Tuesday: The Parable of the Lost Son: Part 2
- The return home (Luke 15:17-20) was a journey of repentance. The journey began when he came to himself. Recognition of where he was, in comparison with what his father’s home was, drove him to arise and go to his father. The prodigal son returns home with a four-part speech that defines the true meaning of repentance.
Image © Amit John from GoodSalt.com
First, there is an acknowledgment of the father as my father (Luke 15:18). The prodigal son now needs to lean upon and trust his father’s love and forgiveness, just as we must learn to trust in our Heavenly Father’s love and forgiveness.
Second, confession: what the prodigal did is not an error of judgment, but a sin against God and his father (vs. 18).
Third, contrition: I am no longer worthy (vs. 19). Recognition of one’s unworthiness, in contrast to the worthiness of God, is essential for true repentance to take place.
Fourth, petition: Make me (vs. 19). Surrender to whatever God wills is the destination of repentance. The son has come home.
- The waiting father (Luke 15:20-21). The wait and the vigil, the grief and the hope, began at the moment the prodigal son stepped out of the home. The wait was over when the father saw him
a great way off,
and thenhad compassion and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him
(vs. 20). No other image captures the character of God as that of the waiting father. - The rejoicing family Luke 15:22-25). The father embraced the son, clothed him with a new robe, put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet, and ordered a feast. The family was in celebration. If leaving the home was death, the return was a resurrection, and worthy of rejoicing. The son was indeed a prodigal, but nevertheless a son, and over every repentant son there is joy in heaven (vs. 7).
- The Elder Son Luke 15:25-32). The younger son was lost when he stepped out of the home to go to a distant land; the older son was lost because, though he was home in the body, his heart was in a distant land. Such a heart is angry (vs. 28), complaining, and self-righteous (vs. 29), and refuses to recognize a brother. Instead, it recognizes only a
son of yours,
a spendthrift without character (vs. 30, NKJV). The elder son’s attitude toward the father is the same as that of the Pharisees who accused Jesus:This Man receives sinners and eats with them
(vs. 2, NKJV). The father’s final word with his elder son reflects heaven’s attitude to all repentant sinners: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
(vs. 32, NKJV).
Put yourself in the older brother’s shoes. However wrong his thinking, why does it make so much sense
that he would feel that way? How does this story reveal ways in which the gospel goes beyond what makes sense
?
(37)
It makes 'sense' because he had been faithful for so long, but here comes along the son who had forsaken everything to do what he wanted to do, and it seemed like the prodigal son was rewarded for it. How many times do we do the same thing? Coveting our neighbours, questioning God; but like the father God shows us to look beyond that, and to see the bigger picture. That forgiveness trumps everything; and in spite of what we've done the display of genuine remorse will always move our father as we beg for forgiveness.
Not many will voluntarily identify with the elder son, for he seems to be representing an uncaring Pharisee. Yet there is more going on in the story. The elder son made a case of entitlement. He felt he did not get what he deserved (Luke 15:29), and so “he would not go in” (Luke 15:28).
The Pharisees had become accustomed to being right and correcting others and felt they merited a place at the top. It did not occur to them they could get some things wrong, and certainly not their view of how things should be in the house (church); or that they could occupy any lower position than that which they had assigned themselves. They would not accept less honor than any one.
As storehouses of truth there is the risk that SDAs may become so used to being right they do not conceive that they could be wrong in anything. Then when Jesus’ mission is lost sight of or another agenda supersedes it there is little or no receptiveness to correction.
Jesus’ mission is salvation for the lost and “thy kingdom come” (Luke 11:2). It is evangelizing and proclaiming the Second Coming of Jesus. The brethren ought to guard against another agenda, a sense of entitlement or asserting rights overriding the mission. A sense of humility allows the faithful to yield and go in. Jesus pleads for such (Luke 15:28, 31-32).
Am touched by v19 under "the return home". It is important but not enough to repent, confess and even acknowledge our unworthiness if it does not lead us to the petition "make me". This is a recognition of God's power to both create and recreate - redemption
How much responsibility does a parent have for what their children believe? Why did the younger son think his father was too restrictive? Why didn't the older brother know that all he had to do was ask and the father would have given him a feast for his friends? What more could the father have done to show his true character to his sons?
Shirley, you ask the question that probably every parent asks. In one sense we stand in the same situation that God found Himself in: the commencement of a new life with the power of free choice. I have two children, now both adults in their 40s and it did not take me long to realise that it was not my responsibility to brainwash them while they were growing up. It was about giving them the tools to live and the empowering them to think about the choices that they make.
Parenthood is a tremendous responsibility and most of us become parents without any formal training. We make mistakes, and sometimes we wish we could do everything from the beginning again differently. One lesson I did learn from my own parents was to love your children unconditionally, and I hope that I managed to pass that on to my children. We do not "control" our children; they are not robots. We can only teach them and live as an example. That takes patience, understanding and an awful lot of love.
It is true that very few of us especially SDAs would identify ourselves with the older son and yet his character and part of play is meant for people like us. We tend to think we have earned enough by being in the church to be seemingly surpassed in blessings by those that either join us along the way or come back after having wondered away. We, like the older son dont realise what we own by being Jesus' Bride...
Amen, Brother Maurice, loving them unconditionally even though our hearts may be breaking because of some of the choices they are making. Only though prayer can we achieve showing our children love with no strings attached.
Jesus`s main mission was was to save the lost.His love and grace is sufficient to all,regardless how red is your sins...the lost son too needed,compassion,love,mercy,and forgiveness but the brothers n other family members could not depict it from a father who represented the true character of Christ. In my own experience as a teenager,tried to stray away from my father,(who just passed on Saturday),his love and teachings brought me back and praise God for all.God`s love is constant and true.
Sorry for your loss. May the Holy Spirit comfort you and your family during this time.
In a way the story can be called the "Prodigal Father" as well. "Prodigal" means "wastefully extravagant" and that's indeed a definition of God's grace, for where sin abound grace did much more (prodigal) abound. (Romans 5:20)
Thank God for forgiving me and loving me despite my unchristlke ways
It is often way easier and the natural reaction of man to make excuses, look on the magnitude of the sin, harbour an unforgiving spirit and judge instead of engaging in an attitude of forgiveness. No wonder when Christ taught us how to pray he made sure to include "forgive us our debt as we forgive our debtors" He knew the heart of man would not readily forgive and accept yet they would want to be forgiven! Oh what a pit we dig for ourselves!
Little did the older brother know that by choosing to dwell on the magnitude of his brother's shortcomings and failing to forgive that he was dooming his very own soul to hell....while it takes the constant presence of Christ in the heart to overlook each other's faults and sins let us not forget that thinking ourselves more than worthy and self righteous is extremely destructive! Big bro erred in this regard and hence lost his way.....How sad indeed. He was the one by father's side all the way YET he showed that his heart was the heart that needed surgery! It takes a BIG broken and contrite heart to come pleading for mercy and forgiveness and a SMALL, selfish and self righteous one to withhold. So Help us Lord...Amen!
I remember first reading this story and totally relating to the story and the "unfairness" that the eldest was faithful yet received no celebration. But I like how the lesson pointed out that his body was in the fathers house but his heart was far off. A heart that is close to the fathers heart will always rejoice the return of a sinner, and realize his/her own sinfulness.
I just wonder why the elder brother failed to feel the father's pain each day his son was away? I never realized how much my mother loved me until I had my own child. Did he not miss his brother? How could he stay angry for so long? The brother knew he could come back home. He knew that any condition at home in his father's house would be better than eating with the pigs! He probably did not mind dealing with the brother who was drinking poison waiting for him to die. He knew his dad had love for both of them. Are we ready to feed the lost sheep, find the lost coin, or welcome the prodigal, or are we still prodigals at home what is more important to us, the goods God has to offer, or the person, His child/ children?
This parable is about attitudes and understanding God. One of the biggest problems man has continually faced is his understanding of God's character. The Jews of Christ's time certainly didn't - they didn't make the connection between the sanctuary services and Christ's mission for one thing. To them God was a commanding general that was going to save a favored few and ruthlessly destroy everybody else. Because of that they couldn't see the value in all the attention Jesus was giving to "sinners" and thought that Jesus was simply joining them in their sins.
So when we come to the parable we should see in it Jesus addressing those issues. The son didn't understand his father and felt the need to beg for crumbs instead of asking to be reinstated as his son. The father on the other hand broke the Jewish way of doing things. To the leaders of Israel the father should have rejected the wayward son but that is not what Jesus was teaching. The father wanted his son's return and was constantly looking for him to make the choice to come back home and when he did the father openly welcomed him, something the Jewish leaders didn't do with tax collectors and others they deeded unworthy even if they did repent.
What the parable does not teach is the Holy Spirit's ministry in trying to get the son to make the choice. That is why the father waits for his son's return rather than pursuing him into the far country. I think in this we need to remember the circumstance that started these parables, "Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, 'This Man receives sinners and eats with them'" (Lk. 15:1-2 NKJV). It was in answer to that complaining that Jesus gives the parables, to show them that the Father in Heaven really does care for sinners, even bad ones and welcomes any who make the choice to come back home. The parable is also consistent in that the "tax collectors and the sinners" came to Jesus just as the son came to the father.
I heard the story and like many people here I dnt agree with beviour of the old son, but i understand his frustration, he felt that the father now turned against him after he has been loyal to the father all this years.
Oh what manner of love is this that we should be called the children of God! What an awesome wonderful Father we have to love and serve.
This study has taught me a different dimension of confession. The fact that its not merely recognizing our sin and feeling sorry about it, but understanding that when we sin, we have sinned against God. That explains how grave sin is and how disastrous it can be in our relationship with God! I also think the prodigal was lucky enough to realize how lost he was and even take the initiative to take himself back home! Many of us are lost, but like the older son, we may not realize it. In addition, some people know they are lost, but the pride and shame associated with what they have been doing is slowly sinking them deeper into sin! They simply can't get back home and ask to be reinstated! To such, we need to go ahead and look out for them and get them to safety. In another way, we are also allowing more people to get lost, denying them the opportunity to meet the "father" even with their hearts contrite. We seem to be a barrier, blocking them from accessing the opportunities of repentance! We may even be worse than the elder son, who seemed to be complaining more about the benefits (food and meat) that the younger son was getting. We need to check out ourselves and be good enough to allow all to be able to access the Lord.
we are really lost son but more important is how long will it take to go back home. it might so ashameful for us to go back the love of God is unlimited.
I thank God to help us.