Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them." So he told them this parable:
"There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ’Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living.
When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, ’How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands."’
So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, ’Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ’Quickly, bring out a robe--the best one--and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.
"Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, ’Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, ’Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ Then the father said to him, ’Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’" Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
If you have ever been in the position of the father in the story, you know the heartbreak, the sleepless nights, the wondering, and the self-reproach. "Where did I fail?" It is agony to await the outcome.
A pastor with which I was very well acquainted had a son who walked the path of The Prodigal. More sensitive than the other children in the family, Dave turned from the Lord. He somehow could not understand that this great and loving God his father preached about could have human counterparts who display such anger and prejudice in the name of the LORD and His church.
In his late teens Dave rejected his standing in Christ, and everything connected with the church. The agony of the pastor-father, and his devout wife was excruciating; so much so that they gave up serving, and the preacher became a carpenter.
After some time, shortly before his twentieth birthday, after an all-night binge, and in the wee hours of a Saturday morning, Dave came to his father’s house. He woke his parents and poured-out his heart: "Dad, Mom, I can’t take it any more. I’ve tried my best to make it on my own, and I’ve failed. This life isn’t worth living. I need to have this emptiness taken away...it hurts so bad. Then he asked, Dad, will you and Mom pray with me?" Instantly there were parents on the floor, praying, weeping and rejoicing over the son who had come home.
A new joy and purpose came into Dave’s life. He made plans to go to college, to make a life worth living.
Shortly afterward (only a month before he was to enter King’s College in upper New York State), Dave’s life was suddenly ended. He was on his way home, hitching back from the west coast where he had been visiting a school buddy. Somewhere in the mid-west Dave was attacked, and brutally murdered.
It was difficult for this pastor and family to make sense of the timing of God, or God’s reasoning in this tragedy. They are thankful that Dave is indeed with the LORD, knowing that he made his return to Christ shortly before his death.
An up-side which makes this tragedy bittersweet is that the resulting heartache this family has endured through Dave’s early death serves to make us aware of some very important principles:
a. We are not indestructible. Dave was 6’2" with blond, wavy hair, and only 19. We will all die.
b. Those who wait for the prodigal share a fellowship of suffering. They feel what God feels for His wayward children. If you care you will hurt.
In the human family there are all kinds of parallels with the lost son and the waiting father.
o There are friends that betray trust;
o there are husbands and wives who break vows;
o children who wander into lifestyles that cripple. Every day on the streets of America there are between 1.3 and 2.8 million runaway and homeless youth. [1]
o And, of course, each of us has played the prodigal, living apart from the nobler part of our nature.
The apostle Paul made it clear, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
What do you do with a prodigal friend, spouse, child or self?
I. Find the right perspective
The prodigal is not himself! Sin robs us of our God-given "special-ness". In the story, the son didn’t leave home to hurt his father, or to join the pig herd. He simply wanted to have what he wanted, when he wanted it! He wanted an exciting life in the fast lane. What he got was emptiness beyond his imagination. He searched for the good times, and wound up with a gnawing hunger on the inside.
The reason the pathway of the prodigal is so very frustrating is that the far country is always much more attractive from a distance than close-up. The son wanted his freedom; what he reaped was a fool’s reward. Sin never advertises its’ hook.
o When you fool around with booze, they never tell you about the hangover...
o Promiscuous sex is exciting, till the doctor says, "AIDS"...
o An affair may temporarily spice up a humdrum afternoon, but reaps years of loneliness when the divorce is final.
The fact is, the son wanted his freedom to enjoy life, but his joy turned to jail, when the world ate up his inheritance.
Well, if the prodigal is not what he should be, what should he be? The scripture tells us that the rightful place for a believer (son), is in fellowship with the father. The son had a desire for independence that is easily seen in every home with teenagers. Now, independence is good, but it must be won. In the case of a child, the cost is learning responsibility. The parable Jesus told was of a son who couldn’t wait for the right time. He wanted control before he’d learned the responsibilities that went along with the reins.
That was the chief problem with Adam and Eve when Satan tempted them in the garden; "You’ll be just like gods," he said. They wanted control over their lives, acting as god.
Whenever I read the Prodigal’s story I want to say, "WAIT….don’t go…your best place is to be in fellowship with the Father. You don’t have to go stay in the pig sty." But we humans are a stubborn species. And the flow of intelligent thinking in the pigpen is somewhat restricted! Returning to the Father usually comes following self-conviction, because repentance is that which no man can do for another. The fact is that you are never really who you’re meant to be until your heart breaks.
The son finally said (with a broken heart), "I will go to my Father and tell him I have sinned." The son did well to recognize his condition. He talked to himself and told himself the truth, "I am in a deep mess."
But that is not the end of it. Like people who’ve come to their senses about God, recognizing and believing that God is worthy of worship, and has prior claim on their lives; the Bible says that there are demons that also believe, and tremble at that belief. Beyond belief, there must be action. Note in the parable, the young man "got up and went to his father."
Beloved, if your aim is to get out of the pigpen, simply KNOWING the Father loves you, and wishing in your heart to be near Him will never get you out of the wallow. You must GET UP, AND GO TO HIM!
Two frogs are dancing on a fence; One decides to jump off; How many are left? We are tempted to say "one". But remember, that one frog only decided to jump off. The question remains, did he actually DO IT? You can be part of a decision-making group that thinks it would be a good idea to be saved....or you can ACT...Do something about it.
In the Book of Acts Paul shared the gospel with Felix, the Roman ruler. Felix told Paul, "You have a point about Jesus and my need for Him. I’m concerned about that. Tell you what…I will do something about that sometime."
The soul of a prodigal is in jeopardy. It is too great a matter to put-off till another day. Making a decision, and ACTING on that decision can never mean more to you or the family of God than it means right now!
The perspective on the prodigal is that he is not himself. What happens if he starts toward home?
II. Prescription: Forgive Without "I Told You So"
Note if you will the reaction of the father in v.22-24. There is no reminder of past failures, only the kiss of a father who is overjoyed at the return of his lost son. The father receives those who feel they have nothing to offer. That is the nature of repentance.
Please remember, the scars of the far country will remind those who’ve been astray of the futility of past choices. You and I who receive others back, as the Father received us, must make a feast and celebrate. When the Father has washed a wandering prodigal, making him white as snow; we must never revive the stains.
Our task is to be like the father of a seminary student. He and his father, an inner-city pastor, were jogging in their neighborhood when they decided to have a pizza delivered to their home.
On their way to the pay phone a homeless man asked them for change. Without a second thought the father emptied his pockets and said, “Here, take what you need.” Enormously grateful, the homeless man took every last coin.
But as he turned to go, the father suddenly realized that he had given away the change he needed to make his phone call. “Pardon me,” he called to the man. “I need to make a call. Can you spare some change?” Turning, the homeless man emptied his pockets. As he held the change out to the father he said, “Here, take what you need.” [2]
Spare change or life change…the Father isn’t done working on any of us yet!
III. What if I’m still waiting for my prodigal?
Your job is faithful prayer. Remember, the same God who gave Jonah a submarine ride to bring him into line may bring your prodigal home through deep water. But the path still leads home.
I can recall, O Lord, when first You called,
And how I dawdled, debated and stalled.
"Come, child," You said;
"My way," I said.
So started this weary wanderer away from home.
Lord, I have strayed throughout the years,
And can I now, through blur and sting of tears
See Thy face, Thy loving smile;
Which beckoned all the while,
To welcome this weary wanderer home?
And now, Father, in spite of all I’ve done;
Could it be that there is still some
Place of service, need for me;
A life - love’s reality;
To warmly see this weary wanderer home?
I see my need so deep; Yet deeper still,
Is Your love....I draw from Your endless well.
And life is giv’n, I need run no more;
Except when in serving Thee, You show
This former weary wanderer a brand new home.
If you’ve had a prodigal, and you are a waiter, you know the pain of loneliness and heartbreak. We have all walked the path of the prodigal. "All we like sheep have gone astray..." There is no way to measure the pain God has in His heart over His wandering children.
Perhaps today you’ve seen yourself as the prodigal, and you’ve come to the realization that you belong in your Father’s house. You should wander no longer. Say now, "I will arise, and go to my father." And now, beloved, will you not only SAY it....will you come with me to the Father?
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ENDNOTES
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1] National Runaway Switchboard, nrscri-sisline.org. (quoted in Homiletics/March 2007
2] Thomas G. Long, writing in The Christian Century (March 2001)
