Danger in the Far Country

Danger in the Far Country

Luke 15:13 (ASV) 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country; and there he wasted his substance with riotous living.

Sick of home.

The story begins with a young man who wanted to break away from the nest. Like thousands before and after, he had his "reasons" and was not shy about expressing them. He wanted to be his own man—his own boss. He was tired of what he felt was constant harping—"Do this! Do that! Take out the trash! Tidy your room before Dad sees it! Remember to put your robe in the wash! I've told you a million times to put the cap on the toothpaste!" Anything that came close to this drove him absolutely wild! Rudyard Kipling captured the idea in his poem "The Prodigal SonHe longed for a life where he could get up when he wanted to, go where he wanted to, and return when he pleased. Life at home was claustrophobic.

He probably also reasoned that he was only going to be young once—and that under the present arrangement he would be "ancient" (probably thirty at least!) before he would be able to enjoy his wealth. And as he 141 followed that train of thought, he minimized present joys and freedoms. Everything was lousy—even the food!So he "set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living" (Luke 15:13). Very likely the squandering began with a new wardrobe. Today it might be a robe by Halston, a timepiece by Cartier, Gucci saddlebags. The young man had "taste." At least that is what everyone told him. He was surprised at how he was adored by all. His new manliness had done his personality good. Strangers laughed at his humor. People continually sought his company. The prodigal life was great!

Now he could buy anything—even other people. And he did. But after a while, though he was more popular than ever, life was not quite as exhilarating. There were new pleasures, but also deeper degradation. Even before his money ran low—even before famine came—there were times when he thought of home, but only as a passing thought. Misery

Then came famine, and Jesus' explicit description of what happened must have made his Jewish hearers wince: "So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country..." (Luke 15:15). Literally, he "glued" himself to a Gentile as a servant—a horrible humiliation for a Jew. He was a day laborer, the very lowest of servants. His master "sent him to his fields to feed pigs"—an unspeakable degradation for a Hebrew—a Jewish swineherd! Luke 15:16 frames the picture: "He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything." So there he was amidst a sea of moving snouts and uncaring pigs' eyes. Just a few months before, everybody loved him. They said he had class. He was like a star rising in the heavens. Now no one would even give him a husk to chew on. He had sought freedom and thought he had found it, but now he was in virtual slavery.

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A well-traveled outline of this parable goes like this: I. Sick of home, II. Sick, III. Homesick, IV. Home. At this point he was homesick.

"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.'" (Luke 15:17-19)

What a change! He had come to personify the opening lines of the Sermon on the Mount: poverty of spirit, mourning over sin, meekness, and desperate spiritual hunger (cf. Matthew 5:3-6).

His change of mind was not just because he was miserable—he was driven by unrelenting memories of home. He longed to be with his father.

He had forgotten much, but he had not forgotten his father's love. He reasoned that it was better to be a lowly servant in his father's house than to remain where he was. But he was not prepared for what awaited him!

Riotous living—Ζων ασωτως, in a course of life that led him to spend all: from α not, and σωω I save. And this we are informed, Luke 15:30, was among harlots; the readiest way in the world to exhaust the body, debase the mind, ruin the soul, and destroy the substance.

Having viewed the prodigal in his abject state of misery, we are next to consider his recovery from it. This begins by his coming to himself. That is a turning point in the sinner's conversion. The Lord opens his eyes, and convinces him of sin; then he views himself and every object, in a different light from what he did before. Thus the convinced sinner perceives that the meanest servant of God is happier than he is. To look unto God as a Father, and our Father, will be of great use in our repentance and return to him. The prodigal arose, nor stopped till he reached his home. Thus the repenting sinner resolutely quits the bondage of Satan and his lusts, and returns to God by prayer, notwithstanding fears and discouragements.

The Lord meets him with unexpected tokens of his forgiving love. Again; the reception of the humbled sinner is like that of the prodigal. He is clothed in the robe of the Redeemer's righteousness, made partaker of the Spirit of adoption, prepared by peace of conscience and gospel grace to walk in the ways of holiness, and feasted with Divine consolations. Principles of grace and holiness are wrought in him, to do, as well as to will.

I .You Can lose all you have in the far country.

II.You can reach your lowest in the far country.

III.But come to your senses and come on home.

The father looked and saw his son coming and he ran to him and welcome him back home. We serve a God of a second chance.