Prodigal Son, Faithful Father
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Luke 15:11-32
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’
20 So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
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Preaching to “Sinners” and “Righteous”
The parable of the Prodigal Son, or Lost Son, is found in the New Testament of the Bible in Luke 15:11-32. It is the third of three parables in that chapter directed at a mixed audience of tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees (religious leaders), and teachers of the law.
Context from Luke 15:1-4: Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?”
As you can see from scripture, Jesus teaches three parables to His audience. All three parables are on the topic of lost things being found: a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. Likewise, all three parables point to the joy over every sinner who repents from sin and turns to God.
What do we see here as the context for these parables? Who is Jesus teaching to? And why? There are two main groups of people Jesus is teaching with these parables of lost things being found.
On the one hand are the tax collectors and sinners. On the other the Pharisees and teachers of the law. Jesus had this specific audience, a mixture of “sinners” and “righteous,” in mind when he told these three stories.
Jesus was prompted to tell these parables because the Pharisees and teachers of the law were accusing him of welcoming sinners and eating with them. Clearly, the Pharisees and teachers of the law viewed themselves as righteous and the other half of the audience as sinners.
Jesus told the stories of the lost sheep, coin, and son to clear up the matter of who is truly “lost.” Because, you see, before we even talk about the Parable of the Prodigal Son itself, we must pause and talk further about the context that prompts Jesus to teach it.
We might want to begin by asking why we’ve divided people into these two groups of “sinners” and “righteous” in the first place. Aren’t all people sinners? Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Scripture tells us directly there are four groups of people gathered to hear Jesus: “tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees, and scholars of the law.” But if all people are sinners, why is there any distinction between these four groups? Can’t we just call them all “sinners?”
Where does this grouping of Jesus’ audience into “sinners” and “righteous” come from? Let’s revisit the scripture. Luke 15:2, “the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’”
THIS DISTINCTION BETWEEN “SINNERS” AND “RIGHTEOUS” COMES FROM THE “RIGHTEOUS.” BUT BECAUSE EVERYONE IS A SINNER, A MORE ACCURATE DIVISION MIGHT BE “THOSE WHO KNOW THEY ARE SINNERS, AND THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW.”
THIS IS A CRUCIAL DISTINCTION. BECAUSE SINNERS NEED HELP. THOSE THINKING THEY ARE RIGHTEOUS FAIL TO SEE THAT THEY LIKEWISE NEED HELP. LIVING LIFE AS THOUGH YOU DON’T NEED HELP FROM GOD IS A DANGEROUS PLACE OF SELF-WILL.
It is not a stretch to restate this distinction between “sinners” and “righteous” as “those who recognize their need for God” and “those who think they have everything figured out and can live without God.”
Before we even get into the details of the parable itself, keep in mind this distinction. THERE ARE TWO MAIN WAYS TO LIVE IN SELF-WILL. ONE WAY IS TO NOT WANT TO WELCOME GOD INTO OUR LIVES. THE OTHER IS TO THINK YOU NO LONGER NEED GOD.
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Who Is the Prodigal Son?
So, who was the prodigal son? What is his story? The parable begins by introducing three characters: a father and his two sons. To summarize the tale, the youngest of the two sons demands his share of his father’s estate which the father gives him.
Shortly after being given his inheritance, he runs off and squanders the wealth “in wild living” (Luke 15:13). Finding himself destitute and in the midst of a severe famine in the land, he hires himself out to a pig farmer.
Seeing firsthand that the pigs were eating better than him, he decides to return to his father and beg to be allowed to serve as a hired servant on the estate. Then, Luke 15:20-24 says this:
“So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him, and kissed him.
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
Meanwhile, though, the older son had been faithfully working in the fields for his father. Seeing his father celebrating the return of his rebellious brother, he felt angry. The older son was resentful of his younger brother and refused to join the celebration.
His father pleaded with his older son to try to understand his joy over the return of what he had lost. It was like his youngest son had been dead and was alive again. He had been lost and now was found! The story concludes with the father pleading with the oldest son.
Luke 15:31-32 reads, "And he [the father] 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.'"
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Both Sons Are Prodigal
Jesus can be such a brilliant teacher of the human mind and how it works. Of course, on the surface, WE ALL WANT TO RELATE TO THE OLDER BROTHER. He stays home, he works hard for the father, and he is resentful when his younger brother returns home.
But let’s break down the attitudes of each brother a bit and see what Jesus is really telling us about human behavior. First, the perspective of the older brother. “Father, why does my younger brother deserve this celebration?” the older son seems to be asking.
Luke 15:28-29 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. [He said] ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.”
What might the father reply? “Slaving? For me? I thought you were here because you wanted to be here. To enjoy my love and my blessings. Now you tell me the entire time it felt like ‘slaving?’ I’m confused now. Did you want to be here, or not?”
“Well,” the older son might say back. “Of course I wanted to be here. I was here because I love you. And because it’s very comfortable here, and you give me all I need. I appreciate that, father.” And that could be the end of it. But the older son doesn’t know when to stop.
The older son goes on in Luke 15:30, “But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’” We can almost hear the older son saying “but father, it isn’t fair!”
To this, the father might reply “perhaps I’m not understanding something. DID YOU WANT TO BE OUT WITH PROSTITUTES? IS THAT WHAT YOU MEAN WHEN YOU SAY IT ISN’T FAIR THAT YOUR YOUNGER BROTHER HAS BEEN AWAY LIVING WILDLY?”
Now the older brother might think for a moment. But he’s not done yet. He has one more thing to say to the father, so he responds again, “father, I stayed out of love. And to enjoy your blessings. And no, it doesn’t sound like fun to be out with prostitutes.
I just wanted to be rewarded with a young goat now and then. You never gave me that, father.” “But son,” the father might conclude, “I THOUGHT THAT YOUR RIGHTEOUS LIVING WAS REWARD ENOUGH. I’M SURPRISED THAT NOW YOU SEEM DISAPPOINTED BY IT.
SON, DID YOU ONLY STAY HERE TO ‘SLAVE’ AWAY FOR ME SO THAT YOU COULD BE REWARDED WITH A YOUNG GOAT? WHEN ALL THE TIME YOU REALLY WANTED TO BE OUT WITH PROSTITUTES? WHAT ABOUT ALL I HAVE BLESSED YOU WITH?”
You see, many scholars I’ve read have concluded that this parable is primarily about the oldest son, rather than the prodigal. This conclusion goes back to the groups of people Jesus is teaching, and how they react to each other.
Because despite the diverse audience, Jesus was speaking directly to the religious leaders and teachers of the law. He was aiming straight into the darkness of their hearts, pleading with them to lay aside their trust in their own righteousness and works.
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were trusting in a works-based justification, rather than experiencing salvation by God’s grace through their faith. Like the older brother in the parable, they viewed themselves as worthy “sons.” They viewed themselves as the “righteous.”
And yet we’re taught in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For IT IS BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED, through faith — AND THIS IS NOT FROM YOURSELVES, IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD — not by works, so that no one can boast.”
UNLESS WE SEE OURSELVES AS UNWORTHY, WE CANNOT POSSIBLY FALL UPON THE GRACE OF GOD. UNLESS WE REALIZE JUST HOW SPIRITUALLY DESTITUTE WE ARE, WE WILL NEVER BE SAVED. IT IS ONLY THE NEEDY WHO REACH OUT FOR HELP.
The Sermon on the Mount begins with a section called The Beatitudes. One from Matthew 5:3 reads, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN THE GOSPELS, SALVATION COMES TO YOU. IT ISN’T EARNED.
IN FACT, NOT ONLY IS GRACE NOT EARNED, THOSE WHO DEEPLY AND FULLY REALIZE HOW LITTLE THEY DESERVE IT ARE THOSE IN THE GOSPELS WHO FIND IT. TIME AND TIME AGAIN, JESUS BRINGS GRACE TO THOSE WHO THINK IT IS BEYOND THEM.
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Grace Lives in Humility
Of course, avoiding the position of the older brother has its challenges. We are only human, after all. We strive to be more like Christ, but in practice we fail over and over again. So I’d like to take a moment to share a few warnings from my own personal experience.
Sometimes, we think God’s grace is somehow the result of our own effort. WE SHINE THE LIGHT OF GOD ONTO OURSELVES. LIKE A STAGE SPOTLIGHT IN A PLAY. “LOOK AT ME! I AM SO RIGHTEOUS! I HAVE THE LIGHT OF GOD! IT SHINES, CAN YOU SEE, EVERYONE?”
We fall victim to becoming this sort of spotlight when we think WE ARE GOOD, BUT THE WORLD IS BAD. Because our first instinct when we do something BAD is to blame the world. “I never got a young goat, father – YOU NEVER GAVE ME ONE!”
But when we do good, we tend to reflect that back onto ourselves. “I stayed here and did the right things; I DESERVE THE REWARDS!” We look around at the world, and we see that we are somewhat better than average, somewhat more good. We take credit.
“But Pete,” you say. “I HAVE earned God’s grace!” “Why?” I might ask. “Because I believe in God, for one thing.” James chapter 2: “even the demons believe in God, and shudder.” “But Pete, I follow all the rules!” “That’s an excellent start, but with Jesus there is more than Law.”
“But Pete, I have faith! I believe in Jesus!” “And that is excellent. You believe the truth. But where does your faith come from?” Ephesians chapter 2:8 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and THIS IS NOT FROM YOURSELVES, it is the gift of God…”
“Fine. It is all a gift. My ability to have faith AT ALL is a gift. I don’t deserve it. But I’m allowed to be PROUD of it, right?” Ephesians chapter 2:9 “...SO THAT NO ONE CAN BOAST.” Paul teaches us in 2 Corinthians, 12:9, “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses.”
And Paul goes on in 2 Corinthians, 12:9 “...so that Christ's power may rest on me.” There is no way in which our trying to be the light of the world can be about ourselves. THE LIGHT OF CHRIST LIVES IN THE DOMAIN OF HUMILITY. PERIOD.
Sometimes, we try to shine the light of God’s grace out onto the sins of others. WE SHINE THE LIGHT ONTO OTHERS IN A JUDGING WAY. LIKE A POLICE FLASHLIGHT. “MY YOUNGER BROTHER OVER HERE HAS DONE WRONG! HE SPENT HIS MONEY ON PROSTITUTES!”
Like the mistake of turning the light of the world into a spotlight on yourself, this way of behaving like the older brother is entirely based on Self-Will. It’s based on taking credit for a gift God gave you, through grace, that you did nothing to deserve or merit.
“But Pete,” you might say. “My younger brother over here really HAS been doing wrong! He sins, and his sinful behavior offends me.” “That is good. It is holy to be offended by sin, and to not want to commit it yourself. But we, also, are sinners, aren’t we?”
“Well yes, you and I WERE sinners, but we sin less now that we’ve found Christ.” “That is true. We have been given – and we have accepted – the gift of grace. So all we really did was accept a gift. Are you saying we should be praised for saying yes to a gift we were offered?”
“But Pete: I AM SIMPLY BETTER THAN MY BROTHER OVER HERE!” To that I would remind us of the Gospels. WHAT DOES OUR OWN SALVATION HAVE TO DO WITH THE SINS OF OTHER PEOPLE? NOTHING. BUT IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH WHETHER WE JUDGE.
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We Are All the Prodigal Son
You see, the Parable of the Prodigal Son often focuses on the younger brother, the brother who physically ran away from home. I mean, this teaching of Jesus IS named after that son, the younger brother who leaves home. But we might identify with any of the characters, really.
Maybe we're like the older brother, who snubs the grace given to him by the father. Even though he's home, he never truly is home. And when the party starts, he refuses to go in to celebrate the lost son's return. He’s self-righteous, and that makes him resentful of others.
On the other hand, perhaps we identify more with the youngest son. Like him, we had squandered our wealth and ran as far away from the church and the faith as much as possible. We live in Self-Will for a time, but when we repent and come back home we find welcome.
If you know me and my story at all, you’ll know the extent to which I identify with the younger son. I am, quite literally, a “prodigal son of God.” For much of my adult life, I made the mistake of thinking I could live in my own Self-Will.
During this time in my life, I thought I had all the answers. I thought I could find joy and satisfaction in my life without having God. I got whatever I wanted, for the most part. But the joy and satisfaction parts were sorely missing.
Many of us will even identify with the father figure in the story. Maybe we have family members who have gone astray or want nothing to do with us and our Christian faith. If this hasn’t happened to you yet in your life as a Christian, it almost certainly will.
Even though many of us have heard the parable a multitude of times, we can always glean new lessons from the story. We all strongly connect to one of the three characters. Or, if you’re like me, you can identify with both sons. I was lost, but now I am found.
Because you see, in terms of the two sons, we need to realize that BOTH SONS ARE PRODIGALS. BOTH SONS NEED THEIR FATHER’S GIFTS, THEIR FATHER’S BLESSINGS – THEIR FATHER’S GRACE – TO FIND JOY AND SATISFACTION IN THEIR LIVES.
The older brother abused the grace the father had given him. He thought that because he stayed behind that he had earned his inheritance. As Christians, we need to analyze our hearts to see if something similar has happened to us.
Do we think we've earned the grace of God? Do we think ourselves superior to other prodigal sons who return home? If so, ask God to transform your heart and join in the celebration that a lost son has returned home.
The prodigal son, or lost son, was an abuser of grace. Grace is most often defined as unmerited or unearned favor. He had a loving father, a good home, provision, a future, and inheritance, but he traded it all in for temporal pleasures. WE ARE ALL THE PRODIGAL SON.
I’m reminded of a verse from Isaiah 53:6: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way…” We think we know better. We squander the grace of God and trade it in for worthless treasure. We go astray.
And yet, at the point that we realize that we are unworthy, living like pigs, sinners, rebels, in need, destitute, hungry, dirty, and empty, it compels us to run back into the arms of Grace, and we will be saved.
Luke 15:10 reads, “There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Or Luke 15:32, "It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'”
