Sermon Tone Analysis

A Quick Recap of Recent Parables

Lost Sheep (vs.

4-7)

Lost Coin (vs.

8-10)

++Lost Son (vs.

11-32)

The parable of the prodigal son is spoken of by Jesus with a collection of others that focused on lost people (sheep, coins, and now wayward sons),

Why?

Because the Pharisees were complaining that Jesus was eating with tax collectors and sinners.

when the Pharisees complained that Jesus was eating with sinners (collaborating tax collectors or unclean).

Wait...

++Aren't they all sinners?!?!

Different Story, Different Value

Each subject represents a different value system for those who are interacting in each story:

The shepherd places value in sheep,

The woman places value in her coin,

and the Father who values his son.

The sheep can be lost in multiple ways: ease of the path, following other sheep, following the path of better food, or getting chased by wolves.

The coin has no legs, so it cannot walk away on its own, other legs take it away, whether ours or others.

The prodigal son has legs of his own, and a “prodigal” will of his own.

The original sense of the word “prodigal” means spending money or resources freely and recklessly or being wastefully extravagant.

Today’s understanding of the word “prodigal” means one who has returned after an absence.

That definition “prodigal” comes from this story.

Back to the Story

The youngest son demands his inheritance early, which was not supposed to be made available to him until after the oldest son was to gain his inheritance on the death of his Father.

This was no small thing, not only does he leave home for a “distant land/country” and “squanders his wealth in wild living”, but in doing so, cuts himself off from his Father, his family, his whole support system.

The only indication that we are given for what “prodigal” means here, is the report of the older brother, that he “squandered [his] property on prostitutes.”

Compounding this squandering was a famine that came immediately afterward.

It was enough that he was far from home with nothing, but he also had no food.

He finds himself in a position to feel as though he needed to eat the same as what the pigs were given.

No family, no property, no income, no good food.

If this does not define a moment of hopelessness, I don’t know what does.

These moments, these dark moments, moments of loss and moments of hopelessness, whether self-imposed or not, bring us to stark realization of two things: we cannot change our situation alone, and there must be purpose to our lives beyond ourselves.

Cutting ourselves off from what gives us purpose and power to change leads to self-centeredness and a down-ward spiral, possibly to depression and death.

Like the Father in this story, God gives us the graceful opportunity to leave the divine presence with all that we are beneficiaries of, that includes “prevenient grace”, or a conscience.

Like the Son, sometimes we decide to willfully renounce that grace, or conscience and carve our own path through life, choose to indulge our fantasies of pleasure, either ignorant of or apathetic about the consequences.

We look to get whatever we can, however we can, because “life is too short” or “there’s not enough to go around” or “you only live once.”

Whatever excuse we need to justify or indulgences.

Maybe the son thought that he could do better than his Father, speculating on other schemes to increase his fortunes, yet others taking the advantage.

Wisdom was not his ally, neither was prudence or patience, and because of his selfishness, neither were his family.

Once his memory returned to him, and he was reminded of his Father’s benevolence, his love, but he also did not presume that he would be received as an heir upon return.

He understood that the servants in his Father’s house were better off than he was working as a hired hand on a pig farm.

So, he summoned all the humility he had left and returned home, the only place where there was still a glimmer of hope left.

More than just a glimmer, as the prodigal son returned home, probably dragging his feet with dread, his Father ran out to meet him.

The Father ran out to meet him with joy, like the shepherd who found the lost sheep and the woman who found the lost coin, joy returned to the Father as the son came home.

Not only did he run out to meet the son, but he had the servants bring the best robe and calf for a feast, and even to restore the son as an heir with a ring.

While the Pharisees might pile on any litany of judgments, they can remember of those they deemed unclean, damaged, ruin or cursed, Jesus is using this parable to remind them that he came to receive and save sinners from their own self-ruin.

Not only that but Jesus drives home the point that they are restored as joint-heirs of the kingdom of God.

But this is a story of two sons, not just one.

Even while the people are feasting upon the return of the youngest son, the oldest son becomes angry with jealousy because he had not been selfish and demanding his inheritance in advance but faithful to the Father.

The Father reminded the oldest son that he already had the inheritance, all that he asked for was already his, but he had yet to understand his own authority.

In the same way, we who are already in Christ have the authority given to us by Christ to defeat the enemy, but sometimes, we have yet to recognize what we have been given.

Also, the Father pointed out that they had all thought the youngest son was lost to them forever, possibly even dead, so of course, he should be overjoyed at his son’s return.

The Father’s love is neither, either or.

The Father’s love was not based on the past indiscretions of one son versus the goodness of the other.

Would he have done any less for his oldest?

He was happy to have his son home.

Wouldn’t any Father or mother?

No matter what had happened before.

Why should it be different for the heavenly Father?

Would the Father give up on us so easily?

Jesus, the first born did not refuse to join the celebration, get angry and jealous.

Jesus did the opposite, stepped into the pigsty, in the muck and manure of our lives, and took our place so that we could run back home to the Father.

Are you ready to recognize the love of the Father and let Jesus raise you out of the filth so that you can run to the Father?

Are you ready to be received as the Father wants to receive you? Are you ready to accept the life of a joint-heir in the Kingdom of God instead of wallowing with pigs?