THE LOST SON RECEIVED (1)
Luke 15:11-32

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Then He [Jesus] said: ‘A certain man had two sons. ...’” Thus begins the third of three parables spoken by Jesus Christ in response to the self-righteous who would vilify Him for associating with sinners (vv.1-3). The first deals with the lost sheep which the shepherd sought until he found it (vv.4-7). The second deals with the lost coin which its owner sought until she found it (vv.8-10). This third deals with a prodigal son who was warmly received by his father upon his return (vv.11-32).

This parable is by many called the pearl and crown of the parables. It complements the preceding two parables, but differs from them in this regard: They emphasize Christ seeking the lost; this emphasizes Christ receiving the sinner.

In this parable, the father represents Jesus Christ, “This Man [who] receives sinners and eats with them” (v.2). The younger son represents “the sinners [who] drew near to Him to hear Him” (v.1). The older son represents the self-righteous who would vilify Christ for receiving such sinners, and to whom all three parables were expressly directed (vv.1-3). Both these repentant sinners and these self-righteous accusers were sons of God in a national sense, as they both were Israelites, and therefore of that nation which God called “My son” (Exodus 4:22). But only the repentant would prove to be His sons in the soteriological sense, the sense of salvation.

We here will observe all three parties and make applications relative to them for you and me.

I. This “younger son” represents repentant sinners (vv.12-20a) – both in his departure from and return to his father, especially in the following particulars:

1. Impudence against father (v.12): “And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood.’” It was not customary for a father to divide his estate among his sons prior to his death, but nevertheless not unheard of (Genesis 25:5f). But it was impudent of this son to demand his portion while his father was still alive.

Spiritually speaking, it is required of men to pray to their heavenly Father, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). But it is impudent of them of them to demand at once all that He has for them. Such a demand evidences the desire to be thenceforth independent of God and to enjoy liberty from Him, and to exercise freewill for self-indulgence. All this was included in the temptation of the serpent to our first parents (Genesis 3:5). Be careful for what you ask from God; He may give it to you – as did the father of this rebellious son.

2. Distancing from father (v.13a): “And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, ....” He put as much distance as possible between himself and his father in order make his father “out of sight, out of mind”.

As this son deserted his earthly father, so did “Adam, the son of God” by creation (Luke 3:38), desert his spiritual Father in trying to hide completely from Him (Genesis 3:8). And all his progeny were in him when he did, so that his desertion was also our own (Romans 5:12ff). The “far country” to which we in our impudence have gone may be called the State of Sin, which is as distant from God as one can be in this world. God says such people “have gone far from Me, have followed idols, and have become idolaters” (Jeremiah 2:4). We are by nature “far from [God’s] law” (Psalm 119:150) – far from the Scriptures that reveal it and from any ability to keep it, and therefore “far from righteousness” (Isaiah 46:12) and “far from peace” (Lamentations 3:17), for “salvation is far from the wicked” (Psalm 119:155).

3. Prodigality in life (v.13b): “... and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.” It is from this verse that he obtained his name “The Prodigal”, or “The Waster” (from Latin prodigus, meaning “characterized by profuse or wasteful expenditure”). If indeed he wasted his livelihood in harlotry (v.19), we may conclude he was given to “wine, women, and song”, or “sex and drugs and rock and roll” as men today say.

4. Fullness to famine (v.14): “But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.” The “passing pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25) were now all in the past. The “days of wine and roses” had ended in the “night of thirst and thorns”. Sin strips a man of all that is good, not only his earthly possessions and physical health, but also his spiritual well-being. Truly “the stomach of the wicked shall be in want” (Proverbs 13:25).

5. Subjugation out of desperation (v.15a): “Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, ...” This destitute alien now found it necessary to resort to and to cleave to an uncaring citizen of an unfriendly land.

In the spiritual realm, destitute aliens from God in the State of Sin, of which Satan is the prince (Ephesians 2:2), resort to his citizens, especially ministers of his religion (2 Corinthians 11:13-15), to obey whatever they require in the hope of escaping death.

6. Degradation in subjugation (v.15b): “... and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.” He required of the prodigal something to do, and it was most degrading. A swineherd would be a most abominable employment for a Jew (Leviticus 11:7f).

Likewise, Satan’s ministers send seekers to the pig sties they call “churches” and “religions”. There they fellowship with the self-righteous, who are more abominable to God than swine are to Jews. They are those “who sit among the graves [in spiritual death], ... who eat swine’s flesh [in doing that forbidden by God], ... who say, ‘Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am holier than you!’” – but to whom God replies, “These are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all the day” (Isaiah 65:4f).

7. Deprivation in degradation (v.16): “And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.” These pods were those of the carob tree or locust tree, suitable for little else than fodder for cattle and swine, and food for the poor. No man gave to him bread to eat. And the pods of these swine would never satisfy his hunger.

No preacher in false religion will give the hungry the bread of life, the only food that satisfies spiritual hunger. Rather, they require one to “spend money for what is not bread” (Isaiah 55:2), the pods of false religion. These include pods of good works, religious ordinances, theological dogma, and sectarian superiority. A man may fill himself with any or even all of these pods of self-righteousness, but they will never satisfy his spiritual hunger.

8. Awakening to senses (v.17a): “But when he came to himself, ...” Likewise, man in sin is beside himself in his spiritual madness. He comes to himself in regeneration and conversion, when God graciously puts him “in his right mind” (Luke 8:35).

9. Realization of error (v.17b): “... he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!’” Likewise, the lowest servant in the Father’s house fares better than the highest citizen in the devil’s kingdom.

10. Resolution to return (v.18a): “I will arise and go to my father, ...” Likewise, all God’s sons must eventually rise from their spiritual sties and go to Christ (John 6:37): “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me.” They will do so because the Father has successfully found them, effectually drawn them, and graciously enabled them (John 6:44, 65): “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, ... [and] unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” He is not forced to come against his will, but rather made willing to go (Psalm 110:3).

11. Resolution to repent (v.18b): “... and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, ...’” All sin is against God in heaven because it is a violation of His law (Psalm 51:3f). All sin is before God because He in his omniscience sees everything (Proverbs 15:3).

12. Recognition of unworthiness (v.19a): “and I am not longer worthy to be called your son. ...” Note well that he does not deny his sonship. Rather, he confesses he is unworthy of it. True sons of God willingly abase themselves in the presence of Christ.

13. Desire to serve (v.19b): “... Make me like one of your hired servants.” Here is the man who has been humbled enough to confess, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Psalm 84:10).

14. Resolve fulfilled (v.20a): “And he arose and came to his father. ...” He did not consult with those around him, nor seek permission from his taskmaster. Neither was he content with mere good intentions, with which the road to hell is paved. Neither did he postpone the execution of his desire until “when I have a convenient time” (as in Acts 24:25). Rather, he immediately arose from the pig sty of sin and with haste made his way to his Father.

Sinner, flee to Christ now! He surely will receive you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~