Luke 15:11-32: “The Parable Of The Prodigal Son (or “The
Loving Father”)”
By
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
In our last study, we looked
at verse 25 of chapter 14 through verse 11 of chapter 15.
1.1.1. We saw in that study that Jesus was teaching His disciples lessons
concerning what discipleship consists of, how to be effective as Christ’s disciple,
and what is the cost of discipleship.
1.1.2. Then, when the Pharisees noticed that the sinners and tax gatherers
were coming together to hear Jesus speak they were offended and began to
grumble against Jesus. This caused Jesus
to begin to teach parables that describe the kind of attitudes that we as God’s
people ought to have towards those who are lost and do not know the Lord: we need to be like God and reach out to them.
1.2.
In our study today, we are
going to look at verses 11 – 32 of chapter 15 in which Jesus teaches the
Parable of the Prodigal Son.
1.2.1. In our previous study, we saw that as a result of the attitude of the
Pharisees who were grumbling against Jesus because “sinners” and “tax
gatherers” were coming to hear Him speak, Jesus then sought out to teach three
parables which demonstrate the attitude that God has and that therefore we as
people ought to have towards those who are spiritually lost: God is a “reaching out” God!
1.2.2. Last week we looked at the first two of those parables, the shepherd who
leaves the ninety-nine sheep to go and look for one that is lost, and the woman
who loses a coin and then lights a lamp and begins to sweep her house until she
finds the coin.
1.2.3. Today, we are going to look at the third of these parables, that of
“The Prodigal Son.”
1.2.4. Actually, this parable would better be called “The Parable Of The
Loving Father,” for the emphasis in the parable is not the great sin of the son
but rather the attitude of the loving father towards each of his sons.
1.2.5. This parable illustrates the loving heart of God that desires greatly
to have errant sons and daughters restored to Himself.
2. VS 15:11-12 - “11 And He said, “A man had two sons.
12 “The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the
share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them.” - A man’s younger son asked his
father to give him his inheritance so the man divided his inheritance between
the two sons
2.1.
Since he was not married it
is assumed that the younger son here was probably still in his teens, but the
late teens.
2.2.
In
2.3.
It was also legal in this
day for a son to ask for his father to divide his inheritance before the death
of the father, however the father was in no way obligated to divide his
inheritance. In requesting his
inheritance this son was forfeiting all of his rights to sonship and
inheritance.
2.4.
In this story, the father
out of the goodness of his heart decided at the request of the younger son to
divide all of his inheritance between his sons, giving 1/3rd of everything to the youngest son, and the
other 2/3rd to the eldest son.
2.5.
It was not a very loving thing
for this son to ask for his inheritance to be given to him before the death of
his father, and it is evident that this son did not truly appreciate his father
and all that his father had done for him, for his desire is to move far away
from his father and enjoy living his life however he chose to live it,
irrespective of his father’s wishes.
2.6.
The fact that the father did
not resist his son’s wish to get his inheritance and move away from home
symbolizes the fact that the Lord allows errant sinners to wander away from
Him. Though God’s heart breaks for the
son who turns away from Him never the less the Lord will honor a man’s or a
woman’s choice to turn away in rebellion.
3. VS 15:13-16 - “13 “And not many days later, the
younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant
country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. 14 “Now
when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he
began to be impoverished. 15 “So he went and hired himself out to
one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed
swine. 16 “And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods
that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him.” - Partying turns to misery for
the younger prodigal
3.1.
The younger son decided that
he would move far away from home and begin to live life under his own rules and
fulfill his own desires. This son began
to “party hearty” as they say in the world.
What is described here as his ‘loose living’ probably refers to
lots of wine, women (prostitutes), gambling, fast camels, etc. The younger son chose to fulfill the lusts of
his flesh however he wished and as far as his money allowed him to do so, but
as circumstances dictated his money didn’t last long and his partying turned
into misery and poverty.
3.2.
This prodigal son was a
Jewish boy who had been brought up avoiding all unclean animals yet now he
finds himself having to sustain himself by feeding the animals that were most
despised in Israel, pigs. Not only so,
but the food that the pigs are eating is better than what he had for food, and
even though he is working he can’t make enough money to feed himself and now he
is experiencing starvation.
3.3.
The fact that eventually
things began to not go so well for this prodigal son who is enjoying ‘loose
living’ symbolizes the fact that for the sinner the enjoyment of his sin
eventually turns into enslavement.
Catering to the impulses of the flesh in an animalistic way causes a
person to experience the natural law of “diminishing returns.” It is written of Joseph in the “Hall of
Faith” chapter of Hebrews (Heb. 11:25) that he chose ‘rather to endure
ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,”
and the pleasures that sinning bring are very short-lived in a person’s
life. Sinning never brings any lasting
contentment and joy and thus sinners are never satisfied in their sinning. There is always the lust for more and the
dissatisfaction with the returns of previous sins committed. The way of a sinner is a hard path.
3.4.
We see here that a famine
just happened to break out in the land that this prodigal son traveled to, and
we know that this did not happen by accident.
It is the Lord who is in control of all of nature, and in truth there is
no such thing as chance or coincidence, and thus when sons turn away from the
Lord and go their own way, the Lord in His love has a way of bringing
correction through discipline that He plans for them. Thank God for the setbacks and trials that
we face in our lives for the loving hand of God has sent each and every one
into our lives in order to purify us and mold us into His very image.
3.4.1. Let me say that if it is the case in your life that you are
experiencing setbacks, difficulties, tragedies, etc. then may I suggest that
you at least evaluate in your heart whether or not it may be the case that the
Lord is trying to get your attention, trying to purify and mold your heart
through those difficulties. Ask the Lord
if there is a lesson that He is trying to teach you. Is there some correction that the Lord is
trying to bring into your life, some way in which your heart does not match the
heart of our loving and holy God. If
this is the case, it is much better to learn that lesson He is trying to teach
you today than to have to continue on suffering hardships He is sending to you.
3.5.
Tragically, many people go
through these famines when they are in the far distant land living in their
lusts and in rebellion against God, however instead of allowing those difficult
times to bring them to brokenness and repentance they just harden their hearts
even harder against the Lord.
3.6.
Between the partying and
gambling as well as the famine that occurred, this young man ends up in a short
time spending his entire inheritance.
Now, he has found himself a pauper in a distant land with no flesh and
blood relatives. Ironically, being
homeless and destitute he has no way to provide shelter, clothing, and food for
himself, the very things that he had taken his father for granted for
providing.
4. VS 15:17-19 - “17 “But when he came to his
senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough
bread, but I am dying here with hunger! 18 ‘I will get up and go to
my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in
your sight; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me
as one of your hired men.” ’” - The prodigal son comes to himself and
determines to return to his father
4.1.
This phrase ‘came to his
senses’ describes that moment in time when the Spirit of God opens
someone’s eyes so that they see their sin and their need for the Savior. Before this awakening by the Spirit in a
person’s life he is blinded by the Devil.
In 2 Cor. 4:3-4, Paul wrote about this blinding that occurs in
everyone’s life until the Lord lifts the blinders, “3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are
perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the
minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of
the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
4.2.
Before a person comes to
know the Lord, the one thing that the Devil does is try to keep him from
thinking. It is when a person begins to
really think about life and reality that he begins to realize the importance of
spiritual things and knowing the Lord.
4.3.
This prodigal son realizes
now how good he really had it at home and how much his father really did for
him. He thinks about his life now and
realizes that even the hired men working for his father have more and are doing
better than he is doing. He doesn’t
imagine that his father would accept him back as a son seeing how he had so
disgraced and disrespected his father, so he determines to go back home and ask
his father to merely make him one of his hired hands. He is willing to work for his father as any
other laborer and thus receive only daily care and sustenance as a hired hand.
4.4.
This prodigal son accepts
the consequences of his choices and makes no excuses for his actions. Notice that brokenness and repentance are
expressed in this son’s words that he rehearses speaking to his father upon his
return, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight.’ These words express the attitude that a
person must come to the Lord with in order to receive salvation through
Christ. Faith in the saving work of
Christ upon the cross plus brokenness and repentance from sin are required for
anyone to come to a saving relationship with Christ.
4.5.
Reflecting back upon his
life with the father, this younger son realizes how much he took the father’s
goodness and kindness for granted and in this way he pictures the Lord as Paul
describes Him in Rom. 2:4, “4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His
kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads
you to repentance?”
4.6.
We have to believe that as
this son is returning home that he wonders what type of a reception he will
have by his father. “Will my father want
to see me?” he asks himself. “Will he
receive me or turn me away because he has determined that he no longer wants to
see me and that I am as good as dead to him?”
5. VS 15:20-24 - “20 “So he got up and came to his
father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt
compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 “And
the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I
am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said
to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a
ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; 23 and bring the fattened
calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine
was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they
began to celebrate.” - The prodigal son contritely returns to his
father hoping to throw himself upon his father’s mercy only to have his father
greet him warmly and rejoice that his lost son has now come home
5.1.
In these verses we read
about the return home of the prodigal son and the reception that he receives,
and, really from here on the emphasis of the parable is not upon an errant and
rebellious son but upon a loving father.
5.2.
Note first of all that the
father sees his son returning home ‘while he was still a long way off,’
and the speculation about this phrase is that the father had probably often sat
on his porch looking into the distance longing for his son to one day come
home. The father here represents God who
so longs to have fellowship with those sons and daughters of men who have left
their home and gone to a distant land in rebellion against heaven.
5.3.
Older men in Israel did not
run, however on this day the joy and excitement of a son returned home causes
this loving father to run to his son and he ‘embraced him and kissed him.’ This phrase translated ‘embraced him’
here actually means that he “fell on his neck.” Some have speculated that because the law
stated that a son that had disrespected his father should be stoned to death
that the father was running to his son in order to reach him and show his
acceptance of the son before anyone would have opportunity to call for the
son’s stoning.
5.4.
Notice here that this son
does not even get to finish his speech to the father before he is interrupted
by the father who calls for a big celebration and begins to make plans to have
a big feast. The father lets his son
confess his sin and express his contriteness, however he will not allow his son
to ask that he merely be considered as another hired man. The father has never ceased to love his
errant son and wish for him to return home and occupy his rightful place with
his father.
5.5.
The ring and the robe which
were placed on the returning son were symbols of sonship by the father.
5.6.
There is such rejoicing in
the father’s heart that he must have everyone rejoice with him, therefore he
calls for this feast and celebration.
5.7.
The return of a sinner to
the Lord through Christ is symbolically portrayed in these words spoken by the
father describing what had happened now in his son’s life, ‘this son of mine was dead and has
come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ We who were once spiritually dead have been
raised up with Christ to walk in the newness of life. This is what happens whenever a person comes
to have saving faith in Christ.
5.8.
It ought to amaze each of us
even today that the Lord would choose to respond to us guilty sinners in mercy
and grace rather than by the justice we deserve because of our sins. Instead of destroying the entire human race
when we rebelled against Him, instead the Lord did the unthinkable in the
giving of His only begotten Son from all eternity to go and receive all of His
fury and wrath against sin so that we could have that penalty taken of our sins
away. The New Testament tells us that
Christ’s death is the “propitiation” for our sins, or “full payment”
(1 John 2:1-3).
6. VS 15:25-32 - “25 “Now his older son was in the
field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26
“And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what
these things could be. 27 “And he said to him, ‘Your brother has
come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him
back safe and sound.’ 28 “But he became angry and was not willing to
go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him. 29 “But
he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been
serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you
have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; 30
but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with
prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ 31 “And he said
to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32
‘But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead
and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’ ”” - The older son returns from
the field to the house and discovers why everyone is celebrating but he is not
happy that his brother has returned home
6.1.
There are two sons in this
household and there are two very different stories and lessons to be learned by
these boys. Unlike the younger son, the
elder son had always been obedient to his father, yet we expect by his response
here that his obedience was not from the heart.
However, there was much that was commendable about this older son. He had stayed home with his father, worked
hard all of his years, and he had never determined that he should run off and
live a “loose life” uncharacteristic of his family.
6.2.
However, when the younger
son returns home the older son views his return as a threat to himself. He is possibly afraid that the father will
now give the son yet another portion of inheritance, however if he knew the integrity
of his father he would know that his father could never renege on his
promises. Maybe he is afraid though that
he will lose some of his authority to his younger brother, and since his
younger brother has left he has had full authority over all of his father’s
business.
6.3.
The older son feels also
that “he is worthy” of all of all that his father has given him. Yet, he
feels resentment towards his younger brother because he views him as being
unworthy of his father’s love. He
believes that what the younger son needs now is not restoration to his father
but rather justice carried out against him because of how he had wronged and
disgraced his father.
6.4.
The older brother believes
that he is the one who is really deserving of a big feast in his honor and celebration,
not his younger brother who was a prodigal and a disgrace to the family.
6.5.
There is no getting around
it, the older brother definitely symbolizes the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. They lived their lives under the law and
sought to establish their own righteousness before God based upon observance of
the law, and thus they felt that they were righteous and worthy of God’s
love. They also despised those who were
“sinners” (Gentiles) and “tax gatherers” and did not feel that
these types of people were worth saving.
The Pharisees saw clearly the sins of others yet they were blind to
their own sins.
6.6.
Not only did the older
brother feel resentment towards his younger brother who had become restored to
his father, he also felt anger towards his father for forgiving his brother and
for throwing a big feast and lavishing his grace (undeserved merit) upon this
one who had gone errantly from his father.
He doubts his father’s generosity towards him and believes his father is
being foolish and overly indulgent and sentimental towards the younger son.
6.7.
The older brother finds out
what the celebration is about by asking a servant, and as was mentioned, he
became angry at hearing the news.
6.8.
When the father finds out
that the older son has returned to the house and is angry and refusing to come
in and enter into the celebration, the father again demonstrates his great love
by going out to the older son in order to try to reach out to him in love and
persuade him to forgive his brother and join in with the celebration. Notice here how tenderly and lovingly the
father reaches out to his older son.
6.8.1. He calls his older son his ‘son,’ yet this doesn’t really
express what is communicated here for in the Greek this word “teknon” is
a very endearing term and means, “my child” or “my little child.”
6.8.2. He affirms that his elder son has always been with him and served him
faithfully.
6.8.3. He tells his elder son that all that he has belongs to him, and the
return of the younger brother in no way diminishes that fact.
6.8.4. Then he tells his elder son that he ‘had to celebrate’ because
this son who was dead has been resurrected, the lost one has been found.
6.9.
Ironically, in the end it is
the older brother who falls out of fellowship and is alienated from the father,
and all because of the wonderful grace extended by his father to his errant but
repentant brother. Doubting the
generosity and sincerity of his father, the elder son now becomes the prodigal
that needs reaching out to. Whether or
not this elder son himself came back to his father in brokenness and repentance
we are not told.
6.10.
I remember on a couple of
occasions sharing the gospel with a non-believer and telling him that the Lord
is willing to forgive any sin that we have committed if we come to Him in repentance
and trusting in His Son’s death upon Calvary’s tree for us, and have the person
ask me if someone like an Adolf Hitler (one of the greatest mass murderers in
history) could have been saved if he repented on his deathbed and trusted in
Christ. I have answered, “Yes!” to this
question only to have the person then state that they could never trust or
believe in a God that could forgive anyone just because they have repented and
trusted in Christ. Yet, I have told
every one who has said this that not a single one of us deserved Christ dying
on our behalf any more than an Adolf Hitler.
None is deserving of God’s grace.
At the same time we also have to welcome and accept as brothers and
sisters all who come to salvation through repentance and faith in Christ!
6.11.
There are some Christian
groups that I have met in my Christian experience who resemble this older son
in the parable. They don’t welcome with
open arms sinners who repent. Actually,
in many ways it could be said that the Calvary Chapel movement itself began in
large part because in the mid 60’s and 70’s a pastor named Chuck Smith and a
small church named Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa began reaching to a group of
young hippie kids who were on drugs and practicing “loose living” whom few of
the other churches really wanted to reach out to. When pastor Chuck and the church simply loved
and reached out to these kids and didn’t demand that they conform their entire
lives before entering the church, like moths to a light they began being
attracted to the first place they had ever been where people truly loved
them. The Bible was taught to these kids
and the Spirit of God began to transform them and the rest is history.
6.12.
Who do you resemble most in
your attitudes towards sinners, the loving father or the elder brother? You will resemble one or the other…
6.13.
You may have wondered why I
would choose to teach this message of the Parable Of The Prodigal Son on this
last Sunday morning before Christmas, but if you will bear with me a minute I
will explain why this story ties in.
Personally, I have gotten very tired of those in the media (whom we can
assume are unbelievers) telling us what the “true meaning of Christmas
really is.” Let me say that the word
“Christmas” has “Christ” in it and contrary to what is popular in
the media that it is “Christ” that is central in Christmas, not
presents, not Christmas trees or Christmas lights, not Santa Claus, not
reindeer, not elves, not getting together with family, not even doing things for
others. The loving father in the Parable
of the Prodigal Son represents God, and what is central to Christianity is the
fact that God because of His incredible love, grace, and mercy sent His only
begotten Son to die upon the cross of Calvary to pay a debt of sin that was not
his own, but rather was owed by each and every one of us, for “all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
6.14.
As I mentioned, the three
parables that Jesus taught on this day teach the lesson of how our heart as
God’s people out to match that of the Lord in how He feels towards those who
are spiritually lost and blind in their sin:
He is a “reaching out God.”
A friend of mine sent me the following story that illustrates yet again
how that we as people out to have a heart like God’s that reaches out to those
who are spiritually blind and lost:
THE
LIFELINE
AFTER
A FEW OF THE USUAL SUNDAY EVENING HYMNS, THE CHURCH'S PASTOR SLOWLY STOOD UP,
WALKED OVER TO THE PULPIT AND, BEFORE HE GAVE HIS SERMON FOR THE EVENING,
BRIEFLY INTRODUCED A GUEST MINISTER WHO WAS IN THE SERVICE THAT EVENING. IN THE INTRODUCTION, THE PASTOR TOLD THE
CONGREGATION THAT THE GUEST MINISTER WAS ONE OF HIS DEAREST CHILDHOOD FRIENDS
AND THAT HE WANTED HIM TO HAVE A FEW MOMENTS TO GREET THE CHURCH AND SHARE
WHATEVER HE FELT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR THE SERVICE. WITH THAT, AN ELDERLY MAN STEPPED UP TO THE
PULPIT AND BEGAN TO SPEAK.
"A FATHER, HIS SON, AND A FRIEND OF HIS SON WERE SAILING OFF THE
THE
OLD MAN HESITATED FOR A MOMENT, MAKING EYE CONTACT WITH TWO TEENAGERS WHO WERE,
FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE SERVICE BEGAN, LOOKING SOMEWHAT INTERESTED IN HIS
STORY. THE AGED MINISTER CONTINUED WITH HIS STORY.
"GRABBING A RESCUE LINE, THE FATHER HAD TO MAKE
THE MOST EXCRUCIATING DECISION OF HIS LIFE:
TO WHICH BOY WOULD HE THROW THE OTHER END OF THE LIFE LINE. HE ONLY HAD SECONDS TO MAKE THE
DECISION. THE FATHER KNEW THAT HIS SON
WAS A CHRISTIAN AND HE ALSO KNEW THAT HIS SON'S FRIEND WAS NOT. THE AGONY OF
HIS DECISION COULD NOT BE MATCHED BY THE TORRENT OF WAVES. AS THE FATHER YELLED OUT, 'I LOVE YOU,
SON!' HE THREW OUT THE LIFE LINE TO HIS
SON'S FRIEND. BY THE TIME THE FATHER HAD
PULLED THE FRIEND BACK TO THE CAPSIZED BOAT, HIS SON HAD DISAPPEARED BENEATH
THE RAGING SWELLS INTO THE BLACK OF NIGHT.
HIS BODY WAS NEVER RECOVERED. BY
THIS TIME, THE TWO TEENAGERS WERE SITTING UP STRAIGHT IN THE PEW, ANXIOUSLY
WAITING FOR THE NEXT WORDS TO COME OUT OF THE OLD MINISTER'S MOUTH. "THE FATHER," HE CONTINUED,
"KNEW HIS SON WOULD STEP INTO ETERNITY WITH JESUS AND HE COULD NOT BEAR
THE THOUGHT OF HIS SON'S FRIEND STEPPING INTO AN ETERNITY WITHOUT JESUS.
THEREFORE,
HE SACRIFICED HIS SON TO SAVE THE SON'S FRIEND. HOW GREAT IS THE LOVE OF GOD
THAT HE SHOULD DO THE SAME FOR US. OUR HEAVENLY
FATHER SACRIFICED HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON THAT WE COULD BE SAVED. I URGE YOU TO ACCEPT HIS OFFER TO RESCUE YOU
AND TAKE A HOLD OF THE LIFE LINE HE IS THROWING OUT TO YOU IN THIS SERVICE. WITH THAT, THE OLD MAN TURNED AND SAT BACK
DOWN IN HIS CHAIR AS SILENCE FILLED THE ROOM.
THE PASTOR AGAIN WALKED SLOWLY TO THE PULPIT AND DELIVERED A BRIEF SERMON WITH
AN INVITATION AT THE END. HOWEVER, NO
ONE RESPONDED TO THE APPEAL. WITHIN
MINUTES AFTER THE SERVICE ENDED, THE TWO TEENAGERS WERE AT THE OLD MAN'S
SIDE. "THAT WAS A NICE STORY,"
POLITELY STATED ONE OF THEM, "BUT I DON'T THINK IT WAS VERY REALISTIC FOR
A FATHER TO GIVE UP HIS ONLY SON'S LIFE IN HOPES THAT THE OTHER BOY WOULD
BECOME A CHRISTIAN."
"WELL,
YOU'VE GOT A POINT THERE," THE OLD MAN REPLIED GLANCING DOWN AT HIS WORN
BIBLE. A BIG SMILE BROADENED HIS NARROW
FACE. HE ONCE AGAIN LOOKED UP AT THE
BOYS AND SAID, "IT SURE ISN'T VERY REALISTIC, IS IT? BUT I'M STANDING HERE TODAY TO TELL YOU THAT
STORY GIVES ME A GLIMPSE OF WHAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE FOR GOD TO GIVE UP HIS
SON FOR ME. YOU SEE...
I WAS THAT FATHER AND YOUR PASTOR IS MY SON'S FRIEND."
7. CONCLUSIONS:
7.1.
.As we consider the events
of this story about the Prodigal Son, will you allow the Lord to place in you
the heart for the lost that He has? Or,
will you stand in judgment of sinners and not want to get too close them as was
the case with the elder brother?
7.2.
This Christmas week, lets
make the most of our opportunities and reach out with God’s love and the gospel
message to our unsaved friends and family members who are spiritually blind and
lost.