Let me begin today with a story about a youngster. His mom died during his birth so his father was the family he had. He and his father were very close.
But as the youngster grew older, he became a bit rebellious. He began disobeying his dad. One day he traveled to far from his father’s protection and found himself kidnapped. Immediately he realized his error and felt the hopelessness of being lost. He knew there was nothing he could do to return to his dad. He eventually ended up imprisoned, staring at the freedom just outside his walls. He had lost all hope.
But what he did not know was that his father was searching for him with determination. His son’s rescue became the father’s entire focus. No matter how big the world was, he would not stop pursuing his son’s safety. Soon his determination became the talk of the town. Others became involved.
Soon the word came to the son. Suddenly he was encouraged. Suddenly he became emboldened. With his desire to return to his father and encouragement from his cellmates, he made a risky dash for freedom. He succeeded and was led by another to be reunited with his father. Thus, we have the happy conclusion for Nemo in “Finding Nemo.”
What a classic story for the love that God has for us. We may have wandered from him but He seeks us. We may be in bondage but He seeks us. He sends others to rescue us so that we can respond to his seeking us. That’s the parable we will discover today in Luke 15
As we begin our study today, we find Jesus surrounded by tax collectors, “sinners”, Pharisees, and teachers of the law. The tax collectors and “sinners” are listening to him teaching. The Pharisees and teachers of the law are accusing him under their breath. “Look at the trash he hangs out with.” So Jesus tells three parables.
The first one is about a lost sheep. He asks this question in Luke 15:4, “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it?
Now you may ask why he would leave all the other sheep in peril to find one. Well, he doesn’t. If this where a real life situation he would have asked a neighbor or hired someone to assist him. But remember this is a parable, a story with a spiritual meaning. As you continue reading the parable you discover that there is greater rejoicing over the lost sheep than the 99 that where safe. This was a reflection of God’s love for the sinner. There was no reason to celebrate the righteous that did not need to repent.
Again, we see this principal taught in Luke 15:8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it?”
We may wonder, “What’s the big deal? She still has nine.” But this was possibly a wedding present, ten coins on a headband. It would be like having a wedding ring with 10 diamonds on it and losing one of the diamonds. The ring is not the same now. There is emptiness. How many women would search everywhere they could think of to find that lost diamond? And once they found it celebrate because the ring was made whole again. This also reflected God’s love for the sinner. For when the sinner repents, his family is made whole.
Next Jesus began to tell the parable of the lost son. This parable is the one we will study today. It is one of his longer parables and it is filled with twists designed to shock those who are listening. Let’s begin.
Luke 15:11-12 “To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: ‘A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, “I want my share of your estate now before you die.” So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.’”
A couple of things here. This son was a member of the family. Jesus’ audience would have understood that this was a Jewish family not a gentile family. Knowing this would have shaken them to the core to hear the arrogance and disrespect of a child demanding his inheritance before his father’s death. They would be even more shocked when they learned that the father agreed. The son deserved to be publicly punished. But rather he was given the equivalent of 1/3 of the estate in cash with his older brother receiving 2/3.
It wasn’t unusual for the fathers to decide to divide their estates while still alive in order to retire early. Then they would depend on their children to care for them until their death. But for the child to initiate this action was unheard of. We continue.
Luke 15:13-14 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve.”
As soon as the cash came in, he was gone. Packed his bags and got as far away from dad and his rules and regulations. He met new friends that taught him how to party. He was living a life in complete rebellion from what he knew. All had good times until the money ran out. Now his friends abandoned him. They had no need for him anymore. Then the famine came and people were starving including him. I imagine some of the listeners were finding a bit of satisfaction in the dire results of this boy decisions. And it get’s worse.
Luke 15:15-16 “He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.”
He found a farmer that decided to help the kid out but the only job he had was slopping hogs. This was against this young man’s upbringing. He knew that swine was considered unclean. But he compromised his convictions because of hunger. He even desired to eat the very food he was feeding to the pigs. No one had compassion. No one cared. No one gave him anything.
To some of the listeners he got what he deserved. That disrespectful, arrogant little no account wallowing in hog slop, starving. But things are about to change.
Luke 15:17-19 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’
Besides his belly being empty, his brain cleared up. He realized things were not going to get better. He remembered how well his father had treated the hired help and thought that is better then where I am. So he seems to be ready to repent. But is he really?
Can you see how he is concocting a plan? “I’ll go home, grovel at his feet, confess that I have been a bad boy, and even declare my unworthiness. Then I’ll strike a deal with him to hire me as a servant. That way I have a nice place to live and money coming in. Sounds like a plan.”
There was a position lower than a hired servant was. That position was a slave. Why did he not offer himself as a slave? Because there would be no freedom and comfort as a slave. The listeners expected this offer to be rejected. Surly if anything he would be brought in as a slave and made to earn a position as a hired servant. What would dear old dad do?
Luke 15:20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.”
I can only imagine that the listener thought perhaps the father had a stick and was going to give him the beating of his life. Instead, he embraces him and kisses him. This kid is covered with pig slop and dirt. He smells and is unkempt. But dad doesn’t care. Instead of anger and disgust, he is filled with love and compassion.
And he ran to him. Old men should not run. There is a video of me running the length of a football field that my much younger soon shot while running beside me with no problem. I never knew my legs and arms were so short. So a running old man kissing and hugging a smelly rebellious son would not have fit right with some of the listeners. And it is still going to get better.
Luke 15:21-24 “His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
“But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.”
The kid starts his speech but dad cuts him off. There is no need for deals. On top of his dirty, smelly, repulsive clothes, the finest robe is put on him. On his calloused, dirt covered feet sandals are placed. The family ring is placed on his finger. He once again looks like a son.
Next, a feast is going to be thrown in his honor. The calf that was being raised for a special occasion is to be slaughtered. Guests were to be invited. There would be a celebration for the dead, lost son that was now alive and found. Soon the party began. This was not the outcome the listeners expected. Or the older brother.
Luke 15:25-28 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, and he asked one of the servants what was going on. ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’
“The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him,”
Who can blame the older brother for being angry? He did not leave dad to chase dreams. He remained behind to fulfill his obligation. Dad never celebrated when he came in from the fields. It was just another day around the farm. Now he comes home to a party.
When I was a part of the work place and in management, I had an employee that had a difficult time following instructions. I constantly had to point out his failings. One day he asked me, “Why don’t you ever tell me what I am doing right?” I gave him an answer that not every one will agree with. I replied, “Why should I compliment you on doing what is expected of you?” Yes, I was a hard-nosed boss. This was the older brother’s dilemma. He felt under appreciated and voiced it.
Luke 15:29-30 “but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time, you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’”
Let’s look at the older brother’s argument. He considered working for his father as slave labor. Of course, he was working a farm that is now his because the inheritance had already
been given.
He served his father out of a sense of pride as opposed to a desire to please his father. “I always obeyed you so you owe me.”
All that the father had was now his. He could have killed a young goat for his friends. They were his goats. But his greed would not allow him too.
His jealousy for his younger brother’s adventures shown through. The younger brother squandered his own inheritance on prostitutes, which by the way the older brother is just jumping to a conclusion. Something in that statement seems to show a desire to have experienced that side of life. So is dad upset by these allegations?
Luke 15:31-32 “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”
There was no need to celebrate the 99 sheep that were safe. There was no need to celebrate the nine coins that were in place. There was no need to celebrate the son who had stayed home.
The celebration came when the lost sheep was found, the lost coin was found, and the lost son was found.
Make no mistake about it. Those listening to this parable understood who the characters were. The lost son was the tax collectors and “sinners”, the father was God, and the older son was the Pharisees and teachers of the law. God is seeking those that are lost. The problem is that those who are in relationship with him often would rather the lost stay lost. Let me explain myself.
There are those who have made a conscious decision to turn away from God. They want to live their life under their own set of rules. So they do until things go wrong.
Suddenly they find themselves in a tough situation. First, they try to handle things themselves but eventually realize that only God can help them.
So they begin making deals with God without realizing He is not into the deal making business. He is just waiting for them to return home. He embraces them, no matter how covered in sin they are. He puts on his Son’s blood covered robe to cover their sins and gives then the crest that announces they are his child. There is rejoicing in heaven when this one returns.
But often there is no rejoicing in the earthly family that we call church. There are people who live lifestyles that the church does not approve of that they would gladly embrace if those people would change first. Remember, the Father embraced his son while he was still covered in filth.
There are those who seek special recognition for their service and feel slighted if trumpets aren’t blown to announce their grand works. Serving God is a chore rather than a privilege. Being obedient is a sacrifice rather than an honor.
There are those with secret desires to live a life as one who is apart from God but does not do so because that would expose their weaknesses. Instead, they attack those who act upon the sins that they struggle with.
We are called to be like the Father. We are to be on the lookout for the lost that are trying to find their way. Let me end with a quick story.
There was a guy who prayed this prayer every morning: "Lord, if you want me to witness to someone today, please give me a sign to show me who it is."
One day he found himself on a bus when a big, burly man sat next to him. The bus was nearly empty but this guy sat next to our praying friend. The timid Christian anxiously waited for his stop so he could exit the bus. But before he could get very nervous about the man next to him, the big guy burst into tears and began to weep. He then cried out with a loud voice, "I need to be saved. I’m a lost sinner and I need the Lord. Won’t somebody tell me how to be saved?" He turned to the Christian and pleaded, "Can you show me how to be saved?" The believer immediately bowed his head and prayed, "Lord, is this a sign?"
The Father was looking for his son. That’s all God asks from us, to be looking for the lost son.
