READ: LUKE 15:11-32; ROMANS 3:10-18, 23-26; EPHESIANS 2:1-10

Jarrod clung to his steed, spurring it faster. Dust thrown by thundering hooves swarmed behind him. His pursuers closed in. Hair on the back of Jarrod’s neck stood on end. He breathed frantic gasps, gagged on raw fear.

“Bravo!” Jarrod said, pulling off the virtual reality headset and then carefully removing the fiber-optic gloves.

“It’s perfect,” he said to the vendor, Reuben.

“You were pleased with the Remington?”

“I was. Does it work on all the paintings in the gallery?”

Reuben nodded. “It allows the viewer to experience the very heart of the creation.”

With greedy eyes, Jarrod studied the masterpiece. It now seemed strangely dull and lifeless. But paired with this new technology…Introducing it to museums would make him the envy of the art world.

“Imagine delighting in Mona Lisa’s smile, indulging in the tranquility of Monet,” Reuben said, “or exploring Picasso…”

“I’ll pass on Picasso, thank you,” Jarrod said with a chuckle. “Too surreal.”

“Quite so,” Reuben agreed. “Shall we finish viewing the Western collection?”

In response, Jarrod pulled the equipment back on. It felt disorienting at first, but he soon became accustomed to the swirl of color and sound. Familiar masterpieces blossomed to life as he strolled, one heart-pounding image bleeding into the next. And then…

The stench of rotting flesh slammed Jarrod. A horror of a man dressed in filthy rags swallowed his vision. Malice bore into Jarrod’s mind like a thousand stinging maggots. Terror knocked him to his knees.

Screaming, he ripped the headset off his head, yanking away the horror in a flash. Reuben crouched beside him. “Sir, are you alright?”

Bile rose in Jarrod’s throat. “That artwork…it must be removed.”

The room grew painfully quiet. Finally, Reuben said, “I’m afraid you are confused. There is no portrait on this wall.”

“What?” Jarrod asked. Legs trembling, he stood. An arrogantly handsome face stared back at him.

Reuben was correct. No artwork adorned the wall.

Only a mirror.

Jarrod stammered out a farewell to Reuben, then hurried away to another exhibit. Finding a bench, he sunk down, his head in his hands. When he finally looked up, he was startled at the artwork before him. A man was on his knees, dressed in filthy rags. Though it was only a sketch, Jarrod couldn’t tear his gaze away. For this man wasn’t alone—he was wrapped in a tender embrace. Who would touch such a disgusting man? Who would love him? Jarrod looked for the placard. It was a Rembrandt, and it was entitled: The Return of the Prodigal Son. • Lori Z. Scott

• What stuck out to you in today’s allegorical story? When Jarrod looked in the mirror, he saw the state of his soul. The truth is, we’re all like Jarrod. We’re dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:1), and all “our righteous deeds…are nothing but filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:3-8). We are desperately in need of God’s mercy. But the good news is, God has already extended His mercy to us.

• In Luke 15, Jesus tells the parable of the prodigal son, who rejected his father’s love and chose sin instead. When the son finally came to his senses and returned home as a beggar, how did his father respond? How does this show us how God responds to us whenever we turn to Him?

• In Jesus, God has made the way for us to come home to Him, with all our sin and need, and be made new. Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins, and He rose from the dead to give us new life. How does Ephesians 2:1-10 describe us before we know Jesus—and how does it describe us once we are in Christ? (If you want to know more about the good news of Jesus, see our "Know Jesus" page.)

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) Ephesians 2:4-5 (NLT)