There is a
rather dramatic story in Scripture normally referred to as the parable
of the "prodigal son"; however, it could be better seen as a parable of
a father's love for his two sons in spite of the their
failures
and faults. It is also a picture of the heavenly Father's
love for us. The
context of the study begins with an accusation from the Pharisees and
scribes against Jesus for receiving publicans and sinners. "Then drew near unto him all
the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees
and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth
with them" (Luke 15:1-3). The Pharisees were the
religious people who were strict keepers of the law of the Old
Testament who also condemned anyone who did not keep the law.
The scribes' duty was to accurately transcribe every detail
of
the law even down to the accent marks. The publicans were
Jewish people who worked for the Roman government to collect taxes at
exorbitant rates from their own people. Sinners were those
who
had no respect for the law of God and went about their own ungodly way.
In response to the criticism that the Pharisees and scribes
brought to Jesus, he begins with two other parables concerning
publicans and Pharisees. The first one is of the parable of
the
lost sheep. Actually, it is the story of the shepherd that
left
the ninety-nine and went after the one lost sheep. Guess what
that one lost sheep was lost and had no way of finding his way back to
the shepherd, but the shepherd who loved the sheep went to find it.
The shepherd rejoices greatly when he finds the sheep and
invites
his friends to rejoice with him. Jesus concludes the parable
with, "I say unto
you, that
likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more
than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance"
(Luke 15:7). The second parable is that of the woman who had ten silver
coins, but lost a silver coin. She drops everything
and diligently searches for the lost coin until she found it.
We
should see than there was absolutely NO WAY for the coin to find its
way
back to the woman. The woman had to find the coin. Then she
invites her friends to rejoice with her when she finds it.
Again,
Jesus says, "Likewise,
I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over
one sinner that repenteth"
(Luke 15:10). I have discovered that Jesus' expression of
repentance is more than to stop doing wrong and start doing right.
It is coming to recognized that without God you can't save
yourself. It is coming to depend upon the amazing love and
grace
of God to save you.
"And he said, A
certain man had two sons: And the
younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of
goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his
living. And
not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his
journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous
living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty
famine in
that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined
himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields
to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with
the
husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And
when
he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's
have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I
will
arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned
against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be
called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he
arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his
father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and
kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned
against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called
thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the
best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on
his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and
let
us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive
again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
Now
his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the
house, he heard musick and dancing. And he called one of the
servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto
him,
Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf,
because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry,
and
would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do
I
serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet
thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my
friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath
devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted
calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and
all
that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry,
and
be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was
lost, and is found" (Luke 15:11-32).
Every parable has one main theme and this parable is more about a
father's love for his sons, than
the simple story of a rebellious son. The story begins with,
"And he said, A
certain man had two sons"
(Luke 15:11). It does not begin with, "There was a rebellious
son". However, the next verse tells us about the younger
son's
rebellion. Under the Old Testament Law, a son does not get his
inheritance until his
father dies. However, this younger son, demands his
inheritance immediately!
In essence, the younger son is saying, "I have no respect
for your laws, Dad, and I wish that you
were dead. Give me my inheritance now." There is
no
indication that the father in any way argues with his son over the
inheritance. He simply gave him his inheritance. "And
the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of
goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living"
(Luke 15:12). In reality, the father could have legally
refused to give
him his inheritance. Legally, under the law, he could have
had his son stoned to death for his rebellion, but in his love for him,
he gave him the
inheritance although he knew that it would be of no value to him.
APPLICATION:
This is a picture of God's love for us. Sometime we
come to
believe that we can't measure up to God standards for us, demand our
own way, and run away from God's presence. Note:
wrong beliefs lead to wrong actions and wrong actions lead to negative
consequences.
The boy felt that he could no longer stay in the house of his father
and soon left home to get away as far as he could. I am also
sure
that the father knew that his son would waste his inheritance and that
is exactly what happened. "And not many days after the
younger son gathered
all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted
his substance with riotous living"
(Luke 15:13). The expression "riotous living" would infer
that he
was indulging himself in the flesh with that which not lawful. Of
course, such living is ungodly and leads to poverty. We
should also
note that the father who dearly loved his son, did not chase after his
son, but allowed him to experience the consequences of his decision.
However, we find another truth here, the love of the father
was
patient to wait for his son's return.
APPLICATION:
God, in His love for us, gives us what we want and
lets us run away
even though He knows that we will be hurting ourselves. We
often waste
years and years of our lives. However, God patiently waits
for us to have a change of heart.
Sure enough, he lost every penny of his
inheritance and then further disaster strikes. "And when he had spent all,
there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want"
(Luke 15:14). The country's economy would depend a great deal
on
agriculture and when the famine arose, people lost their means of
income and even their source of food. Therefore, "And he went and joined
himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields
to feed swine"
(Luke 15:15). The young man could not survive on his own;
therefore, he had to get a job. He got a job feeding pigs in
this foreign country.
Pigs are filthy, stink, and are like huge rats. God
had
forbidden His people, the Jews to even eat the unclean meat of pigs
(ham, bacon, or
pork sausage). A job feeding pigs would be the very last kind
of job a
Jewish boy would want.
However, things got
even worse. People refused to give him any handouts, so he
has to
eat the husk along with the pigs. "And he would fain have filled
his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto
him"
(Luke 15:16). Husk are the hulls or by product of the ears of
corn or other grain. The husks are course, tough, and hard to
chew and even harder to swallow
with more of straw or wood flavor.
APPLICATION:
When we run away from God, we may also hit rock
bottom, finding ourselves in the pig pen, eating with the pigs.
When he was at
the lowest point of his life, he gets a revelation that his father's
hired servants have food to eat while he is currently starving with
hunger.
"And
when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my
father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with
hunger!" (Luke 15:17).
Revelation
often comes when we hit rock bottom and have no place to look, but up.
Next, we find him preparing his speech
that he is to give to his father. "I will arise and go to my
father, and
will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before
thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as
one of thy hired servants"
(Luke 15:18-19). Because of his rebellion against his father,
his
wasting his inheritance, and now in a position of shame, he could no
longer see himself being received as a son of his father.
In great shame and humiliation, he heads
home. "And
he arose, and came to his father"
(Luke 15:20a). Here we see something amazing. It is
something, that most would not expect, even often the Christian church
does not accept. His father who had allowed
him to leave with his inheritance is watching for his rebellious son to
return and sees him coming in the distance. He is not waiting
to
scold him and say, "I told you so." He is not waiting to rebuke him or
reject
him. He is not waiting to punish him for his wrong. He is not
angry or holding a grudge against him, but waiting
to lavish him with love. "But when he was yet a great
way off,
his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck,
and kissed him"
(Luke 15:20). Even before the son could confess and give his
repentance
speech, the father had compassion on him. He had sympathy and
pity on him. He didn't even stand back and wait for his son
to come to
him,
but rather ran to his son. The father would have to raised up his own
robe to reveal his own bare legs to run to him. What would the
neighbors think? He embraced him in his filth and
stench and kissed
him. I am sure that he smelled like a pig and
looked about as dirty, but that didn't matter. He was still
his
son
and had always been his son even in his rebellion.
APPLICATION:
Our heavenly Father in His own love awaits for our return to
him. It doesn't matter where we have been or what we have
done or how much wrong we have done. He is not waiting to
condemn us or punish us. He is waiting for an
opportunity to run to us, and to embrace us exactly where we are with
the filth and stench still upon our clothes and bodies. He wants to
greet us with a kiss of acceptance.
Finally, the son was able to begin his
speech, but not finish it. "And
the son said unto him,
Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more
worthy to be called thy son"
(Luke 15:21). His father stopped
him in the middle of his speech
before he could ask just to be a servant. "But the father
said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and
put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet"
(Luke 15:22).
There is much to be seen in this verse which we could easily overlook.
The father is still in charge and calls his servants to duty.
First, his father demands that the best robe is brought and
and
put on his son. The young man was probably in dirty rags.
The robe would be an outer garment to cover his nakedness.
The
best robe would be a robe for kings or princes and a robe of acceptance
for festive occasions.
APPLICATION:
Through the sacrifice of Jesus, our heavenly Father calls for the robe
of righteousness be put on us to cover all our sinfulness.
The righteousness that we receive through faith in Jesus
makes us acceptable to the Father.
Second, the father also
called for a ring to be put on his hand. The ring would be
more
personal. It would have been a ring signifying that he was in
the
family. It was a symbol of wealth and dignity. The
imprint of the ring might be used as a credit card. With the
ring being gold, it was a symbol of everlasting relationship.
See "And
Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand,
and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about
his neck" (Genesis 41:42).
APPLICATION:
The ring to believers may be the seal of the Holy Spirit, the
earnest of the Spirit. When one becomes a Believer the Holy
Spirit joins with our spirit which is our acceptance into the family of
God. Being born of the Spirit gives us inheritance rights to
the wealth as children of God. It is an everlasting inheritance.
It is solely by the mercy and grace of God.
Third, his father had shoes to be put on his feet. Slaves
were
often barefoot. The boy was not to be a servant, a slave, but
he
was accepted and to be known as the father's own son. Again, the father
never disowned his son, but it was the son that had disowned the
father.
APPLICATION:
Our Father gives us shoes of the gospel of
peace. Jesus has made peace with the Father in our behalf
that we might become sons in a personal sense. We are no
longer slaves to sin or the world. We have been delivered
from the bondage of sin that we may sit at the table of God as sons of
God.
Fourth, the father sent for the
fatted calf to be killed and served to his son. Of course,
the
son was at the point of starving, but the father wanted him to have the
best, the best tasting and the most delicious meat. "And bring hither the fatted
calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry"
(Luke 15:23).
APPLICATION:
Our heavenly Father wants to provide for all our needs.
He want to fill our mouths with good things. He
want to satisfy our every longing. He wants to heal our hurts.
He wants to replace our sorrow with joy.
Fifth, the father called for a
homecoming party for his son.
It
was to be a time of celebration and enjoyment. "For this my son was dead, and
is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry"
(Luke 15:24).
APPLICATION:
Our heavenly Father has called for a homecoming
celebration which is to continue into eternity. We are to
declared the praises of our Father who has called us out of darkness
into His marvelous light.
We have been looking at the father's love for his prodigal son, but we
should also look at his love for the oldest son as well. "Now
his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the
house, he heard musick and dancing. And he called one of the
servants, and asked what these things meant. And
he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the
fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound"
(Luke
15:25-27).
The self-righteous older son, like the
Pharisees and Scribes, became very angry and would not go into the
party. "And
he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and
intreated him"
(Luke 15:28). A spirit of jealousy keeps one from enjoying
the
company of those with whom they are jealous of. However,
again we
see the fathers love for his jealous son. He could have said
to his servants,
"Just let him pout", but instead he went out of the party to encourage
him and invite
him into the party.
APPLICATION:
Our heavenly Father wants everyone to come to
the party.
The older son complains
to his father he has been faithful and always obedient to his father,
but through all the years, his father never even killed a young goat
and gave him any kind of party for him and his friends. "And
he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee,
neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never
gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends"
(Luke
15:29). He felt that it was unfair for his father to now
throwing a
party for his younger brother especially after he spend his inheritance
on prostitutes. Furthermore, his father is throwing a big
party by
butchering a fatted calf, an expensive animal that would feed many
guests not just a man and his son. "But as soon as this thy son
was come, which hath devoured
thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted
calf"
(Luke 15:30). The older son didn't speak of his brother being
his
brother, but said this to his father, "... this thy son...".
Self-righteousness always alienates one from others. Self
righteousness had kept him from having a close fellowship with his
father and his brother.
APPLICATION:
Our salvation is based upon grace, "God's
unmerited favor", rather than living a perfect faithful life. We don't
lose it by sinning. Whenever, we like the Pharisees and the
Scribes, become legalistic about our salvation, we become critical and
judgmental of others who fall short once they are saved.
Look at his father's amazing response. "And he said unto him, Son,
thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine"
(Luke 15:31). The father loved his older son as
much as he
did the younger son. The father begins with the word "Son"
rather
than with the pronoun "you". However, the older son
had got
caught up in
performance approval. Although he was the eldest son, with
traditional rights to twice as much as his younger brother received and
all that his father had obtained even after his younger brother had
left home, he
hadn't asked for a penny or a party. He had just been slaving
in
the field
to get or keep his father's approval.
The father not only loved the
youngest son, he also wanted his older brother to share in that love.
"It
was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother
was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found"
(Luke
15:32).
Note:
Wrong beliefs lead to wrong actions. Unfortunately, both sons
believed that their father's love was conditional. I am
convinced
that younger son believed that he could not live up to his father's
approval, so he demanded his inheritance and left home. A wrong belief
led
to a wrong action. After he had sinned, he could no longer
see
himself as a son, only as a hired servant. The older son believed that
he had to perform perfectly or he would lose his father's approval;
therefore, his focus was on living a perfect life or remaining faithful
to the end. Again, a wrong belief led to a wrong action.
He
also became furious when his younger brother was received his father's
love after his younger brother had indulged in sin. Again, a
wrong belief led to a wrong action.
APPLICATION:
If you have never accepted the GRACE of the loving heavenly
Father, you can do it today. You don't have to wait until you
live a perfect life! It is not about keeping the 613 laws of the Old
Testament. You can take a step of faith and the Father will run to you.
He will hug and kiss you. He will call for a robe of
righteousness to be put on your back, a ring of acceptance into the
family to be put on your finger, and shoes of sonship to be put on your
feet. He will kill the fatted calf and throw a party of
celebration for you that you can rejoice in your salvation.
If you have been attending
church, reading the Bible, praying, giving to the poor, and avoiding
doing
all that it evil to get the Father's approval or keep the Father's
approval, He wants for you drop the performance orientation and come in
and join the party. He wants you accept His grace of love and
acceptance and to rejoice over others who have returned to receive His
grace.
GRACE