The Father- Prodigal SOn

Prodigal son

The Father

Recap of The Runaway:

Say Something Like: Last Week, we focused on the younger son—the Runaway—and how we can try to live by our own rules without God. When we run away from God to chase after the “good life,” we end up with nothing. But there are two other characters in this story, and they’re equally important.

We talked about the younger son misunderstanding his father. How rules were in place because he loves us To make sure we don’t make the same mistake, we’re going to focus on The Father in this story—specifically how he forgives, loves, and celebrates the return of his wayward son.

Transition to The Father:

Ask: What does it mean when we say God is our Father?

Say Something Like: Spoiler alert: since this is a parable, the Father in this story represents God. When we understand more of the Father’s heart, we understand more about God’s heart. When we talk about the Father, we’re really talking about God and how he feels about us. Even if you’ve talked about God this way before, as a heavenly Father, allow yourself to think even more deeply about this part of his character. At every turn in this story, the Father surprises his sons (and the entire village for that matter) with the extremes of his love and forgiveness. God is the same way. No matter how long you’ve known him, his love will still surprise you if you’re paying attention to how much you need it and how radically he gives it.

Optional Illustration 1: Remember Who You Are. When you think about the movie “The Lion King,” you probably think about the great songs (“Hakuna Matata,” anyone?), funny characters, and maybe one of saddest Disney parent deaths of them all. Let’s think for a minute about that father-son relationship between Simba and Mufasa. Simba runs away when he’s led to believe that he has become unworthy of what is rightfully his. He gains independence he’s always dreamed of but loses sight of who he is and ends up living off bugs in the wild. It’s not until his father reminds him of who he is—the son of a king with an inheritance—that he can begin his journey home. When the Runaway begins his journey back home, he’s also forgotten that he is a beloved son. If he truly knew that and understood his father’s heart, he wouldn’t have waited so long to come home. In fact, he may have never left in the first place.[i]\

Read the second half of the parable of the Prodigal Son, found in Luke 15:20–32:

Luke 15:11–24 ESV

11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 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. 13 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. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 “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! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’ 20 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. 21 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.’ 22 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. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

Teaching:

1. The Father Forgives, No Matter the Offense

Say Something Like: This whole story began when the Runaway demanded his share of his father’s estate. It was normal for sons to receive portions of their father’s estate but only after he died. By asking for his share while his father was still alive, the younger son was basically saying he wished his father were dead. In that time, this was so disrespectful that the law said the younger son should have been disowned and rejected from the family on the spot.

According to Deuteronomy 21:18-21 “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them, 19 then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, 20 and they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ 21 Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

That makes his forgiveness in this second half of the story so powerful. The Father’s obligation to his son was technically complete once he handed over his share of the estate. The son knows this. His best hope is to come home and be treated like a servant. The Runaway has already received—and squandered—anything he deserved as a son. Plus, when someone you love tells you they wish they were dead, your first reaction the next time you see them probably wouldn’t be to run out in the street and hug them.

Illustration: Consequences. When we break the rules, it’s normal to expect that there will be a consequence. And there are different degrees of consequences.

You kick a cop- you’re going to go to jail.

You kick your spouse- you’re going to go to jail and lose half your stuff.

You kick a door- you’re going to have a hurt foot and a hole in the wall.

You kick a cat- that’s not even a sin- cats are of the devil.

Say Something Like: why this parable is a great illustration of God’s love for us—it really doesn’t matter what we have done. First, we need to acknowledge that when we fall into patterns of sin, we are rejecting the life that God offers us just like the son rejected the life his father was offering him. We’ve done something truly terrible; we’ve messed up badly. And yet, just like the Father, God will always be ready to forgive our sins and welcome us back with open arms.

2. The Father Loves

Say something like: The story could stop there, and it would be a cool story about forgiveness. But it doesn’t. The father doesn’t just forgive the younger son. He demonstrates a deep love for his son. His love is reckless, even sacrificial.

In the cultural context of this story, it was considered shameful for a man to run (like the father does to welcome his son). It simply wasn’t done; the people Jesus was telling the story to would have been shocked. In that time, men wore long tunics, and running would have required him to tie his tunic up around his legs to keep him from tripping, exposing his bare legs. It may not seem like a huge deal, but this was considered incredibly shameful. This would have added to the shock the younger son felt as his father ran toward him. He had been expecting to be the one swallowing his pride, but now his father was taking on shame on his behalf!

Illustration: Parental Embarrassment. Parents sometimes do embarrassing things; we all know that. Like when they try to use current slang (which always sounds weird) or when they yell, “Love you!” out the window when they drop you off with your friends.

But they do things that they might not have dreamed of doing otherwise because of their love for you, things that are embarrassing or just uncomfortable. For example: changing your diapers. Or wearing the “jewelry” you made for them in kindergarten. Or staying up late because they want to make sure you get home safe. This is one way that the love of a parent for a child is like God’s love for us. When it gets down to it, they’re happy to sacrifice their own comfort and pride to show their love for you.

Say Something Like: The Father had every right to condemn the Runaway. By the time he returns home, the younger son had shamed himself in almost every possible way. And yet the Father not only forgives, he also takes on shame himself to show his son that his sins are forgiven.

This is exactly how God loves us. We constantly mess up and reject all that he offers us, but he forgives us. Not only that, but he took on our shame and sent his son to die on a cross so that we could be completely, totally forgiven. This is what the true love of a father looks like.

Illustration: A Shameful Death. It’s easy to forget that Jesus’ death on the cross was shameful. Everyone would have seen him hanging from the cross and thought: “What an embarrassment.” Crucifixion was reserved for the worst kind of offenders. The soldiers and Pharisees relaxed and congratulated each other as they saw their biggest threat shamed in front of the world. The disciples wept, their leader and hope was perishing before them, unfairly cast in the same lot as murderers and thieves. But Jesus didn’t care that the whole world thought that he had failed. He knew that he was taking our place on the cross. In three days, he would set us free from shame forever.

3. The Father Celebrates When His Children Come Home

Say Something Like: The rest of this parable is all about the banquet the Father arranges to celebrate the return of his younger son. He doesn’t just allow his youngest son to return home—he pulls out the red carpet for him. He gives him the best robe, kills the fattened calf, and puts a ring on his finger. He throws a massive feast to announce the return of his son, the guest of honor, who “was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”

Illustration: Party Time. Banquets, robes, and rings were how people celebrated in biblical times. And while the specifics might have changed, parties are still one of the major ways we celebrate our friends and family today. Parties are usually a way of expressing how much a person means to us and how happy we are that they’re in our lives. We pick their favorite foods, invite their closest friends and family, and give them presents selected specifically for them. It feels good to have a party thrown for you! You know that the people who threw you that party really care about you and took time to consider what you would like.

Say Something Like: The Father didn’t have to do any of this for his son. Just allowing his son to return home was a radical act of love. But he wanted to show his son that he wasn’t just forgiven—he was joyously, eagerly welcomed back into the place he had willingly given up.

When someone throws us a party, we know they do it because they love us. When we mess up, we might think, “God takes me back because he has to, but he surely thinks less of me now.” But that couldn’t be further from the truth. God is just like the Father, rejoicing when we repent and return to him. At that moment, nothing we did before matters to him. He wants us to rest in the confidence that he delights in our return and considers us nothing less than his beloved child.

Putting It All Together:

Say Something Like: Everything the Father does in this story is surprising. He willingly grants his son’s request to receive his share of the inheritance early, even though it implies he wishes him dead AND it means he has to sell off his own property. Then, when his son returns, he not only forgives him—he puts his own reputation on the line to welcome him home. He doesn’t stop at restoring his place in the family; he also throws him a banquet to celebrate his return. It’s an amazing story, but it’s an even more amazing reality: God really does love us this much. No matter what we do, he is ready and waiting to welcome us back to him with open arms. And no matter how long you’ve followed him, he’ll still surprise you with the depth of his love.

In this parable the father knows the son is repentant and forgives him. The son cannot merit forgiveness by becoming the father’s servant. Forgiveness is free, though it is never cheap, since it is based on the death of Christ. No matter how far we have wandered from God, we can come back to him. The heart of a Pharisee is full of grumbling and discontent and resentment, and we are like him if we keep God’s commands out of a sense of duty rather than from a heart of joy[1]

[1] Thomas R. Schreiner, “Luke,” in Matthew–Luke, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, vol. VIII, ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021), 963.