Jump Start # 879

Luke 15:20 “So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him  and kissed him.”

The prodigal came home. The wild adventures in the far country turned into disaster for this younger son. Broke, embarrassed, helpless, hopeless and friendless, he turns to home. He rehearsed his apology speech. He thought about it. That long road home was so different than the journey away from home. I expect he left excited, full of dreams and plans and nearly running. The journey home is full of regrets. He came home a failure. He was a loser.

How appropriate on Father’s Day weekend, that we now turn to the hero of this story, the father. His actions, words and attitude is what makes this story. He had been hurt. He had been embarrassed. Yet, his love, grace and forgiveness is what turns this story into a picture of God and us. Jesus wants the world to see that this is God. This is how God acts.

A few thoughts for us.

First, the prodigal knew his father. He had lived with his father for a long time. He had seen how his father dealt with the servants. He knew his father to be a kind and generous man. He knew the heart of his father. This is the key to this story. Without this knowledge he would have had no where to go.

Many prodigals today remain prodigals because they do not know their Father, God. They fear God. They messed up and they fear God will only make it worse for them. They stay away from worshipping God, they avoid God’s people and close their hearts, mind and eyes to God’s word. The one person who can really help them, they run from because they do not know Him. The prodigal came home. He knew his father.

It seems in all our teaching that we do, especially to teenagers and college students, that this is a message that they need to get. They need to know God. We dance all around that subject and talk about all kinds of interesting things, but I wonder how many are pulled to the far country without a knowledge of the Father. They stay in the wilderness for decades because they do not understand God.

A true knowledge of God is not that He is a softy and we can get away with anything we want. That is not God. A true knowledge of God is not that He overlooks sin and denies that His children could ever do anything wrong. That’s not God. God is loving and forgiving.

A second thought here. In this story, the father represents God. One can only imagine what it would be like to have God as a literal dad in the house. The perfect parent. One who was right every time. Not overly strict and demanding and not a push over who neglects. Yet, with God as the perfect parent the prodigal left. He left the best for the inferior. He left. Are we to assume that God was partially to blame for the prodigal leaving? Had he been a better parent, the prodigal would have stayed? Is that a fair conclusion to the text? NO. Absolutely not. God is perfect, 100% of the time. We are not perfect as God is. As parents, we have made mistakes. But many godly parents are eaten up with guilt because they have a prodigal in the family. It is only made worse by the whispers, guilt, judging and comments of others. Some prodigals leave not because of the parent but because of the far country.

A third thought. Every time a prodigal returns, you and I have to opportunity to act like the father or to act like the older brother. We can accept or we can shun. That is our role to play.

Now, let’s notice two other things about the prodigals return.

When he came, he began his speech. Verse 21, the actual speech, mirrors verse 19, the rehearsed speech, except for one part. The prodigal didn’t get to say, “Make me as one of your men.” I believe he intended to say that. He couldn’t. The father interrupted him with orders for a robe, sandals, ring and a feast. These were the signs of acceptance. Servants didn’t where sandals, sons did. Servants didn’t wear the best robe, the masters did. Servants were not given the ring, a signet ring, meaning trust, ownership and rights. Servants didn’t eat the fatted calf. They cooked the fatted calf. The calf that was saved for special occasions. Two unmarried boys at home…maybe the father was saving this for a future wedding. The celebration was now. The lost has been found, the dead is now alive. The father did everything he could to demonstrate to the prodigal that all was forgiven and that he was loved and accepted. That is so important. The father didn’t lecture. He didn’t give a speech. He ordered gifts, food and feasting. Just days before this, the prodigal was looking at pig food. Now he was going to eat the fatted calf. God blesses us beyond measure.

When the prodigal came home, he was changed. He was not the same. He was not demanding. He was broken. He learned some lessons. He was wrong. Some prodigals come home unchanged. They still have an attitude. They still have the thirst for the far country. They come home making demands and threats. Those are not the times for rings, robes and celebrations. Those prodigals come home because they know mom and dad have a soft spot in their heart and more than anything, no one else will take them in. Home is their last choice. They don’t want to be there and they don’t plan on staying there long. It’s a place for a meal, a bed until they can figure out how to return to the far country. Parents make a grave mistake in such cases when they bring robes, rings, and fatted calves. In such cases, the lost remains lost. The dead are still dead. They are not interested in forgiveness, God, church or doing right. They want a bed and a meal and nothing said. They have no speech. They do not apologize. They do not say that they have sinned. They show up and expect. They show up and demand. Don’t confuse this for what happened in Luke 15. They are not the same.

The prodigal in Jesus’ story came home changed. He said, “Father, I have sinned…”

We must remember that this is a parable, a story. It is so vivid and alive that we can see it. I can see that old father seeing the son a long way off. How did he recognize him? He knew. The father drops what he was doing, I always imagined him out hoeing the garden, and he takes off running. Understand in Jesus’ day, people didn’t run much. It wasn’t an exercise thing. People ran when there was trouble. People ran to escape trouble. The old man running must have caught the eyes of the servants. You notice, as he interrupts the prodigal’s speech, he tells the servants to bring ring, robe and sandals. Where were the servants? They must have seen the father running and they took off after him. They must have wondered what is going on. What’s gotten into the old guy.

We end this piece by noticing the actions of the father. He ran. He embraced. He ordered. He felt compassion. He kissed. Genuine love. Real acceptance. Warmth. The prodigal hadn’t felt that way in a while. Dirty, smelly, hungry and nothing to offer his father other than himself, he was shown this great love.

Many of us wish we had a dad like that. Maybe your dad wasn’t the best. I was with my dad yesterday. He had surgery. We laughed, talked and hugged each other. We love each other. Not all have a relationship like that. Some don’t know their dads. This story is not about dads and sons. It is about us and God. All of us DO have a father like that—He is God. He is looking for you. Each day He thinks, maybe today is the day he or she will return. He’s hoping. He’s looking. He’s wanting. He thinks about you more than you think about Him. He longs for you to be home. He wants you with Him.

And here we are. Many of us, most of us, have nothing to bring to God except ourselves. We’ve messed up. We’ve made big mistakes. We’ve wasted opportunity. We’ve sinned. All we can say is, “Father, I have sinned in your sight.” That’s what He wants you to say. He wants you home. He wants you to follow Him. He wants you to obey Him. He wants you to be a disciple of His Son. He has the best for you.

What an amazing Father. He’s yours. He is looking for you. Won’t you come home?

Roger

Jump Start # 878

Luke 15:17 “But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!’”

We’ve come to the turning point of the parable of the prodigal son. He came to his senses. Without that, this is just another sad story of wasted opportunity, reckless living and lost souls. He came to his senses. The famine, the feeding the pigs, the longing to eat what the pigs were eating did all of that. Desperation, hopelessness, against a brick wall, going down a dead end street—all of these fit the younger son in this story.

He came to his senses on his own. That is remarkable. Many don’t or can’t do that. They get there, but they need someone to help them. It may be a comment in a sermon, a statement from a parent, a jab from the boss. Their eyes open and they come to their senses.

This reminds us that sin and irresponsible living is senseless. It doesn’t make sense. Sin hurts the body, mind, emotions and especially the soul. Sin ruins our relationship with God. Sin cripples us, enslaves us and makes us feel trapped. Often I will hear folks say, “I just don’t understand why that person is living like that.” Of course you don’t understand. You are trying to make sense of something that is senseless. Taking a life for a few dollars, does that make sense? Putting all kinds of illegal drugs in your body so you can feel different, does that make sense? Driving drunk? Getting drunk? Neglecting your family? Having an attitude because you don’t get your way? None of those things make sense. But when a person is in the corner, they turn to those things because that is all they know.

The prodigal’s revelation came from a contrast. He was wanting the dry, hard pods that pigs eat. That got him thinking about his father’s servants. They were eating better than he was. They were servants and he was the free one. They had to please his father. He only had to please himself. Yet, they were doing better than he was. That opened his eyes. What a fool he had been. What a mess he had gotten himself into.

What drew him home was his father. It wasn’t that he missed his friends at home. It wasn’t the older brother. It was a nice warm bed with a roof over your head. Those things are nice, but it was his father that drew him home. There is a lesson there. A person may want Heaven because of angels, gold street, pearl gates and living for ever. Those are nice, very nice. But it is being in the presence of God that makes all the difference. That is the drawing power.

Coming to his senses led him to what he needed to do. He needed to go home. He thought, “I will get up and go to my Father and will say to him…” That’s the plan. That’s what he did. That worked. May will recognize that they have made a mess of things but they never get up and go. They stay in their misery. They realize they have messed up home, work, friends, trust and their relationship with God. They know booze is killing them, yet they continue to stay with the pigs. They know lying killed the trust people once had in them, yet they continue to lie. They know anger got the best of them, yet they remain very angry. The prodigal got up and went to his father.

You’ll also notice that the father didn’t come to the pig pen. The father didn’t send money to the pig pen. The father didn’t send food to the pig pen. Those things would not have led to the changes in the prodigal. He had to come to his senses or there would never be any lasting changes in his life.

Parents, sending money to the pig pen because our kids are in need may be enabling them more than helping them. It may allow them to continue to roll in the mud with pigs. He came to his senses when he realized how low he had gotten. The prodigal didn’t play the victim. He didn’t blame others for not being there to help him. His choices led him to where he was.

Coming to your senses is very painful. It is seeing yourself as you really are. It is realizing that you have a problem, a real problem. It is seeing that you and no one else is responsible for the mess that you are in. It is seeing that people don’t trust you because you are dishonest. It is realizing that your drinking is making the kids scared of you. It is coming to understand that your selfish and negative attitude are turning family members away from you. It is seeing that you cannot get through the day without a drink, a pill, a lie, a lustful look at porn, an obsession with money. Coming to your senses means you need help. Where you are is not good. What you have done has ruined things. Coming to your senses leads you to God. He can forgive. He can help. He can turn you around. A servant in the house was better off than he was. The servant had food, he had none. The servant had a roof and a bed, he had none. A servant was treated with respect, he had none. A servant knew what the day would bring, he didn’t. His generous father was treating the servants well. He desired to just go home and be a servant.

He left making demands, “give me.” He returned with a request, “make me.” Make me as your hired men. Let me be a servant. You eat first, I’ll pour the drink in your cup, I will put the food on your plate and I will stand behind you and watch you eat. After you are finished, I will clean the kitchen, then at the end of the day, I will eat out in the barn. I will eat after you. I will not sit at the table with you and brother. I will serve you. That is better than pigs.

The problem many folks are in is that they don’t realize that they are with the pigs. Life isn’t so bad for them. They have grown accustomed to the smell of pigs. I knew a pig farmer years ago. Ate at his house. It took days for me to get the smell of pigs out of me. I was there for only one evening. My clothes smelled like pigs. I smelled like pigs. It was awful. He didn’t mind. He was used to pigs. Some are like that. Why improve, when they like things the way they are. So sad. They don’t see or realize how much better things could be.

He came to his senses. This brought anger at himself, shame, guilt and sorrow. What a fool he had been. What a wasted opportunity. Gone. All gone. It was never coming back. Home is where he had to be. Home is where his heart was. The far country had lied to him. He wasn’t better off. He wasn’t happy. He wasn’t having a good time. Miserable. Lonely. Desperate. Afraid. That’s the way the far county leaves a person. When he saw that, there was really only one thing to do, go home.

Roger

Jump Start # 877

Luke 15:14 “Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, so he began to be impoverished.”

We are looking this week at the parable of the prodigal son. There are several things about that younger son that we notice. He was rash, he was demanding, he seemed spoiled, he didn’t like things at home. Our verse today also shows that he didn’t plan well. He never thought about being broke. What would happen after he spent everything? He never anticipated a famine. The famine didn’t come when he had money. It came after he spent everything. They usually do.

The prodigal’s lack of foresight and planning led him to being impoverished. He was now worse off than he was at home. At home, he had a roof over his head, food to eat and security and safety. He was now on the streets. He had no one to help him. He was in trouble. His dreams became a nightmare. Things didn’t turn out as he had expected.

Famines happened a lot in the Bible. It was a famine that brought Jacob and his sons to Egypt where Joseph was able to feed them and take care of them. God sent famines in the O.T. to punish His rebellious people.

We have famines, not so much droughts and lack of food, but difficult periods of life that often come when we are “broke.” There are financial droughts when it seems everything breaks and there is no “extra” money to be found. There are emotional famines which drain us  mentally. There are spiritual famines which leave us empty and alone. Famines come. Famines are devastating.

Looking at this passage, it is easy to see a sure fix and solution to the famine. The prodigal should not have spent everything. Had he saved some he would have escaped the famine. But that is part of the story. That is a point that makes this so real and vivid. We don’t think. We don’t anticipate. We walk through life as if everything will be alright. We never expect to be downsized or the company sold and we become unemployed. We never expect the car to break down, the same time the bill comes for college and after we have made a big purchase. We don’t expect the preacher to get sick and die, or one of the shepherds to be transferred and the flow and energy of the church changes. We don’t expect, but it seems that the prudent ought to. The unexpected always happens. It is the unexpected that throws us for a loop and messes up everything that we had planned.

For the prodigal, the famine was a good thing. He didn’t see it at the moment. It led to him eventually going back home. Had he not become impoverished,  had there not been a famine, had he not spent everything, he would have gone deeper into loose living and gotten further away from home. The famine was a good thing for the prodigal. It dropped him to his knees and made him see himself as he really was—alone, broke and helpless.

The context tells us that “no one was giving him anything to eat…” No one. No friends. No compassion. No one seemed to care. No one was going to help him. The famine for the prodigal was more than a lack of food. It was a lack of options. It was a lack of support. It was being alone totally. It was being hopeless and helpless.

Today, many would point fingers and find fault with the people who were around the prodigal. We would think the farmer who sent the prodigal to feed the pigs should have at least given him a sandwich. No one. Nothing. That is the state of hopelessness. That leads to a person coming to their senses. Could it be that some never do that because there is always a parent to bail them out, a church to help them, a government to assist them, a program to sign up for, a way to keep them from reaching the bottom. So we never hit bottom. We struggle, we sink, but we never bottom out. We continue on recklessly and irresponsibly, getting by, surviving until the next famine.

It is hard to watch someone sink to the bottom. Our hearts long for better days. We reach into our pockets and help them out. And they get by. The bottom won’t be today. Another famine, another desperate time and again they survive. This is so hard for parents. Some of you have prodigals. Your hearts ache for them. You hate to see them throw away their lives with drugs, alcohol and crime. They get arrested and you get the phone call. Your heart breaks. You help them out. You give them a lecture. You invite them to church. They get by, this time. Then there is another famine. Most of these famines could be avoided it they planned better, or if they weren’t so wasteful, but they never learn. Again, parents are called upon to help out. Promises are made, but rarely kept. The parents become weary, stressed and worried. Will the child ever get it? What will happen when the parents are out of the picture? Maybe, possibly, the parents need to step back with their grown children and let them hit bottom. Maybe then they will see what everyone can see. That is so hard to do.

It is hard to pray for a person to hit bottom. We want the best for those we care about. But hitting bottom may wake up the wayward husband, the irresponsible child, the selfish wife. Rarely will you hear a prayer in church for a person to spend the night with pigs. Rarely will you see someone rejoice that a person has reached bottom. But without the bottom, the prodigal never turned. It was being so hungry that he wanted dry, hard pods that pigs eat that opened his eyes.

Three simple lessons:

1. Famines come. Be prepared.

2. Pray that God will open your eyes to see yourself as you really are.

3. We are responsible for ourselves. Expecting, demanding, wanting someone, anyone to help us is not the answer.

Tomorrow, he came to his senses. It took famines, pigs and poverty to open those stubborn eyes, but they finally opened when he hit bottom.

Roger

Jump Start # 876

Luke 15:13 “Not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.”

This week we are taking a closer look at the parable of the Prodigal son. That phrase, “prodigal son,” is not actually used in this text but the concept certainly is. It carries the idea of reckless and irresponsible living without any thought about the consequences or the future. It is commonly used of someone who has failed and came back to what is right.

Our passage today tells us many things. The prodigal had already demanded his share of his father’s estate. The father gave the prodigal his share. With money in his pocket he now has a means to fulfill all of his dreams. So much good could have been accomplished. He could have bought some property, started a business, invested it. It must have taken his father a life time to earn the estate. Instead, as our passage states it, “he squandered his estate with loose living.”

Long before the prodigal ever took that first step out of the house, the call of the far country appealed to him. The far country was much more than a country boy going to the big city. It was more than moving away from where you were born. For the younger son, it represented freedom. Away from dad and his rules. No more anyone telling me anything. It was an opportunity to do wrong, which he wasn’t allowed to at home. It was an opportunity to become vulgar, obscene and immoral. It appears as fun, but is actually nothing more than sin.

There is a sense in which the far country calls to each of us. For those away from home for the first time, especially college students, it is the opportunity to do things that they would never do at home. The far country calls those who are weary and tired of always serving. It calls those who are weak and have had a taste of the far country before. The thirst for alcohol, the lust for passion, the thrill of doing the illegal, the fast life, the hard life, the night life calls many people. Living like a rock star. Living only to self. Living like a fool.

There is more than just a call to the far country, there is also a dissatisfaction with home. Home can actually be home. It can also be the rules that we live by. It can represent our faith, our church, our family. Bored with being a house wife. Getting nothing out of church services. Dull marriages. Tied to a job that has no satisfaction. Nothing to challenge you. Same ole’ same ole’, over and over. Stuck. In a rut. Life going by without really living. The mind complains. Then the mind begins to explore ideas and fantasies. Then the mind starts to think of options. Loose living doesn’t seem all that bad. It’s better to have some fun than be stuck, the mind thinks. Before long, the far country seems very appealing. We start thinking of how we can do it. We start justifying why we have to do it. Before like, like the prodigal, we are ready to head out the door.

The heart of the prodigal was already in the far country when he asked his father for the inheritance. He had already thought about it. He was already gone in his mind. There was no staying around that place.

The same works with us. Before a man or woman moves out of a marriage, they have thought about it over and over. The mind, not governed by God, will take you to the far country. The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life has an appeal. You’ll remember, when Jesus was tempted, Satan didn’t tell Jesus to eat rocks. Rather, turn these stones into bread. Hot, buttery bread. Soft biscuits. The smell. The look. Before long, those plain, ugly rocks looked more and more like bread. That’s the far country. It doesn’t want you to see consequences, pain that it will cause others, or the trouble it may bring you. Think of the fun. Think of the freedom. Think of you. The far country tells you that you deserve it. You are under appreciated. You are not respected. No one cares for you. The far country calls you at night. It calls you when you are alone. It calls you when you’ve had a bad day. It calls you when you are driving home from work. It’s persistent. It’s loud. Once it gets in your head, it’s hard to get it out.

Our passage begins with, “not many days later…” It didn’t take the prodigal long to go. He wasn’t on the fence with his decision when he asked for his share. He already knew. His plans were thought out. This was “premeditated.” He was gone soon after he had the means.

Is there anything to do to stop the call of the far country? Are we destined to lose our young people to the far country? Like the Amish, should we just allow them to go to the world at a certain age? I, for one, do not accept that. I do not agree that nothing can be done. I do not believe that we must cave in to the far country nor that the far country always wins. Understand, the far country is not just about young people, it calls all of us. All ages. All walks of life.

Here are some thoughts:

1. The core values of right and wrong must be believed. If we just go through the motions of church, faith and godliness, then the far country will grab us by our ankles and take us for a spin. Talking about our values. Practicing what we preach. Grasping why right is right and wrong is wrong. Seeing beyond glitter and sparkle of sin to what sin does. The lost job, the divorce, the ruined reputation, the night in the jail, the withdraw letter from the church, the kicking out of the home, the lost savings, the guilt, the shame, the embarrassment, the displeasure with God, the wrath of God—these are all truths that must be seen. The Bible speaks of them. Do not look upon the wine as it sparkles in the cup, Proverbs warns us. Don’t listen to the far country. The young man walking down the street greeted by a harlot, as another Proverb presents is nothing more than the far country. The call of the far country is defeated by the call of God. The call of the Gospel must be louder and stronger than the call of sin. Teach these things. Show the folly of sin. Show the waste. Emphasize the goodness of God and all that God stands for. God knows what He is talking about.

2. There must be a deep satisfaction at home. If someone has steak at home, they will not go out for hamburger. Unrest, not content, unhappy are the cords that the far country plays in our minds. Unhappy marriages. Well, stay miserable, or, start dreaming of immoral encounters, or best yet, make your marriage satisfying. Put the romance back in it. Have a real date. Write notes. Buy flowers. Most people do not stay miserable long. They will do things to find happiness.

What about church? Do what you can to make it challenging, God centered and meaningful. Don’t wait for the preacher or the leaders to start. They may never do that. You have people in your home. You have a Bible study that is enriching and fulfilling. You go to your closet as Jesus said and pray. You go visit someone. You offer to teach a class. You are responsible for your faith, not the church. You are responsible for keeping it alive and passionate, not your preacher. What you do on a Tuesday is as vital as what you do on Sunday morning.

Not every young person going off to college will succumb to binge drinking. Not every church member in a small congregation is dead. Not every person married to a handicapped person feels trapped or stuck. No. Those folks have learned what is right and how to make things meaningful and good.

The far country, it’s calling. It’s message is on TV, radio and in magazines. It speaks during commercials and through songs. It’s speaking to you. It’s telling you that you will never be happy until you leave. It says, you must go. Leave the marriage, the church, the job, the responsibilities, the faith. Leave. The Gospel message is different. Do you hear it? Have you turned down the volume on it? Have you grown weary of hearing it?

Who are you listening to? The far country or the Gospel message? The one that speaks the loudest to you is the one that you will follow. The prodigal left because he wasn’t satisfied at home. Many are following his same steps today. Many will make the same mistakes he made. How about you? What about you?

Roger