It’s Not About The Prodigal Son
The title of my message this morning is “It’s Not About the Prodigal Son.” This sermon title might not make sense to some of you but I promise you that by the end you will understand what the Spirit is saying to us through this title.
When the Bible was translated into the English language, the editors added subject labels, and chapter breaks in an effort to help readers understand the context of what they were about to read. While this might make it easier for the reader, it sometimes distorts the message Jesus was delivering. A great example of this is in Luke chapter fifteen. In this chapter Jesus tells three parables. The first was about a lost sheep; the second about a lost coin; and the third about a lost son. So, when the translators divided the chapter, the labels they gave to each parable would make sense if you were reading a normal book. But the Bible is far from a normal book! And the parable of the prodigal son, well, it was not about that son at all. Although Jesus told three parables, He was delivering one message. To understand the message that Jesus was delivering we must first understand God’s heart towards sinners versus the hearts of the Pharisees and scribes toward those they believed to be sinners.
The Bible tells us that God loves sinners and He has no desire that any of them should perish. Paul wrote this to Timothy in First Timothy 2:1-4 – “(1) Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, (2) for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. (3) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, (4) Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Paul told Timothy that we should be praying for all men because our Savior desires all men to be saved. This was also expressed in the thirty-third chapter of the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel 33:11 records God saying, “Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’” So, we see that God’s heart’s desire is that all men be saved. But this was not the case with the religious leaders, whose hearts should have been in alignment with God’s heart but was not.
The Pharisees and scribes did not care if a sinner repented and was saved. Because the Pharisees and scribes wanted nothing to do with sinners, they complained when Jesus willingly entered into their presence and ate with them. This is the opening scene of Luke chapter fifteen. Luke 15:1-2 records, “(1) Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. (2) And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, ‘This Man receives sinners and eats with them.’” Once again Jesus is in the presence of those He came to save. Jesus had already told them before what he was sent here to do. In the fifth chapter of Luke when this same group complained about Him hanging out with tax collectors the following is recorded in verses thirty through thirty-two, “(30) And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, ‘Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’ (31) Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. (32) I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.’” (Luke 5:30-32) Jesus had previously told them why He came – to save sinners – and yet they are still complaining. So, Jesus pauses and tells three parables to show these religious leaders their hearts as compared to God’s heart. We are going to see that the first two parables establish the foundation for the last parable, the one commonly known as the prodigal son. So, let’s begin with verse four of Luke chapter fifteen.
The first parable He told was about a lost sheep. He said beginning at verse four, “(4) What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? (5) And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. (6) And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ (7) I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” (Luke 15:4-7) Can you see the Pharisees and scribes nodding their heads in agreement with Jesus when He talked about what they would do if they had a lost sheep and the steps they would take to find it?
Now I really want you to see this. This man had 100 sheep and lost one, or one percent of his sheep, and that one percent meant something to the man, so much so that Jesus says when he finds his lost sheep he calls his friends and neighbors to celebrate with him. Now focus on what Jesus says in verse seven. “(7) I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” Jesus tells them that when they found that one lost sheep, that was nothing compared to the rejoicing in heaven when one of those sinners who repented and was saved. The point that Jesus was making was a simple one. While they sat around complaining about Him being in the presence of sinners, there was rejoicing in heaven when one of them repented and was saved – which is why He was sent. Just one sinner being saved causes rejoicing in heaven. Are you causing heaven to rejoice because you are leading sinners to Christ? Let’s look at the second parable.
Remember, in the first parable the man lost one sheep out of his hundred sheep so he lost one-percent of what he owned. In this parable the woman loses more. Let continue with verse eight. “(8) Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? (9) And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost! (10) Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:8-10) A woman lost one of her ten silver coins which represented 10% of what she owned. Why in the world would she be so stress about losing one silver coin and then call her friends and neighbors to rejoice with her when she finds it? I mean I have lost money in my lifetime and when I found it I did not call anyone to celebrate it with me because then I would be expected to spend said money on them celebrating. So it begs the question what was so special about these coins?
Well, these were not just simple coins. These coins were part of a semedi, a beautiful headdress a woman would be given by her betrothed. It represented their coming marriage; it was a symbol of their commitment to one another. To lose one of the ten coins set in that headdress was traumatic. It simply would not do to wear it with a coin missing. During biblical times the houses in Israel were not very big, and they were also very dark. Most were tiny and did not have windows to let in natural light. The floor would have been dirt, which can crack, leaving lots of nooks for a coin to fall into. Is it any wonder, then, that the woman lit a lamp and swept the entire house, not stopping until she found her precious coin? If it were only an ordinary coin, she would have let it go. But this coin, of course, was more than a small circle of silver to her. It was personal. So when she finds her coin she calls her friends and neighbors to rejoice with her.
Now before we look at the last parable which was not about the prodigal son, I want to show you something from these two parables. Remember when Jesus told them in Luke chapter five why He came? He said, “(32) I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Luke 5:32) Jesus left heaven to come and seek those who were lost. In these two parables Jesus basically tells them what He was doing? He was seeking what was lost to him. Just like the man went out and searched for his lost sheep until he found it He was doing the same for His lost sheep. Just as the woman swept her house searching for her coin until she found it, He was doing the same. Jesus wanted them to see that He was here searching for those who were lost and when one sinner was found there was rejoicing in His Father’s house because of it. But He shifts and brings it home with the third parable. As we look at the parable that has been commonly referred to as the “parable of the prodigal son”, which is really not about the son who left but about the son to stayed, the loss increases. In this parable there were two sons. We have gone from one hundred sheep with 1% lost in the first parable to ten silver coins with 10% lost (1 coin) in the second parable to now two sons with one (50%) being lost. With each parable the value of what was lost increases.
Let’s continue with verse eleven. “(11) Then He said: ‘A certain man had two sons. (12) And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. (13) And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. (14) But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. (15) Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. (16) And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. (17) But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! (18) I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, (19) and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.’ (20) And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. (21) And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ (22) But the father said to his servants, ‘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 fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; (24) for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.” (Luke 15:11-24)
In this parable Jesus talks about a son who goes to his father and asks for his inheritance. The thing about the son’s request is that according to the Law, a son can only inherit his father's possessions when his father dies but this son did not want to wait that long. The father agrees to give him his portion of goods, which would be property that could be transported like cattle, sheep, gold, silver, etc. Now, in Jewish culture, the elder son receives two thirds of the transportable property and the physical property (land) and the younger son receives the remaining one third of each. I want you to see something about this son. When Jesus was talking to the Pharisees and scribes, this son was representative of the Children of Israel. Remember how God had always been with them and yet they continued to rebel against him? He was a great Father and yet they would turn their backs on Him and chase after idols doing those things He had forbidden them. They in fact wasted their inheritance just like this son and those Jewish leaders would understand exactly what Jesus was telling them.
This son chose to leave behind everything he knows: protection, prosperity, everything his father has, to go to a land that doesn't care about the God he serves. When he gets there the Bible says he “wasted his possessions with prodigal living.” He wasted his substance in living a sinful lifestyle in a far country. When his inheritance ran out so did his friends. When he had money he had friends – but now that he was broke even his friends left him. Now, because he was broke and no one would help him, Jesus said he “…. joined himself to a citizen of that country…” and that citizen sent him to the fields to feed his swine. The word “joined” means “to cleave.” The prodigal son attached himself to someone so that he wouldn’t die of starvation. He was forced to do this because no man gave him food other than what the swine ate. I want you to see something. In that time swine were of some value when they were fattened for the market, but the swine herder himself, to the owner, had no value. In other words, when compared to the swine, this son had no value.
The son finally comes to himself and repents. Can you see the expressions on the faces of the religious leaders? They know what’s coming. When most people read this parable they have been trained to think of themselves as the prodigal son repenting and returning home. Yes we have all been like this son and had to repent and return home but that is not the point of this story as Jesus was talking to Pharisees and scribes who in their minds were righteous. The prodigal son is not them as he represented sinners. You see, the prodigal son was a sinner; just like the ones Jesus spent time seeking and whom the Pharisees and the scribes say aren't worthy. Is this parable starting to make more sense to you now?
Unlike the previous two parables where the owner went searching for what he had lost, in this parable the father did not. What the father did do was receive his son back home as a son when he repented. Once again we see a father throwing a party with rejoicing. Now if you’re like many, you stop reading here because the prodigal son came home and the father received him with open arms and held a celebration and all was good. But remember who Jesus was talking to – the Pharisees and scribes who complained about Him being with sinners. So let’s get to the point that Jesus was making with these three parables. Let’s continue with verse twenty-five.
“(25) Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. (26) So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. (27) And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’ (28) But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. (29) So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. (30) But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’ (31) And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. (32) It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’” (Luke 15:25-32)
Let me just cut to the chase. This parable was about the second son because Jesus wanted the Pharisees and scribes to see themselves and how they had responded to sinners. The Pharisee and scribes were just like this second son. What did this son do? How did he respond to his brother’s return? He got angry and refused to attend the celebration. In verse twenty-eight it says that the father came out and pleaded with his son to come in and join the celebration. The word pleaded is the same word used when describing the Holy Spirit and the role He plays in our lives. The father did everything he possibly could to get the elder son to join the feast. He hugged him. He pleaded with him. But the elder son was not having it. The elder son was angry because he felt he had not gotten the attention and appreciation for all the work he had done for his father. You see, this son had remained faithfully by his father’s side and yet his father never threw him a party.
Remember in verses one and two the Pharisees and scribes were upset with Jesus for spending time with the tax collectors and sinners – the wrong people? Notice in this verse that the elder son essentially says “I always did what you told me to do. I carried out the garbage. I fed the sheep. I never did what your other son did, and you never even gave me a kid goat. You never prepared a sacrifice for me, threw a party for me, and I did everything you wanted me to do.” The scribes and Pharisees kept the law, and they thought that keeping the law was what separated them from the tax collectors and sinners. When I think about in verse 29, the phrase “that I might make merry with my friends” jumps out at me. The elder son didn’t say make merry with his father. Knowing that the Pharisees and scribes believed that He was spending time with the wrong type of people, Jesus, in verse 30, begins to show the Pharisees and scribes the kind of people that they were.
The elder son in verse thirty really tears into his father for throwing a party for his brother who has wasted his inheritance on riotous living. Jesus was letting the Pharisees and scribes know that they were the elder son. In the parable, Jesus says they were judging the father for loving his son. They were judging the father for loving his brother. We see that the Pharisees and scribes, if they could care less about anyone other than themselves, they would have, and Jesus were pointing this out to them. The younger brother is everything that is wrong with sinners – greedy, impatient, selfish, and doesn’t honor his father. But he repents and has a heart change. Jesus says of the religious leaders that their hearts were ruined and they were not allowing their hearts to be changed. The younger son had received his portion, one-third of the inheritance. Everything that remained belonged to the elder brother. Everything! But he was just like his younger brother; he did not love his father, and we can see this in the interaction he had with him concerning the party for his younger brother. This was the Pharisees and scribes.
With all three parables Jesus was showing them that they were no different than the sinners and the tax collectors. But unlike the younger brother, they didn’t see the need for the Father’s grace. They didn’t see the need for the Father’s grace because the Father owed them because of the rituals they kept daily in their “service” to God. But it was the father’s grace on display in verse 20 when the younger brother returned home. Ladies and gentlemen, our Father's heart is to throw a party in heaven for the person who does not belong to Him but repents and decides that he or she wants to belong to Him. There's going to be a party in heaven! For us as sons and daughters, we have to decide whether we want to be part of the party. We have seen three parables, but there is only one message: heaven rejoices when one sinner repents! The eldest son did not rejoice at his brother coming home a sinner and repenting. The same was true for the Pharisees and scribes. They did not care if a sinner repented. In their minds they were already righteous because they had kept the law.
As I close this morning I want you to ask yourself the question I asked you earlier. Jesus said heaven rejoices when one sinner repents and is saved – ever time a sinner repents there is rejoicing n heaven. So my question is this – are you giving heaven a reason to rejoice? Are you reaching the lost? God gave 100% of His Son, His only Son and still people struggle to rejoice when others find Him. People struggle because we have established a standard by which sinners can come to God and what a true saved person looks like. The problem is, the standard that we have created we are not keeping it ourselves. We are going to have men and women come into our churches who don't look like us. If we are truly out witnessing for Christ, we might have a drug dealer, a drunkard, an adulterer, or a prostitute come to our churches seeking Christ. But this will only happen if we are sharing Christ with them. And this is important, how we treat them will determine whether we are a Pharisee or a scribe.
Jesus said Matthew 7:13-14, “(13) Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. (14) Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Jesus said there will be more people going to hell than going to heaven and we are all to blame for some of it if we are not doing something outside of the four walls of the Church. Do you know you could double the size of this Church by year end if every member witnessed to just one person and led them to Christ and brought them in? One person reaching one – imagine how the Church will grow if you did that every year – one reaching one. It can be done if we are willing to do the work. So, are you causing heaven to rejoice or are you a Pharisee and scribe. I pray to God that all of us will commit to causing a time to rejoicing in heaven by reaching someone for Christ.
Until next time, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.” (Psalms 19:14)
