The second of the five parables covered in this series is the Parable of the Prodigal Son. This parable was chosen to follow the Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector because falling out of God's grace must come after being in God's grace. One of the goals of this series is to obviously learn from each parable. Another goal, possibly more ambitious goal, is to see how each parable fits into a progression from initial salvation to eternity. You can get a picture of the progression below--hopefully the connection becomes more obvious with each blog post.
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From the Pharisee and the Tax Collector we learned that God does the justifying. Justification--having a right standing with God--is the first step in becoming a Christian. How does this happen, you may ask? The well-churched will answer, "Through Jesus' death on the cross, of course." To that I say, "Correct." And, if given the time, I would say "Correct" and "What do you believe post-justification life looks like?" You see, justification does not result in the person being automatically whisked to heaven. This is obvious--decisions to follow Jesus do not end in people disappearing. Since we still remain on this earth after deciding to be a Christian, the question remains: What must we do once justified and still in this fallen world? Well, we must live a life of love that is defined by living under God's authority. That's a preview of this post and the next 2--living a life of love under God's authority.
One of the troubles is: living a life of love under God's authority is a tall order. We are justified in God's eyes in an instant, but we keep a sinful nature for the rest of our earthly lives--we are going to make mistakes. Some mistakes (sins) are going to be minor, while others are going to more severe. The Parable of the Prodigal Son illustrates what God's response is when we insist on making big mistakes.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the most recognizable stories in the Bible. If you would like to read it you can find it in Luke 15. The parable is the third and longest Jesus tells in response to some religious leaders. The leaders grumble about Jesus interacting with "sinners". Jesus, in His wisdom, responds to these men with three parables that all have the same message: God and His angels LOVE it when sinners repent.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son goes something like this:
A man had two sons. The younger of the two decided he wanted his inheritance early--before his father died--and asked for it. The father, who took the "this isn't wise, but I'm going to let you make your own mistakes approach" gave him his share of the inheritance. The younger son "not many days later" gathered all of his belongings and went to a distant country where he "squandered his property in reckless living"--earning his name as the prodigal son. He finally spent all his money, a famine hit the land, and he landed a job feeding pigs. Some cultural context informs us that this pig tending gig would be a particularly humiliating fate for an Israelite--the Jews held pigs to be unclean. The son fell so far that he longed to be fed from the pigs' portions and, according to the text, realized that his "father's hired servants have more than enough bread". Upon this realization he decided that he would return home and ask to be received simply as a servant.
The text informs us that he was able to save his pleas, because, while he was still far off his father saw, ran to, embraced, and kissed him. The son sought to explain that he only wanted to be welcomed as a servant. The father, however, would have none of it and instructed his servants to plan a party because his son "was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found." The father did not give the son a lecture but welcomed him back freely and with elation!
The older son did not share his father's joy. Upon hearing that his brother was back and his father was throwing him a party in celebration, the older son refused to enter and told his father, "Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends." His point and feelings are understandable, but the father deflected his anger with a kind response, "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found."
In the parable it is clear, based upon the context, that the father is representative of our Heavenly Father. This leaves the sons to be children of God--Christians--those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The portrait of God painted in this parable is beautiful. In Luke 15 we find that God the Father offers us a delicate balance of free will, accountability, and forgiveness. He has a clear will for how he would like us to act. He would like us to appreciate the gifts He gives us and live according to the rules of His household, but if we are set on breaking the rules and being ungrateful, we are free to leave. However, He knows that life is brutal and unfulfilling outside of His authority and grace. We were created to live under God's authority with gratefulness. In our humanity we will wonder what things are like outside of His care, but ultimately things are best when conducted according to the All-Knowing Father's will. But if we insist on doing things our way, we are free to go. We are free to wander. We are free to use our gifts however we please. We are free to break commandments. But just as bodies break as people try to defy natural laws, spirits break as they try to defy spiritual laws. Hopefully we can learn to live within God's will, but we must be sure to do it with thanksgiving. Following rules without thanksgiving leads to callousness.
It is in the older son that we see rule-following without thanksgiving. This a position that we may just gravitate to if we are not careful. More experienced Christians can have a tendency to forget the great forgiveness of their Heavenly Father. They are far removed from the initial conversion experience in which their sins were washed away. They may have forgotten the vast difference between life in God's house and life in the wild. One can develop the habits of good behavior while forgetting the source and reason for their good behavior. This can be dangerous as it is the ungrateful experienced Christian that can tend to stick their nose up at the returned wanderers. How must the adulterer, drunkard, and thief feel upon coming to church repentant but ultimately unaccepted by the people? Sure, one must discern whether the repentant are truly repentant, but we mustn't add to the guilt that one is already feeling, but instead offer the forgiveness of our Father. It is this forgiveness that is enticing.
We must not be the older son, but we must not be the younger son either. Simply because God is forgiving does not mean we should test it. Carelessly sinning and taking God's forgiveness for granted is insulting. Sure Jesus' sacrifice gains us free entry into the house of God, but the house has rules and we should be grateful for them. God's rules are an overflow of His character, and if we are not grateful for them, we are ultimately not grateful for God. Now we mustn't make up rules that God has not instituted, but we should celebrate and seek to follow those that are clear. We must avoid sexual immorality, lying, stealing, jealousy, and resentment, while celebrating peace, patience, purity, honesty, and love. As we love God's character, we embody God's character, and we ultimately live fulfilling and grateful lives under our Father's authority. We must not be the son that wanders or the son that ungratefully obeys, but we should be the son that obeys and does it gratefully. God delights in our obedience and gratitude. These are signs of our delight in Him, and He is delighted in us as we delight in Him.
From the Pharisee and the Tax Collector we learned that God does the justifying. Justification--having a right standing with God--is the first step in becoming a Christian. How does this happen, you may ask? The well-churched will answer, "Through Jesus' death on the cross, of course." To that I say, "Correct." And, if given the time, I would say "Correct" and "What do you believe post-justification life looks like?" You see, justification does not result in the person being automatically whisked to heaven. This is obvious--decisions to follow Jesus do not end in people disappearing. Since we still remain on this earth after deciding to be a Christian, the question remains: What must we do once justified and still in this fallen world? Well, we must live a life of love that is defined by living under God's authority. That's a preview of this post and the next 2--living a life of love under God's authority.
One of the troubles is: living a life of love under God's authority is a tall order. We are justified in God's eyes in an instant, but we keep a sinful nature for the rest of our earthly lives--we are going to make mistakes. Some mistakes (sins) are going to be minor, while others are going to more severe. The Parable of the Prodigal Son illustrates what God's response is when we insist on making big mistakes.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the most recognizable stories in the Bible. If you would like to read it you can find it in Luke 15. The parable is the third and longest Jesus tells in response to some religious leaders. The leaders grumble about Jesus interacting with "sinners". Jesus, in His wisdom, responds to these men with three parables that all have the same message: God and His angels LOVE it when sinners repent.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son goes something like this:
A man had two sons. The younger of the two decided he wanted his inheritance early--before his father died--and asked for it. The father, who took the "this isn't wise, but I'm going to let you make your own mistakes approach" gave him his share of the inheritance. The younger son "not many days later" gathered all of his belongings and went to a distant country where he "squandered his property in reckless living"--earning his name as the prodigal son. He finally spent all his money, a famine hit the land, and he landed a job feeding pigs. Some cultural context informs us that this pig tending gig would be a particularly humiliating fate for an Israelite--the Jews held pigs to be unclean. The son fell so far that he longed to be fed from the pigs' portions and, according to the text, realized that his "father's hired servants have more than enough bread". Upon this realization he decided that he would return home and ask to be received simply as a servant.
The text informs us that he was able to save his pleas, because, while he was still far off his father saw, ran to, embraced, and kissed him. The son sought to explain that he only wanted to be welcomed as a servant. The father, however, would have none of it and instructed his servants to plan a party because his son "was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found." The father did not give the son a lecture but welcomed him back freely and with elation!
The older son did not share his father's joy. Upon hearing that his brother was back and his father was throwing him a party in celebration, the older son refused to enter and told his father, "Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends." His point and feelings are understandable, but the father deflected his anger with a kind response, "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found."
In the parable it is clear, based upon the context, that the father is representative of our Heavenly Father. This leaves the sons to be children of God--Christians--those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The portrait of God painted in this parable is beautiful. In Luke 15 we find that God the Father offers us a delicate balance of free will, accountability, and forgiveness. He has a clear will for how he would like us to act. He would like us to appreciate the gifts He gives us and live according to the rules of His household, but if we are set on breaking the rules and being ungrateful, we are free to leave. However, He knows that life is brutal and unfulfilling outside of His authority and grace. We were created to live under God's authority with gratefulness. In our humanity we will wonder what things are like outside of His care, but ultimately things are best when conducted according to the All-Knowing Father's will. But if we insist on doing things our way, we are free to go. We are free to wander. We are free to use our gifts however we please. We are free to break commandments. But just as bodies break as people try to defy natural laws, spirits break as they try to defy spiritual laws. Hopefully we can learn to live within God's will, but we must be sure to do it with thanksgiving. Following rules without thanksgiving leads to callousness.
It is in the older son that we see rule-following without thanksgiving. This a position that we may just gravitate to if we are not careful. More experienced Christians can have a tendency to forget the great forgiveness of their Heavenly Father. They are far removed from the initial conversion experience in which their sins were washed away. They may have forgotten the vast difference between life in God's house and life in the wild. One can develop the habits of good behavior while forgetting the source and reason for their good behavior. This can be dangerous as it is the ungrateful experienced Christian that can tend to stick their nose up at the returned wanderers. How must the adulterer, drunkard, and thief feel upon coming to church repentant but ultimately unaccepted by the people? Sure, one must discern whether the repentant are truly repentant, but we mustn't add to the guilt that one is already feeling, but instead offer the forgiveness of our Father. It is this forgiveness that is enticing.
We must not be the older son, but we must not be the younger son either. Simply because God is forgiving does not mean we should test it. Carelessly sinning and taking God's forgiveness for granted is insulting. Sure Jesus' sacrifice gains us free entry into the house of God, but the house has rules and we should be grateful for them. God's rules are an overflow of His character, and if we are not grateful for them, we are ultimately not grateful for God. Now we mustn't make up rules that God has not instituted, but we should celebrate and seek to follow those that are clear. We must avoid sexual immorality, lying, stealing, jealousy, and resentment, while celebrating peace, patience, purity, honesty, and love. As we love God's character, we embody God's character, and we ultimately live fulfilling and grateful lives under our Father's authority. We must not be the son that wanders or the son that ungratefully obeys, but we should be the son that obeys and does it gratefully. God delights in our obedience and gratitude. These are signs of our delight in Him, and He is delighted in us as we delight in Him.
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