Mar302025
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Why Is He So Nice?

If the circulating pump for the heating system decides to break down or blow up in the middle of winter, and you are able to remove its motor without flooding the boiler room, you will take it to Motor City. Behind the counter, you will meet a woman who knows everything about motors. She will fix your motor. If you happen to ask her how she knows so much about motors, she will tell you that her dad taught her. Now, since her father retired, she runs the business. She is carrying out her father’s legacy.

The last time I brought in a motor–and yes, I am a regular customer–she told me she was backed up and would not be able to fix it for a week. Just so we would not freeze during the cold snap, she convinced me that I could fix it myself. She took the time to show me what to do and gave me the parts to do it without charging me. Why was she so nice to me? She probably learned it from her father, carrying on the legacy. “Make sure you are very nice to your customers.”

This leads me to a question: Why is the father in Jesus’ parable so nice to the two mean sons? He even dishes out very nice gifts such as a ring, a party, and everything he owns goes to the older son. Why is he so nice to them? Because that is the legacy he wants to leave his sons to carry on after him. He wants to be known to everyone, for years to come, for his compassion, his generosity, his kindness through his kids.

When the Pharisees ask Jesus why are you so nice to sinners, “Why are you so nice to mean people, why so nice to folks that are not good at life,” the parable gives them the answer: Jesus carries on the legacy of His Father.

The next time we call God our Father, we know what we need to do as His kids. 

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