SLIDES

A Parable of Reconciliation and Restoration

Part 3 Luke 15:17-24

Introduction

The Freedictionary.com defines a wayward child as one who deviates from what is desired, expected, or required, especially in being obedient or in gratifying one’s own inclinations.  Most everyone here has known a wayward child.  We know that wayward children are difficult to deal with. A wayward child can bring worry, ulcers, and/or premature gray hair to those dealing with a wayward child. Believe it or not, the Law of Moses had a solution not many would agree with today. Let’s look at Deuteronomy 21:17-21.

17 “But he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the beginning of his strength; to him belongs the right of the firstborn.

18 “If any man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or his mother, and when they chastise him, he will not even listen to them,

19 then his father and mother shall seize him, and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gateway of his hometown.

20 “They shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey us, he is a glutton and a drunkard.’

21 “Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death; so you shall remove the evil from your midst, and all Israel will hear of it and fear.

This is a very harsh punishment for wayward children and parents to bear. There is no record in Scripture that it was ever carried out like it was prescribed. Whether it was enforced or not, the Torah shows God’s view of the disobedience of children under the Law of Moses.

We really don’t know if the younger son who asked for his inheritance was that kind of troublemaker or not. The Scripture says nothing about his relationship with his older brother and his mother, if he had one. But one thing seems pretty sure. He wanted to get as far away from his father and the home situation as he could and he did not want to under his authority any longer. He wanted no more responsibilities that were related to the family farm. He had mentally checked out before he left.

Before we begin to discuss the remainder of the story concerning the youngest son, I want to discuss something rather important to this story that is important to the interpretation of this story. I want to discuss the term “son” and “father” as it is used in the Bible.    

In Greek literature from the time Homer there was the idea of Zeus being the “father of gods and men.” In the later Greco-Roman Mediterranean world, Stoic philosophy stressed the unity of humankind on the basis that all are by nature are sons or children of God. Around the world many believe that all people are sons or children of God since He created man. However, there is nothing in all of Scripture that validates that. 

The words father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, or children are about a close family relationships and have nothing to do with time or age. Yes, all parents are older than their children and all children are younger than their parents. The Jehovah Witnesses teach that since Jesus is called a son of God, He is younger than His Father, therefore, He is a created being who cannot be God. They miss the most importance aspect of the words son and father that relate to relationship. Son and father have everything to do with a close family relationship with one another.

 The designation “son of God or sons of God” occur in the OT in three clearly definable categories depending on whether it refers:

(1) to divine or angelic beings

(2) to Israelites or Israel as a whole

(3) individually to the king.

Each category relates to a relationship that those have with God. The spirit beings are called sons of God because of their relationship with God concerning their worship and service. The Israelites were called sons of God and God called Himself their Father because of their relationship as the Chosen People and the Mosaic Covenant. Each King was also called the son of God because of their relationship with God who gave him the authority to be His vice regent on the earth. They were also supposed to rely on Him for wisdom and power to rule Isarel.

Let look at a few verses that help define the word in the New Testament. It, of course, has its roots in the Israelite theology. Sons of God is a major theme of John and Paul.

Galatians 3:26 - For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:14 - For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Therefore, the phrase “Son of God or Sons of God,” whether in the Old Testament or the New Testament, refer to designated beings who have a relationship with God as their Father. The New Testament does not disclose any sense in which urnigerate people may be considered or called “Sons of gods or children of God” No human is called a son of God or a child of God unless they have trusted in Jesus as their Savior thorough faith.

In the story of the lost son, the term father is used 12 times and the term son or sons is used eight times. The term brother is used twice. This story is about family relationships with the father. When one is born into a family, they are always physically part of that family. They have the father and mother’s DNA. That can never be changed. The relationship is permanent. However, a child in the family may decide when they graduate from High school or even before to leave their home and family like the prodigal son did. Some may never return, and some may even change their name. But they are always physically part of that family regardless whether they are in fellowship with the father, the mother, or any brothers or sister. To interpret this parable correctly, the meaning of family relationships must be considered.

That very truth concerning the Father and His’ children can be brought into the spiritual realm. When a sinner is born into the family of God when they trust in Jesus as Savior, they will always be part of that family. The Father will always be a Father to the believer and Jesus will always their Savior, their advocate, their intercessor, and their friend.  A believer can be out of fellowship with God and his spiritual family of believers just as a child can get out of fellowship with his mother and father and his family. In the case of a believer, he or she can return to fellowship with Jesus and his or her spiritual family by repentance. We’ll talk more about this a little later.

The Parodical Son - continued (17-24)

When we left our young prodigal, he had squandered all of his inheritance by loose living in a very distant Gentile land far from Israel. It just so happened that about the time he squandered his inheritance away, a famine rolled into the country where he was living. He had to take a job feeding swine. For a young Jewish boy, it was nothing but humiliating but a young man has to eat. The problem was that his wages were low and the cost of living had skyrocketed. He could not make ends meet and he was literally starving. Even the pigs had more to eat than he did. He was at the bottom of the proverbial barrel. This is when the process of repentance began. Let read Luke 15:17-19.

17 “But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired

men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!

18 ‘I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have

sinned against heaven, and in your sight;

19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired

men.” 

Finally, he came to his senses about the whole matter. As he thought about it, at home with his father did not sound so bad. Whatever meager benefits were of his current position of employment, putting himself under the authority of his father as a hired hand was much better. After all, the hired hands on the farm lived much better than he was living because they had enough bread to eat and he was literally starving to death. There is apiece of Jewish work called Lamentations Rabbah. Lamentations Rabbah 1:34 says, “When a son abroad goes barefoot (through poverty), then he remembers the comfort of his father’s house.”

In verse 18 a transition occurs from how much better it would be at the old homestead to a plan of action. This is a key turning point in this story. He comes to the realization that his plan must include confession to God first which is represented the phrase heaven and then to his father. During his confession to God after he had sinned with Bathsheba, King David said in Psalm 51:4a, “Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight…”

Yes, we can sin against others, but the ultimate sin is to God.

He decided to go home with an attitude of humility.  He knew he had forfeited his inheritance, not his sonship, but it would be better to have forfeited his inheritance than live as a hired hand than to live in a foreign Gentile land feeding pigs and starving.  His next step of action was to “hit the road” back to the farm in Isarel. After a long journey, he would bear his soul to his father and hope for mercy and grace.

20 “So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

His change of mind or attitude about his deplorable situation resulted in a change in action. He got up and put his feet in gear and began to motivate toward his father’s house. The father did not go out seeking to find his son, but patiently waited each day for his son to return. (This shows that our heavenly Father sometimes seeks us to return to Him for fellowship but at other times He patiently awaits our return. I would say I the latter, there is a lesson we must learn before we return. The prodigal certainly had a lesson to learn before returning.) I’m sure that as the son got closer to his father his heart began to pound more and more. He may have been anxious. The father, after seeing his son from a far distance, can’t wait so runs to greet his son. The son and the fathers’ hearts were beating fast. The father also had a deep feeling of compassion or sympathy for his son. Instead of being harsh and negative toward by reading him the riot act, as some would surely do, he hugged him and kissed him. The four verbs that describe the father’s great love for his son are felt compassion, ran, embraced, and kissed.  The Father had forgiven him unconditionally before he even says a word.

In verse 21, the son tells his father exactly what he had rehearsed in the land far away from Israel. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Even after squandering the resources that his father had placed in his hands, the Prodigal is still fully aware that he is his father’s son. He is also aware of the lofty privilege of being a son, but he now feels that his conduct makes him unworthy of such a status. He told his father to reduce him to the level of a hired servant, not because he is not a son, but because he feels “no longer worthy to be called your son.” We hear an echo of these words in the lovely statement of 1 John 3:1, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God!”

Luke 15:22-24 - 22 “But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly 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 fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate;

24 for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and

has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.

The Prodigal feels he has fallen far below the privilege. The father brushes such an idea aside, and he says, “Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet” This is not the treatment given to hired servants but the treatment given to a son, a family member! And the father also says, “And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found”). Both in terms of his treatment of the Prodigal, as well as by his direct announcement, the father proclaims the returning young man is his son. He is the son of his father.

But it should be noted carefully that he is not just now becoming his son. No, this same son previous to this had been “dead” and “lost,” but is now “alive again” and “found.” These words of course do not mean that this son had somehow literally lost his life. The word dead refers to someone who is morally or spiritually deficient and the words life again means that he had been alive once before, died, and has been brought back to life again. This describes his period of separation from his father. On the level of the entirely human experience in this parable, the father has felt the absence of his son as deeply as if he had died, because he had totally lost contact with him. Their reunion is like a glorious coming to life and a joyful rediscovery of the shared father-son experience. Any father who has long been separated from a son whom he loves dearly can fully relate to these words.

Before we move on to the application, I want to discuss a little more about repentance. We see true repentance in this part of the parable. Repentance means of change of attitude or a change of mind that should result in a change of action. Let’s look at process of repentance as seen in this part of the parable.

1. A change of mind or attitude – In verse 17 we see the son’s mind changed about his situation. “But when he came to his senses…”

2. Performing deeds that demonstrate repentance.

The result of a change of mind or attitude results in a change of action. We see this in verse 20. So, he got up and came to his father.

He began by changing his mind about what he had done, and now this change of mind is now turning into action as we see in several verses.

Luke 3:8 “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance…” The proof of real repentance was that of bearing fruit or a change in lifestyle or actions. Bearing fruit is expected if real repentance has taken place. We see this in verses Luke 3:10-14.

10    And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?”

11    And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.”

12    And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”

13    And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.”

14    Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”

If there is not a change of behavior, there is no repentance!

Jesus used this part of the parable to encourage those who those listening to Him to truly repent and then demonstrate this true repentance by a change in their actions by performing deed. This part of the parable, as well as the other two, have noting to do with evangelism, but have everything to do with family relationships. In this parable there is no call to trust or believe in Jesus for salvation. The words gospel, trust, believe, etc. are part of this parable. The word that is stressed and emphasized is repent. This parable is all about family relationships.

Application

Even though this parable is not about the church, there is plenty that can be applied to those believers in the church who are out of fellowship with Jesus and need to be restored and brought back into fellowship with Him. 

When a Christian wanders from the Lord, they waste the resources God has placed in their possession, just as the Prodigal Son wasted his possessions with prodigal living. Time spent out of touch with God is an enormous waste of time, energy, strength, ability, and opportunity to be light in a dark world and to be a witness for Jesus. When such a Christian is restored to the Lord, they often experience profound regret for what has been wasted during their period of separation from God. This is especially true when the separation has lasted for years.

When a believer returns to Jesus, especially after a long separation, they may feel unworthy and disgraced. They might be concerned about bringing disrepute to God and feel like second-class Christians. However, it is important to remember that God extends full and gracious acceptance to them when they return. Their forgiveness is complete. They have been restored to fellowship with God and other believers.  and they should not feel like mere hired servants. Instead, they should be encouraged to enjoy all the privileges God has given them as His children.

Indeed, the story of the Prodigal Son illustrates that although he returns to the full experience of sonship, he does not regain the possessions he has foolishly squandered. Restoration for a straying Christian is real, but the loss of time, potential, and opportunity is equally real. The portion of any Christian’s life that is spent away from God, as well as the rewards that might receive at the Judgement Seat of Christ have been earned during that time, are permanently lost.

Two final thoughts. One, after a time of being out of fellowship with the Lord, some may doubt their salvation. For someone who is out of fellowship with Jesus and is experiencing a feeling that they are not part of God’s family, one would think that returning to the Lord for that assurance would be a powerful incentive for them to return. Those out of fellowship must remember that they did nothing to earn their salvation and they can do nothing to lose it.  Two, even though being out of followship with God, repenting, and then returning to the Lord is a sobering experience, we must remember that God always rejoices when one of His sons or daughters come home. It’s a big deal to Him because He had been patiently waiting for their return.

Are you out of fellowship with Jesus and need to come home? In 1880 Will Thompson published the hymn Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling. I will read the first stanza and the refrain.

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me.

refrain:
Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!

SELAH!