The right time to throw a party. Luke 15
The invitation was a last-minute thing, a cry that I caught as Rebecca ran past the house, her face beaming with delight. Ethan Abrams, her missing love interest, had returned; he had left some months ago to make his way in the world, to make a name for himself, but now he was back....and, according to the rumours that spread faster than lightning, he was looking a little dishevelled.
He was back.... how relieved his father must be, how delighted Beccy appeared; I thought about Caleb; Caleb the serious older brother, Caleb who had been around to pick up the slack when his brother had persuaded their father to let him have his share of the estate in advance, to equip him to live his dream of being a great landowner, a successful businessman. Caleb would undoubtedly be happy that his younger brother was home to share the workload once more.
I would go, although there was nothing in the house to take, no extra food or drink to share with the other partygoers.
Ethan wouldn’t mind, and Samuel his father, although a somewhat strict and reverent man, was always happy to share his good fortune with others…. this time would be no different, perhaps there would be a fattened calf, although such delights were typically reserved for more important guests, more auspicious occasions and I was unsure if the return of a penniless wayward son would merit such generosity…
There had been those rumours, after all.......
I set off towards the sound of all the music and dancing.
Someone running alongside me told me that Samuel had been looking out for Ethan for days and had run towards him when he spotted him in the distance...
I'd never seen Samuel run before; he was such a well-respected man, so respectful in his actions, I couldn't imagine him tying up his cloak and breaking into a sprint!...he must have been longing to have Ethan back.
I was nearly at the door when I spotted Caleb, he was in a deep discussion with his father, in fact, it looked like an argument with Caleb throwing his arms around and Samuel looking at him with a look of love on his face and his arms outstretched towards him.
I caught a few bits of the dialogue as I ran past and realised that Caleb was refusing to join in the celebration despite his father's pleading and encouragement to do so. Was this the Samuel I had known all my life, first running, rushing, and now pleading?
Something had obviously happened between Caleb and Samuel, but I was now inside the house looking for Ethan when I noticed him talking with Beccy. He appeared tired and undernourished as if he hadn't eaten in days, but he was dressed in the most exquisite robe, a robe fit for the guest of honour. I also notice a signet ring; I recall my father giving one to Eli, my brother, just before he died last spring, and this one was identical. My father said it gave Eli all the authority he needed to run the household, and Eli had done just that since my father died, doing his best to care for my mother and me.
Ethan was also wearing new sandals, which didn't do much to conceal the cuts and abrasions on his feet.... what had Ethan been up to these months away? But what was most noticeable was the look of pure joy and relief on his face, which shone through the tiredness and scuffs like a light... He appeared...well, he appeared as if everything that had happened to him had been lifted... He seemed overjoyed to be home... I don't think I'd ever seen him so happy in all my years of knowing him...he looked like a new person!
“I missed you too, Mary,” Ethan said when he saw me looking at him. However, he turned to Beccy and gave her that look that only a couple can understand. I was happy for them because maybe Ethan's experience would be good for their relationship. He grabbed my hand and led me into a throng of laughing young people, saying, "Fancy a dance, Mary?"
I was happy to be whirled around, and around, faster and faster….slow down Ethan…slow down, that’s too fast Ethan…..
"Mary, Mary, wake up Mary;" I awoke with a jolt because Eli was shaking me. "You dozed off, you sat in dad's old chair and dozed off. I mentioned that you appeared tired after walking all that way to the village to see that man."
Jesus Eli, that's his name. “Okay, Jesus, but was it really necessary to travel so far and then have to walk all the way back simply to hear him speak?”
He used parables to speak Eli, do you still recall the tale of Nathan and David, as we have read in the Scriptures?
Eli might not have remembered the parable because it had been some time since we had dared enter the synagogue.
Of course, it was my fault; I had made some rash decisions, had some bad relationships, and I was as close to an outcast as you could get... there wasn't any real evidence of my bad behaviour, but people had their suspicions, and Eli did his best to put them to rest.
I felt I had tainted not only my own life but also Eli's... in a way I was relieved that dad had died, though things might have been different if I had come from a more stable family background... Then there was mother, who had been unable to communicate properly since dad’s accident…. poor Eli certainly had his hands full.
When I remembered the parable Jesus told the crowd, a parable that had undoubtedly influenced my dream, I could see parallels between the prodigal son and myself, although there was no loving father to welcome me home, to dress me in a robe of honour and celebrate my return…..certainly there was no one who would run towards me.
But Jesus' words had touched my heart, the missing sheep, the lost coin, and this errant son.....why did I feel I belonged in those stories?
...why did I have the impression that Jesus was speaking to me in that crowd? Would I ever have that look of joy and relief on my face that I saw on Ethan’s? Yes, it was a dream, but it felt so real.
Maybe now was the time for those of us who hadn't followed, who couldn’t follow all the rules and regulations set forth by the religious authorities. How was it possible to follow all those rules? All they ever did was demonstrate how incapable we were of upholding the standards; all our efforts were futile. If you were found to be in sin, you were expelled from the synagogue and considered a hopeless case. And there were a lot of us. After all, this Jesus looked content to eat and converse with folks like me. Perhaps he would be more forgiving, perhaps he could bring hope. In the meantime, however, I needed to find something……
It wasn't until a few days later that I learned Jesus was going to Bethany...to a man’s house. I could manage a 40-minute walk from Jerusalem to the house of Simon the leper, which was much closer than my previous visit to see him, I could manage that quite easily.
I gathered a few belongings I thought I might need and shouted to Eli, “I’ll be back later this evening Eli…don’t wait up”.
"Mary, please be careful," I could hear Eli's concern in his voice, but he had nothing to worry about; this wouldn't be like my other late-night adventures; this one, I hoped, would provide me with answers to my problems... and hopefully Eli's as well.
I ducked beneath the door lintel and straightened my clothing. This time was different... I had a strong feeling that this would be a new life... I took the first step toward my destiny, towards my salvation.
“Mary” …
As I began walking, I heard Eli yell...
"Mary, what have you done with the alabaster jar dad left you, the one with the perfume?"
Don’t’ worry Eli…. I have a good use for it……..
The story above is of course a work of fiction, influenced by the Bible but nevertheless a work of fiction. However, what is not fiction is that the good news of Jesus is penetrating the darkness all over this world, it is penetrating the darkness alongside our suffering and sadness, our pain and despair, our sickness and confusion, and often it is through these things that the good news is delivered to the lost.
There is no depth that His love cannot reach, no power that can stay His hand…Jesus is building His Church…whatever circumstances we find ourselves in. This is reason to celebrate and rejoice…to say with the father in Luke 15:32 “It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost and is found.’”
This Christmas, the time is right, it is fitting to celebrate, rejoice and be glad.
