The Parable of the Prodigal

Our text this morning is one that has given hope to people since it flowed from the lips of our Savior.

It has given hope to prodigals who have found themselves far away from everything they knew was right.

It has given hope to parents who have raised children for the glory of God only to watch them fall to the schemes of Satan.

It has given hope to preachers who earnestly watch the multitudes looking for a prodigal to return as they proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The occasion for the parable is the murmuring of the religious leaders. This great story was inspired by insult. Look at verse 2. The Pharisees and scribes were upset over Jesus relationship with sinners.

He received them -treated them with compassion.

He relax with them- “eateth with them”.

He rejoiced with them- when they repented.

The main point of the parable is to show the attitude of the Father toward the lost. The warning of the parable is to not be like the two sons:

Unrighteous- like the prodigal

Self- righteous- like the older son.

The attitude of the Father is a love for the unrighteous and the self-righteous and a desire to see both forgiven and part of one family rejoicing in the forgiveness of God. My aim this morning is to show you the heart of the Father toward the lost.

1. A Leaving (11-19).

A. The Rebellion (12-13).

1. Look how the younger son speaks to the father. “Give me”. You can sense the disrespect.

2. Look what the younger son demands. “the share of property that is coming to me” Deut. 21:17 says the younger son got one third of the inheritance. It was supposed to come when the father died. He wanted it now.

3. Look what the younger son meant. He was essentially saying “I want your benefits but not you. I want your presents but not your presence. “

He was saying “I wish you were dead!”

If you’ve had teenagers they’ve probably said something like “I can’t wait til I grow up and move out, I’m gonna do what I want!”

This young man doesn’t care about his father, doesn’t care about his family. He just wants his father’s money and to be as far away from his father as possible. This is absolute rebellion meant to hurt the father and shame the family. This young man cares about no one but himself.

B. The Rejoicing (13).

1. He had plenty of money. Evidently he converted his inheritance into cash. He sold everything. Liquidated.

2. He used his money to satisfy carnal pleasures. The text says he wasted his inheritance with reckless living. In other words he partied all night and slept all day. Look at verse 30. Evidently word traveled to the family that he wasted his money with harlots.

Some folks act like people living in sin aren’t having fun. Many of them are. There is pleasure in sin for a season.

3. What a burden it must be for the father to see his son rejoicing in sin.

I think of our culture today. We rejoice in sin. We are proud of our sinful lifestyles. We flaunt our rebellion. We have left the Father and are glad we did! That must break the heart of our God.

C. The Remembering (14-19).

1. His descent. Notice the progression.

He spent all he had. We don’t know how long it took but he spent it all. None was stolen from him, he didn’t give any away. He spent it all. He’s too greedy for charity. That makes the grace he receives all the more amazing.

There arose a severe famine in the land. The land of plenty became a land of poverty.

He began to be in need. This was probably the first time in his life he had been in want.

He took a job in that country. He joined himself to a citizen of that country (15). This was a Gentile country. In essence he was settling down. This would be his home now. He, for all intents and purposes, would be a Gentile.

He didn’t just take any job. He became a pig farmer. This is important because it represents separation from the Jewish community.

Peter said in Acts 10:28 "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.”

Not only was he joining himself to the Gentiles but he was joining himself to the reproduction of the most unclean animal a Jewish person could think of.

2. His disgust (16). He wasn’t even making enough money to feed himself. He became so hungry that he was contemplating eating the seeds of the carob tree which were used to feed livestock and under extreme conditions the poor.

He was longing, desiring to eat this awful food. The only reason he didn’t do it was because it was so disgusting.

3. His decision (17-19).

He made a decision to go home. “Came to himself” implies he repented. He realized how awful his sin was. He decided to go home. He was so nervous he rehearses exactly what he’s going to say to his father:

I have sinned against you and God.

I am not worthy to be your son.

I’m here to apply for a job.

This is what genuine repentance looks like!

No excuses- I have sinned against God and man.

No pride- I’m not worthy!

No expectations- I’m willing to be a servant!

You may say “What does that have to do with me?” It has much to do with you because we have all left home for the country. You say “Not me!”

My friend you may not be in the far country but the far country is in you.

The far country is the land of gossip and we have all gossiped.

The far country is the land of the liar and we have all lied.

The far country is the land of the greedy and we have all coveted.

The far country is the land of the adulterer and we have all lusted.

The far country is the land of the murderer and we have all hated.

We have all left the Father to squander our inheritance in the far country.

2. A Looking (20-21).

A. His father was looking for him.

1. From a long way off. You say “Will God receive me?” He’s expecting you. He’s looking for you.

2. God hasn’t forgotten you. It doesn’t matter how much time has passed.

B. His father had compassion on him.

1. This implies the father knew the young man had been living in sin. He knew the young man had hit rock bottom. He needed compassion because of his sin.

2. Will God receive sinners? He will only receive sinners. What wonderful news!

C. His father forgave him.

1. The intimacy is restored. He runs to him, he embraces him, he kisses him. This isn’t a broken relationship anymore.

2. The well-prepared statement wasn’t the reason for the restoration. Look at verse 21. He tries to tell the father the statement he rehearsed but doesn’t even get to finish it before the father interrupts him.

It’s not our baptism that causes heaven to rejoice.

It’s not our church membership that causes heaven to rejoice.

It’s not our service to God that causes heaven to rejoice.

It’s not our prayers that causes heaven to rejoice.

It is our repentance that causes heaven to rejoice.

Look at verse 7. Look at verse 10. The Father rejoices because of our genuine repentance! Why? Because godly repentance leads to salvation!

The Father is looking for repentant people to rejoice over.

The church should be as well. The reason the older brother was not looking for his brother to return is he was not longing for his brother to return. To him, his brother had essentially become a Gentile.

Their language was unintelligible

Their culture was ungodly

Their food was unclean

This parable isn’t simply about a son who leaves the father it’s also about a son who hates the lost. This son is as miserable as the prodigal was (30).

As sons and daughters of God we should be leaving our comfort to seek the lost.

We should be calling the lost to repentance. We should be looking for them to return. When they do we should rejoice.

3. A Lavishing (22-32).

A. There is a great exchange.

1. A sinful soul for a robe of righteousness.

2. An orphaned child to a son of the Father (ring)

3. A slave of sin to a child of God. (shoes)

B. There is a great celebration. The prodigal thought he knew how to party. The father is going to show him how to really party!

1. How to dress- robe of righteousness.

2. How to walk- shoes (not like a slave to sin).

3. How to eat- the fatted calf. (Glorifried chicken)!!

4. How to dance- no twerking and jerking!

When you get saved you begin celebrating and you never stop!

C. There is a great lesson (31-32).

1. People are dead in their sins. They are lost. They are without God. People and nations are on their way to a place called hell. The church ought to be burdened greatly by that.

2. We should be searching for the lost.

We skipped a lot of this parable. The parable starts in verse 4. It starts with a lost sheep. Someone goes looking for the sheep and finds it. Everyone rejoices.

Then in verses 8-10 we have a lost coin. The woman searches high and low until she finds it and then everyone rejoices. But in the part that contains the lost son no one goes searching. And there is someone who isn’t rejoicing.

What’s Jesus point? His point is that the religious leaders would probably look for sheep and money but not lost people. In fact they didn’t care at all about the lost people. That’s a lesson the church needs to pay close attention to.

I don’t mean let’s fill up the church with lost people. That’s not the point. We’re not called to rejoice over sinners. We’re called to rejoice over repentant sinners. We are to go into the world and call them to repentance through the gospel just as God called us.

3. Joy fills the Fathers heart when we reach the lost. Neighbors and nations. We ought to have strategies for both. Nothing brings joy into a church like seeing the prodigals come home.

I want to call you home this morning.

Take a look at your life. Is it wasted? Is it shameful? Is it headed in the wrong direction?

Take a look at the cross. God loves you. Christ has done it all for you.

Come to Christ. Come saying:

I have sinned against You!

I’m not worthy to be forgiven!

If you will have me, I will be satisfied just to be your servant!