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Enjoy this modern-day parable by Ross Penniall, lover of Jesus, lover of life, and lover of SoMuchGoodNews.

The Kingdom of Heaven is Good News. There are a number of parables in the Gospels where Jesus taught on the kingdom. Most notably, regarding this kingdom parables, He said, “He who has ears, let him hear.” Funny how He never went into great depth trying to explain His parables. Those who were hungry for truth got it. Those who never really listened heard only a story. A parable is a story with an underlying message that explains God, His heart, and His kingdom. Those who are searching for one of those, if not all, hear the hidden code. Below is a modern kingdom parable with no explanation. My hope is that you’re hungry.

The kingdom of heaven is like a father and his two sons. The father gave his sons a two bed-roomed home to live in. It was fully furnished. It had a tennis court and a pool. He gave each child R10 million and said, “Go start a business. Invest in property. Buy land and build. Employ people. Build brands. Do whatever you like, but use this start up money and make as much as you can”. The father left them for three years. At the end of the three years, he returned to the city of his sons. He found the home run down, the pool empty, and the tennis court vandalized. Inside he found both boys passed out in the lounge with beer and spirits bottles strewn all over the floor. There was graffiti all over the walls, The carpets were alcohol stained and some of the furniture was even missing. He woke his boys only to be told by them that they squandered their R10 million. Not one investment, no business, and no property. The food and alcohol they were now living on was bought by money made selling their furniture.

The father was disappointed at this wastage by his sons. But he was a father who loved his sons more than anything else. So he said to them, “My dear sons, I love you both very much, and I desire for us to be a family and to live under one roof. I forgive you for your waste and squander. I choose not to hold this against you. I want to give you another chance, except this time I want us to do this together. Come and live with me in a brand new home. It has 20 bedrooms, a cinema, three pools, two tennis courts and an amphitheater. Each of you can work with me in my business. I will pay you each of you R50 000 a month. Let’s be a family together. Let us live our lives together. Let us change the world together!”

His one son fell on his face and asked his father to forgive him for his unappreciative behavior, and for not doing more with what he had been given. He repented of the way he had treated his father with utter disrespect, and thanked him for another chance. Going with His father, and living with Him, was what he desired. They embraced and reconciled. The other son shook his head and blamed his father for not doing more for them. He believed that his Father should have left them more money and with better opportunities for making a success of their lives. He wasn’t interested in having his Father involved in his life. He wanted a second chance, but without His father in the equation.

The Father left with the repentant son. His heart was glad that his son desired Him and accepted the new chance as offered. At the same time, his heart was sad that his other son refused Him. As he drove out the driveway, he told the son staying behind that He was only a phone call way, and that if he ever had a change in heart and wanted to reconsider, his arms were open to receive him.

He who has ears, let him hear.