Have you ever run
away from home? I’m sure some of us have actually run away from home. I haven’t experienced running away from home myself and probably the farthest place I`ve been too
when I was young and trying to get away from my parents was my godfather`s house beside
ours. The first time I actually left home was when I went to
college but I had friends who literally left their home, against their parents’
wishes. Now that I am a parent myself, I
cannot imagine the thought of any of my children running away from home. My daughter Elaine went to Korea for her
university program and she did it of course with our permission and it’s not easy
for us but imagine if your son or daughter run away from home, against your
will, it will surely break your heart if
you are a parent. Even in other
things – when your child does things in his own way, against your will, it
breaks your heart. But you know what,
you may have never ran away from home but actually for some of us, we may
actually be far away from home in our hearts. You may be in the church but you have prodigal
minds. Your thoughts are wandering
away.
Every
time I preach this parable, one question comes up. Pastor, who is the most stressed character
in the parable of the Prodigal Son?
Is it the father or the two sons or the servants?
It`s the fattened calf.
The parable of the
prodigal son is the third in a trilogy of lost parables, the other two being about the lost coin and the lost sheep. We learned that Jesus was at the house of a
prominent Pharisee for dinner and at one point, sinners and tax collectors
gathered around Him and these three parables were actually Jesus` response to
the side comments He heard “This man
welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
We also learned that the parables came in
progression. First, the lost sheep
represents 1% of the total flock of the shepherd; the lost coin represents 10%
of the woman`s total coins and the third parable, the lost son represents 50%
of what the father has. There was
progression...probably to stress or emphasize the intensity of the idea and
also to show it`s importance.
Verses 12-24 talks about the
younger son first. He was the center of attention. Usually, the youngest child becomes the
center of attention right? I`m a bunso
or youngest in the family, a bit spoiled when I was young. I remember whenever we played "hide and
seek" my siblings will let me win. During dinner time, I get the best
part of our food – well, maybe because I was too tiny then. And
usually, the eldest is the more responsible one in the family. I think it`s true in most families. The oldest sibling takes a lot of
responsibility in the family and therefore in the end, they become more
responsible. The youngest child – they
are usually, generally speaking, the carefree ones.
We learned in verse 12 that the younger son asks
for his inheritance—it is an unusual request during that time, but it is a legal
request. Remember, the young son was not doing something illegal here but it
was a very disrespectful, dishonouring and like what I said, unusual
request. The younger son was in effect
saying, "Dad, I don’t want to have to wait around here anymore for you to
die and to get what’s mine. Give it to
me now! I want what is mine and I want it now! "
Where do we hear these lines? Does it sound familiar? Sometimes, we hear these lines in our
PRAYER! Lord, I want this job, I want it
now, even if we already have a job... Lord I want a better job, I want it now. Then we get the job, Lord, I want a second
job, and I want it now.
Lord, I want to lose weight... and I want it
now...let me just finish this sumptuous meal and I will start exercising. Lord, it`s not fair... I should have been
promoted and not that worthless, undeserving and lazy officemate of mine – give
me what`s mine, deserve it, I want it
now.
Lord, I want to become a spiritually mature
Christian... I want to become one, I really, I want it now. Lord,
give me PATIENCE, give it to me NOW!
As parents, sometimes, we let them do what they
want. We allow them to do it hoping that
they will learn their lessons themselves, and sometimes, it has to be the hard way. They want to have something but they don`t
realize what they already have. They sometimes don’t give much importance to
the family because the family is always there anyway, they won`t disappear. They will always be there. My parents will always be my parents. We only
realize that something or someone is important when that something or someone
is gone. It`s very true with our loved
ones. Why is it that you hear the nicest
words being said in Eulogies?
The father allows his younger son to leave.
Sometimes the worst thing God can do is to give us what we want--to show us
that our desires cannot really bring satisfaction. The son got what he wanted, but lost what he had. In verses 13-16, we witness the
results of the lost son`s rebellion. The prodigal
leaves for a "far country"; a place which existed already in his heart a long time ago. We
long for things we don’t have. We fail to realize, oftentimes, that the
freedom that we long for, becomes freedom to commit sin. The prodigal son wanted to "see
life", apart from God. He ended up being dead to sin. Jesus said "Apart from Me you can do nothing. "
The lost son long for freedom without
restraints and ended up enslaving himself. He learned the hard way -- we certainly cannot enjoy
the things money can provide if we ignore the things money cannot buy. We think if we run away from home, we enjoy
more freedom. But in reality, we become
slaves – of money, of sin, of our own
misconception. True freedom can only be found
in Christ. Jesus came to set us free.
Imagine the consequence of the son`s
action: Because he lost everything, he
ended up working for strangers – he ended
up doing for a stranger what he refused to do for his own father--to work. Isn`t
that bondage? For a Jew, being a swineherd
is probably one of the lowest form of employment. The "pods" of verse 16 were likely the
fruit of the carob tree, which only those who are very poor will eat.
In verse 20, the son realized his
mistakes... he was willing to swallow his pride... he was determined to come
back to his father. Not as a son... but
he would take even as the position of a servant.
Let me read from verse 21:
The lost son "came to his senses",
and "found" himself. The first step of repentance comes when people
realize the foolishness of their actions. The prodigal cannot blame anyone else but himself. He has reached rock bottom, and his only remaining
resource is repentance. I remember David after being rebuked by the
prophet Nathan for his sin of adultery and murder:
he
wrote in Psalm 51 ``For I know my
transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight
When the son left home, he had a fairly
positive self-image, and his wild companions probably assured him that he was a
likable, generous individual. Of course
when we compare ourselves to ungodly
people, probably we would be measured favourably. Even later when he was forced to work at a
pig farm, he may have compared himself to the other workers there and he may
have figured he was better than them; very likely he was, considering his privileged
background. But when his thoughts turned to home and he compared himself to the
father he abandoned, when he realized what was his stature in the family, he admitted he was no longer worthy to be
called his son.
A
mark of repentant heart is the desire to be subject again to authority. He
became lost when he claimed his rights; he is found when he surrenders them. By
returning to his father, he has found God’s wisdom.
The son
attempts to deliver his prepared speech —he
admits he has sinned against "heaven", too shamed to even speak the
name of God. He begins, but doesn’t get to finish, for his
father calls to the servants to bring out the robe, the ring and the shoes.
MEANWHILE
I love this word that you can find in verse
25 “Meanwhile...” I looked at the dictionary, the word MEANWHILE is synonymous
to “in the meantime” or “in the interim” or it means “simultaneously” or “at
the same time.”
Meanwhile, while everybody is partying... while
everybody is busy celebrating because the lost has been found...while everyone
is enjoying the roast calf... or maybe let’s take it a bit more relevant to
us...
Meanwhile, while we are busy pointing finger
at someone... while we are so occupied finding the fault of many prodigal
sons...like in our case, while we are busy looking down at other people’s
fault, or sometimes, we even find fault in the father of the prodigal son... e kunsintidor yung tatay e, the father
has spoiled the prodigal son, he shouldn’t have given him what he wanted...
it’s his fault... Meanwhile ...
While Rembrandt’s painting was probably the
most popular, I personally like this interpretation of Spanish painter Esteban
Murillo. Here you see all the main and
supporting characters... the father, the prodigal son, you can even see the
fattened calf... the most stressed out character in this story, you can even
see the axeman who will probably slaughter the calf... you can see the servants
carrying the robe and the sandals...and even the ring. There’s even a dog here, a puppy... I think
it’s a white terrier or a Chihuahua... I don’t know... it’s not important.
This painting is very biblical except for
the dog...I read the passages several times and I can’t find a dog.
Obviously, you probably won’t find this breed
of a dog during Jesus’ time. But why
would this artist include this dog leaping towards the prodigal son who
returned. I think he was trying to make
a point, which will make the Biblical story to be more understood. Everybody is celebrating... the father, the
prodigal son, the servants and even the dog!
But meanwhile, look at this dark, gloomy figure at the background... who almost
fell outside of the canvas... who is this bitter and angry character... IT’S
THE OLDER BROTHER!
Let me read the rest of the passages:
Who was this older brother? When Jesus told
this story, He had a group of people specifically in mind - the Pharisees, the self-righteous experts in
Jewish law. They cared little about
those who were lost in sin, they condemned Jesus for welcoming sinners and
eating with them. While these 3 parables were intended to instil compassion for
the lost it was also intended to REBUKE those who think highly of
themselves...those who think they are righteous enough.
This older brother stayed obeying the rules,
he followed his father, but he too was far from home. He had strayed away from home in his heart
long before the prodigal son left. He regarded his position in the family as one
of bondage. He was home, yet not at home! How many of us are like the older brother --
home but far away from home?
How many of us feel that being a Christian
is a burden... serving in the ministry is a bondage? We cannot do what we want...we’re not appreciated
for what we do... we’ve been in the church for a long time but the pastor has
never appreciated our efforts so we harbour ill-feelings.
How many of us are like the older brother,
while everyone is celebrating, we feel bitter and angry? This story is really about
two prodigal sons. Both were slaves--the younger by his economic situation and
the older by his own perception.
People can live in the same house or even in
the same church yet they are not one in spirit. It is wrong to assume that we’re members of
God’s family because we were raised in a Christian home. God doesn’t have any grandchildren – only children. Please take note of that. The Pharisees based their spirituality on
their being Jewish. The Apostle Paul warned that being born in a Jewish
household doesn’t make a person a child of Abraham spiritually. Everyone
on earth is a physical child of God by creation; but not everyone is a
spiritual child—because to become a spiritual child of God, this takes a
personal choice-- re-birth, re-creation.
The prodigal son chose to repent. The prodigal’s father chose to forgive; the
older brother refused.
Prayer
Wherever you are, whatever you situation you may be -- you need the love of Jesus in your life.
Please say this prayer sincerely from your heart:
Father God, I confess all my sins to you today. Please forgive me. Today, I open my heart to your Son Jesus Christ. I accept Him in my life as my Savior and as my Lord. May the Holy Spirit come to my life and make me the kind of person you want me to be. In Jesus Name, I pray. Amen.Please say this prayer sincerely from your heart:
The above article is an excerpt from a sermon delivered at WCF Richmond during its service on Sunday, June 7, 2015.
I apologize if there are grammatical and spelling errors.
I also apologize if I have missed acknowledging or making proper references to my sources, if any. as it is purely unintentional.
If you are looking for a church in British Columbia, Canada please visit our website at:
www.wordchristianfellowship.com
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