father.
