So, we'll begin with verse 11..."And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had wasted all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would have fain filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring hither the fatted calf, 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. And they began to be merry. Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore his father came out, and intreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again: and was lost, and is found."
Let us begin our dissection and analysis of this parable with the simple understanding that God is our Father. He is the Father of each and every one of us, the sinner and the righteous alike, the Jew and the Gentile, black and white, young and old, rich and poor. Here, He is represented as the father of two sons, but in order for us to fully grasp the magnitude of this parable, and put into practice the wisdom which Jesus intends for us to receive from it, we first have to come to terms with our own heritage, with the fact that we are His creation, and only in this way will we be able to indentify with, and learn from, this parable.
The first aspect of the parable which we will examine is the initial statement of the young son, as he demands, "Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me." This entitled appeal tells us a lot about the nature and character of the son at this point in his life. Notice, he did not ask that the father entrust him with a portion of his inheritance now, and a little more later, or even whether it was feasible for his father to endow him with his birthright at this time. He simply demanded all that was due to fall to him. Sadly, he cared more about his own wants and wishes than he did about his father or his family. As easy and as tempting as it may be for us to pass judgment on the son at this point, let us instead take a look inward. This young man's actions simply represent what many of us are guilty of, when the instant gratification of sin and greed dilute our view and cloud our minds to the truth. We often take for granted the gifts which God bestows upon us every day, and in so doing, over time, the grace which God affords us on a daily basis begins to be seen as almost a debt which we are owed. We become entitled and unappreciative, and this is how our focus is shifted to earthly cares and desires, and away from our Father and His will for our life.
Secondly, the son did not demand his inheritance in order to put it to good use, to start a business or to save for the future, but instead, he grew weary of what he saw as the overbearing rule of his father, and of his household. The son felt that he would be happier and at liberty if he were no longer under the watchful eye of his father. So many times, we unintentionally do the same thing. We turn our faces from God, because we know that the choices which we are making are not in accordance with His will. We seek liberty, but we only find entrapment. Likewise, the prodigal son yearned for freedom, but only became a slave, as his lustful desires and riotous living quickly dissipated his wealth. The parable tells us that, "when he had wasted all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine." The sinner soon becomes the slave. One of Satan's most diabolical weapons is lust and desire, the longing for material gain and worldly wealth, because the fulfillment of it solidifies his hold on us, it latches the shackles on our ankle. The devil knows that just a taste of what this world has to offer is all that is necessary to keep many people enslaved.
The condition of the son worsens to the point that he would have eaten the husks which he was feeding to the swine, and then, he comes to a turning point. Jesus tells us that the young man "came to himself." A beautiful moment of clarity in a once clouded mind. He realizes that even the hired servants in his father's house have more bread than they need, and he is here, in this pig sty, perishing with hunger! He then comes to the conclusion that he must return, but not as the same self serving, entitled son that he was when he left. His heart has been humbled, so much so that he is willing to return not as a son, but as a servant. This is repentance in its purest form.
We envision this scene in our minds, as the son makes his way back home, contrite of heart, penitent in spirit, remorseful over his wasteful actions and his sinful attitudes, his head low, and his eyes toward the ground, his shame and remorse revealing the sincerity of his newfound humility. Jesus tells us that "when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." What a beautiful picture of the love and mercy of God!
The son then proceeds to confess his guilt, to beg for forgiveness, and to plead his case to become a servant..."Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son." The father doesn't even give him a chance to ask to be made as a hired servant, as he commands a robe be brought and put upon his son, and a ring on his hand, and that the fatted calf be killed, saying, "For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found." Jesus tells us in Luke 15:10, just before the parable of the prodigal son, ..."I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth."
It is at this point that the eldest son hears the commotion, and upon finding out that his brother has returned, becomes angry. His father comes out to speak to him, but the son's anger would not be quelled, as he says..."Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed the fatted calf." Let us examine these statements carefully. First of all, the eldest son's comments reveal his own self righteous attitude, as well as his jealousy over the mercy shown to his younger brother. We see that his hypocrisy supersedes his loyalty to his father.
We have all been the eldest brother.
It is easy for us to fall into this trap. We may feel that we have been loyal to God, and tried to live in a way which would be pleasing to Him, but if we are operating from a place of sanctimonious self righteousness, then our efforts are for naught. We cannot allow judgmental, hypocritical thoughts and attitudes to rule over us. These perspectives nullify any good that we have done, and cause separation between ourselves and God. The fact is, we ALL need God's mercy and grace, for none of us can ever be "good enough" on our own. It is only through the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross that our sins are forgiven, only through His Spirit are our lives changed, and only by His grace are we made into what God would have us to be.
We are all the prodigal son.
At some point in our lives, we must realize our utter helplessness. We have to come to terms with the fact that we have completely messed up what he have been given. We have wasted our gifts, we have brought shame and reproach upon the One who gave these gifts to us, and when we realize this, we find ourselves in a state of brokenness. Only then can we come to a place of repentance in our hearts and minds. It is at this point that our Father will come running to meet us, and He will bring us back into our rightful place, although we have done nothing to earn it on our own. Finally, to summarize, we read in Romans 8:14-18..."For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Amen.
