The Place of Divine Sonship

The Prodigal Sons and the Father - Luke 15:11-

Verse 12

Vs.12 - The younger son wanted independence from his father.

Why would he need it? Maybe he believed in the original lie carried to us via original sin that we can find happiness for ourselves by ourselves without a relationship with the Father

In fact he may have believed that his chances of happiness and fulfillment and achievement in life would be much better if he was independent of the Father.

This is easily the same story of my own heart and of many other people. The blindness and illusion of the fallen state.

Vs. 12 - The Father gave it!

Why did the Father give the son freedom when he would have known that he would most probably lose it or mess it up and fall down in the end. He could have kept him under control and kept him safe under his wings.

He would be left with a resentful son, never matured and unable to love his father and be close to him.

Love and faithfulness is a place that one must arrive after a journey into freedom and independence. Gods love for me never violates my freedom to choose.

Vs. 12 - He divided the property between them!

At that very moment, the Father gave his property to both sons.

One took it away and squandered it

The other never really possessed it!

Verse 13

When we have control over our resources we tend to do whatever our level of consciousness shows us to pursue happiness.

We won’t stop until we hit a wall or it badly hurts

Verse 14

Needs, pain and struggle is a result of following our own desires and simultaniously an invitation to return to the Father and his love.

But often we won’t return till we run out of options and we have nowhere else to turn to.

Verse 15 & 16 & 17

Separated from the Father, His love and Divine providence, we end up becoming slaves of others. We open ourselves to be used and abused.

This is both bad and painful. Yet it is also the very place for realization of the love of the Father and the goodness of the Fathers house.

Verse 18 - 19

This approach of the son is exactly how i feel about what is happening within me and my relationship with the Father.

Accepting the mistakes, failure and sins of the past is the excellent and accurate first step.

The assumption that he was not worthy to be son anymore is the second step fraught with error. He had failed the Father because of his brokenness and blindness to the reality of His love. He had lowered expectations of what he could get from the Father based on his own feelings and experiences.

Fortunately it was not an accurate description of the Fathers heart.

This strong sense of unworthiness and the feeling that i have failed the Father dominates me. It keeps me from returning to the Father. It is hard for me to face my own failures.

The awareness that my flesh controls my decisions and my desires dominate me make me feel helpless and wants me to avoid looking at the abyss within and at the Father above.

But it is only making me weaker and more fallen into the hole of the flesh.

The one and only answer is to return to the waiting arms of the Father.

His love and restoration is enough to free me from all that my flesh has made me captive.

Rich enough to let go unjust riches

Secure enough in his providence to risk being poor in the world

Loved enough to be loving those who would not love me back in return

"Bring forth the best robe and put it on him"  - In having the best robe placed on him, the Father was telling the Prodigal as well as all observers that his position as son was being restored.  It was an immediate demonstration of complete approval, love and mercy as well as protection - major benefits of being a son.  In addition, everyone was witnessing the Father's transfer of the prime inheritance from the eldest son to the youngest son.

The same thing occurred in Genesis 27:15 when Rebekah took the choice clothes of the eldest son Esau and put them on the younger son Jacob.  In Hebrew culture the eldest son, the firstborn in the family, received the best inheritance/distribution of property, goods, etcetera.  In the instance of the Prodigal as with Jacob, the inheritance was transferred to the youngest son.

"Put a ring on his hand" -  Long ago, presenting a ring to someone was a sign of great affection and also a symbol of being placed in an office of authority; among the rich it was a sign of wealth and dignity.  Pharaoh removed his signet ring and put it on Joseph's hand when installing him into office in Egypt (Genesis 41:42).  In the book of Esther the King took off his ring, the royal signet by which the decrees of government were signed, and gave it to Mordecai (Esther 8:2). The ring showed Pharaoh's affection for Joseph and the King's affection for Mordecai and transferred to them all power and authority necessary for the promotions they received, one as Governor and the other as Prime Minister.

The ring placed on the hand of the Prodigal evidenced the great affection the Father had toward him.  It also announced, once again, the transfer of inheritance which would ordinarily have gone to the first-born.

"Put sandals on his feet" -  The prodigal returned home without shoes, a sign of having become extremely destitute because in ancient biblical times only servants and slaves went barefoot.  Therefore, when the Father ordered shoes to be brought out and put on the Prodigal's feet he said for the third and final time that the Prodigal was not to be treated as a servant but as a son with all entitlements.

Forgiveness would be empty without restoration to the privileges forfeited by sin. Therefore, if you bear the name son or daughter through having received Jesus as Lord and Savior by the power of the Holy Spirit you have found favor with the Father.  The best robe has been placed upon you, a demonstration of the Father's complete approval of you and love and protection for you. And, a ring has been put on your hand representing the riches you have in Christ, authority you have been given in the name of Jesus and installation into the office of king and priest to God.  Sandals have been put on your feet affirming sonship and all of its benefits, including but not limited to healing, loving kindness, tender mercies and every good thing (Psalm 103).