The Lesson of the Prodigal Son
Luke 15:11-32
11 Then He said: "A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine 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 bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants."' 20 "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry. 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 So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.' 28 "But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.' 31 "And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'"
The Word is from Luke. Putting this scripture back into the situational context of the day and the time Jesus delivered this lesson puts an understandable clarity around the message. You see Jesus always preached to his audience. He never once preached to the choir as it were.
Historical Context
There is a lure to read past the titles of certain Jewish parties without understanding anymore. If we are to get the full understanding of the passage we need to know about the cast of characters.
The Lawyers in the story are experts in Old Testament law, Professional theologians as it were. It is their role to interpret the Jewish law.
"Pharisee" in Hebrew means "specifier," since they sought to specify the correct meaning of God's law to the people, sometimes referred to as the Laws of Moses. In addition the Pharisees, over time, added to the law. Then set about in enforcing certain traditions on the congregations. These enforce traditions of man are referred to as Rabbinic Laws.
So in addition to the Laws of Moses, Jewish law incorporates a large body of rabbinical rules and laws. These are considered just as binding as the Laws of Moses in the eyes of the Pharisees, although the punishments for violating them are less severe. Jesus refers to these rules as the traditions of men.
The rabbinical portion of the Jewish law is characterized by the following example:
A rule instituted by the rabbis to prevent inadvertent violation of a Law of Moses. For instance, the Law of Moses states to refrain from work on the Sabbath, but there is a rabbinical law to avoid even the handling of any work instruments on the Sabbath.
We transition now to the Culture of the time:
The Pharisees maintained their leadership in spiritual matters, especially in urban circles. It is true that the Sadducean high priests stood at the head of Sanhedrin. But in fact it was the Pharisees, and not the Sadducees, who made the greatest impact on the ordinary people. The Pharisees were powerful and from my view they were intoxicated by their position in society and their power.
These are the historical obscurities. Our focus now is on the human experience. After all Jesus was 100% human and 100% God.
Was this just a lesson to the prodigal? Let's study the word to find out. I hope you have your Bible open on your lap to Luke 14. I have no cross references - so you will not be thumbing pages as we study this passage together.
Chapter 14 opens on a scene where the certain Pharisees have invited Jesus to dinner on the Sabbath. Jesus probably just left the temple and was invited to dinner at a ruling Pharisee's house. We are also told that lawyers were present. In addition there was a man there who had dropsy. He was terminally ill. You see he was in organ failure and his appearance was that of swelling of the whole body. This was not a dinner of hospitality, but a dinner of an ambush. These Pharisees and the lawyers had conspired to trap him by luring him to heal on the Sabbath. The Sabbath is when they would have the best chance to snare Him breaking the law.
Jesus heals the man with dropsy and defuses the attempt to snare him with a simple unanswered question. You can read this for yourself. We note that the healed man left the dinner party in verse 4. So Jesus now begins to teach the Pharisees and the lawyers with the Parable of taking the lowly place and the parable of the great supper. Notice He is preaching to the people in attendance.
In verse 25 the scene changes, Christ is leaving the dinner party, as He exits a great multitude was waiting for him. I'm assuming that the healed man was noticed as he walked home. I'm thinking that all of his neighbors had given him up for dead. No hope.
The context is that they, the neighbors, were probably at the synagogue that very day in the presence of this man who is suffering from dropsy. Dropsy is an old term for the swelling of soft tissues due to the accumulation of excess water. So this man was retaining body fluids, so much that the stomach and chest cavity were swollen.
Just hours afterwards his neighbors see this man totally healed. Someone had to say you look great! What happened? The healed man told of what Jesus had done. The news spread in a matter of minutes. The people probably said 'we must see this man called Jesus' and a multitude met him at the door as He exited the dinner party.
Chapter 14 closes with verse 35. Jesus makes a terse statement in part b of the verse, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" It is apparent that Jesus is not getting through to the people. He knows that they have ears. But what He is saying is I want you to pay very close attention to what I have to say.
Now Chapter 15 opens and we begin to see who is listening and who has their fingers in their ears.
The Pharisees and lawyers were frustrated at their failed attempt to nab Jesus. They see the probability of a second chance to get at Him so they follow in the multitude.
How big is a multitude? There were so many people there that the attendance could not be estimated. What Luke wants us to know is that in attendance were Scribes and Pharisees, Also in verse 1 of chapter 15 we read, "1 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him." So the scene that I have in my mind is huge crowd of people made up of those who attend services regularly at the synagogue, followed by a number of sinners and tax collectors and the Scribes and Pharisees.
Luke describes that the Tax Collectors and the sinners were gathering around to hear him. They were leaning in, actively listening. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were paying scant attention to him. It is important to understand this because this opening sets up all the parables in chapter 15.
Jesus is addressing a situation where the sinners gathered to hear him. These people who were expelled by the Jewish leaders were actually the ones paying very close attention. The fact that they were expelled was not a surprise to them. The Jewish law had some striking things to say why the Pharisees should stay away from them.
So the ones that that think that there is no remedy for them are the ones listening, and the Pharisees, the teachers of the law, the people who like to go to the synagogue, the people that keep all the rules, the people that are always taking notes in the flyleaf of their bible, the folks that are the religious ones, the folks that others would point at as having it all together, the ones that think they have this Jewish stuff down, they are the ones who just stand around muttering.
Look at verse 2. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."
You have seen it, you have walked into a room where people were all grumbling and complaining. There is a distinct sound to it. What were they saying in ear shot of the multitude, this man receives sinners and eats with them.
This statement of the Pharisees was not a statement of admiration; it was a statement of condemnation. You see if you were not part of their program, if you did not fit their expectations then the Pharisees shunned those who did not fit their own design of being religious.
You have probably seen this behavior in our time. Entry or acceptance is for only those people that are prepared to do this or that. Keep the rules of man, or their own made up expectations or regulations. There is an inevitable feeling of discomfort-ness on being on the outside of this kind of social enclosure. And along comes Jesus and He does not allow these regulations to interfere with his ministry.
So these sinners and tax collectors who find someone who speaks to them with such clarity and with such compassion, they are drawn to listen to him. What He is doing is exposing the wrongful thinking of the Pharisees and at the same time He is exposing these sinners to wonderful mercy of God's love. Jesus is masterful in the way He tackles this.
3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying:
4 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' 7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
Now look at verse 7. Jesus just identified the 4th group in the multitude, the just who need no repentance.
So in his hearing are a) Pharisees and the Scribes, b) Tax Collectors, c) sinners and d) the just.
Then Jesus, to help in clarity, tells the story of the lost coin.
8 "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!' 10 Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
In the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin Jesus connects with the people. What he is saying is this is how God works. He is sweeping out to find the lost. God is searching for the lost with an exacting thoroughness.
Now the Pharisees and the others are forced to think this on out. Would you ignore the fact that you had lost one of your sheep? Well no. Would you ignore the fact that you had lost money? Well no. So what we have is the Pharisee who are dreadfully sour and the angels that are rejoicing. The Pharisee thought the people Jesus should be talking to are the people that always attend service.
Then He goes to the third story. Let me tell you about a certain man who has two sons. Can you see the people perk up to hear this story?
The story of the lost sheep - shepherds; the story of a lost coin - ladies; the story of two lost boys. It is story about broken relationships. These are stories that people can relate to or identify with.
There are two boys who both isolated from their father. The first we are immediately introduced to is describe as the younger boy. The younger is isolated due to his open barefaced rebellion. This isolation is reveled in the fact that he has geographically separated himself from his father and his father's house. The older boy is isolated from the father while still living in the house. And his separation from the father is disguised ever so thinly because of the proximity geographically to his dad.
Remember what Jesus is doing here. There are those that are listening whose lives are a wreck and there are those that are not listening whose lives are all tied up religiously. These religious folks assume that if there is any message here it must be for these poor souls. They really don't like Jesus going to them, but they are dead certain that it doesn't have anything to do with them.
What Jesus is going to show in this parable is that these Pharisees are just like the elder brother. Their isolation from the God they say they worship is disguised by the fact that they are so intricately involved in doing God things. In attending religious services, in making notes in the flyleaf of their bible, in going to bible meetings, in being known as the in crowd, they are in no need of a redeemer. They are in by what they do.
Jesus says listen, the elder brother thought exactly like that, but he was slave not a son. They were those that thought I don't need to run out and meet Jesus, look at my life. Jesus is telling in the story that there is surprise for you as well.
The classic scenario in verse 12, a teenage boy rebels against his father. The younger one says I'm out of here. He was dissatisfied with his father and dissatisfied with his father's house. This was not an unusual story in the time of Jesus and it is certainly not an unusual story today. We all know of kids that have done a Luke 15:12. They say I'm out of here. I'm on my own. I don't like your values. I don't like the way you make me go to worship. I don't like your instruction. The only thing I like about you is the fact that you have money, and if you give some of it to me then I could just get out of here and your life will be better and my life will be better. Now just let me get out of here.
We must notice that it is quite normal for children to leave their parents. In fact we spend much time teaching our children so that they are prepared when they do leave us. This child is not just leaving under normal circumstances. He is not say, dad I love you but it is time for me to live on my own. What he is saying scandalous, he is demanding his inheritance from his father. Essentially what he is saying is 'I wish you were dead so I could have my half of your estate'. I wish you were dead, because if you were dead I would get my money.
Remember what Jesus is doing here, He is using a picture in order to describe to men and women the nature of God. Now some of us may be lost from God and living under the mask of religion. Others of us are here this morning and just surprised that that you are here. You are thinking I'm trapped in seat six in the middle of it all and I can't get out. And the way this man is talking it looks like he is going on to about 1 in the afternoon. I'm stuck in here.
The reason you are so alarmed at this is because you did a Luke 15:12. You went to worship with your parents. They gave you instruction and suddenly in your adolescent years you said I have had enough of this. And here you are this morning.
You might be thinking I'm here and I'm not getting anything from all of this. You might pray to God and ask that something happens, that you are stirred, because you need something to happen. Because your Father loves you with a everlasting love. He stands watching for you the way a father watches after sons and daughters. He has compassion for you far greater than you will ever know.
In this boys declaration of independence - what we have is a picture of those who are openly in rebellion against God and openly defiant. The young man is saying I want to live for myself, by myself. I want to be free of any rules and any authority. I want to blot out any thoughts of the true and living God. I do not want You to reign in the throne of my life.
So here in verse 12 the father divides the properly among the sons. Please note that Jesus is drawing a picture here of human beings, made in the image of God, alienating themselves from God as a result of their moral rebellion. Just as this young man wanted out of his father's jurisdiction, we by nature want out from the jurisdiction of God. The young man was saying I like the material things that you can give me, I just don't like you.
His departure was planned and the son regarded it as being permanent. He got together all that he had. He did not leave anything that he had because he wasn't coming back. A man when he turns his back on God does it in that way. This son did this despite the fact that all this young man had was provided by his father. All that we have my friend is as a result of our father's provision. The very mind that is used to deny God is a gift from God. That is why it is tragic thing for a man or a woman to squander what a wonderful God has given.
So eventually the young man was on his own, his fortune squandered. He squandered is wealth in different areas. The verse says that all this took place in a distant land. Look at verse 14, he spent everything. Again verse 16, he spent everything, no one gave him anything.
The big shot came to town, the parties ensued, everyone was his friend, now he had used up everything and no one would give him anything. A famine emerged to open a door of opportunity. He began to be in want, lost his money verse 14, lost his freedom verse 15, lost his self respect verse 16. There is someone here this morning that God has brought down to see the need. It is an opportunity to return to God for his welcome.
The Pharisees saw no need of Christ. They saw no need of him at all, but there was some that were there, by this time their eyes were wide. They are getting it, they are listening. I get it, that when we realize that we are spiritually broke we can turn now and go back to our Father and we receive from Him a welcome. That is exactly it. We, the outcast from the synagogue,are loved by God the father. He reaches out to us. That is exactly it.
Are you able to turn your back on this kind of God? Are you willing to say I don't need you? What a wonderful story.
17 "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants."'
20 "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.
Jesus is making his point, there is joy when the shepherd finds his lost sheep, there is joy when the woman found her lost coin and there is joy when the lost sinner returns to the fold of God.
Notice in verse 20 that the father saw him first. The father was watching for him. That is the way fathers should be, unconditional love. He ran out to meet him and gave him the 'I love you' hug. He knew that his son was mess and the son could not fix himself.
By now you must be saying what about the other son. Where is he, and what did he do?
Now we come to these final verses where Jesus delivers the shock to the Pharisees that are grumbling. These Pharisees were identified in the opening section of the chapter. These individuals are sure of their own positions and are able to look down their nose at everybody else are about to find themselves identified with this other son that was mentioned in the beginning of the story but has been off stage the whole time. You remember that Jesus began the story with this: "A man who had two sons". Every thoughtful person must be wondering, well what about the other son. Where was he and what did he do?
Well there is discovery that this son was about to make. There was music and people were dancing. Interesting is that he doesn't go in. He was enjoying having the father all to himself. Hey I know you are upset about my younger brother, at least you have one good son. He had no interest at all in seeing his brother come back. So he calls one of the servants and ask the servant what is going on. The servant says it is celebration time. Come on, your brother has come. Your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him safe and sound. Since the father was so delighted at the return of the younger brother, the servant assumed that the older brother would feel the same way. It is hard for him to image that the older brother would became angry and refuse to go in.
Remember Jesus had been telling these stories one after another. He has gone from One in ninety-nine found, to one in ten found and finally one out of two found. His listeners are waiting to see how this story is going to end. Their ears must have perked up with the introduction of the older brother. All the other stories ended in rejoicing, but the older brother here is not rejoicing. There is a new twist. "The older brother, says Jesus, " became angry and refused to go in".
The attitude of the Pharisee is beginning to play out. The older brother must have said to himself 'this is one thing that I did not want to happen. It would have been one thing if he had just came back without the fanfare. This just what I expect from him. Useless son, useless brother, useless human all together. There is no way that I'm going in to a party like that'.
You have heard people criticize the guy that doesn't make it to service on Sunday night or mid week bible study. Sometimes it is a snub towards the guy that drops-in and drops-out only to drop back in again. Or the refusal to associate with the guy that doesn't agree with your own judgment of what is proper and improper. This if you admit it, this guy brings out the Pharisee in all of us.
There is a discovery he didn't want to make and there was a sympathy he did not want to display. And so his father goes out and pleads with him in verse 28. The older brother sends a servant in, but the father doesn't send a servant out. God does not treat us as we are tempted to treat him. The father goes out and pleads with him. You will notice the tenderness and gentleness of his approach.
Hey come on what are you doing out here? He could have rebuked him but he didn't. Notice that the father entreats him. The love of the father extends to both of his sons. One that went and got lost and one that stays home and lost out. One was lost far away, the other was lost close in. Both lost. Both in need of the father going out to them. One he has run out to meet down the road, the other he comes out and entreats him. He pleads with him. He says come on in.
What Jesus is saying here is that God the father is seeking. Not only the publicans and the sinners but also He is seeking the Pharisees that are lost in God's own back yard. The absence of forgiveness in this older brother is simply an indication of the Pharisees predicament. This man welcomes sinners and He eats with them. The older brother says I'm not going in. This is a party for a sinner. He doesn't deserve a party. If anyone deserves a party it' me. I'm the good kid remember. I'm the one that didn't leave. Everyone knows what a wreck this brother of mine is, and now a party, a celebration. No!
He views himself as a model son. But he is actually not a model son. He views himself as a servant or a slave. He says all these years I have served you, I have slaved. You see that was the game of the Pharisees. Slavish in their religious appearance, yet inwardly estranged from God. He blames his father. You never even gave me a young goat so I could go celebrate with my friends.
Let us ask ourselves a question. Do you think that God owes you anything? Does God owe us anything that he should repay us? No. You have heard it, I didn't deserve this or that to happen in my life. I was just getting things settled. I can never have a rest.
God owes us nothing. The mystery is, why God doesn't give us what we really deserve. That is the whole point. And this is the point that this son cannot get his head around. I deserve something and I don't get it. He doesn't deserve anything and he gets a party, a coat and a ring.
The contrast in the story is not about a son who went away and made a hash of it and a Son who stayed home and made this huge success. The contrast is between the penitent prodigal who understood his need of the father's grace and the impenitent older brother who saw in himself no such need at all. And that is the contrast. And now the younger son is bound with the father with grace goes back want to be a slave, the older brother has been living in the house as a slave. The older brother is united to the father in a relationship of legal obligation.
Jesus isn't saying that all the Pharisees are rotten people. After all they had given their life to religion. These are the ones that stayed up late at night reading the scriptures. The older brother is not an evil person. We should think of him as described. He is a good, faithful steady son.
You see we are all sinners. It is the sense of sin that is the issue here. The older brother did not have sin sense, but the younger brother did.
If you identified with this lesson as Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, the Lost Son or the older brother. Please know that God is calling you today. All you have to do is confess that Jesus is the Christ, Repent, change the way you are living your life and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins. It is just that easy.
Contributors: Alistair Begg; Indiucky