Luke 15:1-35
This is one of my all time favorite passages. The text records three parables, all of which are basically the same. In all three, something precious is lost: sheep, coin and son. This is followed by a searching and finding of that which was lost which is followed by a party. The third parable that we call the Prodigal Son has several more details and insights, so we will look most closely at three lessons that we learn about God from this parable. However, in order to correctly understand this parable it is essential that we interpret it in light of the first three verses of the chapter. Notice that the tax collectors and sinners are gathered around Jesus to hear Him and the Pharisees are, as usual, complaining about Him eating and associating with such people. In that backdrop let's look as these lessons.
GOD CARES ABOUT CHARACTER MORE THAN COMFORT: Every time I read the story of the younger brother's rebellion, I try to picture myself doing something like that, and it makes my backside hurt. What is interesting is that the father complies and lets him go. Predictably, he spends his money fast and then, coincidentally a famine hits the land. Our young brother ends up in a pig pen longing to eat the pig's food but can't even do that. This, especially for a Jewish audience, is the bottom of the barrel. Notice that comfort is not God's priority in this kid's life. God will use suffering in our lives in order to gain our attention and build our character. I believe that God desires to teach us using our parents, pastors, teachers and especially His Word. However if we choose to ignore all of these, He is always willing to use pigs to capture our attention. The problem is that we are rarely very comfortable when we are learning from pigs and they usually leave scars.
GOD REJOICES TO RESTORE THE REPENTANT: The younger brother finally comes to his senses and crawls home begging to be accepted as a slave. His father, who not long ago, knew nothing and seemed to be an evil task master is now a wise and benevolent man in the eyes of his son. The son knows that being a slave of his father would be far better than he could do for himself. He comes to his father with a repentant heart. The father, who seems to be looking and longing for his son's return will hear nothing of his son's plan. His son had returned and there will be a party with rejoicing. God takes great joy in seeing sinners repent and return to Him. No matter how deep our rebellion has been, there is no sin above God's power to forgive us in Christ. However, it is important to notice the true repentance that preceded the restoration. The son did not come back trying to make a deal, he came back in humility ready to be a slave. This is the kind of repentance that God looks for in our lives and the kind that brings great rejoicing to the heart of God.
GOD DESIRES PASSION FOR THE LOST NOT PRIDE: The real point of this entire parable is the older brother. If you go back to the first few verses, you can see that the younger brother is representative of the tax collectors and sinners who had come to Jesus. The father is God. The older brother is representative of the Pharisees who were complaining about Christ's reception of the sinners. They took great pride in the fact that they kept a ton of rules, but their heart was far from God for they had no compassion for those who were lost. It is easy for us to concentrate on our lists of do's and dont's. Like the older brother, we fool ourselves into thinking that we can somehow be good enough to please God through our efforts and following the lists that we make about what we should wear, what we do and don't do and the way we cut our hair. God is not impressed. He longs to see in us a realization that the heart of the younger rebellious son also beats in our chest and that only by His grace do we not act upon those desires. If we truly have that humility, our hearts will break with God's heart over the condition of the lost. If we are truly in a relationship with God, our hearts will break with His heart and rejoice with his heart too. Self confidence in one's own behavior and lack of love for sinners reveals the reality of the heart. May God grant us a humble heart that breaks over the condition of the lost and rejoices when sinners repent.
GOD CARES ABOUT CHARACTER MORE THAN COMFORT: Every time I read the story of the younger brother's rebellion, I try to picture myself doing something like that, and it makes my backside hurt. What is interesting is that the father complies and lets him go. Predictably, he spends his money fast and then, coincidentally a famine hits the land. Our young brother ends up in a pig pen longing to eat the pig's food but can't even do that. This, especially for a Jewish audience, is the bottom of the barrel. Notice that comfort is not God's priority in this kid's life. God will use suffering in our lives in order to gain our attention and build our character. I believe that God desires to teach us using our parents, pastors, teachers and especially His Word. However if we choose to ignore all of these, He is always willing to use pigs to capture our attention. The problem is that we are rarely very comfortable when we are learning from pigs and they usually leave scars.
GOD REJOICES TO RESTORE THE REPENTANT: The younger brother finally comes to his senses and crawls home begging to be accepted as a slave. His father, who not long ago, knew nothing and seemed to be an evil task master is now a wise and benevolent man in the eyes of his son. The son knows that being a slave of his father would be far better than he could do for himself. He comes to his father with a repentant heart. The father, who seems to be looking and longing for his son's return will hear nothing of his son's plan. His son had returned and there will be a party with rejoicing. God takes great joy in seeing sinners repent and return to Him. No matter how deep our rebellion has been, there is no sin above God's power to forgive us in Christ. However, it is important to notice the true repentance that preceded the restoration. The son did not come back trying to make a deal, he came back in humility ready to be a slave. This is the kind of repentance that God looks for in our lives and the kind that brings great rejoicing to the heart of God.
GOD DESIRES PASSION FOR THE LOST NOT PRIDE: The real point of this entire parable is the older brother. If you go back to the first few verses, you can see that the younger brother is representative of the tax collectors and sinners who had come to Jesus. The father is God. The older brother is representative of the Pharisees who were complaining about Christ's reception of the sinners. They took great pride in the fact that they kept a ton of rules, but their heart was far from God for they had no compassion for those who were lost. It is easy for us to concentrate on our lists of do's and dont's. Like the older brother, we fool ourselves into thinking that we can somehow be good enough to please God through our efforts and following the lists that we make about what we should wear, what we do and don't do and the way we cut our hair. God is not impressed. He longs to see in us a realization that the heart of the younger rebellious son also beats in our chest and that only by His grace do we not act upon those desires. If we truly have that humility, our hearts will break with God's heart over the condition of the lost. If we are truly in a relationship with God, our hearts will break with His heart and rejoice with his heart too. Self confidence in one's own behavior and lack of love for sinners reveals the reality of the heart. May God grant us a humble heart that breaks over the condition of the lost and rejoices when sinners repent.
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