March 28, 2022

Luke 15:30 ‘Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!’ (The Message Bible)

This line is insightful because in the very next passage the father responds “This brother of yours was dead, and he’s alive!” (32). They are both referring to the same person. Of course, many of us are both children to parents and siblings at the same time, but we may not always acknowledge the relationship for one reason or another. Back in the ‘60s there was a popular song titled “He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.” Wikipedia informs us, “James Wells, Moderator of the United Free Church of Scotland, tells the story of a little girl carrying a big baby boy in his 1884 book The Parables of Jesus. Seeing her struggling, someone asked if she wasn’t tired. With surprise she replied: “No, he’s not heavy; he’s my brother” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He_Ain%27t_Heavy,_He%27s_My_Brother). Who is the person next door, down the block, in your office or class, across from you at the dinner table? Are they someone else’s concern/responsibility/problem? Or are they God’s opportunity for you?