The Parable of the Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32)

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Introduction

Thank you all for welcoming me back to preach here today. As always I enjoy the opportunity to get up and preach God’s word so I appreciate you all letting me have that. Today is a special day because it is Fathers day. I have three kids myself, one was just born about 7 weeks ago and I am thankful that she is a healthy baby and is doing well. The other two are older with one turning 8 here in a month and the other who is four. While 8 years seems like a long time it has truly flown by and I can say in those 8 years I have had to do alot of personal growing as well. One of the areas that I have had to grow the most in personally is patience. Now don’t get me wrong, my kids are wonderful and for the most part they are well behaved, but my son, the 4 year old, has recently just entered a new phase of boy hood. For the last 4 years he has been our sweet, caring, loving little son, but with this new phase it seems like he went from sweet and caring to just down right destructive. And it isn’t like he is trying to be bad or malicious, it just seems like everything he touches breaks, and that he doesn’t think about anything before he does it. Now I have been told that this is exactly how I was at that age so it is probably genetic and my fault. But I image that every little boy goes through a phase where he is just a bull in a China shop. I find myself asking him so many times “Why did you do that?” And his response is always along the lines of “I don’t know” or “I wanted to see what happened”. For example, we were in the van and he had these plastic swim goggles on. All the sudden we hear this loud snapping sound and then he starts crying. When we asked what happened he told us that he had stretched them out really far on his head and let go because he “Wanted to see what it felt like”. Now to me, I know exactly what that would feel like and it isn’t pleasant, but sometimes you just have to learn a lesson on your own I guess. And he learned his lesson that day, he learned that if you pull hard plastic goggles attacked to a rubber band on your head and let go, it will come back with force and smack you in the face. Now that is just an innocent example of some of the things he has done, others have been much more frustrating or involved damage to my house but you can get a feel for what I am dealing with. And through stuff like this I have had to learn how to be patient, not quick to anger, loving, and how to discipline in a biblical way.
Another fun parenting moment for me came one time with my oldest daughter was much younger, she was probably three years old and were at a playground watching her run around and play on the equipment. The was having alot of run and she was running circles around the equipment. Now me and my wife are watching and we see danger in the path ahead, while she is running she is right on track to have a head on collison with a bar that is right at her head level. We saw the path, and we knew exactally what was going to happen if she kept going. However, in what I thought was wisdom, held my wife back from swooping in and saving her from the danger ahead. I said “Let’s see if she notices the danger ahead and stops, if not, maybe she will learn a lesson about watching where she is going.” I am sure you can all see where this is headed, sure enough she keeps running and runs head first into the metal bar. She sits there stunned for a moment not quite sure what just happened. My wife is still wanting to run in and pick her up but I knew she was fine so I held her back again and said “Let’s see how she reacts.” To her credit, she didn’t cry, she looked around at us to see our reaction, we gave her the “You’re okay, just keep playing” and she got up and kept running. Now the next time around we saw that she was on track to run into the exact same metal bar again but I said “Surely she won’t make the same mistake twice”. Sure enough the second time around she ran straight into that bar and this time she cried. So we walked over to pick her up and make sure she was alright. Which she was.
So, in my limited wisdom, what I have learned about children in the last 8 years is this:
Children make dumb mistakes
Children will do stuff just to see what happens
Children often do stuff without thinking of the consequences
Children need to experience those consequences (within reason) so they can learn and grow
Children think they know vastly more than what they actually do
Here is what I have come to learn about being a father in the last 8 years
I feel sorry for my parents
Raising children is hard
Raising Children takes love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
It’s not about me
It is a privilege to raise children
I want my children to be trained and instructed in the way of God
I ultimately want what is best for my children
Now my oldest is only 8 years old, and thankfully so far the problems that we have encountered with her have been very very minor. Most of the consequences she has had to face because of poor descision making have been minor with most of the consequences revolving around her hurting herself or a broken toy. But I know that as they continue to grow, the problems are going to become far more complex. Here soon I won’t be just dealing with broken toys or scrapes and bruises, but with real issues of the heart. And when I look at the world and the direction it is going I know that my poor innocent child will be exposed to all manner of sin and have to make her own decisions. So how, do I as a parent, respond to this. What is the Biblical approach to dealing with a child who has made poor choices and is living in sin, and how do i respond to it. This is a critical part of being a parent and I am sure that some of you have dealt with this, maybe not with a child but with a different family member or friend. Because in my short 32 years of live, in my limited wisdom, here is what I have learned about adults:
Adults make dumb mistakes
Adults will do stuff just to see what happens
Adults often do stuff without thinking of the consequences
Adults need to experience those consequences so they can learn and grow
Adults think they know vastly more than what they actually do.
So when we have children, whether they are young or out of the house, or a family member or friend living in sin, how are we, biblically, supposed to handle it. For that we can turn to Luke 15.

Main Body

Now before we get started reading, I wanted to provide some context for why I picked this parable specifically. I think that this parable is an amazing example that tells a story from three different perspectives. First there is the Son, then the Father, and the third perspective is the brother. But we are mostly going to focus on the perspective of the father today. Now I always think it is important to establish context for the parable without jumping right into it, so we are going to do that quickly with the five W’s. Which is Who, What, When, Where, and Why. This will help us establish a little background to the story.
Who Is talking and who is the audience
Jesus is teaching a group of tax collectors and sinners initially, but the Pharisees make a comment about the company Jesus is keeping so Jesus tell them these parables. So the who is Jesus addressing the concerns of the Pharisees
Luke 15:1–3 “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable:”
What
The theme of Luke 15 is the pursuit of those sinners and tax collectors. Jesus tells three parables that explain to the audience how God views sinners who repent
When
This happened during Jesus ministry as an adult, after he was baptised but before death on the cross. Sometime around 30 A.D
Where
The exact location is not said, but it was part of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem
Why
To illustrate God’s desire for us to repent and return to him and the great mercy and forgiveness that he has for us
With that being said let’s dig into Luke 15: 11-12
Luke 15:11–12 NIV
Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
So here we see the three characters of the story, we have a Father, an older Son and a younger son. Now this younger son comes to the father and asks him for his share of the estate. In Jewish context this was a very big deal and very uncommon. What they younger son is basically saying to the father is “I want nothing more to do with you. Give me my portion of your estate like you would if you were dead so I can strike out on my own end be independent of you.” Now i know in our culture if this happened it would be pretty similar, but there can be situations where a child asks for their potion of an estate and it not be meant in a negative way, however in Jewish culture this was basically telling someone you wished they were dead and almost never happened. It was an incredible selfish thing to do and a huge insult to the father. Now can you imagine what the father must be feeling at this point? I know if it was me and my child came up to me and said you are more useful to me dead, at least that way I could have money, give me my portion of what you will give me when you die so i can have nothing to do with you. If a child came to me and told me that it would break my heart. I would be sad, angry, feel betrayed, and a whole range of other emotions. I imagine that most people in that scenario would say no, i am not going to give you a third of my wealth so you can go blow it on whatever you want but that isn’t what the father does in this scenario. Instead he gave the son what was due to him.
Now Jesus doesn’t go into great detail about other possible conversations that were had between the father and the son but we can get a few nuggets of wisdom from this interaction
Children and Family members are going to do things that hurt us
We can’t control people and force them to make the right decisions
I am sure the father knew exactly what was going to happen to the son. The father knew what was going to happen if his son went down this path and yet he let him do it anyways. So what happens next. Luke 15:13-19
Luke 15:13–19 NIV
“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’
So what we suspected was going to happen did. A young man, with too much money and know enough wisdom went out into the world and partied hard. Funny how this story is so timeless. I am sure that if I came into alot of money when I was 18 years old I would have spent it on some truly dumb stuff and I know this because there were times that I spent what little money I had on dumb stuff. So this young man goes and lives it up, parties, and spends all of his money. But then a famine hits, the country has economic problems, and he begins to be in need. And not just in need, but truly in poverty. He was destitute and had nothing left. In fact, he was so desperate that he went out and got a job working for some random person who sent him to feed the pigs. Now there was a Jewish saying that went something like this: ‘Cursed be the man who would breed swine’ . The pig was considered unclean and the Jew under normal circumstances would have nothing to do with it at all. The young man must have been in at rock bottom to even consider this job. And it got to the point that he was wanting to eat the food that the pigs were being fed. Now the pods it is talking about were pods from a Carob tree. They are these beans that you can pick out of the pod and eat. They were often used as animal feed in times of famine or as the last source of human food with there was no other alternative.
So the son hits rock bottom and comes to the realization that he was far better off when he was with his father, in fact he realizes that even the servants in his fathers house were better treated than he was and so he comes up with the plan to go back to his father, apologize, and beg for a place as one of his hired servants. The young man repents and seeks forgiveness. Let’s keep reading what happens.
In Luke 15:20-24
Luke 15:20–24 NIV
So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
The father sees the son from a ways off and his response is so different than what we would expect. It’s even more different from what the audience would expect. The father had every right to be angry at his son for squandering his wealth. He could have though the son was coming back for more money, he could have been skeptical that the son had truly repented, he could have resented the son and made him work to pay it all back as a servant. Instead the father RAN to his son. This breaks all cultural norms, in their culture an older man wouldn’t run like that unless it was an emergency, so for him to drop what he was doing and run to meet his son shows how much love the father had for the son. When he gets to his son, the son starts his little speech about how he is sorry but the Father doesn’t even let him finish, instead he calls for a celebration because this son of his was dead and now is alive. No questions asked, no anger, no resentment, no skepticism, the father restores the sons status as his son by placing a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet and calls for a celebration. What an awesome twist in this story. By now we can see the clear metaphor that Jesus is making. The younger brother in this story represents the sinners that Jesus is talking to, and the Father represents God. So what does this tell us about how God views sinners who repent?
He is over joyed when a sinner repents
There are no questions ask, no condemnation
Our status is instantly restored as a member of his family
Heaven celebrates
But this isn’t the end of the story, we still have one character that we haven’t discussed yet and that is the Older brother. You see while the younger brother was off partying and blowing all the money, the older brother was still hard at work at the house. Let’s read his response to the younger brother coming back Luke 15:25-32
Luke 15:25–32 NIV
“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ “ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”
Instead of being over joyed at the return of his brother we see a response that we would actually expect to happen. The brother gets angry at the special treatment the brother receives. He has been working hard for his father his whole life and never once has his father celebrated him. He is angry and Jealous and doesn’t think that his brother deserves this celebration and is probably skeptical that his brother has truly repented and is just there because he was forced to be. The older brother in this story represents the Pharisees in the auidence. You see they were the ones who were judging Jesus for spending time with sinners.
And so Jesus tell this parable to show the Pharisees that God and heaven is overjoyed when a lost child returns back to the family, and that we should celebrate because someone who was bound for death in sin is now alive!

Closing

So here we have three perspectives of the story, The sinner, represented as the older brother. God, who is represented by the father, and the self-righteous Pharisees, represented by the older brother. I want to focus in on the father’s part of the story. You see he had a child who greatly offended him, left him and didn’t talk to him, and lived in a life on sin. Sometimes we might have our own children or family members do something like this. maybe some of you experieneced a similar scenario in the past with a child or friend, maybe some of you are living through it right now. In any case the Father is this story shows us how we are called, as Christians, to treat those who have repented. We are called to show them unconditional love when they return and to not habor feelings of resentment or anger over past actions, but to celebrate that member of our family has returned to us. And this doesn’t just apply to family members but to sinners in general. God models for us how we are supposed to respond when someone who has sinned against us repents and returns. But what about the situations that are currently playing out, how are we supposed to act toward those who are currently living a life on a sin. What is interesting in this story is that the father allows his son to make his own mistakes and it isn’t until the son has truly hit rock bottom does he realize the error of his ways. Sometimes we need to let those who are living in sin experience the consequences of their actions, that doesn’t mean we have to be cold to them or rude or judgemental, but sometimes if someone is unwilling to listen to wisdom they need to experience first hand what a life on sin can lead to. They need to hit rock bottom to realize that life was much better when we were living according to God’s will. So here are some main points that I will leave you with for when we have a child, family member, or friend who has sinned against us and is living in sin.
Allow them to experience the consequences of their actions if they are unwilling to listen to Godly wisdom
Matthew 18:15–17 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”
Aggressively pray for them
Philippians 4:6–7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Be patient
It could take years before the child realizes how good life was when they were living according to God’s will.
Look for chances to share God’s word with them
Galatians 6:1 “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”
When they repent and come back, show them the same forgiveness and mercy that God showed you, don’t be like the older brother
Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Celebrate that they have new life in Christ.
Luke 15:10 “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
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