Luke 15:11-32 - The Prodigal Son
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction:
Today’s sermon is on a passage that we have probably all heard in some way or another. We will be talking about the parable of the prodigal son. In this parable we are introduced to a father with two sons. The father in the parable represents God and the sons represent two different types of rebellion against the father. One is the type that willfully outwardly rebels while the other is an example of quiet rebellion.
If you recall from a couple of weeks ago, we studied the parable of the lost sheep. There we saw the Pharisees and scribes identified as the 99 sheep left in the field who ‘had no need for repentance’ (although we know that they did need to repent - they just refused to do so). Today we will see that the older son identifies with them yet again while the the prodigal son identifies with the sinners and tax collectors who were following Jesus and repenting of their sins.
However, it important for us to note that the focus of the parable is not actually on the sons. The focus is, instead, upon the wonderful forgiving love and mercy of the father. As we go through this Scripture today, may we see the great love of the Father for us. Despite our willful rebellion against Him, He has chosen to love us and send His one and only son, Jesus Christ, to save us. What amazing love the Father has for us!
Prayer
Today we will learn three important truths in regard to sin and salvation. The first is…
I. You Will Suffer Consequences for Your Rebellion (11-16)
I. You Will Suffer Consequences for Your Rebellion (11-16)
And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them.
Jesus has just finished the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin and has illustrated the love and joy of the father for repentant sinners. If you recall, the context before these parables started was that the Pharisees and scribes were grumbling at Jesus because He ate with sinners and tax collectors (Luke 15:2).
Now Jesus introduces us to a father with two sons. Without much explanation, we are told that the younger son comes right out and asks for his inheritance. In other words, he wanted his 1/3 inheritance as seen in Deuteronomy 21:17 - the older son got the double portion, and so he would receive half of what his older brother got.
This is quite a request. This was not a typical request of a son while the father was still living. Most scholars think that this son was in his upper teenage years or around 20 years of age. This would have been very dishonoring to the father.
A son would normally not receive his inheritance until after the father died. By the son asking for his inheritance before the father died, it was as if he was wishing for the father's demise.
This younger son was all about himself. He didn't care about how his father would feel about this request. The only thing between this younger son living his best life now was his father. He wanted what was coming to him and he wanted it now.
There is such selfish rebellion in this younger son.
I find it interesting that the father actually honors the younger son’s request and divides the inheritance and gives the son the property.
However, within no time we are told that the son liquidates his assets…
Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.
The son ‘gathered all he had’ - the Greek word for this phrase means that he turned his property into cash - or liquidated his assets.
He then takes this cash and travels to a far country - far from accountability - far from remembering his father or family - and there he squanders all of his wealth in reckless living.
Reckless living likely refers to lavish spending, partying, drunkenness, and sexual immorality. The older brother describes some of these escapades in Luke 15:30 where we see the younger son spent much of the money on prostitutes.
However, one thing that life teaches us is that our sin eventually has consequences. Satan always over-promises and under-delivers. And this son is about to find out the consequences of living recklessly.
As the old theologian Matthew Henry once said:
“Willful waste brings woeful want.”
Matthew Henry
And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
I love how Jesus sets this up so beautifully. The son gets down to his last penny and then the famine comes. Just when the son doesn’t think things can get worse, they do. A famine comes and he begins to be in need.
Note that this son doesn’t have any friends now. I’m sure when he had money people were flocking toward him. But now that he is destitute, he finds out that they were just fair-weather friends. And he is left all alone.
We are told that he then hires himself out to a citizen of the country. This is obviously a Gentile since they are feeding pigs - and the Greek word for the phrase ‘hired himself out to’ means that he joined himself with, glued himself to, or forced himself upon.
How amazingly desperate that this man must be right now…
We may miss the significance of this in our culture. We may understand that feeding pigs may not be the most glamorous job in the world.
However, pigs were an abomination to Israel. The pig was an unclean animal (Leviticus 11:7). The thought of a Jewish man caring for pigs was unheard of.
This man had come to the end of himself. He was doing a menial task and doing a job that he never thought he would end up doing.
Even more so, he longed to eat the pods that the pigs ate.
Can you imagine how hungry he must have been? Pig slop is not appetizing at all. Yet this man was so hungry that he wanted to eat what the pigs were eating.
To make matters worse, we are told that no one would even give him the pods to eat. He was being treated so poorly that he envied the pigs!
This younger son has hit rock-bottom. His life has been quite a roller-coaster. He has gone from living recklessly to looking like a wreck.
All seems hopeless for him right now. What is he to do? He is hungry, lonely, neglected, mistreated, and tired.
In the midst of the darkness, the son begins to come to his senses…
Scripture References: Luke 15:2, Deuteronomy 21:17, Luke 15:30, Leviticus 11:7
II. You Must Turn to Christ for Salvation Through Repentance (17-24)
II. You Must Turn to Christ for Salvation Through Repentance (17-24)
“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!
I love this phrase - but when he came to himself - this phrase has the understanding of one who was unconscious and has just woken up. This man was mentally and spiritually dead. He may have been walking around, but he was was good as dead in every other way.
After coming to himself he thinks about his father’s servants. He thinks about how well that his father treats the servants. His father's servants have more than enough bread to eat and are treated with respect. Why would he stay in this foreign land and perish with hunger?
This idea of coming to himself is a Hebrew expression for repentance as we will see in the next two verses. He finally saw the situation clearly and realized the guilt of his sin. As a part of this, he remembered the loving kindness and mercy of His father.
The Scriptures tell us that God’s kindness leads us to repentance.
Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
The kindness of our Heavenly Father is not to be used as a license to sin. But it is, instead, meant to draw us to Him. There is terrible judgment for those who do refuse to repent. But for those who repent, His kindness is never-ending! His mercy and grace never fails.
Listen to the son practically play out his repentance in his mind before going to the father…
I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’
The son sees the grievousness of his sins against the father. He sees that he has not only sinned against his earthly father - but he has sinned against God Himself! Jewish people often used the term heaven for God because God’s covenantal name (Yahweh) was so holy they were hesitant to say it much.
This son finally understands humility and repentance. He will repent to his father and to God and ask to be treated as one of his father's servants. He no longer deserves to be called his son. Note the wonderful change in this younger son. He has gone from entitled and all about himself - to now humbling himself and asking to be a servant for his father.
This reminds me of the humble psalmist who said:
For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
This is a sign of true repentance my friends. People who truly repent realize their depravity. They realize that they don’t deserve anything but death. And they appreciate the free gift of salvation from God through Christ. True believers understand that they do not deserve anything else because they understand that they have received everything they could ever want through Jesus Christ.
Moving forward, let’s see the response of the father…
And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
Verse 20 is a beautiful verse. The son is a long way off, but the father recognizes who is walking toward him. Being a long way off, it would be very difficult to tell who the person was. How does the father know that this was his son coming? Surely, he could not recognize his face from that far of a distance. Maybe it was the son’s posture. Maybe it was the way the son walked. We don’t know. But we know that the father recognizes his prodigal son who is returning.
In this verse (v20), we recognize four beautiful things here about the father…
1) He is still looking for his son and praying for his son’s return.
It is clear that the father still misses his son and is looking. If not, he would not have seen his son as he was a long way off still. The father is prayerfully awaiting the return of his prodigal son. He has not given up hope.
2) He recognizes his son from a long way off.
We must realize that this son was almost unrecognizable to most people who would have known him before he left. He was likely bruised and battered from the long walk back from a foreign country. He was likely unkempt and looked homeless - because he was! Yet the father still recognizes his son. He knows his son well. No amount of time or outward changes can keep him from recognizing this son of his.
3) He ran to meet his son.
Older Jewish men did not run unless it was for battle or for an emergency. This was an amazing sign of humility as the father would have had to gird up his loins by gathering up his long robe thereby exposing his legs which was considered shameful.
Why does the father run to meet his son? We aren’t told exactly why. We know that he is rejoicing and in his excitement he likely ran. The son was also entering a town that knew how bad he had been. Theologian John MacArthur postulates that maybe he sought to take on the shame of the younger son by running toward him. If the younger son would have been greeted initially by the men of the town, it would have likely been a very harsh and judgmental encounter - maybe even resulting in the younger son’s stoning for his sin against his father. This selfless father is willing to bear reproach for his son who had returned. He is willing to accept the shame that is due to his son.
And finally…
4) He embraced his son.
We hear this and think of a beautiful reunion. But remember where this son has just come from. He had just been feeding pigs. His clothes were probably tattered and smelled terrible. He was likely blistered and maybe even bleeding from the long walk from a foreign land back to his homeland.
His son is disgusting and unclean. Most people would get close and then back off and wait until the person was cleaned up a little before any hugging happened.
But not this father. This father embraces his unclean and disguising son and even kisses him! What a loving and gracious response!
My friends, you might think that you need to get things in your life cleaned up a little more before you come to the Father. But see here - that the Father’s love for you is so amazing that He accepts you just as you are! He wraps you up in His loving arms even while you have been acting as His enemy.
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
How beautiful is the Father’s love for us.
He saves us just as we are… but praise be to God, He doesn’t leave us that way.
Listen to the rest of this interchange…
And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
The son now repents to his father and to God. He tells his father that he is no longer worthy to be called his son.
At this point, you would think it would be natural for the father to scold his son. You sure are right about that! You have wasted your inheritance! You have brought shame and reproach upon our family! You have reaped what you have sown! Isn't that what most people would say in this situation? Isn't that the natural response?
But that's not how this father responds…
The father cuts the son off before he can say anymore. The son doesn't even get to the point of asking to be a servant of his father.
Why does the father cut the son off mid-statement?
Because we are saved by grace through faith and not by works my friends! The acceptance from the father is not based on the son working to get back into his good graces! The son is accepted because he has repented and trusted in the father!
This is how salvation works for us as well! We don’t have to earn salvation. It is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9).
I mentioned a few moments ago that we are saved just as we are but that God doesn’t leave us that way. Listen to the way God loves this repentant prodigal son…
The father cuts him off by telling his servants to bring the best robe and put it on him. He wants a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.
The best robe was the father’s robe! And yet he has it placed upon his dirty son. This reminds me of the robe of righteousness that Christ gives to us as believers. He takes our sin-stained garments of crimson and gives us a robe of white (Isaiah 1:18)!
The ring was a sign of authority and legitimized the son’s sonship.
Sandals were not usually worn by slaves, and by giving the son sandals, he showed that he was a part of the family.
But this father is not done yet. Now he asks for the fattened calf to be prepared. This is a time to celebrate. His son was dead and is alive again. He was lost but now is found.
We have had three back-to-back parables describing the lost being found. If you remember from a couple of weeks ago, we talked about the parable of the lost sheep and how the shepherd left the 99 to go and find the 1 lost sheep. Then we saw the woman who lost a coin and searched far and wide in her home to find it. And now we see this prodigal son return home to the joy of his father.
My friends, God delights in saving lost people. Have you been found by God? Have you repented of your sins and placed your trust in God?
“If the sheep was lost through foolishness and the coin through carelessness, then the son was lost because of willfulness.”
Warren Wiersbe
I implore you to not willfully rebel against such a wonderful Father. See His loving kindness and respond to Him in repentance.
Finally, we see in this parable that…
Scripture References: Romans 2:4, Psalm 84:10, Romans 5:10, Ephesians 2:8-9, Isaiah 1:18
III. You Must Choose Humility in Order to Experience Reconciliation (25-32)
III. You Must Choose Humility in Order to Experience Reconciliation (25-32)
“Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’
This parable is not over yet. We already mentioned earlier that the 99 sheep left behind were likely the Pharisees and scribes who refused to see their need for repentance. Now we are introduced to the older brother. The older brother stands for the religious leaders as well yet again.
This older brother hears the music and dancing and asks one of the servants what is going on. Note something important here. We can see that this son is not about his father’s business. He is not involved in what his father is doing. He is surprised to see anything going on at all. So he asks one of the servants what is going on.
The servant informs the older brother about the return of his younger brother and the party that is going on celebrating the fact that he has been received back safe and sound.
So what is the response of this older brother going to be? Obviously, I have tipped my hand some by comparing this older brother to the Pharisees and scribes. Listen to what comes next…
But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’
The older brother becomes angry and refuses to go into the party. However, consider the continued grace and mercy of the father. He entreats the older son to come in. Here we have seen this father be forgiving to the prodigal son and now he offers his love to his angry older son who has just spoken unkindly to him with animosity and disrespect.
The older son is angry with his father. The older son tells him that he has served and not disobeyed. Yet, he's never had a party. He hasn't even had a young goat prepared for him and his friends. He goes on to accuse his younger brother and remind the father about all of the sins of his younger brother. He cannot understand how his father would kill the fattened calf for his younger brother after the way his younger brother has treated their family.
This older brother is spending a lot of time considering his own self-righteousness. Yet, it becomes more and more clear that this older brother lacked the love of the father.
This older brother may have been close in proximity to the father - but his heart was far from the father.
Like the religious rulers, this son’s heart is far from God.
Listen to 1 John 4:20:
If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
True followers of Christ love people as well as God. This older son isn’t showing love for either. His only love is for himself and his own self-righteousness.
Yet the Father gives one final entreaty…
And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’ ”
The father reminds the older son of the time that they have had together and the inheritance that still exists for him. This older son still has time to repent and turn to the father. The inheritance is still his to accept. Just like the Pharisees and scribes still had the offer of forgiveness - this older son symbolized the gift of salvation still available.
Yet, we know that most of the religious leaders failed to humble themselves before Christ and repent of their sins. Many of them refused to be reconciled to the Father through Christ.
Unlike the joyous celebration of the return of the prodigal son, many religious people never truly humble themselves before God and confess their sins. They never enter into the joy of their Father.
This account ends a lot like Jonah. Jonah 4 has a strange ending where we see him pouting at the end of the book - upset with God for His mercy upon Nineveh. We are not told what Jonah does next. The book ends with a cliffhanger - not knowing whether Jonah repents of his hatred of the Assyrians and repents of his anger toward God’s mercy.
This parable ends the same way. The older brother is left outside of the party. He is left just outside the door. Just like God entreated Jonah by describing His mercy to the Ninevites, this father entreats his son to come into the party.
If only the older son will humble himself and come in - then he too can be reconciled!
Scripture References: 1 John 4:20, Jonah 4
Conclusion:
My friends, all of us can identify with one of these two sons if we are not saved. We are either outwardly rebellious or inwardly rebellious. We are either living in outward sin or we are living in sinful self-righteousness.
Take some time during our time of reflection today to be sure that you have repented and humbled yourself before God. Be sure that you are saved and have placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ - who humbled Himself by taking on flesh - lived a sinless life - died on the cross taking the wrath and punishment that you deserved, taking your stained and dirty robe and giving you His own righteousness to be applied to your account - and rose three days later thereby defeating death and the grave.
The offer is free! Won’t you come in to the feast? The fattened calf has been slaughtered. The robe is ready for you to put on. Enter into the joy of your Father.