THE PRODIGAL SONS
Luke 15: 1-2, 11-32
Introduction:
There’s a famous story in the book of Luke that for centuries has been known as the parable of the prodigal son it’s a story about a son who takes his father’s inheritance wastes all and then returns to a forgiving father.
But it is a great mistake to think that this is a story about just one son it’s actually a tale of two sons it’s a story about a younger brother and an elder brother we are meant to compare and contrast them.
The message Jesus want to drive home is that any human idea of how to connect to God is wrong. Jesus wants to shatter all human categories.
The story is of two Parts.
Part 1 – The lost younger brother
Part 2 – The lost elder brother
Part 1 -THE LOST YOUNGER BROTHER
The younger son comes to the father and says father give me my share of the estate now. The original listeners to this story would have been amazed at such a request.
If you were father and you had two sons and you died your estate would have been divided two thirds to the older son one-third to the younger son because the oldest son in those days always got a double portion of what every other child got [Deut. 21:16-17] . But this only happened when the father died. So when the younger son comes and says give me my share of the estate now while the father’s still alive it’s basically to wish the father dead.
The younger son wants the father’s things but not the father.
He wants the father’s wealth and estate, he wants the comfort and the prestige and the independence that goes with those things but he doesn’t want the father.
He wishes the father was dead.
That’s unheard of, but even more unheard of was the father’s response to the request.
If the original listeners were amazed at the son speech they would have been even more amazed at how the father responded to what the younger brother said.
An ancient middle-eastern father would have been expected to have driven the boy out of the house with verbal if not violent physical blows.
But this father does not do that.
It says, he divided the property between them.
Note that In those days people’s very identity was bound up with their land if you lost your land you lost yourself if you lost part of your land you lost your status in the community which was tied up to how much property you had so what the younger son is asking the father to do is this – he’s asking him to tear his life apart to tear his standing in the community apart to tear himself apart.
The father’s estate was his land. The father’s wealth was his land.
And he does.
The hearers have never seen a Middle Eastern patriach respond to such an insult as this.
What this father is doing…He is enduring. He is enduring the worst thing that a human being can endure –REJECTED LOVE.
See when someone treats us like this, what we do is we get mad, we retaliate, we reject and we do everything possible we can to diminish our affection for that person, so we don’t feel hurt so much.
But this father maintains his love for his son and endures the agony of rejected love.
So the father divides his property between them and the son takes his share and goes off and squanders everything he’s been given and he comes to the point where he’s impoverished and his life is in absolute ruins.
His condition was so deplorable to the ancient listeners of Jesus – because the guy was now living and eating with pigs.
This was a forbidden animal and a forbidden practice amongst the Jewish listeners.
But he had wandered off to a faraway country.
He comes to realize what a fool he’s been and he comes up with a plan.
The first part of that plan is to go home….He says in my father’s house there’s bread to spare and I’m starving here. I will go and confess to my father
But there’s a second part to this plan – he says I will go to the father and I will say ‘father I’m not worthy to be called your son make me like one of your hired men’ this is not a request to become a slave. Slaves worked on the estate slaves lived on the estate but a hired man lived in town and had a wage.
what he’s actually saying is father I don’t want to be reinstated as a son, I don’t want the status of sonship I don’t deserve it.
I also don’t deserve to live in this property anymore… I just want to earn a living working for you so I can pay off this debt I owe you.
But when the father sees him coming from afar off…
What could you have done if you are a father and you see your adult son coming and this is a son who has harmed your family and has squandered a lot of your wealth you see them through your window?
But what’s does the story say?
This father when he saw him coming from afar off and he had compassion on him and the father runs toward him.
Runs toward him?
Now ancient Middle Eastern patriarchs did not run – children ran, youth ran, women might run but not father’s. Not owners of the estate.
That would mean picking up your garment and exposing your legs – and as elders and patriarchs you just didn’t do that.
Some commentators have said this father doesn’t act like a father here…he acts like a mother. Middle Eastern fathers do not act like this…mothers did.
But this father does, he shows complete emotional abandon he runs to his son he kisses him and the bible says he fell on his neck.
Showing immerse affection and compassion.
So immediately the son tries to roll out his restitution plan but the father will have nothing of it…
He says to his servants come put a robe on him put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
The Father says “Get The best robe”
…the best robe would be the father’s robe.
And says to the servants cover my sons nakedness and rags with a robe that’s befitting of my honour and status
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Now that ring is significant it was a signet ring it had the family seal on it back in those days you didn’t make a contract by signing something you put the family seal from the signet ring on the contract.
So what’s happening here is the father is saying you not going to earn your way back into the family, I’m bringing you back.
And that brings us to the end of part 1.
Everything appears to be back to normal the conflict has been resolved, the younger son has been forgiven by the father.
The families reunited right?
Not exactly there’s one more character in the story who we haven’t met yet.
He has not yet learned that the lost son has been found.
Almost always when people think of this story it’s all about part 1.
The younger son’s coming home, the father’s acceptance and as a result almost everyone thinks of this story in the most satisfying way.
We imagine the original listeners hearing this marvellous story of forgiveness and their eyes welling up with tears.
But if you look at the context if you look at the people Jesus was speaking to, if you look at Jesus purposes in telling this parable you’ll realize that the original listeners were not wiping away tears from their eyes they were shocked and they were offended.
The very beginning of Luke 15. vs 1 &2
There were the tax collector – younger brother sinner types, and the Pharisee elder brother – religious types around Jesus.
And the Pharisees look at Jesus and say why are you Fraternizing with these sinners and in response Jesus tells them three parables.
The first is about a lost sheep, it’s a sheep that’s lost and someone goes out and finds it and brings it home.
The second is a parable about a lost coin someone goes out into the home and turns the house upside down and gets it back.
The third story is the parable of the lost son.
These 3 parables are the same cf vs 8 and 11. (lost sheep,lost coin & lost son)
Except that in the third parable nobody goes out to get him. No one goes out to searches and brings him home.
It’s very striking why I believe Jesus is doing this. Its deliberately to force us to ask the question:
Who should have gone to look for the younger brother?
I will answer that much later.
But Jesus purpose in telling this parable was basically to show that everything you’ve ever heard and everything you’ve ever thought about how to approach God is wrong.
So why didn’t the story just end with the lost son returning and being accepted back into the family?
Jesus wants us to compare and contrast the two brothers, but he also wants us to see ourselves in the story.
The story continues in Part 2 when a new conflict arises as the father throws a feast.
PART 2 – THE PRODIGAL ELDER BROTHER
So Jesus continues;
The older brother was in the field and when he came near the house he heard music and dancing so he called a servant and asked him what was going on.
And the servant replied your brother has come and your father has killed the fattened calf for him because he has him back safe. but the elder brother was furious.
He was so angry that he refused to go in and join the feast.
It was his turn now to assault the integrity of the family he was saying by not going in I will not be part of this family, I will not.
I’m the heir and I don’t want to be in the same family with him in it.
This forced this father to come out and plead with the elder brother but he won’t come in to join the feast.
He’s is rude and shows no concern for Father
he says “look!”
Notice he doesn’t call him father he says “look! all these years I’ve been good, I’ve never disobeyed you… and when this son of yours that squandered your property comes home you kill the fattened calf for him. I will not come in.”
Notice also, he doesn’t say my brother.
He doesn’t even say your son.
He says “this son of yours”.
What he is saying is… “this wayward and irresponsible boy you call a son”…
The elder brother insults the father by refusing to come in the party
He insults the father by making the father abandon the party and come out to plead with him
He insults the father by speaking harshly and disrespectfully to him
He insults the father by having no regards to his feeling and judgement.
These were very strange behaviour towards a traditional Middle Eastern father.
He will not acknowledge being in the same family with the younger brother.
He is angry and he is particularly upset about the cost. If you notice here – the big deal is the calf.
The elder brother approaches the father and screams you gave him a fattened cow…and you’ve never even given me a goat.
You see in those days people did not eat meat often at a meals.
They didn’t because it was so expensive it was a great delicacy but the most expensive delicacy of all was the fattened calf and it was not the sort of thing you would do even for a private party.
So when the father kills the fattened calf we know that meant that the entire village would have been at that costly feast but the elder brother is too furious to go in.
Now you don’t need a PhD in psychology if you’re the elder brother to realize that this was the a very great day in the father’s life.
In fact the father by killing the fattened calf and inviting the entire village to this feast is showing that this is the greatest day in his life.
Anybody can see that, the elder brother certainly sees that but it doesn’t matter to him.
He doesn’t care. All he sees is that the father is using his inheritance in a way that he doesn’t approve of.
So what does this elder brother care for?
what does he really care about?
He cares about the father’s things but he doesn’t really care about the father.
He cares about the estate he cares about the expense. Of all this, he’s worried about the fattened calf and he says why couldn’t it have just been a goat.
He cares for the father’s things but he doesn’t care about the father’s heart …
So he’s is angry about the younger brothers return and acceptance… so he’s furious and he’s humiliating the father on the greatest day of his life.
And he’s making the poor father come out of his great feast and argue with him
But how does the father respond?
Again he responds tenderly and he says my son please come in, please join me welcome your brother, I still want you in the feast.
And just as we’re on the edge of our seats just as we’re asking the questions how will the elder brother respond?
And will the family be reunited in love and will they all come together at the end?
Jesus just ends the parable he never tells us.
He just leaves us hanging…
…But first let’s have a clear picture of what’s really happening here…
The younger brother goes off, but comes back, repents, humbles himself and goes into the feast and is saved.
But the elder brother, the good man, the man who’s kept all the moral rules, is lost as far as we know.
… the lover of prostitutes is saved and the man of moral uprightness is lost.
why?
what is Jesus trying to get across?
Jesus ends the story without a conclusion.
The parable is over before we even find out what the elder brother’s decision is – so we will never know what happens to this family.
Remember the context there were two groups of people around Jesus when he began to tell the parable;
1] tax collectors and sinners
2] Pharisees and teachers of the law.
The tax collectors and sinners are like younger brothers they’ve run off they live any way they want.
While the Pharisees and the religious leaders are like the elder brother – they stay home they comply they are very good.
And these two sons represents these two groups of people.
In the parable we see the two basic ways that human beings try to make the world right, to make themselves right and to relate to God;
1] is the way of self-indulgence and the other is
2]The way of what we’ll call moral conformity.
The self-indulgence people say I’m going to live as I see fit I’m going to determine what is right or wrong for me I’m going to find my true self.
The moral conformity people say I am going to be good I’m going to try very hard, I’m going to comply with the moral code.
Both groups say this is the way everybody should live. both groups say this is what will make us all happy…
But Jesus says you’re both wrong you’re both lost and you’re both far from home.
In the first part we get a very traditional depiction of sin. You look at the younger brother and you say “yes there it is”
…he is wishing the father was dead, insulting the father, lover of prostitutes down eating with pigs, down in the gutter, dissolute, and licenses indulgence.
But when you get to the end of the second part Jesus has completely turned the tables.
Here’s what you see – you have two sons one good, one bad. But they’ve both been alienated from the father bacause they both want the father’s things but not the father.
They’ve both been using the father to get the things they really love which is the wealth and the status.
But one has been doing it by being very very bad and the other has been doing it by being very very good.
Why does the older brother not go into the feast?
He tells you, he says it –he says “I have never disobeyed you” – there it is. That’s the reason I’m angry. That’s the reason why I’m not going into the feast.
In other words the thing that is keeping him from the father is not his sin –
…it’s his goodness …it’s his righteousness.
But i will rightly say his Self-Righteousness
Self Righteousness makes us..
Angry and Bitter
Unforgiving
Proud
Self centred
Intolerant
Masks sin
etc
The younger brother was trying to get control by leaving and disobeying but the elder brother was trying to get control by staying and obeying …
The younger brother was trying to get control of the father’s things by breaking all the rules but the elder brother was trying to get control of the father’s things by keeping all the rules.
And Jesus is showing us that they’re both lost – they both are without a relationship to the Father
– they’re both alienated from the father and they’re both alienated from God.
There are two kinds of ways of being lost – that’s the reason Jesus put the elder brother in the parable.
1] you can escape God as much through morality and religion
2] you can escape God through immorality and irreligion.
Most of us think that the way to be saved is only to repent of your sins…
But Jesus shows us that you also have to repent of even the very reason you ever did anything good at all.
Most of us think that God wants good people….But Jesus shows us that God wants new people.
we like to think that the good are saved and the bad are lost… but Jesus shows that they’re both lost and though they may look different on the surface underneath they’re exactly the same.
There are also two ways to be your own Saviour and Lord –
1] There are a lot of Christians with the younger brother type of heart….they say;
“…I go to church, I pray, I try to serve Jesus –therefore God you owe it to me to answer my prayers, to give me a relatively good life afterall i’m still trying better than the unbelievers…
(yet they are still living an immoral and self-indulgent life)
…if that’s the language of your heart then Jesus may superstar, Jesus may be your idol, Jesus may be your boss but he’s not your Savoir – you’re seeking to be your own Saviour and all the face value church attendance it’s all just a way to get God to give you the things you really want.
2] There are also a lot of Christians with an elder brother type of heart….
… if in your heart of hearts you say “I try very hard, I try to be obedient, I go to church, I pray, I try to serve Jesus – therefore God you owe it to me to answer my prayers, to give me a relatively good life and to take me to heaven when I die…
…if that’s the language of your heart then Jesus may be your model, Jesus may be your example, Jesus may be your boss but he’s not your Savoir – you’re seeking to be your own Saviour and all your morality all your religion it’s all just a way to get God to give you the things you really want.
And remember elder brothers obey to get things from God and if those things aren’t forthcoming they get very angry.
But gospel teaches Christians to obey God not just because of the stuffs we can get from God – but rather to love him, desire him, resemble him, know him and delight in him.
So how do we come home if you’re either an elder brother or a younger brother?
First we need the initiating love of God
The father goes out to both sons in order to bring them into the feast. He goes out to the first son and kisses him to bring him in he goes out to the second son and pleads with him in order to bring him in.
But he goes out to both you’ll never seek God unless he first seeks you
The question for you is how has God the father been reaching out to seek you and how have you been responding?
Secondly we need to learn to repent for something besides just our sins –
The younger brother comes home and he has many sins to repent of and we say see that’s how you get right with God
But remember the elder brother said he never disobeyed the father and yet was lost.
so the point is, Christians not only repent of their sins, but they also must repent for the very reasons they ever did anything right
…Because underneath most good things we do, is self-centeredness concealed.
Thirdly, we need to submit ourselves genuinely to loving the father and not the stuffs we can get from him.
Both sons where guilty of the same sin. One did it by being very bad and the other one tried to do it by being very very good.
Both the younger and older brother cared more for the stuffs they could get from their father – than they cared for their father’s heart.
l pray this lesson of the prodigal sons change your entire approach to God.
So we won’t be tomorrow moral conformity or the wayward self-indulgent.
But rather you’ll truly be a Christian that only cares about pleasing the father