The Parable of the Prodigal: Part 1 Introduction

As we talked about last week Jesus often used parables to teach His followers in truths about the kingdom, while at the same time confusing those who were against Him and knew about that kingdom but did not care about the kingdom.

This week are going to look at the most well known parable in the Bible The Prodigal Son.

Jesus was a master story teller.

He used everyday life during this time to teach spiritual truths about the kingdom.

Even the ones who rejected the truth understood the analogies, even though they were in the dark as to their spiritual meanings.

Just think for a moment about that:

The Scribes and the Pharisees knew about the kingdom yet they did not believe in it.

Jesus was God in the flesh and He stood right there in front of them and they did not know who He was.

Or an even worst thought they did know who He was and they did not care!

When we look at this story the best way to look at it is the story of 2 rebellious sons and their loving, gracious father.

The three parables in Luke 15:

The Lost sheep

The lost coin

The prodigal son

Are Jesus’ response to accusations made by His relentless adversaries, the scribes and Pharisees.

They hated Him for confronting and exposing their self-righteous hypocrisy, and in return blasphemously accused Him of being empowered by Satan.

One way they tried to discredit Jesus was by attacking Him for associating with the “unsynagogued” riffraff of Jewish society, the tax-collectors and sinners Luke 15:1–2

Luke 15:1–2 ESV

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

That Jesus associated with Satan’s people (as the Scribes and Pharisees viewed them) instead of God’s people (as they viewed themselves) proved, they argued, that He could not be from God.

Like the first 2 parables this one also depicts Gods Joy over the salvation of the lost.

However the first 2 parables emphasize Gods part in seeking sinners, this one looks more on the human aspect of salvation.

Humans tend to have a cycle of:

Sinning against God

rejection

repentance

return to God.

This story shows three people the younger son, the father, and the older son and how they acted within a culture whose ethical priority was to seek honor and avoid shame.

The younger son appears to be the extreme example of shame by his rebellion against all that is right.

This is the way most people see the story.

however the younger son is the true story of redemption.

It shows that no matter how bad we get, no matter how far away we get from God, He will always be there to welcome us back into His house.

Then, in the eyes of the scribes and Pharisees, the father appears more shameful in accepting the son back.

They thought is was shameful to welcome those back in who had gone astray.

A good example of this would have been Paul, he was a Pharisee before coming to Christ.

Say at some point Paul said “I think I’m going to return to Jewish life and thought.

They would not have welcomed him back.

They would have turned their backs on him.

To all who understand the story, the older brother is the ultimate exhibition of shame, and he represents the scribes and Pharisees, who believed they were the most honorable and without shame.

Those aspects of shame and honor will become clear as the story progresses.