Father I have sinned!
An illustration for discerning between “broken in spirit” and pride is found in the parable of the prodigal son and his older brother Luke 15:11-32. The prodigal went into the far country and broke all the rules. He lost his good name, his father’s fortune and all his worthless friends. He found himself living in a pigsty. Then, the Bible says, he “came to his senses” and said, “I will go back to my father and say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned,’”
And he did. He shook off the slime and began the long journey home, rehearsing his speech of repentance. His father saw him coming from a long distance and ran to him and embraced him. There were tears of reunion and restoration.
A family fiesta was planned to celebrate the return of a son who had been considered as good as dead. Everyone was happy—except for the prodigal’s older brother. This proud, religious sourpuss was angry.
He whined, “Father, I’ve stayed home like a good boy and kept all the rules. When did you ever give me a party? Now that this son of yours not “my brother” but “this son of yours” has come home bankrupt after living with harlots, you reward him with a celebration!” the rancor in his voice reflected the rot in his soul.
Look at the account of Jesus the night before His crucifixion. The disciples had been jockeying for position in the new kingdom. The mother of James and John had been putting on a full court press to get her boys in top positions of the administration.
It came time to wash their dirty feed. The only one who had the power to stoop low and take on the menial task was the Son of God. Why? Because He was the only one in the room not bound by pride. He was the only one with a servant’s heart. The others were career minded and ego centered and proud. In time, God put each and every one of them through His crusher until they came out as servants. But they had to be broken to be usable. And so do we.
Source: Being Happy in an Unhappy World
Daily Living
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