PRODIGAL SON: WHEN FORGIVENESS ISN’T ENOUGH

“LET MY PRAYER BE SET FORTH BEFORE THEE AS INCENSE; AND THE LIFTING UP OF MY HANDS AS THE EVENING SACRIFICE.” (PSALM 141:2, KJV)

ABSTRACT

The Altar of Incense in the earthly sanctuary symbolizes Christ’s continual intercessory ministry, vividly illustrated through the father’s compassionate plea to his elder son in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. This exploration delves into God’s reconciling love that pleads with resistant hearts, the solemn responsibility to cultivate a forgiving spirit toward God and neighbor, and the prophetic fulfillment of Christ’s final advocacy in the heavenly judgment, ultimately leading from bitterness to the sweetness of grace.

ALTAR AWAKENS!

Just before the final, shimmering veil that separated the Holy from the Most Holy Place, there stood the Altar of Incense. Overlaid with pure gold, it was not an altar of blood and death, but of fragrance and prayer. Morning and evening, a specially compounded, sacred incense was burned upon its coals, sending a fragrant cloud upward, mingling with the prayers of the people and ascending before the very throne of God. This was the altar of continual intercession, a constant, aromatic symbol of the merits of Christ’s righteousness that alone make our faltering petitions acceptable to a holy God. It represented a divine mediation, a sweetening of our pleas, a calming of judgment, and a bringing of peace. This profound sanctuary truth moves from ritual to raw, human emotion in the final, tense scene of the prodigal’s story. The feast is underway, the music is playing, the lost has been found. But the family is not yet whole. One son remains outside, consumed by a cold, hard anger. It is here that the parable reaches its theological zenith. The father, who has already demonstrated a love that forgives, now reveals a love that intercedes. He leaves the warmth and joy of the celebration to plead with his resentful, self-righteous son. In this tender, patient entreaty, we see the Altar of Incense in living form—a Father acting as High Priest, seeking to reconcile not only the repentant sinner to Himself, but the resistant saint to the very principle of grace. Unity depends on a vital connection with Christ. The evidence shows that the father’s actions exemplify divine intercession, softening hearts through grace. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5, KJV). Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us (Romans 8:34, KJV). “The intercession of Christ in man’s behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon the cross. By His death He began that work which after His resurrection He ascended to complete in heaven” (The Great Controversy, p. 489, 1911). “The intercession of Christ is as a golden chain fastened to the throne of God. He has turned the merit of His sacrifice into prayer. Jesus prays, and by prayer succeeds” (The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7A, p. 484, 1957). But how does this intercession manifest in our daily lives?

SWEETNESS AMID ANGER!

The elder son’s reaction to the celebration is a blast of bitter, resentful fury. The sound of music and dancing, which should have signaled joy, instead ignites his anger. “And he was angry, and would not go in” (Luke 15:28, KJV). His refusal is a public act of protest, a shaming of his father, and a rejection of his brother. He stands outside, cloaked in the darkness of his own wounded pride and rigid sense of justice. The atmosphere is thick with bitterness, a spiritual stench that threatens to poison the entire celebration. It is into this toxic environment that the father steps, not with a command or a rebuke, but with a plea. The text is simple yet profound: “therefore came his father out, and intreated him” (Luke 15:28, KJV). This is the ministry of the Altar of Incense. Just as the fragrant smoke of the incense was designed to fill the sanctuary with a sweet, holy perfume, the father’s gentle words seek to soften the harsh atmosphere of anger. He brings the sweetness of grace into a space filled with the bitterness of legalism. His entreaty is an act of divine mediation, an attempt to calm the storm of resentment with the gentle voice of love. Compassion overcomes self-righteousness. The father’s actions illustrate the tender pity that wins hearts. And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it (Exodus 30:1, KJV). And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it (Exodus 30:7, KJV). “The father, in his dealing with the elder son, represents the tender, loving compassion of God. ‘He came out and entreated him.’ With unwearied patience and tender pity, He seeks to win the self-righteous heart” (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 207, 1900). “Prayer unites us with one another and with God. Prayer brings Jesus to our side, and gives new strength and fresh grace to the fainting, perplexed soul to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. Prayer turns aside the attacks of Satan” (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 250, 1900). But what prevents division in our own hearts?

INTERCESSION BEFORE DIVISION!

The father’s intercession is a masterful blend of truth and mercy, perfectly reflecting the dual nature of God’s character. He does not defend the prodigal’s past, nor does he dismiss the elder son’s feelings. Instead, he performs two crucial acts that mirror the work of our High Priest at the heavenly Altar of Incense. First, in response to the elder son’s bitter accusation about his brother who “hath devoured thy living with harlots,” the father does not excuse the sin. He simply affirms the glorious reality of his forgiveness: “for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found” (Luke 15:32, KJV). This is the function of the incense as atonement. In the sanctuary above, the fragrant incense of Christ’s merits rises continually, symbolizing His righteousness covering our confessed sins. As the apostle John beheld in vision, an angel was given “much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God” (Revelation 8:3-4, KJV). The incense does not erase the reality of the sin, but it transforms it with a divine sweetness, shifting the focus from guilt to grace, from death to restored life. The father’s words do the same, lifting the conversation above the mire of past failure to the glorious plane of redemption. Affirmation of forgiveness overcomes past failures. The father’s words exemplify the shift from guilt to grace. And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water (Hebrews 10:21-22, KJV). For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9, KJV). “The humble and broken heart, subdued by genuine repentance, will appreciate something of the love of God and the cost of Calvary; and as a son confesses to a loving father, so will the truly penitent bring all his sins before God” (Steps to Christ, p. 41, 1892). “We must have help from above if we resist the manifold temptations of Satan, and escape his devices. Amid the prevailing darkness, we must have light from God to reveal the traps and gins of error, or we shall be ensnared” (Review and Herald, July 24, 1883). But how does faithfulness fit into this mercy?

The father honors the elder son’s faithfulness while pleading for him to embrace mercy. He does not scold him for his years of service but affirms his position: “Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine” (Luke 15:31, KJV). This is the function of the incense as reconciliation. The incense in the sanctuary united the prayers of all Israel, symbolizing peace between the sinner and the faithful. The psalmist understood this unifying power when he prayed, “Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (Psalm 141:2, KJV). The father’s words are an appeal to this unity. By affirming his son’s loyalty, he seeks to quiet his resentment and invite him to share in the joy of grace. Just as the fragrance of the incense filled the entire sanctuary, touching all within its reach equally, the father’s words reach out to both his sons—affirming one’s steadfastness while calling him to rejoice in the other’s salvation. Faithfulness embraces mercy. The father’s affirmation illustrates the unifying power of grace. For if we forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you (Matthew 6:14, KJV). And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you (Ephesians 4:32, KJV). “Our work is to restore, not to condemn; to heal, not to wound” (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 249, 1900). “If we are connected with Christ, we also are partakers of the divine nature and are to be laborers together with God. We are to bind up the bruised and wounded soul; and if a brother or a sister has erred, we are not to join with the enemy in destroying and ruining, but to work with Christ to restore such a one in the spirit of meekness” (In Heavenly Places, p. 294, 1967). But what does God’s love truly entail?

LOVE THAT PLEADS!

The Altar of Incense, as personified by the father’s tender entreaty, reveals a divine love that is not only forgiving but actively and continually intercessory. It is a love that does not remain enthroned in the midst of celebration while a single child stands outside in the cold, but leaves the ninety-and-nine to seek the one who is lost in bitterness. This is the character of our great High Priest, who “is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25, KJV). This intercession is not limited to the penitent; it extends even to the self-righteous and the resistant. The father’s plea with the elder son is a poignant illustration of a God who contends with our pride, not with power, but with patient, pleading love. As Sr. White states, “Christ on the cross was the medium whereby mercy and truth met together, and righteousness and peace kissed each other” (Sons and Daughters of God, p. 243, 1957). The father at the door of the feast is that same medium, seeking to bring the elder son’s rigid sense of righteousness into a loving embrace with the beautiful truth of mercy. God’s love pleads for reconciliation. The father’s actions exemplify patient pursuit of resistant hearts. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16, KJV). But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8, KJV). “His mercy was not weakness, but a terrible power to punish sin because it is sin; yet a power to draw to it the love of humanity. Through Christ Justice is enabled to forgive without sacrificing one jot of its exalted holiness” (SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7A, p. 470, 1957). “It is Christ’s righteousness that makes our prayers accepted before the Father. John saw the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints ascend up before God. Our prayers, made fragrant by the righteousness of Christ our Saviour, are presented by the Holy Spirit before the Father” (Christ in His Sanctuary, p. 61, 1969). The father’s plea is this very power in action—a power that upholds the elder son’s faithfulness (justice) while drawing him toward the love of his brother (mercy). This is the love that makes our own prayers acceptable. The father’s intercession is the fragrant incense that seeks to make the elder son’s rigid, self-focused perspective acceptable by mingling it with the sweet aroma of grace. It is a love that never ceases to plead, a love that stands at the door and knocks, entreating every heart to enter into the joy of full and complete reconciliation. But what responsibility does this love place upon us?

FORGIVING SPIRIT FRAGRANCE!

The Altar of Incense, and the father’s poignant intercession, place a solemn responsibility upon me, both in my relationship with God and with my neighbor. My first duty to God is to ensure that my own worship is not tainted by the spirit of the elder brother. I must approach the throne of grace, not with a list of my own merits, but with a heart that is continually open to the reconciling power of Christ’s intercession. My prayers must ascend, not as the proud pronouncements of the Pharisee, but as the humble plea of the publican, made acceptable only by the fragrant incense of Christ’s righteousness. This requires a daily, conscious rejection of self-righteousness and a continual embrace of the mercy that I so desperately need. As Christ Himself taught, true worship is impossible without a reconciled heart: “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift” (Matthew 5:23-24, KJV). My responsibility to God is to live in a state of constant reconciliation, both with Him and with my brethren, so that my life may be a sweet-smelling savor unto Him. As Sr. White admonishes, “The humble and broken heart, subdued by genuine repentance, will appreciate something of the love of God and the cost of Calvary; and as a son confesses to a loving father, so will the truly penitent bring all his sins before God” (Steps to Christ, p. 41, 1892). Worship demands a reconciled heart. Approaching God requires rejection of self-righteousness. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:18, KJV). Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God (Matthew 5:9, KJV). “God has always wrought for His people in their greatest extremity, when there seemed the least hope that ruin could be averted. The designs of wicked men, the enemies of the church, are subject to His power and overruling providence” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 283, 1890). “The spirit of true fasting and prayer is the spirit which yields mind, heart, and will to God” (Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 189, 1938). But how does this reconciliation extend to others?

This vertical reconciliation with God must then be manifested in a horizontal ministry of intercession for my neighbor. I am called to be a peacemaker, to follow the father’s example by leaving the comfort of my own spiritual “feast” to entreat a brother or sister who is lost in anger, bitterness, or self-righteousness. This is a difficult and often thankless task, but it is the very heart of the gospel. The apostle Paul exhorts us, “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men” (1 Thessalonians 5:14, KJV). This is the work of intercession. It is a call to speak the truth in love, to affirm what is right while gently pleading for a spirit of mercy. Sr. White describes this delicate, Christlike work: “If we are connected with Christ, we also are partakers of the divine nature and are to be laborers together with God. We are to bind up the bruised and wounded soul; and if a brother or a sister has erred, we are not to join with the enemy in destroying and ruining, but to work with Christ to restore such a one in the spirit of meekness” (In Heavenly Places, p. 294, 1967). My responsibility to my neighbor, therefore, is to become an agent of reconciliation, to offer the fragrant incense of a gentle, forgiving, and patient spirit, and to work tirelessly for the unity and healing of the entire family of God. Peacemaking bridges divides. Following the father’s example calls for patient pursuit. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient (2 Timothy 2:24, KJV). Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17, KJV). “There are souls who have lost their courage; speak to them, pray for them. There are those who need the bread of life. Read to them from the Word of God. There is a soul sickness no balm can reach, no medicine heal. Pray for these, and bring them to Jesus Christ. And in all your work Christ will be present to make impressions upon human hearts” (Welfare Ministry, p. 71, 1952). “When self dies, there will be awakened an intense desire for the salvation of others,—a desire which will lead to persevering efforts to do good. There will be a sowing beside all waters; and earnest supplication, importunate prayers, will enter heaven in behalf of perishing souls” (Gospel Workers, p. 470, 1915). But what does this look like in prophecy?

FINAL INTERCESSION!

In light of these concepts, the prophetic anti-type of the father’s intercession with the elder son is found in the final, closing work of Christ as our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. The Altar of Incense in the earthly tabernacle stood directly before the veil, representing the continual intercession that gives access to the very presence of God. Anti-typically, this points to Christ’s unending ministry as our Advocate before the Father. However, this ministry takes on its ultimate significance during the pre-advent Investigative Judgment, which began in 1844 at the conclusion of the 2300-day prophecy of Daniel 8:14. In this heavenly assize, Christ stands not only as the advocate for the penitent—the prodigals whose cases are being decided—but also as the great Intercessor who vindicates the Father’s character against the accusations of Satan, the ultimate elder brother. Satan, the accuser of the brethren, charges God with injustice for forgiving sinners. Christ’s intercession at the heavenly altar is the divine answer to these charges. As Sr. White states, “The intercession of Christ is as a golden chain fastened to the throne of God. He has turned the merit of His sacrifice into prayer. Jesus prays, and by prayer succeeds” (The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7A, p. 484, 1957). Christ’s advocacy vindicates divine justice. The heavenly judgment exemplifies mercy amid accusation. And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness (Psalm 9:8, KJV). For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10, KJV). “The plan of redemption had a yet broader and deeper purpose than the salvation of man. It was not for this alone that Christ came to the earth; it was not merely that the inhabitants of this little world might regard the law of God as it should be regarded; but it was to vindicate the character of God before the universe” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 68, 1890). “The intercession of Christ in man’s behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon the cross. By His death He began that work which after His resurrection He ascended to complete in heaven” (The Great Controversy, p. 489, 1911). This final work of intercession is not merely about individual salvation; it is about the reconciliation of the entire universe to the principles of God’s government. The father’s plea with the elder son was an attempt to bring him into harmony with the joy and grace of the household. Christ’s final intercession is a demonstration to the unfallen worlds that God’s government is one of perfect justice and infinite mercy. The prophet Daniel was given a vision of this solemn scene, where judgment was given in favor of the saints, and the time came that they possessed the kingdom (Daniel 7:22). This favorable verdict is made possible only through the continual offering of the fragrant incense of Christ’s righteousness. As Sr. White powerfully concludes, “The plan of redemption had a yet broader and deeper purpose than the salvation of man. It was not for this alone that Christ came to the earth; it was not merely that the inhabitants of this little world might regard the law of God as it should be regarded; but it was to vindicate the character of God before the universe” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 68, 1890). Therefore, the father’s entreaty at the door is a beautiful microcosm of Christ’s final work at the heavenly Altar of Incense, a work that will ultimately silence every accusing voice and fill the universe with the eternal fragrance of a love that is both perfectly just and infinitely merciful. But how does this lead to ultimate grace?

BITTERNESS TO GRACE!

The Altar of Incense stands as a timeless symbol of the beautiful truth that our access to God is not based on our own merits, but on the sweet, fragrant righteousness of our Intercessor. The parable of the prodigal son takes this profound theological concept and clothes it in the tender, heartfelt plea of a father’s love. In the father’s willingness to leave the feast and entreat his angry son, we see a God who is not content with a partial restoration. His love extends beyond the repentant sinner to the resistant saint, seeking to heal the divisions caused by pride and self-righteousness. He is a God who intercedes, who pleads, who works tirelessly to bring His entire family into the harmony of grace. As we stand before our own altars of worship, may we never forget the lesson of the father at the door. May we reject the bitter spirit of the elder brother and embrace our role as agents of reconciliation. And may our lives, like the sacred incense, ascend as a sweet-smelling savor, fragrant with the merits of Christ and filled with a love that seeks to restore, to heal, and to unite all in the boundless joy of the Father’s house. Grace transforms bitterness. The father’s plea exemplifies tireless pursuit of harmony. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18, KJV). To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:19, KJV). “The spirit of true fasting and prayer is the spirit which yields mind, heart, and will to God” (Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 189, 1938). “Through divine agency, we have the spirit of intercession, whereby we may plead with God, as a man pleadeth with his friend” (Signs of the Times, October 3, 1892).

Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25, KJV).

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PRODIGAL SON: WHEN FORGIVENESS ISN’T ENOUGH

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