The Prodigal Son
The Parables of Jesus • Sermon • Submitted
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The Prodigal Son
The Prodigal Son
Recap
What is a parable?
What is a parable?
greek word “parabole”
Literally means “cast alongside”, “putting things side by side”, with the purpose to compare.
Jesus’ parables were stories “cast alongside” truth in order to illustrate that truth
The truth was hidden mysteries
Why did Jesus speak in Parables?
The reason Jesus spoke in parables was not so that they could understand more, it was to hide the truth
The message of Jesus blinds, deafens, and hardens because the truth hurt
Speaking in parables was a judgement on the people that were rejecting His teachings
Privileged information
Last session
The Good Samaritan
The Prodigal Son
Break into groups
Read
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.
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.
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.
“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 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.” ’
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.
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.
“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.’
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!’
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.’ ”
Intro
In tonights parable of the prodigal son, we encounter Two sons and a father and
In tonights parable of the prodigal son, we encounter Two sons and a father and
In order to really grasp this parable we need context….ALOT OF CONTEXT!
SEE culture was a lot different from today’s day
So to understand the depth of this message Jesus is trying to convey we need to understand how society and culture worked back then
Shame and honor….moral code of the time
Basically
· Do what brings honor
· Stay away from what is shameful
In the beginning of ; it starts with;
“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."”
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.”
This would be shameful and a way that would try to discredit Jesus but
This would be shameful and a way that would try to discredit Jesus but
When he was asked earlier in ESV Jesus said….
I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
“I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."”
So Jesus then goes on and give two parables about a lost sheep and a lost coin and who of us would not go after them and rejoice when they are found.
But he knew he had to bring judgement against there harden hearts
So Jesus broke down a parable about the love of our Father, Repentance, and grace in a way that would blow there mind.
The Great Rebellion
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.
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.
We quickly learn the main characters, father and two sons.
It’s important to note that the Younger son has no birth rights, he is in no position to make the following request
Even his older brother shouldn’t be making this demand
Also
Did anyone catch the self entitlement of the son….que fresco
Give me….not “may I have”?
His request is for his share of everything that the family owned
We are talking about land, sheep, goats, calf’s….every thing
According to …He was only due 1/3 of what the inheritance (the older brother gets 2 times as much)
This would be a shameful request, it was the equivalent of saying…
Father…I wish you were dead! You are in the way of the plans that I have for myself with what you have blessed me with.
and it’s obvious that he had no real love for the father.
The next part of verse 12 reads….
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.
’ ……And he divided his property between them.
’ ……And he divided his property between them.
As shameful as it was for the son to ask his father, this was an even more shameful response from the father.
His father was in all rights in the Jewish custom to slap the son and rebuke him.
And refuse the request!
BUT
we get the first glimpse of The love of the Father.
This is a picture of God giving the sinner his freedom to sin
In romans 1 (God gave them over to their….)
This is a picture of our rebellion against God
How many people are running from GOD to live a GODLESS LIFESTYLE.
Then taking their divine inheritance which is LIFE and wasting it away in Wasteful and Immoral living
BUT MAYBE THE SON HAS A GREAT PLAN TO USE WHAT THE FATHER GAVE HIM TO HONOR HIM? NOPE…
The Consequences:
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.
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.
Let’s start with some context
At the time, Jewish law said that not until the father died -was property that was an inheritance- not fully turned over until the owner died.
Really what you are buying is a future
For someone to buy a property and have to wait to take ownership, we can assume the son sold it for cheap.
You wouldn’t buy a house you couldn’t live in UNLESS you paid way below market value….right?
Jesus said “Not many days later”…. we can assume the son had a plan to split and cut ties with the father. Emphasis on how quick that was…
He went into a city where we can assume him not many people knew him, filled with gentiles, a recipe for disaster. We later learn from the brother that he splurged on prostitutes.
Living in sin, we sells cheap the things that God provides for small thrills and causing us to be as distant as can. We sell our blessings, we sell our talents, we sell the people around us for our selfishness and pride
The world says;
Do what makes you happy
God says;
My ways are the Best
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.
ESV
14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.
Famine: extreme shortage of food
Some scholar say that in that time people would even eat sandals!
This is important to understand that Not all things that happen to us are brought upon ourselves, like famine,
but so is life.
This is the reality of living in a fallen world.
But who can disagree that Maybe it be good to be near the father at these times?
Im not saying you’d avoid the famine but you’d have refuge. You’d have Hope.
Here we see how we can fall into hard times or sin in this parable,
Things we can not control - Famine
By being far from the father - Sin
So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.
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.
More context;
More context;
Not everyone is a citizen – only those with some wealth and social standings were considered citizens.
A Jew and pigs; the shame in that according to Old Testament.
Pigs were unclean and being in this line of work would be detestable if you were Jewish, you just would never consider this.
Eating Pods:this is the casing or left over of grapes used to make molasses.
The son had went from eating well with the father to wrestling pigs for food
This is rock bottom…I don’t think anyone can disagree that the younger son is at the bottom of the barrel.
Not only is he feeding swine, trying to eat the pigs food and failing miserably, but
Look how the verse says;
“no one gave him anything”
No hand outs, no one to reach you out of it, it’s just you and the consequences of your sin.
Unrepentant sin is a lonely place. It makes us weak
Just like we learned last week with harboring un forgiveness, and how we can be held prisoners. it’s the same way with unrepentant sin.
but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
ESV
“Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah”
ESV
When we sin, we Run from God who gives to us freely into a world that refuses to give you ANYTHING, even the worst.
Have you ever Ran from God chasing the things of this world and come up short?
It’s unfortunate that we must go through these things, hitting rock bottom- to realize that sinful living is not God’s best for our lives.
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. ESV
The Mighty Repentance:
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!
“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!
More context:
Day laborers lived off of what they made each day,
and because of this their wages were protected
deu 24
“You shall not oppress a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the sojourners who are in your land within your towns.
You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets (for he is poor and counts on it), lest he cry against you to the Lord, and you be guilty of sin.
ESV
But what this verse really shows is another glimpse of the Love of the father
that even those that are not his and those he hires for day labor not only does he pay
THEY HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH….
Meaning his father is generous
His father is no stubborn, selfish, hard man…this is a Father that loves
This is a Father with a soft heart
Kind
Loving
Considerate
This is a good good 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.” ’
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.”’
The son got it
He counted the cost of going back to the father and leaving the lifestyle of sin behind.
In Luke, Jesus said:
“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?”
For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?
ESV
We can assume that He knew that leaving this sinful lifestyle, there was no turning back
“Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."”
Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
ESV
Bad news, We can not live a lifestyle of sin and also a relationship w/ God.
He knew he had to come back to the father and ask for forgiveness.
This is the first signs of repentance
He has sinned against his father but most importantly, against heaven first.
When we sin, we sometimes sin against people BUT when we sin…
We sin against God first and with every sin, it is against God every time!
We sometimes take what God has given us and sinned against him with it. We have wasted away into our sin. But not until we understand how truly sinful we are,
And that we can do nothing to save ourselves
there can be no true repentance.
…Next thought…
At this point the Pharisees and scribes would be in agreement.
They would be all “yes! He must go back and receive the shame, embarrassment, and labor to restore the fathers honor”
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.
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.
The Father did what? The father RAN!!
Someone get the Pharisees and Scribes off the floor, they just had a heart attack lol
Context:
Jesus killed this illustration of the Love of our Father. No only will he meet you when you turn back to him but he. WILL RUN TO YOU!
HE WILL EMBRACE YOU!
Luke
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.’
The stinky, broke, hungry, humbled, broken, sinful son has realized his sin and confessed it.
He has realized how truly deprived he is and cried out.
In it says
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
for,
And before he can finish his statement, the Father cut him off.
And before he can finish his statement, the Father cut him off.
the Father did not need to hear any more.
I feel like he cut off his son before he got to the last part of his rehearsed apology letter.
About working for the father…
Because The father heard what he needed to hear. Nothing else needed to be spoken.
It’s never about our works, its never about what we can do for God that brings us to salvation.
That brings about forgiveness from our Father.
This is the concept that the Religious leaders could not understand.
22 But the father said to his servants,[c] ‘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.
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.
My son was dead but is now alive….he was lost and is found.
My son was dead in his sins, far away from Christ Jesus, but is alive in Him.
He was lost in this world but now he is found in Christ Jesus!
Pastor Louis said that This is a picture of salvation.
“TRUE Repentance says “I hope to be accepted as a slave in the kingdom”
Grace Love says “I receive you as a son!””
Could you imagine the state of mind of the religious leaders at this point;
“what do you mean he “just forgave him”?!”
“what did he DO to receive this forgiveness?!”
“did the father not bring shame upon the son?”
“What Sacrifices were offered to the father?!”
“did the son EVER repay the father?!”
Men, Christ Paid in FULL for our sins….Grace is no longer Grace if we have to work for it. It is a FREE GIFT OF GOD! all he wants from us is to come to him, repent, and follow him everyday.
Now if this story was only about salvation and only about showing Grace…Jesus could of ended it here.
Agreed?
But this parable is also a Judgement on these religious leaders hearts and Jesus, decided to place them in the middle of the parable.
See he knew that if they finally understood how Grace worked, they would be “MAD MAD”!
“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.
25 “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.
What do you mean he did not know what they meant!? What kind of good son doesn’t know what pleases the father or what things would bring him such joy?!
Did he not know his father was outside searching and waiting for his other brother.
Listen, my sister has been distant from our family for over 5 years….explain a little
But if I ever got home a saw a huge party, with food and celebration, I would know exactly what is going on.
27 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.’ 28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him,
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.’
But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him,
Isn’t it great to know that the Father will always come out looking for his sons?
Isn’t it great to know that the Father will always come out looking for his sons?
29 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. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”
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!’
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 second son is Religion:
He is so caught up on what other people are getting, what other people are doing or shouldn’t be doing, that he’s failed to build a relationship with the father and realize everything he does have.
He was quick to point out how righteous he was and how sinful his brother had been.
How can the son tell the Father “I HAVE NEVER DISOBEYED YOU?”
you have been around kids long enough, you know it doesn’t take long for them to disobey you.
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
ESV
None of us are righteous enough to get into heaven, the Bible clearly states that.
Pastor Louis said;
· This brother was near the house
o But he wasn’t near the Father
Religion doesn’t save, legalism doesn’t save, coming to church doesn’t save
While these things are good and commanded And are fruits of a relationship with the Father.
It has no saving power!
The saving power that plucks us out of spiritual death is a relationship with the father
Trusting in Christ Jesus and repenting from our sin
WHETHER WE ARE IN REBELLION OR RELIGION, WE ARE FAR FROM GOD.
We have learned tonight that the Father is loving, and he is outside searching for you right now.
Whether you have been rebellious in sin or caught up in religion.
He wants a relationship with you TONIGHT!
He wants to welcome you have and throw a massive party in heaven
::Salvation calling::