Cover Me

A rebellious son knew what was going to happen. The Old Testament law was an absolute, zero tolerance system. All the men of the city would line up with stones in their hands to throw at the victim who had been judged by his own parents. Some of these men may have tried to help this young man.  They may have hired him to do odd jobs for them, but they thought him worthless.  Maybe he stole from them in the past.  Word got around that a stoning was about to take place.  People probably crowded around the gate to see the spectacle.  

Jesus spoke of another young man who was guilty of the same offenses as the rebellious son in Deuteronomy.  We call him the Prodigal Son. “I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.’  I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” Luke 15:18-19. This would have been a good time for someone to stop this young man and remind him of the scripture in Deuteronomy 21. “Hey, boy!  Don’t go home.  They are lined up waiting to stone you to death.  You are making a huge mistake.  Turn around and go back into the world.  They hate you back home.  They don’t want you back. You are disobedient. Rebellious.  A drunkard.  If anyone deserved to be stoned to death, it’s you. The church despises you.  Your older brother never wants to see you again.  You’ve reproached them, hurt them, offended them and they will never accept you.” 

That’s what might have been said based on God’s commandments and judgments in the Old Testament.  But here is what really happened. “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still 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 to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here 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.’”  Luke 15:20.  

But where are the stones?  Where is the lineup of the elders? It was a totally different reaction than anyone would have anticipated.  No blood for blood.  No eye for eye or tooth for tooth.  No spite for spite. Something was totally changed in the economy of God.  It’s confession. Contrition. Meekness. It’s forgiveness.  Healing.  Love.  Acceptance. I want you to get the picture here.  The father was probably not out in the country on a big estate.  Most farmers had their fields out from the city, but they lived behind the city walls.  The father saw his son afar off and did not wait until the young man arrived at the gates where the elders were.  He ran to him and fell on his neck.  

Why did he fall on his neck?  It was to cover him.  To be a protection for him.  To send a message to those who were ready to throw stones, “If you are going to get to my son, you’re going to have to go through me.” The father covered the son. The innocent protected the guilty. The sinless one stood between the sinner and his punishment. 1 John 2:2  “And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: ² And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.“ The word propitiation means “covering.”  Our Savior covers us with himself.  There is no recall of judgment; the difference is Jesus received our stoning in himself.  “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities … and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.“ Isaiah 53:5