The Prodigal Son

Sermon by David Scott, 25/07/2021

When Tim asked me if I would like to preach on the story of the Prodigal Son, I replied and said, “Yes I would. I can be the Prodigal Son.”

When I thought about it a bit more perhaps it wasn’t such a crazy reaction to this parable because, in his parables, Jesus always challenges us to identify with the characters in the stories and through reflection, determine our true relationship with God.

If we think about the parables, are you the Good Samaritan or the Levite who passes by on the other side? Are you the faithful or the unfaithful Servant? Are you the seed that fell on fertile ground or on stony ground? Have you multiplied your talents three times in God’s service, or five times, or have you buried them away?

So, let’s look at this parable. Are you…

the selfish, unloving, uncaring, reckless Prodigal son? Or
the loving, forgiving, compassionate gracious parent? Or
the resentful, unforgiving, self-absorbed, angry and bitter elder brother?

Well, you probably don’t fit any of these characters exactly, but you are asked to reflect on them.

The caring father in the story represents God and shows God’s attitudes towards the lost. The younger Son represents those who are lost and the older son the attitudes of the religious establishment. This parable is about redemption, restoration, and reconciliation, and has a lot to say to us about these things.

Let’s start at verse 12 where the son asks his father for his share of the inheritance.

The Younger Son

The rules in those days meant the elder brother got two thirds and the younger brother one third of their father’s estate. The younger son was entitled to ask for this, but it was not a very loving thing to do. He rather implied that he wished his father was dead. However, the father patiently grants his request.

God allows his children to choose for themselves, to go their own way. We often do and then we get ourselves into significant difficulty. We all possess a foolish ambition to be independent from God, which is at the heart of the sinner persisting in his sin. As the younger son found out a sinful state is also a state of consistent discontent.

Luke 12 says:

“Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a person’s life does not consist in the abundance of their possessions.”

The prodigal son learned the hard way that greed leads to a life of dissatisfaction and disappointment. He also learned the vital lesson that indeed the best things in life are free and are the things you cannot buy or replace.

In verse 13, he sets off for his new country. In his heart he was already there. He rejects all the goodness his father offered, he squanders all his father had worked hard for, and indulges in a time of shallow, selfish fulfilment which results in the loss of everything.

After financial disaster came natural disaster and there was a famine. He is desolate and desperate, and he sells himself into slavery feeding pigs, the worst situation you can imagine. Once his money has gone his friends have gone too.

Verse 16 says, “No one gave him anything.” This is intended to be a picture of what can happen when people move further and further away from God.

John 8 verse 34 says:

“Sin always promises more than it gives, takes you further than you wanted to go, and leaves you worse off than you were before.”

It promises freedom but brings slavery.

Fortunately, in verse 17, the son starts reflecting on his situation. Even his father’s servants have a better life than he does. He sees his father in a new light and hope begins to reappear. He realizes that apart from his father there is no hope just as the person of faith recognizes that without God there is no hope. Perhaps motivated by his hunger and his desperate situation he devises a plan.

He is willing to give up his rights as a son and become a servant. He is willing to demonstrate true repentance. He understands he has no right to be welcomed or blessed, and he has nothing to offer. He hopes for forgiveness and mercy.

Sounds like a familiar situation and perhaps reflective of where most of us find ourselves in relation to God.

The Father

Meanwhile, the father has been waiting for his son, hoping for his reappearance. In verse 20, he spots him from a distance he runs to greet his wayward son.

What is the motivation here?

Clearly he loved him and was eager to show that love and restore the relationship. When the father reaches the son, not only does he throw his arms around him, but also greets him with a kiss of love. He is so filled with joy at his son’s return that he doesn’t even let him finish his confession.

Nor does he question or lecture him; instead, he unconditionally forgives him and accepts him back into fellowship. We are asked to reflect that God greatly loves us, patiently waits for us to recognize his love, so that he can show us his mercy and grace. So, the son is transformed from destitution to complete restoration, from despair to hope, from loss to salvation. God offers forgiveness and restoration and the opportunity to be one of his children. The father then confirms to everyone how serious and genuine he is.

In verses 22 and 23, the robe, the sandals, and the fatted calf all reinforce the depth of the father’s love for his child. Instead of condemnation, there is rejoicing for a son who had been dead but now is alive, who once was lost but now is found.

Now to the third and final and tragic character in our story.

The Elder Son

The elder son, represents the attitudes of the scribes and the Pharisees. He worked hard, he obeyed his father, he brought no disgrace on the family. Yet he showed no love for his brother or his father.

He disrespects his father by staying away from the celebration. In verse 28, he can’t find any place for compassion or forgiveness. He wallows in his own self-righteousness. He doesn’t do humility.

His focus is on himself, there is no joy for him in his brother’s return home. He is so consumed by his own view of justice and equality that he cannot see the value of his brother’s repentance or return. He allows anger to rule his heart to the point where he is unable to show compassion towards his brother nor is he able to forgive the perceived wrong his father has done to him. He prefers to stay in his anger rather than enjoy fellowship with his brother, his father, and the rest of the community.

He chooses suffering and isolation over restoration and reconciliation. He sees his brothers return as a threat.

For the elder brother too, in verses 31 and 32, the patient, compassionate and loving father seeks to bring restoration by reminding him that all that he has is his. That his brother’s return is a reason for joyful celebration.

We don’t know how this story ends but we do know that the Scribes and Pharisees continued to misunderstand who Jesus was and what was meant by the Grace of God. They failed to understand forgiveness, continued to resent Jesus receiving and forgiving those they saw as unholy people, and they failed to see their own need for salvation. They continued to oppose Jesus and to separate themselves from his followers. Despite the Father’s pleading for them to come in they refused and were the ones who instigated the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus. A tragic ending to a story filled with such hope, mercy, joy and forgiveness.

So, like all of us, I can be, the Prodigal Son quite easily. I can also be the older brother – angry, bitter, and resentful. It’s a bit more difficult to be the patient, wise and compassionate parent.

But the good news is that we don’t have to be any of these characters. We only have to let God love us and guide us in our lives and in return give our love and allegiance to him.

By David Scott

Images courtesy of freebibleimages.org

The Short Stories of Jesus: The Prodigal Son