Audio Transcript
Right this moment we learn Luke 15:11–32 collectively in our Bible studying, the parable of the prodigal son, or the parable of the prodigal sons (plural). It’s a well-known story a couple of father — a innocent father — and his two sons, who’re something however innocent, every of them entrapped by his personal sin in very other ways. For fogeys of prodigal little children, the story resonates deeply in providing hope, prefer it does for Heather, a mother in Birmingham, Alabama.
“Pastor John, good day. I’m the mom of a prodigal son in his early twenties. I learn Luke 15 again and again. I’ve studied it 100 occasions. I used to be questioning, if you happen to had been to speak to the dad or mum of a prodigal son or daughter, how would you give hope to them from this textual content? I need my life to mirror the lifetime of the daddy on this story as I wait on the porch.”
It truly is an amazingly encouraging parable for fogeys of prodigals. It has so many layers of encouragement in it. I don’t suppose we or anyone has ever gotten to the underside of it and its superb portrait of the gracious coronary heart of God. We may speak for hours concerning the implications of this parable, however we don’t have hours. So, let me maybe point out seven encouragements from this parable.
1. God pursues sinners.
First, this is without doubt one of the three parables in Luke 15, that are advised by Jesus in response to being criticized in verses 1–2 due to consuming with tax collectors and sinners. When the Pharisees and scribes grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2), Jesus responds by telling the parable of the misplaced sheep, the parable of the misplaced coin, the parable of the misplaced son (or sons — we’ll see).
So, all three parables are supposed to illustrate the truth that when Jesus is consuming with sinners, that is what God is doing. He’s embodying the pursuit of God that’s described within the parables as he pursues the misplaced. That’s what’s occurring when Jesus comes into the world and eats with sinners. God just isn’t in any means compromising with sin. Christ just isn’t changing into a sinner by consuming. He’s doing John 3:17: God despatched his Son into the world not “to sentence the world, however so that the world could be saved via him.” And so, the daddy within the parable of the prodigal son is an image of God performing in Christ to save lots of prodigals. That’s simply the fundamental image that we must be inspired by. We have to see God that means. Consider him that means. He’s pursuing sinners.
2. God is glad to have prodigals dwelling.
Second, in all three parables, there’s this jubilant celebration over a single sinner who repents. “I let you know, there can be extra pleasure in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous individuals who want no repentance” (Luke 15:7). And within the parable of the prodigal son, the daddy says, “Deliver rapidly the very best gown, and put it on him. . . . Allow us to eat and rejoice (Luke 15:22–23). So, God’s coronary heart on this parable, in all three parables, is glad to have prodigals come dwelling. He’s not begrudging; he’s glad.
3. God, not guilt, is in view.
Third, in all three of those parables, there’s no concentrate on the guilt of the girl who misplaced the coin, or the shepherd who misplaced the sheep, or the daddy who misplaced a son. Now, I’m not saying that to make any remark concerning the high quality of my or your parenting, which all of us know may have been higher on each rely. Folks typically ask me, “What would you do in a different way?” And I say, “Every part. I’d attempt to do every thing higher.”
“When Jesus eats with sinners, he embodies the Father who pursues the misplaced.”
I’m merely saying, once I observe this, that that’s not the difficulty right here. Jesus is just not calling any consideration to that, which is crystal clear within the parable of the prodigal son, as a result of the daddy is an image of God, who’s the completely good Father, and but he’s bought this misplaced son. I imply, go determine — how are you going to be an ideal father and have a misplaced son? We’re inspired to repair our gaze in these parables not on ourselves, not on our shortcomings, however on the form of God we’re coping with in these parables.
4. God can carry sanity via distress.
Fourth, the prodigal son experiences a change of coronary heart on the lowest level of his depressing life. He’s able to share meals with the pigs. On the boy’s lowest level, he got here to himself (Luke 15:17). And the encouraging factor is that simply when it seemed completely hopeless — How may you come back from one thing so low? — he skilled his awakening.
5. God’s coronary heart runs towards his kids.
Fifth, maybe probably the most tender and delightful and highly effective second within the parable, which Jesus certainly meant for this impact as a result of he advised the parable this manner, is the second when the daddy sees the boy a good distance off and runs to greet him — not walks; he runs to greet him. “However whereas he was nonetheless a good distance off, his father noticed him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). So, he noticed, he felt, he ran, he embraced, he kissed. So, oh, allow us to — I wish to say it to myself — allow us to maintain that image in our minds, not solely as an image of God’s coronary heart, however to make our personal hearts tender that means and keen that means.
6. God can increase the lifeless.
Sixth, the daddy describes the change within the boy’s life as a change from loss of life to life. “For this my son was lifeless, and is alive once more; he was misplaced, and is discovered” (Luke 15:24). That is encouraging as a result of the daddy didn’t reduce the dreadfulness of the boy’s situation. The boy was lifeless. From a merely human standpoint, he was hopeless. So, don’t ever look upon the hardness, the indifference, even the bitterness or the cynicism of a prodigal and suppose, “That may’t change. That is by no means going to vary.” Don’t suppose that means. It will probably. He was lifeless and he lives.
7. God invitations each sons dwelling.
After which, lastly, seventh: Do not forget that this father within the parable of the prodigal son had two prodigals, not only one. When Jesus was consuming with the tax collectors and sinners, there have been two teams of misplaced individuals he needed to cope with. One was the tax collectors and sinners, and the opposite was the scribes and Pharisees.
The tax collectors and sinners are represented within the parable by the prodigal son, and the scribes and Pharisees are represented by the older son who was indignant. He was indignant that the daddy was celebrating the return of the youthful son. Life — he was indignant at new life. This older brother, just like the Pharisees, noticed his relationship with the daddy when it comes to incomes privileges quite than having fun with a relationship. So, how would the daddy reply to this sort of wayward son, the second prodigal son? How would he reply?
Generally individuals say — and I heard this once I was in Germany, writing a dissertation on loving your enemies — “There’s no means that Jesus ever tried to woo the Pharisees. He solely had adverse issues to say concerning the Pharisees. He by no means invited them to consider.” And I identified in my dissertation that that’s what’s happening right here. Take a look at verse 28. The older son was indignant, and he refused to go in and be part of the celebration of life and salvation. And his father, identical to with the youthful son, got here out and urged — not commanded, not was indignant — he urged him. He had come out to fulfill the dissolute youthful son. He got here out and wooed and pleaded with the legalistic older son.
So, right here’s my conclusion, for myself, for all of us: Let’s take coronary heart for at the least these seven causes, and keep in mind Jesus’s encouragement in chapter 18, only a few chapters later, that we must always “all the time . . . pray and never lose coronary heart” (Luke 18:1).
