Our Lenten Look at Bread sprouts a little poetic license this week, drawing a whimsical recipe for way back biscotti from one of the most significant stories in all of Scripture. Let us ponder the deep embrace of the father for his wayward son who finds his way back.
So [the son] got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way from home his father saw him, and his heart went out to him; he ran and hugged his son and kissed him. Luke 15:20 NET
Of course, there is no bread in this heart-gripping reunion; but no worries, dear gardeners, there is a plant! Fodder for livestock, in this case pigs, is implied in the mention of keration, a Greek word for pods from the carob tree, Ceratonia silqua. Sometimes translated un-botanically as “slop,” the lowly swine sustenance helps summon the son to his senses.
He longed to fill his stomach with the carob pods the pigs were eating, but no one gave him any. At last he came to his senses and said, ‘Any number of my father’s hired workers have food to spare; and here I am, starving to death! I’m going to get up and go back to my father…’ Luke 15:16-18 CJB
Enjoy the play on words; he “came to his senses” amidst the sensations of serving swine food. Just imagine the texture of the soil surrounding their stalls, the smell of their skin covered in mud mixed with sweat and whatever plops from their behind, the sound of their guzzling snouts; not to mention the “pigs” detail exaggerates the filth of the story per Leviticus 11:7. This swarthy scene brings new spiritual understanding, what?! This is our Lord, God of the impossible, bringing fruitfulness from filthiness.
“Came to his senses” comes back around to how Jesus continually prods his followers: the son grows “eyes to see and ears to hear” (Matthew 13:15-16, Luke 14:35, Revelation 2:7). Through his humiliating experience, he gains a genuine grasp of the reality of his father’s good ways.
Why Carob?
This parable is third in a trilogy describing the dimensions of God’s seeking his lost ones, brimming with care for us as a shepherd cares for his sheep (Luke 15:3-7), deeply valuing us as a coin signifies treasure (Luke 15:8-10), rejoicing at our restored, intimate relationship with him as father and child (Luke 15:11-24). I think “lost” in these passages could depict any of us on any given day, speaking across a vista from deserted hearts, empty of any God-acknowledgement, to devout hearts which easily forget him in a distracted, squirrely moment. Carob provides an object lesson for whatever our distance from God may be.
Gardeners, we have come to adore God for His hints in the horticulture, and by crafting this parable with carob pods, we can anticipate a sweet turn of events. Carob has a naturally sweet taste. Though in modern times, it is considered a cocoa substitute, carob lends its own sweetness to recipes, requiring less sugar.
Learn more about carob tree in the Garden in Delight Plant Guide
Taste and See Epiphany
The son in the story doesn’t turn to his father for more “goodies”—that is, a return to wealth or prominence—sobered by all that he already squandered. He turns back because of the character of his father. He realizes his father gives his workers dignity and watches over their well-being. The prodigal finds himself in a harsh, empty environment; in this lowly place, his father’s ways come into focus and the son fills up with respect for what his father has established: Goodness. Embellished by the slop for pigs, the story showcases a taste and see epiphany.
Taste and see that the Lord is good! God blesses people who turn to him to keep them safe. Psalm 34:8 EASY
The child is ready to belong to his father, cherishing his father for who he is and what he has done. Their reunion is intensely sweeter by the father’s energetic, arms-open-wide embrace. Open eyes, open arms, all together in a sweet, warm, lost-to-found love scene.
Jesus is the Way
While His parable teaches much about the Father’s wraparound love for us, Jesus is modest about His behind-the-scenes role in securing such reunions. Bluntly: Jesus is the way. When we realize we want to return to the Father, Jesus is the way.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6 NKJV
God our Father is ever ready for our return, yet there is the matter of our sins, and the price to be paid for the chaos and pain we cause, whether deliberate, unknowing, or unavoidable. Enter Jesus, the Only One able to pay; Jesus is the way.
Then Peter said, ‘Only Jesus can save people. There has never been another person in the world that could do this. God has not given any other man the authority to save us.’ Acts 4:12 EASY
Thank you, Jesus!
Treasury of The Way Words
Let us linger in Words resounding the themes wrapping around us in this story.
We have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: we throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. Romans 5:2-3 The Message
And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” Mark 14:36 NKJV
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save those who are lost. Luke 19:10 LEB
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Galatians 4:6 NKJV
He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers Malachai 3:24 CJB
I dwell in an exalted and holy place, but also with the discouraged and humiliated Isaiah 57:15 NET
For as it is written, “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has the human heart imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9 NCB
He will go ahead of the Lord, strong and mighty like the prophet Elijah. He will bring fathers and children together again; he will turn disobedient people back to the way of thinking of the righteous; he will get the Lord’s people ready for him. Luke 1:17 GNT
A voice is wailing, “In the wilderness, get it ready! Prepare the way; make it a straight shot. The Eternal would have it so. Straighten the way in the wandering desert to make the crooked road wide and straight for our God. Isaiah 40:3 VOICE
Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, open the way for us to come to you. 1 Thessalonians 3:11 WE
God is just to forgive us our sins because of Christ, and he will continue to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 TPT
This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. Romans 8:15-16 The Message
And we know that the Son of God came so we could recognize and understand the truth of God—what a gift!—and we are living in the Truth itself, in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. This Jesus is both True God and Real Life. 1 John 5:20 The Message
Worship with a Weekly Loaf
This story calls for a sweet bread, don’t you think? Prepare Way Back Biscotti with carob powder and honey for a sweet breakfast treat or an afternoon cup of tea. Carob powder is championed as a cocoa substitute; though it is likely more nutritious and has been cultivated over thousands of years, it is not widely available in supermarkets. Order online from most major grocery retailers or just bake the biscotti with cocoa powder. Praise Jesus either way!
Way Back Biscotti Recipe
Closing Prayer
O Father, how good it is to be held in your embrace! Thank you for your open arms. Your whole countenance toward me is sweet because Jesus is the way. I am grateful forever to You, Jesus! You found me and You made sure that I found You. Now You open my eyes and my ears continually to take in more of You and to track Your movement. I can imagine many scenarios of being down-and-out and in dire need, but You say I still can never imagine what You have prepared for me (1 Corinthians 2:9). But I trust it will be tasty and sweet! Let me bake something today and believe it. I love You, Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Although you were once distant and far away from God, now you have been brought delightfully close to him through the sacred blood of Jesus—you have actually been united to Christ! Ephesians 2:13 TPT
A Lenten Look at Bread is a 7-part series at the crossroads of bread and garden plants in God’s Word. Slicing into bread analogies draws us closer to Lord of the Sabbath, the Word, more life-sustaining than bread, and the Bread of heaven, for starters (yes, there will be sourdough!)—against a background of wheat, barley, coriander, and Israel’s best produce. Taste and see my goodness, the Lord beckons (Psalm 34:8), so we’ll be worshiping with a weekly loaf for hands-on help in grasping who Jesus is and what he has done for us, growing our hearts for a deep embrace of the ultimate metaphor, He is Risen!
Read about carob tree, also known as locust tree, in God’s Word for Gardeners Bible, devotions on Pests and Pestilence, beginning on page a-44
Do you love connecting God’s Word to your gardening work and the trees and plants around you? You will love my new book, My Father is the Gardener, Devotions in Botany and Gardening of the Bible, order at this link.
Read more on carob from the Devotions Blog: Recounting the Carob Story
Find growing information on carob, a zone 9 tree from the Fabaceae, or Legume family, in the Garden in Delight Plant Guide
Photo Credits: ©Shelley S. Cramm
CJB notes Scripture quotations taken from the Complete Jewish Bible by David H. Stern. Copyright © 1998. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Messianic Jewish Publishers, 6120 Day Long Lane, Clarksville, MD 21029. www.messianicjewish.net.
EASY denotesEasy English Bible Copyright © MissionAssist 2019 – Charitable Incorporated Organisation 1162807. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
GNT denotes Scripture quotations from the Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) Copyright © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
LEB denotes Scripture quotations taken from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.
The Message denotes Scripture quotations taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries.
NCB denotes Scripture taken from the SAINT JOSEPH NEW CATHOLIC BIBLE® Copyright © 2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
NET designates Scripture quoted by permission from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
NIV denotes Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®
NKJV denotes Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
TPT denotes Scripture quotations taken from The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017, 2018, 2020 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com
VOICE denotes Scripture quotations taken from The Voice™. Copyright © 2012 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
WE denotes Scripture quotations taken from THE JESUS BOOK – The Bible in Worldwide English. © 1969, 1971, 1996, 1998 by SOON Educational Publications, Derby DE65 6BN, UK. Used by permission.
