"The Prodigal Sons", Luke 15:11-32 Pastor Bob Leroe, Cliftondale Congregational Church, Saugus, Massachusetts
Outline:
Restlessness> vss 1- 11-12
Rebellion> vss 13-16
Repentance> vss 17-19
Reconciliation> vss 20-24
Resentment> vss 25-32
Introduction:
When I told a friend I was preaching on the parable of the Prodigal Son, he raised a question: “Who is the most stressed out in this parable?” I thought the son, the father, and the older brother were in different ways rather stressed. But I was wrong. My friend said the one most stressed out of all was the fatted calf!
The parable of the prodigal son is the 3rd in a trilogy of parables, the other two being about a lost coin and a missing sheep. The word "prodigal" means "waster", one who wastes gifts and resources. The title comes from vs. 13 which tells how the son "wasted his substance in riotous living." -A lost coin, a lost sheep, a lost son.
vss 11-12/Restlessness
Vss 11-12 reveal the younger son’s restlessness. He asks for his inheritance--an unusual, yet legal request. The boy was in effect saying, "I don’t want to have to wait around for you to die to get what’s mine, Dad; since you haven’t died soon enough to suit me, I want what’s mine now."
The fall of the prodigal began the moment he claimed his rights; when he separated his interests from the interests of his family--and not simply when he began to live separately and recklessly, far from home. The desire to leave home and face the responsibilities of adulthood is perfectly natural; the restless yearning to flee responsibilities is immature. As the prodigal grew restless, his polluted imagination conjured up exotic, far away places. He could envision the implications of total freedom from authority.
The father allows his younger son to leave. Sometimes the worst thing God can do is to give us what we want--to show us that our desires can’t bring satisfaction. The prodigal got what he wanted, but lost what he had. When we rebel against God’s will He sometimes says, "All right, YOUR will be done! See how you like it! God’s most severe punishment may be to give us what we want.
vss 13-16/Rebellion
In vss 13-16 we witness the results of the prodigal’s rebellion. Gathering up his things, the prodigal leaves for a "far country"; a place which exists first in our hearts. Like so many of us, his happiness was conditional upon his circumstances; he was not content with his situation.
Freedom became freedom to sin, and pleasures provided a false enchantment, maybe even a deluded justification. The prodigal was eager to "see life", apart from God—yet to say, "I will have no more of God" is to say "I will have no more of life."
The lost son lusted for freedom without restraints and ended up enslaving himself. When his money ran out, his so-called friends deserted him--they were only friends of his wealth. He learned the hard way that we can’t enjoy the things money can buy if we ignore the things money cannot buy.
Destitute, he was forced to do for a stranger what he refused to do for his own father--to work. For a Jew, there could be no more demeaning labor than to be a swineherd. The "husks" or "pods" of vs. 16 were likely the fruit of the carob tree, which only those in abject poverty would eat.
Sin promises freedom but it only brings slavery...it promises success, but it only brings failure...it promises life, but "the wages of sin is death." Those who reject God’s rule are compelled to serve the devil.
vss 17-19/Repentance
We often meet our destiny on the road we take to avoid it. The lost son "came to his senses", and "found" himself, we’re told in vs. 17. The first step of repentance comes when people realize the foolishness of their actions, and sense the despair into which they have fallen.
The prodigal complains about no one but himself, and speaks of no unworthiness but his own. He doesn’t blame his plight on his former evil companions. He admits his eagerness to leave the protection of his home and offers no excuses to cover his guilt or justify his waywardness. He has reached rock bottom, and his only remaining resource is repentance. He confesses, "I have sinned; I am unworthy."
When he left home, he had a fairly positive self-image, and his wild companions assured him that he was a likable, generous individual. When he compared himself to the bums, harlots and degenerates, he measured favorably. Even later when he was forced to work at a pig farm, he may have compared himself to the other swineherds, and he may have figured he was better than them; very likely he was, considering his privileged background. But when his thoughts turned to home and he compared himself to the father he abandoned, he admitted he was no longer worthy to be called his son. He adopted a new standard of comparison. We may look around us at people in various degrees of depravity and assume we’re OK. But when our standard is Jesus Christ, we see our true condition, and how hopelessly far we fall short of His holy example and righteous expectations.
Guilt and shame are painful to face, yet we desperately need to see ourselves for what we are. Before we can respond to God’s mercy we must gain a sense of our inability and unworthiness, and the horror of how our sin has debased our lives and offended God.
A mark of true repentance is the prodigal’s desire to be subject again to authority. He became lost when he claimed his rights; he is found when he surrenders them. The return to the father was a return to wisdom.
The now-penitent son unconditionally confesses his sin, offering no excuses. Realizing how well his father treated his servants, he turns from his sin and turns toward home. His resolutions are turned into action. This an essential step. Some people drown in guilt and depression and never turn to God for recovery. Conviction can lead to despair. It can also lead to repentance and restoration.
vss 20-24/Reconciliation
It seemed unlikely to this young man that his father would allow him to return, even as a servant...but he had reached the point of desperation. With nowhere else to turn, "He got up and went to his father". He was dying of physical hunger, and was hungry and thirsting for righteousness.
What kind of reception would he receive? Would he be cast out, abandoned by the father he rejected? Some Bible teachers say this story should be called "the Parable of the Compassionate Father". The father runs to meet his son half-way, and lovingly embraces him. This is a vivid picture of grace. It was the hope of mercy that brought this son to repentance and forgiveness. God offers the kiss of reconciliation when we turn to Him.
The returned son attempts to deliver his prepared speech in vs. 21—he admits he has sinned against "heaven", too shamed to even speak the name of God. He begins, but doesn’t get to finish, for his father calls to the servants to bring out the best robe--to cover the son’s poverty and shame; a ring--as a seal and symbol of his identity as a member of the household; and shoes--so that he can now walk in a new way...also, shoes were not worn by servants! The father does not humiliate his son, but welcomes him into all the privileges of the family and treats him with honor. He then directs the servants to prepare a feast! Everything this wayward son hoped to find in the far country he discovered back home. He moves from "give me" in vs. 12, to "make me" in vs. 19, resulting in reconciliation, vs. 24—“He was lost and has been found".
Sometimes we think we need to clean themselves up before we come to God. All we need is to come home...and the Father will give His best even though we’re filthy. If you’re afraid to come to God; if you’re ashamed of your past; if all you have to offer is your guilt, then remember the loving father of the prodigal--He is in fact, the Father of us all, and is ready to run to us with open arms.
vss 25-32/Resentment
We could stop here, but the story isn’t over yet. The first-born son is informed of his brother’s return, and is furious. He feels betrayed by his father, and bitterly complains that mercy has been wrongly granted to this rebel. Not wanting to even speak his brother’s name or acknowledge the family relationship, he rebukes his father in vs. 30 for welcoming "this son of yours, who has devoured your wealth...." The greatest commandment is to love our heavenly Father and then love others--the older brother broke both. The younger son has been compared to the prophet Jonah in his running; the older is like Jonah in condemning the Father’s forgiveness.
Who was this older brother? When Jesus told this story, He had a group of people specifically in mind; He adds this postscript for the benefit of the Pharisees, the self-righteous experts in Jewish law. They cared little about those who were lost in sin. In verse 2 they condemn Jesus for welcoming sinners and eating with them. These 3 parables are intended to instill compassion for the lost.
This older brother remained at home, out of trouble, obeying the rules. In self-conceit he considers himself the perfect son based on outer conformity. Outwardly he was in compliance with his father, but inwardly he too was far from home. He regarded his position in the family as one of bondage. He was home, yet not at home! It is a sign of spiritual decay when we’re uncomfortable in a healthy environment.
This parable is really about two prodigal sons. Both were slaves--the younger by economic plight and the older by perception.
People can live in the same house, eat together, work side-by-side, yet emotionally be far apart. People can also be active in church work yet harbor wrong attitudes and motives. It is a fatal error to assume that we’re members of God’s family because we were raised in a Christian home. God doesn’t have any grandchildren. The Pharisees based their spirituality on their Jewishness. The Apostle Paul warned that being born in a Jewish household doesn’t make a person a child of Abraham spiritually. Everyone on earth is a physical child of God by creation; but not every one is a spiritual child--this takes re-birth, re-creation.
The prodigal’s father chose to forgive; the older brother refused. Forgiveness is a bridge we build and may need to cross one day ourselves. British General James Oglethorpe, founder of the colony of Georgia, bluntly told John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church, "Preacher, I never forgive." Wesley replied, "Then, sir, I hope you never sin." If we harbor an unforgiving, "older brother" attitude we cannot be in fellowship with God.
The father treats both sons with the same tenderness. His riches were always at his first son’s disposal, but were apparently left unused. We have only ourselves to blame if we do not utilize that which God has provided us. We have the unlimited assets of His grace.
This parable is open-ended. The Story-Teller invites us to reply to the father’s gentle response in vss 31 & 32 in our own way.
Conclusion:
Here was the best of homes. The father has both compassion and wealth. He loves his sons and is concerned for their happiness. Both sons are far from home--one geographically, both spiritually. To both He earnestly, tenderly calls: "Come home, come home, you who are weary come home."
Invitation:
I’d like us to pray silently for just a few moments. If you’re far from home, use this opportunity to talk with your Father; for salvation, for restoration. Turn over your fears, your pride, your priorities, your sin. He will lovingly welcome you home.
Prayer:
Silent prayer, then..."Holy Father, we are not worthy to be called Your children, or even Your servants. Thank You for Your willingness to embrace us and make us Your own, through the blood of Christ our Savior and Lord, Amen."
