The Loving Father

Introduction

In Luke 15, we see Jesus being criticized. He’s being criticized because of the people the people who are coming to him. Luke 15:1-3.

Luke 15:1–3 ESV

1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So he told them this parable:

There were sinful people who realized that they were broken, so they went to Jesus for healing.

The religious leaders see this, and they criticize Jesus for eating and drinking with sinners. The Pharisees and Scribes look at these people with contempt and disgust because they made mistakes… Because they sinned.

The text actually says that the religious leaders were grumbling or murmuring. It seems to me that they were complaining about Jesus, but they don’t want him to know that they are talking about him.

But Jesus knows what’s going on, so he responds by telling them a number of parables.

Parables

As you all know, Jesus would sometimes use parables to teach important lessons about God, the way he interacts with humanity, and about the Kingdom.

The interesting thing about parables is the dual purpose.

Parables could reveal truth.

Parables could conceal truth.

For those who had ears willing to hear, parables would reveal truth – but for those with closed ears, parables would conceal truth. We’ll talk more about this later.

So, Jesus responds to the religious leaders by telling three parables, and one of the parables is very familiar. It’s the parable of The Prodigal Son (The Loving Father).

In this lesson, I want to take a look at this parable because it’s so familiar to us, and the problem with familiar stories is that we don’t look at them with new eyes.

So, in this lesson, I want us to take a fresh look at the parable of the Loving Father so that we can uncover the important lessons that Jesus left for us. Luke 15:11-32.

Luke 15:11–32 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. 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. 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, 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.’ ”

1. God Will Let Us Go

Luke 15:11-12.

Luke 15:11–12 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.

Notice what the father does when the younger son asks for his inheritance. He gives it to him.

When the younger son wants to leave home, the father doesn’t go after him. The father doesn’t ground him and send him to his room.

When the son wants to go, the father lets him go.

That’s the lesson for us: God will let us go. God gives us what we want.

Don’t get me wrong, God does reach out to us. He does try to keep us on the right path, but if we continue to tell God that we don’t want him, then he will let us go.

Adam and Eve

Think about Adam and Eve. God told them exactly how to live while in his presence, but what did they decide to do?

Instead of listening to God, they decided to do it their own way. They wanted to live life on their own terms.

How did God respond? “if you want to do it on your own, then you can leave.” God gave them what they wanted.

Isaiah’s Weird Prophetic Calling

Isaiah 6:8-12.

Isaiah 6:8–12 ESV

8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” 9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ 10 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” 11 Then I said, “How long, O Lord?” And he said: “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste, 12 and the Lord removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.

Here, God tells Isaiah to blind the people… to make their hearts dull. What kind of prophetic message is this? Why would God want the people to be blind?

The idea here is that God is giving the people what they want. These people have already closed their hearts and ears, and God tells Isaiah that when he preaches their hearts and ears will close even tighter.

Jesus Casts out the Legion of Demons

In Mark 5, Jesus heals the man who has the legion of demons and sends the demons into the pigs, and the pigs go and drown in the water.

After seeing what Jesus did, the people of that region beg for Jesus to leave, and what does Jesus do?

He leaves.

Romans 1

Romans 1 talks about ungodly people who exchange the glory of God for images. Do you know what the text says… It says that God gave them over.

Application

The lesson is clear throughout scripture. God gives us what we want. If we want to go, then God will let us go.

1. This is not the way that we are. If my son goes off and does something dumb, I’m going to go and get him.

2. God lets us go, and that’s a scary thought. What if I’m there? What if I’m the person that God has given over to my passions? That’s a scary thought, but we need to examine ourselves.

3. If we decide that we are going to abandon God and live like the rest of the world, then God will let us go.

2. Sin Steals our Sanity

One of the verses that most intrigued me is Luke 15:17.

Luke 15:17 ESV

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!

The text tells us that the younger son “came to himself.”

When the son was away from the father, he wasn’t himself. He wasn’t thinking clearly.

When we are away from God, we aren’t really ourselves anymore. When we are away from God, we lose some of our humanity.

I’ve said this before, but sin blinds us to the truth. When we serve the creation rather than the creator, we become blind and lose our reason.

Psalm 115

Psalm 115:1-8.

Psalm 115:1–8 ESV

1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! 2 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” 3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. 5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. 6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. 7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. 8 Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.

Sin and idolatry blind us to the truth.

2 Timothy - Timothy and his Critics

2 Timothy 2:22-26.

2 Timothy 2:22–26 ESV

22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

In this text, Paul is teaching Timothy how to deal with his critics. There were people in Timothy’s city, and church, who were denying the resurrection. Timothy was teaching the truth, so these people were criticizing him.

What does Paul tell Timothy to do?

Don’t quarrel with them.

Be kind to them.

Teach them, but be patient. (patiently endure their evil).

Correct them with gentleness.

What is the result? That they may come to their senses.

You see, these people were living in sin, and they couldn’t even see it. They weren’t themselves. They weren’t in their right mind.

Mark 5 - Jesus casts out the legion of Demons

Mark 5:15.

Mark 5:15 ESV

15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.

After Jesus heals the demon possessed man, how is he described? In his right mind.

Without the healing of Jesus, we aren’t in our right minds.

Think about Parables. Earlier, we said that parables had a duel purpose. They were used to both reveal and conceal truth.

How can parables conceal truth? Those with wicked hearts can’t see clearly. They have become blind, and so the parable conceals rather than reveals.

This goes back to our first point as well. God give us what we want. If we want to understand, then parables will help us. If we don’t want to understand, then the parables will be of no value.

Daniel 4 - Nebuchadnezzar the Beast

Daniel 4:33-34.

Daniel 4:33–34 ESV

33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws. 34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;

Nebuchadnezzar left God, and he lost his reason and humanity.

So throughout scripture, we see that sin and idolatry blind us. They take away our reason and humanity.

Application

That’s the lesson for us. When we are in sin, we are not thinking clearly. We are not in our right minds.

That’s a scary thought, isn’t it?

It’s scary to think that we could be in sin and not even see it. It’s scary to think that we could have a sinful mindset and not even see it.

It’s scary to think that I can sit in these seats every Sunday and Wednesday, and still be blind to my idols.

So, how do we open our eyes?

We sincerely pray about it.

We take an honest look at God’s word and ourselves.

If we sincerely lean on God, he will open our eyes.

It’s interesting that some in the world will tell us that we are the crazy ones. We aren’t the crazy ones. We are the ones who are in our right minds.

3. God Gladly Welcomes Us Home

Luke 15:22-24.

Luke 15:22–24 ESV

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.

This is really what the parable is about. The parable is about the father’s loving mercy towards his broken sons.

Don’t forget why Jesus is telling this parable. He’s telling the parable because of the way that the religious leaders looked at others.

They looked at others with contempt because of their brokenness and mistakes.

So, Jesus is telling this parable to show that the father loves even broken people.

When the younger son opened his eyes and realized that life was better at home, his father went out and welcomed him back with joy and feasting.

Just like the Pharisees, the older son didn’t understand this mercy because he looked at his younger brother with contempt. His younger brother is a screwup who makes mistakes. He doesn’t deserve to be in the father’s presence.

Neither the pharisees nor the older brother see people the way that God sees people.

Application

We need to see people the way that God sees people.

The religious leaders looked for every reason distance themselves from those that they considered sinful and broken.

Instead of distancing and criticizing, we need to show love and care for the others.

The fact is: we are all broken. We all need to show love, care, and mercy because we all are partakers of God’s love, care, and mercy.

The religious leaders failed to realize this. They looked for every reason to criticize and demean sinners without realizing that they were sinners themselves.

If we read this parable of the loving father, and we focus on the younger son and his mistakes, then we are acting just like the pharisees.

The focus of this parable is not on the younger son and his mistakes (which is why I don’t like to call it the parable of the prodigal son).

The focus of this parable is on the father and his mercy. Luke 15:11.

Luke 15:11 ESV

11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons.

The question at the end of the parable is: are we going to rejoice in God’s mercy. Luke 15:32.

Luke 15:32 ESV

32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’ ”

We need to see people the way that God sees people. We need to see people as in need of God’s mercy.

Instead of simply complaining about someone else’s brokenness or mistakes, maybe I go to them and share God’s mercy with them.

It’s interesting that the Pharisees didn’t want to go to Jesus with their complaint. They were grumbling under their breath.

They weren’t interested in fixing problems. They were interested in creating problems. They didn’t care about people, they cared about themselves.

We need to see people differently. We need to see that people are created in God’s image and are in need of God’s mercy.

Conclusion

If we return to the Father like the younger son, the God will show us mercy as well.

Do you want to partake in God’s mercy?