“I Once Was Lost, But Now?”

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32


Today, if you had forgotten, is Fathers’ Day. Fatherhood is one of those mixed blessings that we sometimes take for granted. The new life that we are privileged to be part of - to teach, to guide, and nurture - is truly a gift from God, but what about the trials that come in our efforts to raise our children in a way that will bring honor to the Lord? That seems to be the tough part – not just in getting a child to acknowledge the Lord, but more importantly, for our knowing what we should do to help a child grow in a Godly way!

And of course, there are always those fathers who reject their responsibilities and obligations to support and encourage their families. And while some of those families fall apart, others, somehow, discover the Lord’s goodness for their lives just the same. But today, we celebrate the work of Father God in our world – work that is offered on our behalf and in spite of our failure to learn from him; work that is based in a love that exceeds our capacity to understand and share with others.

Today’s parable is “The Prodigal Son”, which could very easily be renamed “The Loving Father”. And of course, it is actually about a family and the interpersonal reactions that they all experience.

Read Luke 15:11-16

This story is about the kind of relationships we have all come to know throughout this life, as well as the kind that we should live by in this existence. We don’t have any background on this family, but apparently some issue had come between the youngest son and his father that had brought about this incredible break. The book of Genesis is full of problems between brothers – Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, and notably, Joseph and ten of his eleven brothers, but seldom do we read of issues arising between men and their sons.

In this case, the issue would have been significant, as the younger son’s request is insulting and highly unusual. The implication is, essentially, that the father is dead as far as his son is concerned. And the son leaves with his new found wealth, getting as far away from home as he possibly could, to seek out worldly pleasures and personal recognition in his own right. But as we see, his plans didn’t actually work out.
In this story, if we are to gain the perspective that Jesus is offering us, we need to examine just who each person represents if we are to fully understand what Jesus would have us learn. First, the father represents God – our loving, generous, compassionate, understanding, forgiving Heavenly Father. The two sons represent us – narrow minded, self-centered and self-serving at times, and more comfortable with living in the world than we are in searching out the ways of heaven.

When his son demands freedom from his father’s influence, and service, and way, it is immediately granted. In the same way, God never prevents us from seeking our own way in the world, instead of obediently living in him and his truth. For those who have never had a relationship with Christ, life can even seem to work out fairly well sometimes – success in business, a nice family, pleasant experiences. Of course, they are still missing out on a life in Christ, but life still looks good!

But for those who know Jesus, who have given their lives to him, who know what a righteous life is all about, and who, for whatever reason, decide to try doing it their own way for a while, life can begin to fall apart in a rather dramatic fashion. That is what was happening in the life of the younger son. As a matter of fact, this young Jewish man had fallen so far, that he was now working for a Gentile, feeding his pigs! This was a direct violation of the Jewish law (Leviticus 11:7-8), and the young man had literally broken from faith and life, in favor of sin.

How low can one person go? Apparently pretty low!

Read Luke 15:17-20a

Talk about hitting bottom! There is only one more step downward for this broken man – death. But he then realizes that there might still be a chance – he will return home and beg for his father’s forgiveness. He is certain that restoration to his former position in the family can never happen – after all he had insulted his father and squandered his life, and it no longer held a place for him. But maybe, just maybe, his father would take mercy on him and let him work as one of his hired hands.

In his preparation to head home, three phrases in the speech he will offer his father need to be considered:
First - “Father, I have sinned against you and … heaven”. He will refer to the man who he had once insulted and declared to be dead, as “father” once again. And in that plea for restoration, he will confess that he was wrong and that his father has always been right. Sounds like a pretty good start, and quite honestly, that is where we begin our plea for forgiveness and acceptance when we first desire to give our lives to our Lord God Almighty.

The second phrase – “I am no longer worthy to be called your [child]” - is not a duplication of his initial confession. It is the next step in seeking restoration to the life we have denied for all too long. It proclaims our understanding that because of the life we have lived, we don’t deserve the love we have sacrificed, or the glory and honor that we have disgraced, or the hope that others may be relishing right now. None of that is within our grasp, but to simply be nourished in mercy will be enough.

The third phrase – “make me like one of your … servants”, is the son’s admission that since he can never become a son again, simply being granted servanthood, the lowest of all positions in the estate, will be far more than he deserves and currently has, and that, too, will be enough.

This will be the young man’s only hope to leave his current failed life, and to gain hope and certainty once again. Sound like a pretty good start to being welcomed back into God’s good graces? It certainly is!

Read Luke 15:20b-24

The son begins his homeward journey, but before he can even draw near to his destination, his father spots him coming down the road, and runs – not walks – runs to greet him, and he gives his son an embrace of welcome, and a kiss of forgiveness. And when the son begins his rehearsed speech, which he probably has been practicing during every step he took, he is interrupted midsentence. His father never even lets him finish before beginning to restore him to sonship. The robe, the ring, the sandals, possessions that have been waiting for their original owner for years, are all symbols that, in the eyes of his father, prove that he is loved far more than just as a lowly servant.

And then the celebration begins. In the Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:3-7), Jesus tells us that there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who has returned than over all of the righteous who have never left his way. The son had proclaimed his father as no better than dead, and therefore he was also dead to his family, but now life had been restored in both of their hearts.

But the lesson doesn’t end here.

Read Luke 15:25-32

The other son, the one who we have heard nothing about so far, arrives home after a long day of work in the field, and learns about the party that has been thrown for his brother. And when he confronts his father with his own disappointments, he can only refer to his brother as “your son”! The elder son has yet to welcome his brother back to the family.

He proclaims his obedience to his father over the years, and implies that his father has never appreciated his work. But beyond his own sense that his father never recognized his efforts, he is even more put off that his brother, that “black sheep of the family”, is being shown the very honor that he so rightly deserves! And the father has to set the record straight.

The elder son has known a good relationship with his father throughout his life; the entire remaining estate will be his one day, for his younger brother has already received all that he will ever get. This is the time for celebrating, not one for complaining! His brother has come home to become one with them once again, so be joyful, not angry, not resentful!

We may certainly be the younger son, but the older son is also part of us, just in a different way. We are the ones who have faithfully been involved in the church for years. We have attended Bible study, taught Sunday School, served in the church’s ministries and missions, prayed faithfully every day, and trusted as well as we could in the Lord and his teaching. And along comes some sinner who had lived in ways that must have made the Lord turn his head and cry over the person’s atrocities.
And yet, the church was welcoming him, and celebrating his decision for Christ, and was forgiving him for every wicked word he had ever said against them. WHAT ABOUT ME? Where is your appreciation for all that I have done?

And then the Holy Spirit reminds us that not only have we received the Lord’s promise of eternity, but we have had the pleasure of walking and serving and loving right alone side Jesus for years. How can we deny the rejoicing over the fact that this sinner has finally returned home?

Which of the two sons are we like? And what are we doing about it!
And are we all striving to become more and more like our heavenly Father – loving, and welcoming, and forgiving, and searching for the lost, and especially forgiving! ?

Why isn’t His way our way in faith?