IF I were to ask my little boy that question, the first thing he would say would be, “Daddy, what’s a version?” And then I would tell him something like this,—A version is the way a person tells about something. For instance if there were four boys telling the same story, they would each tell it in a little different way. Each one would have his own version.
Now I want to tell you about four versions of one story, that is four different ways that it is told, and I want you to see which one you think is right. The beginning of the story is the same each time, but the end was different.
This is the story:—
“A certain man had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat; and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, “How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father.”
You all know this story I expect. You will find it in the fifteenth chapter of Luke. You know in your head what happened next, but do you know it in your heart?
The story is told of a Chinese artist who was asked to draw a picture of what happened next in this story, so as to show it to some children in a Sunday-school. When the teacher came into the class, what do you think was drawn to show the children? There was the poor boy coming home in his rags and his dirt, and there at the other side was his old father coming out of the house with a very angry face, and a big stick in his hand.
The teacher said, “Why, that isn’t how the story reads.” The artist replied,
“No that’s not how it reads, —but that is what the old father really would do. Who would do anything different?”
That was his version of the story.
The next version I want to tell you about, was written by a very learned man. He was the minister in a big church, and he wrote a whole book about this boy coming back to his father. What do you think he said? He told in his book of how the boy came to his father and said to him,
“Make me as one of thy hired servants.” Then he went on to tell how that was the way we had to come to the father, to become His servants. Now, if this learned man had taken the trouble to look at his Bible he would have seen the boy never said that to his father at all as you may see by looking at Luke 15:2121And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. (Luke 15:21). And he would never have written his book. The dear old Father never gave that son time to say it, nor do I think he could have said it, if there was time. (It is true we are servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, but that is not the way we come, but it is because we know Him, we love to serve Him, like the little cripple boy said, “Knowing is loving, and loving is doing.”)
Well, that was the learned man’s version. I’m glad it wasn’t God’s version, aren’t you?
The next one I want to tell you about was two dear Christian men. They were brothers in Christ. I am sorry to say that one of them wandered away from his Father, but later was so sorry and came back. Well, what do you think his brother did? He wrote a letter with a list of some of his bad things, and said something like this,
“I hope you are really sorry, and won’t do these things again.”
That was his version of the story.
He forgot the old father didn’t have a long talk with the naughty boy first, and make him promise to be better, before he would let him come home into the house.
No, dear children, these are men’s versions of this beautiful story, but not God’s version. The father did not chase the boy away with a stick, or even give him a good beating before he let him come back. He did not bring him back to make him a servant, but he came back as a son, came back to a feast and joy, music and dancing that never had an end. Nor did the father say a word about the sin, there was not a word about a bargain to be better. No, let us read God’s version together,
“And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.’” Luke 15:20-2420And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. (Luke 15:20‑24).
Dear child, what is your version of this story? Have you ever come “home” to the Father just as you are in your sin and wretchedness, and known What it is to get a welcome, like this naughty, sinful, repentant boy?
ML 02/10/1924