INTRODUCTION:
I love the Parable of the Prodigal Son found in Luke’s Gospel. It is one of my favorite stories in the New Testament. Now, if my memory serves me correctly, I have preached this passage twice already at Bala Chitto. The first time I preached it, my focus was on the Prodigal Son. The second time I preached it, my attention was drawn to the other son. And today, Father’s Day, I want to preach this passage yet again for the third time with my interest centered now on dear old dad.
Dad is the central character of this whole parable. The whole story revolves around the dad and his constant love for both his boys. The tragedy of the story is that both boys lived their lives like that father’s love wasn’t there. The Prodigal Son saw dad only as a way to satisfy his pleasures; no love in that. And the older son saw dad as a tough task master rather than as a loving father; there is no love in that. But the truth is: dad loved his boys with all his heart; and it was a constant love that never changed despite what his sons said or did. And it is his love for his children that drives me to say that this father is an incredible dad.
Let’s read the parable and allow me to make some points:
SCRIPTURE:
Luke 15:11-32 (NIV)
11 Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons.
12 The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So, he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.
14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.
15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.
16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!
18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.'
20 So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
22 “But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate.
24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So, they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.
26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.
27 ‘Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So, his father went out and pleaded with him.
29 But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.
30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
31 “'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.
32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'"
POINT #1
1. IT HAD TO HURT THE DAD WHEN HIS YOUNGEST SON ASKED FOR HIS DEATH INHERITANCE WHILE HIS DAD IS STILL LIVING; HIS DAD GAVE IT TO HIM BUT NEVER STOPPED LOVING HIS SON.
Do you know what? Children can sometimes say that the meanest things to their parents. I have heard children tell their parents that they hate them; that you are not my parents; I want nothing to do with you. But of all the mean things that can be said to a parent, this son, in our parable, has said one of the meanest things I have ever heard. You see, under Jewish law, a child was to inherit only upon the death of the father. And to ask for his inheritance before his father’s death is to basically say that you are as good as dead to me. Let me show you.
Numbers 27:8-11 (NIV)
8 "Say to the Israelites, 'If a man dies and leaves no son, turn his inheritance over to his daughter.
9 If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers.
10 If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father's brothers.
11 If his father had no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may possess it. This is to be a legal requirement for the Israelites, as the LORD commanded Moses.'"
There was no love in the request of the son to the dad. But there was all the love in the world, in the response of the dad. The dad was under no obligation to give an irresponsible son an early inheritance. This dad was probably a good businessman, he accumulated a bunch of wealth, so he was smart enough to know that an irresponsible son and money don’t go together; but he still gave it to him anyway. So, what that tells me is: if you don’t consider the dad’s love for his son what the dad did makes no sense at all. You would have to say the dad acted irrational but that is not the case, he acted out of love.
So, the first reason I think this dad is incredible is no matter how much he was hurt by his child, he kept loving his son.
2. IT HAD TO LEAVE AN EMPTY FEELING IN THE DAD’S HEART TO LOOK OUT INTO THE DISTANCE DAY AFTER DAY FOR HIS SON’S RETURN, BUT LOVE NEVER GIVES UP HOPE AND THIS DAD NEVER GAVE UP HOPE.
My dad hoped that one day, I would grow up and quit asking like a kid. And I believe that every great dad, hopes that his son or daughter comes to their senses. Because in those late teenage years or early adult years, most young people lose their minds. A daughter might try the party scene, start dating the wrong type of guys, get sidetracked from pursing a college education; and a son might hang out with the wrong crowds, sometimes find himself in trouble with the law and generally not that motivated to hold onto a job.
But it is always that hope of a great dad that they will turn around. That is what love gives us: hope. In 1 Corinthians 13:7 it says that love always hopes.
In our parable, we are no told how long the younger son has been gone from home. But it is probably a considerable amount of time. He had to travel to a distant country (that was by foot); he had to squander all his money; he had to find a job in that country and do that job for a little while so that he could come to his senses and then he had to travel a great distance home and present himself to his dad.
But dad had never given up hope on his son. No one else in that household saw him because they were not looking for him. Our Scripture says that while his son was still a long way off, his father saw him. The father saw the way the son left, and he keep looking day after day and hoping that he would return that same way.
He never gave up hope and that is what makes this man a great dad. A great dad never gives up hope on you.
3. IT HAD TO DISAPPOINT THE DAD THAT HIS OLDER SON THOUGHT THE DAD DEMANDED OBEDIENCE WHEN ALL THAT THE DAD WANTED WAS HIS LOVE. THE DAD PROVED THAT HE LOVED THAT OLDER SON JUST AS MUCH BY LEAVING THE CELEBRATION SO THAT THE OLDER SON COULD BE TOLD THE TRUTH.
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So, his father went out and pleaded with him.
29 But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.
30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
31 “'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.
One of the greatest evidences of love is to tell someone the truth. In Corinthians 13:6, it says that love rejoices in the truth. In our parable, this dad is having one of the happiest days of his life; but he puts the celebration on hold, goes out to the field to teach his other child the truth about their relationship. The older son in his mind has made his dad to be a monster, but dad comes out to the field to share the truth: Everything I have is yours.
I, as your pastor, if I truly love you, and I know that you are messing up, I have a duty to tell you the truth. Your dad, if he truly love you, and he knows that you are messing up, he has a duty to tell you that you are messing up.
This man was an incredible dad because he was willing to tell his children the truth. We have lost that in this day and time. You get a call from the school that little Johnny messed up. Johnny tells you the teacher is picking on me and instead of seeking out what is the truth, you defend little Johnny. What Johnny needed was a dose of the truth.
Real dads disk out the truth. That’s love.
CONCLUSION:
If you are a dad, I hope that you possess these qualities. If you are a child, I hope that your dad has these qualities in him. But I can tell you with confidence that our Heavenly Father possesses these qualities. His love is always contact, and he would love for you to turn to Him.
Let me close with this:
Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV)
17 And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge…
