“Father of a Wayward Son” – Luke 15:11-24

In Matthew 21:28-33, Jesus was in the temple area teaching. It was early in the week of Jesus’ last week in Jerusalem before His betrayal. The religious leaders were asking Jesus what authority He had to clear the temple, which He had done the previous day. Jesus told a parable of a man who had two sons.

Both sons were told by the father to go out into the vineyard to work. The first son said he wouldn’t do it, but then he changed his mind and worked in the vineyard. The second son said he would work in the vineyard, as per his father’s request, but that son did not go as he said he would.

The question Jesus asked was, “Which of the two sons did what his father wanted?” (v. 21a).

This parable is similar to our passage today and next week. We looked at the father last week to show us how God’s love reflects how He responds to us as His children. Today, we focus on the younger son, the prodigal son.

Background

In the time when Jesus was telling the story, the rule of law was a patriarchal system with the emphasis being on the first son’s rights. The oldest son would inherit the lion’s share of the estate, while the younger sons would divide the remainder of the estate among themselves. In this parable, there are only two sons, so the older brother would inherit two-thirds of the estate, the remainder going to his younger brother.

As we discussed last week, the father was under no obligation to give the younger son anything as long as the father was alive. It was out of his love for his son that he allowed him to take his share.

We all know what the younger son did with his share. But even in this, we can see God’s love extended to the lost souls of our world. As we look at today’s passage, let us keep in mind the following truth:

Central Truth: As our Father, God gives us freedom in hope that we will return to Him.

The freedom God give us:

1. Allows us to make wrong choices (11-13)

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.”

Living under mom and dad’s roof has benefits, but it also has restrictions. The benefits are that we got free room and board (or at least greatly reduced rates for the same). There were always three meals a day, usually cooked by mom, and what chores we had were manageable.

The downside was that we were living in mom and dad’s house, and their rules applied. If they expected us to be in a certain time of the night, we had better do so. We also had to do the chores when it was expected of us. The rules and expectations could sometimes feel restricting.

We can get the sense from reading the passage that the younger son was ready to get out from under his father’s rules. He was yearning to live life as he wanted to live it. It didn’t take long for the son to gather up his share of the estate and liquidate it. Having changed the property for cash, the young man left to seek his fortune.

It would be nice to say that the younger son had a plan to invest the money, perhaps in a business or in something that would return interest on his wealth. It may be that he did try to invest in a business, but if he did, it wasn’t a successful business.

When I read this parable, I always picture the younger son getting to the big city and immediately buying himself the nicest sports car, the most stylish clothes and the most luxurious apartment or house. According to v. 13, the son squandered the money on wild living. He partied all night and rested all day. He was quick to part with his cash, and he probably had all sorts of “friends” in the new city that were more than happy to help him spend his money and have a good time.

The thing about the world’s temptations is that it seems so fun and exciting when it’s brand new. The problem in following the world is that there is a price to pay. Jesus asked the question, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man get in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew16:26). For this young man, the fun lasted until the money ran out. God, the loving Father, will allow us the freedom to learn these lessons in the hope that it will lead us back to Him.

2. Allows us to suffer the consequences of our choices (14-16)

“After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.”

One of the hardest lessons in life is learning to consider the cost of a decision. When my dad was in the army, he bet someone that he could quit smoking. In order to be able to quit smoking, Dad had to start smoking. Sad to say, Dad lost the bet, but what he lost as a result of the bet was far more than the amount of the wager. Ultimately, his cigarettes ended his life shortly before his 64th birthday. Had Dad taken the time to consider the ramifications of his bet, would he have still made it?

We make choices without really considering what it might mean to us down the road. The young man decided to live high off the hog with his newfound wealth, and now that the money was gone, he had to face a new reality: The world is a very different place when you have no money.

The problem with living extravagantly while no income is coming in is that, no matter how much money you started out with, eventually it runs out. When the money ran out, the young man soon learned a lesson of life: the friends you buy with money stop being friends when the money is gone. The fine housing, car and clothing become expendable and soon you’re worse off than you were before you came into all the money.

To top it all off, shortly after he ran out of money, the economy took a dive when a famine swept the country. He was showing up for job interviews in second-hand clothes, and was only able to find work as a swineherd.

Nowhere in the parable does it say that the family in the parable is Jewish, but because Jesus was Jewish and the audience was Jewish, it’s reasonable to assume the father and two sons were also Jewish. The fact that he had to watch over pigs was the worst situation he could find himself in. Or so he thought.

As the days passed, the younger son began to look at the pigs’ food with longing. He was so hungry, he seriously considered eating what the pigs ate, but he wasn’t allowed to do so. Can you imagine what it must be like to be so low we would consider stealing from a pig?

When we consider this part of the parable, we would do well to realize that God will sometimes allow us to envy the pigs because we’re so low. So many people have come to God when they’ve reached the end of their rope. Sometimes, God will let us envy the pigs if it might mean we will come back to Him. Lest we think that it’s a harsh God who would do such a thing, remember it was the loving God who gave us the freedom to choose, and it is the loving God who will let us continue to make decisions that can result in dire consequences for us.

God’s love is seen even in allowing us to suffer the consequences of our choices.

3. Restores us when we come back to Him (17-24)

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.”’ So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to the father, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.”

Perhaps the saddest misconception is the person who says, “I’m too far gone for God to care about me.” It’s a feeling that many of us may feel at one time or another. It’s the lie that Satan uses to keep us from walking in obedience to God. “I’m not worthy” applies to everyone and to no one. No one is worthy to come to God on their own, but God makes everyone worthy through faith in Christ.

Unworthiness is what the younger son was thinking as he hungered for pig food. He was probably living in the worst of conditions and scrounging for food. It was in this state that he finally came to his senses. He knew that his father, whatever else the son may have thought, was a good boss. He took care of his hired servants. One of the commentaries I read said that a hired servant was really lower than a slave, because a servant could be fired at a moment’s notice.

Realizing his state and his father’s attitude, the son resolved to return home, no longer as a son (he wasn’t worthy), but to seek employment. He was so low that a hired servant in his father’s house was looking really good.

We have no idea how far he was from his father, but the son travelled the distance, probably rehearsing the speech he would give with every step he took. He was defeated, dejected and defeated in every sense of the word. He had no idea how he would be received when he returned home. His father might reject him out of hand, and his brother would never let him live his horrible decisions down. Still, he saw no other option.

When the son finally reached that long stretch of the road that led to his father’s home, the son’s emotions must have been mixed. There was dread at what might await, and hope that his plan may succeed. What would he find once he got there? Would he even be received, or turned away with a word from his father.

Imagine his surprise when he looked up and saw his father racing down the road to him. Throwing away all his dignity, the father sprinted to his son. Did the son stop and wait, or did he begin to run as well? I imagine the son was filthy with grime and stench, his clothes ragged and soiled. None of that mattered as his father reached him, embraced him in a bear hug and kissed him as only a father who is reunited with his son can do.

The father’s actions and words let us know the truth. Even though the son had walked away from his father, the father never stopped loving him as a son. Had the son refused to return, had he died in some foreign country, alone and destitute, he would have still been the father’s son, and the father’s love would never have ended. Had the son never returned, the father would have died with unanswered questions and a broken heart.

Peter tells us that God is “not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Jesus’ invitation is for anyone who is weary to come to Him and find rest (cf. Matthew 11:28). The father’s response to his son is a perfect reflection of the Father’s response to when His children return to Him. He will not force us to come to Him, but He rejoices and welcomes us with open arms when we turn to Him.

Conclusion

The truth of the gospel is that when we come to Jesus in repentance, God takes our ragged clothes and replaces it with His whitest robe. He cleanses the stench of sin from us and washes us with the blood of Christ, making us a sweet fragrance (cf. 2 Corinthians 2:14-16). It doesn’t matter how far we’ve fallen; God is always a call of repentance away, and once we become a child of God, we never lose that glorious relationship.