The Prodigal Son - The Son Who Remained Home Series

The Prodigal son - the son who remained home.

Luke 15: 11-32

Lev. 7:12; 22:29-30

A parable is a comparison of two objects for the purpose of teaching. Although Jesus did not invent speaking in parables, it is significant that He is the only one who used them in the New Testament. At one time in His ministry, it was the only method He employed when speaking to the masses. (Mt. 13:34; Mk. 4:33-34; see also: Ps 78:2)

Parables appear in both the Old and New Testaments but are more easily recognizable in the ministry of Jesus. Jesus used earthly stories to teach heavenly truths, but only those who sought the truth were able to understand them.

Parables are typically brief and points are presented in twos or threes using an economy of words. Unnecessary details are left out.

The settings in the story are taken from ordinary life. Figures of speech are common and used in context for ease of understanding. For example, a discourse about a shepherd and his sheep would make hearers think of God and his people because of Old Testament references to those pictures.

Parables often incorporate elements of surprise and exaggeration. They are taught in such an interesting and compelling manner that the listener cannot escape the truth in it.

Parables ask listeners to make judgments on the events of the story. As a result, listeners must make similar judgments in their own lives. They force the listener to make a decision or come to a moment of truth.

Typically parables leave no room for gray areas. The listener is forced to see the truth in concrete rather than abstract pictures.

A master at teaching with parables, Jesus spoke about 35 percent of his recorded words in parables. According to the Tyndale Bible Dictionary, Christ's parables were more than illustrations for his preaching, they were his preaching to a great extent

The purpose of parables in Jesus Christ's teaching was to focus the listener on God and his kingdom. These stories revealed the character of God: what he is like, how he works, and what he expects from his followers.

Most scholars agree that there are at least 33 parables in the Gospels. Jesus introduced many of these parables with a question. For example, in the parable of the Mustard Seed, Jesus answered the question, "What is the Kingdom of God like?"

Typically, the characters in Jesus' parables remained nameless, creating a broader application for his listeners. The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 is the only one in which he used a proper name.

One of the most striking features of Jesus' parables is how they reveal the nature of God. They draw listeners and readers into a real and intimate encounter with the living God .

One of Christ's most famous parables in the Bible is the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32. This story is closely tied to the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin. Each of these accounts focuses on the relationship with God, demonstrating what it means to be lost and how heaven celebrates with joy when the lost are found. They also draw a keen picture of God the Father's loving heart for lost souls.

Although many in the professing Christian world believe He spoke in parables in order to make His point more clear, the opposite is actually true. Jesus Himself said as much. The scriptures reveal that the Messiah was once asked by His disciples why He spoke in parables (Mt. 13:10). He answered them by revealing that He did so to hide the meaning of His words from some who would hear them.

The gospel of Mark records Jesus’ words this way.

“Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.” (Mk. 4:11-12 . See also: Isa 6:9,10; Acts 28: 27)

The growing popularity of Jesus among the ‘tax collectors and sinners’, that is, the rejected and despised members of Israelite society who welcomed his message and were all coming to listen to him (Lk 15:1), was beginning to alarm the religious establishment of scribes and Pharisees, and Luke reports how they were grumbling at Jesus and accusing him of welcoming sinners into His company and even demeaning himself by eating with them (15:2). Luke elsewhere, in 19:1-10, gives us an account of how Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector in Jericho, clambered up a sycamore tree because of his small stature and his curiosity to catch a glimpse of Jesus passing by, and how he was thrilled – and converted – when Jesus invited himself to spend the day at Zacchaeus’s house.