Simeon Ford, the proprietor of the Old Grand Union Hotel in New York, once said, “You don’t need to know anything about a hotel to run one,” he said. “You just open up and the customers tell you how to run it.” Isn’t that the truth. Everyone is a critic. You would think that with Jesus Himself on the earth, that noone would complain about Him healing people and preaching the good news of salvation. Yet He Himself had to undergo criticism. Jesus was always being second guessed by his disciples and his enemies alike who just didn’t understand why he did what he did. Such was the case today -
1 Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
The self righteous Pharisees and teachers of the law didn’t like the idea that Jesus was eating with well known sinners and tax collectors. These were most likely fellow Jews who had been known for “sowing their seeds” - so to speak. Many tax collectors made themselves rich by overcharging their fellow Jews. You could almost imagine then, these Pharisees and tax collectors keeping their distance from this filthy crowd, yet staying close enough to “murmur” and let everyone see their disapproval.
It’s kind of neat how Jesus then approaches the situation. Instead of just telling them why he was eating with these people who were well known “sinners”, he explains himself with a parable. This way, the Pharisees could put on Jesus’ shoes and see behind the lives of the “sinners” to hopefully better understand the situation.
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 11 “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.
Scripture is full of warnings for the youth - Paul told Timothy to flee the evil desires of youth. You usually don’t see people in their seventies going down to the Padre Islands or Fort Lauderdale for Spring Break. Why? Age has a way of mellowing people out. But when you’re young, you’ve got hormones and inexperience pillaging through your body like a runaway freight train. Such was the case with the “younger one.” You could imagine him saying to his father, “I want to get out and experience life! I’m tired of living such a sheltered lifestyle! I only have one chance to live - and I want to live it NOW while I can enjoy it!” So notice what he says, “GIVE me my share of the estate.” This is an urgent plea - one that says, “I need it now! I can’t wait!”
Boy, that’s a dangerous situation - when you have a young kid who is so eager to grow up! So eager to date - to get a car - to have sex - to experience life! I can remember those feelings of eagerness that I had in the first week of college! Finally, I was out of the house! In my first week of college someone rented the movie “Animal House” and we all went downstairs and watched it. We thought, “this college life is going to be great!” The next day the dean of students called us all together and said, “this is NOT going to be some kind of Animal House!”
But do you notice what the father’s reaction was to his son? Maybe there’s nothing to this - but I believe there is - he says NOTHING. All he did was “divided his property between them.” Why didn’t he say something? There’s a saying that I like to use - “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” The father had brought the child up - trying to teach him right from wrong. But by this time, the lecturing was over. The boy had made up his mind. It was now time for him to go to the school of hard knocks.
It’s frustrating to parents, but what can you do? While the children live under your roof - you can lay down the rules. You can teach them right from wrong. If they honored you like they should, they would listen and obey. But finally, some kids need to experience it to find out their parents weren’t so dumb.
Before you get too frustrated with other people, think of how frustrated God must get with us. God - the one who designed us and the world - who has an eternity of experience - tells us how to give, how to raise our children - how to care for our souls. Sometimes he even explains why - but even after we grow up WE still second guess his decisions. God says, “don’t worry,” but we toss and turn at night. He says, “take it to the Lord in prayer,” but instead, we go straight to bed at night without even saying “now I lay me down to sleep.” You could almost see God up in heaven shaking his head and saying, “what else can I do?”
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.
It wasn’t a matter of “if” he would lose it all. It was a matter of “when” he would lose it all. It sure didn’t take long.
First of all - notice what the young man does. He set off to a distant country. Why did the young son do this? That’s the way sin IS. It doesn’t want to be exposed. It DEMANDS seclusion. It doesn’t want to be exposed. The devil convinces us that sin can be hidden from God’s eyes. That’s why the young man moved away.
And then what happened? He squandered his wealth in wild living. Later on the older brother reveals exactly what younger brother was doing - paying money to prostitutes to have sex with him when and where he pleased. He could drink what he wanted. He could eat what he wanted. He had the appetite of a sensational pig - devouring whatever his senses desired.
It’s sad to say, but the same thing happens today. Some of the most immoral people in our world are our children who are living in college. Once they get out of the home - it’s as if the chain is off - and many act like it. The rate of drunkenness at frat houses is out of control. One night stands after a night of drinking is the norm, not the exception. Many end up with terrible grades and no education at all. It all comes with the freedom - where young people are “on their own.” Then parents are surprised when they have to come back home and get a job because they were failing school. That’s what makes this such a popular parable - we’ve almost all seen this happen either to ourselves or someone we love. It just isn’t a good situation.
But unfortunately, that’s the way the sinful nature works. If you can GET AWAY with it - then more often than not - you’ll do it. For instance, if there were no police - would you still obey the speed limits? If you knew that you wouldn’t get caught for having an affair and wouldn’t get in trouble - would you do it? If you had a fool proof way of cheating on your taxes, how many of you would do it? Our sinful nature would say - “you bet!” It’s a sad commentary on what is within us. The devil knows that SECLUSION breeds sin.
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.
It’s rather interesting, isn’t it, in how God works justice. The young man had a pig like appetite for sex and sensual desires. So what did he end up having to do? Feed pigs. As a result - he ended up WANTING what the pigs were eating.
It’s important for us to think of this story in context. Remember, Jesus was talking to JEWS - who regarded pigs as UNCLEAN animals. You couldn’t eat bacon. You couldn’t eat pork. And you certainly couldn’t touch a pig. But here this young man was totally degraded by having to feed pigs and even wanting to eat THEIR food. And when the foreigners remembered what this young man had done with his money, they didn’t feel sorry for him. They wouldn’t give him a thing.
This was a good portrayal of the tax collectors and sinners, then. Most of them had probably grown up in good and God fearing homes. They were probably taken care of. But once they got out on their own, one mistake after another finally led them further and further off of the beaten path. It wasn’t that they planned on “sinners” or greedy tax collectors. But in their minds, they had no choice. The series of events was set in place. And once they had made one bad choice - their senses were dulled more and more and their lives just went to pot from there. They had become the scum of society. Nobody wanted anything to do with them, after all - they were getting what they deserved.
I think we can all understand the attitude of the Pharisees. I can have compassion on someone who gets in a freak car wreck - or someone who is born with a disability. But when we meet people who bring disaster on themselves - it’s hard for us to have any feelings for them. If you choose to do drugs, and you end up losing your money and your health - whose fault is it? Should I then feel obliged to bail you out of your problem? If you are suffering from poverty because you made the wrong choices of having premarital sex and running away from home - whose fault is it? That was the attitude of the foreigners toward the young son and of the Pharisees toward the tax collectors and “sinners”. It isn’t a right attitude, but we know it too well.
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.’
Finally the young man “came to his senses.” Isn’t that a neat way of putting it? It’s as if your senses are a mile away and you have to go find them again. That’s what continuous sin eventually does to you. It desensitizes you to the way you are treating your spouse. You don’t understand the harm you are putting on your body. You feel no control over the decisions you are making. Your brain sense is lost for your sensual senses to be pleased. Throwing aside all logic - you do what you have to do to be pleased. But when you come to your senses - you finally realize that something needs to be done. You can’t live like this. How long did it take for the young man? We don’t know. With some people it doesn’t take long. With others it takes a long time. Some never make it. But, by God’s grace, the young man did.
What did the young man do? At first, he probably fought the idea for a long time saying, “I’ll never go back there! My brother and father will just say, ‘I told you so! Why didn’t you listen to me in the first place!” But notice what happened. He had no pride left. The famine had taken all spirit of fight from him, to the point where he decided to go back to his father and say, I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ He realized that didn’t even deserve to be called his father’s son. He had embarrassed the family name and made his father the talk of the town. He had committed a grievous sin - not only against his father, but also against God Himself. With one last memory of his father’s love, he thought he perhaps might be allowed to be a hired man.
Isn’t this just a great illustration of what true repentance is all about? To be totally crushed in spirit - where you realize that you have embarrassed God. You’ve taken all of the gifts that He has given you - your voice - your mouth - your eyes - and used them to your own pleasure. You’ve abused HIS money - spending it on frivolous garbage - sinful movies - toys that you don’t need - so many things. And all you deserve from God is for him to disown you and treat you like a slave. It’s about recognizing that we have sinned against GOD - that we’ve turned our backs on HIM! That’s the most difficult thing our sinful selves to do - to admit our sins - that we were wrong.
The true sign of repentance is in one who says, “I don’t deserve anything from you Lord. I don’t deserve good health. I don’t deserve good children. I don’t deserve a good job.” It says with the Psalmist in Psalm 84:10 - Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. True repentance reflects a willingness to accept anything that comes from God - hoping that He may be merciful. This story never mentions why God would be merciful - but we know the why. It’s more than a bland hope. It’s a sure hope. The reason why God can be merciful is all because of the One who told this parable - that He died for our sins. He became the slave - obeying the law in our place. He took the rebuke of the father - being thrown to the cross - in our place.
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.
Notice what the father does. When the son comes back to HIM - SORRY for what he had done - the father was FILLED WITH COMPASSION. With an inner love that only a parent could have - he ran out to his son - THREW his arms around him and KISSED him. Instead of disowning his son - he repossessed him. And if that weren’t enough - he showered on him a ring, sandals and the best robe he could find!
Isn’t this just a great picture of what salvation is all about? What did we do for God? Absolutely nothing! He gave us good health. He gave us wealth. He gave us the story of our creation and our salvation - and what have we so often done with these gifts? We’ve used them to OUR glory and OUR happiness. And then, when we’ve run out - we’ve complained for MORE. Like Adam and Eve - we run from God. But then God seeks us out. First of all, sends his law - reminding us of what we’ve done. He’s send trials - reminding us of how frail we are. And through these FAMINES in our lives - he has brought us to our spiritual knees. We have come to the realization that we have not used God’s gifts the way he would have wanted us to. But then, instead of disowning us - Jesus runs to us - throws His blood stained arms around us - clothes us in garments of his righteousness - fits our feet with the gospel of Christ - and welcomes us back home. As Isaiah 61 says, I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. And if all this weren’t enough - God even promises us a mansion to live in heaven - with even more gifts of his grace for after we live on this earth.
You might think the story would end right there - that they live happily ever after. But remember who God was speaking to? The Pharisees. He has a special message for THEM.
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!’
The older brother just didn’t have the heart of the father - even for his own younger brother. All he thought about was justice for work that was done. Whereas HE had SLAVED away for his father all these years - and NEVER disobeyed him - the other son had done NOTHING but squander his gifts. It just didn’t seem fair that he should have had a fattened calf slaughtered on his behalf.
Isn’t this a great illustration of how the work righteous attitude is? The only reason these kind of people do anything is that they expect a reward from God in return. I’ll go knock on doors as long as God will make me a part of the 144,000 that get to heaven! I’ll go to the temple and research my family history as long as I get rewarded for it! It does seem unfair, doesn’t it? The one who works his whole life receives nothing. But the one who messes up many years of his life receives a celebration and the slaughtered calf at the end.
But notice the attitude of the older son. He felt he DESERVED a fattened calf. He felt like a SLAVE. He accused his father of giving him NOTHING. Jesus later on in Luke 17 that when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’ There was no gratitude in his heart. There was no humility. He felt that God OWED him - when God doesn’t owe us anything. That’s not the way God’s grace works.
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.’”
Usually Jesus never had anything good to say to the Pharisees. But this is one context where Jesus actually ended the parable giving them the gospel. Notice what the father does - even for the arrogant son. He goes out to this sullen boy and tries to bring him in to the celebration. He says to him, “everything I have is yours! But don’t be angry with me for accepting your younger brother once again! Isn’t it a good thing that he was given a second chance at life? That he was found again?”
What a great message this was for the Pharisees! The Pharisees’ problem wasn’t with Jesus or the “sinners” - the problem was with THEM. God was saying, “I want you in my kingdom. All that I have is for you! I want you to enjoy it! I want you to come back into my fold! If you would just get rid of your self righteousness - if you would just stop comparing what you have and what you do to others - you could then enjoy God’s love and mercy instead of trying to be his slaves!” What a great picture of God’s salvation again - God says - “I’ve died for the sins of the WORLD. Forgiveness is free for EVERYONE! Why should this bother you? Instead of being angry with me, come back to me!”
Don’t we approach God’s grace in the same way today? When well known prodigal sons such as the “son of Sam” and others have made a name for themselves for being lost and found, how many of us view these people almost with resentment. It doesn’t make sense to us that someone who murdered innocent people be allowed in heaven. Why should someone who acted like a prostitute be welcomed back? We struggle with this when we forget the answer. The answer always goes back to the cross. None of us DESERVE anything God. But a gift isn’t based on what you DO - it’s based on the generosity and love of the giver. So when someone who does live an overtly evil lifestyle comes back to God in repentance and faith, shouldn’t we also rejoice in the grace of God? Instead of concentrating on what THEY did, celebrate what GOD did. He sent Jesus to die for them. In his mercy, he welcomed them back. Why should this make us bitter? Instead, when we realize that it’s what WE deserve - it will make us rejoice all the more in God’s grace.
C. R. Hembree once wrote this poem -
I dreamed death came the other night:
And heaven’s gates swung wide.
With kindly grace an angel
Ushered me inside.
And there, to my astonishment,
Stood folks I’d known on earth.
Some I’d judged and labeled
Unfit or of little worth.
Indignant words rose to my lips,
But never were set free;
For every face showed stunned surprise …
No one expected me!
The moral of this poem and of the parable is the same - none of us deserve to be in heaven. But only by the grace of God do we get there. So instead of worrying about who God is inviting to dinner - let’s just thank God that we and many other forgiven sinners are going there! Amen.
