Jump Start # 1854

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 parable of the prodigal son– one story that never gets old. It is an illustration of forgiveness. It is the Lord’s description of the nature of God. It is our story. We have stood in that home and wanted to leave. We spent time in the far country, living it up, having a great time, and far, far away from God. We came back to God. We have tasted forgiveness. We know this story.

I once edited an entire issue of Biblical Insights that was devoted to this one parable. I remember as a young preacher hearing one of my heroes, Robert Jackson saying that he had 33 different sermons on the prodigal son. At the time I thought, how can you have 33 different sermons on this one parable. Now, all these years later, I think, he ONLY had 33 sermons on this parable.

One side point that I want to look at today, based upon our passage, is understanding that people change. The young man that couldn’t wait to get out of the house, now wanted to come home. The prodigal who demanded, “Give me,” now returned with, “Make me” one of your servants. The far country didn’t live up to the expectations that he had dreamed. It never does. Certainly, it was thrilling for a moment, but that moment is fleeting, sinful and harmful. Money gone. Friends gone. Famine. No options. The crushed life today is the person addicted, expelled from school, arrested, fired, divorced and in all of this, alone, empty and without resources. For too many, this is how their life ends. A wasted life. A selfish life. A life that didn’t glorify God nor accomplish much good.

In the Lord’s story, the prodigal changed. He changed his mind and he changed his direction. He got up and came home. That’s the key. That’s hard. That involves admitting you failed. That involves swallowing a lot of pride. Many a person will admit that the booze and hard living destroyed their marriage, lost their jobs, and even took their health. But they say that sitting in a bar, looking at yet another drink. They don’t change. They remain in the far country. They never come home.

The Lord’s prodigal changed.

There are two thoughts that come with this:

First, people can change. That is the story found within the Bible. People can change. The Corinthians were immoral, thieves and pagans. They changed. Every person that is a Christian has changed. Righteous people do not become Christians. We were unrighteous.

This is the message that needs to be repeated. You can change. Society tells us that you can’t. Accept. Embrace. Change the thinking of others. Change the by-laws of the church (whatever that means). So, instead of prodigals coming home, today, the church and the world runs to the far country and has a meal with the prodigal in the pig pen. That’s not the Lord’s story. It wasn’t the father who changed. It was the prodigal.

Change isn’t easy. For the prodigal, he had to leave the far country. Get out of the environment that destroyed your life and your soul. Change friends. Change jobs. Change cities. Change habits. Not easy, but it is possible.

Second, for those of us that are at home with the Father, we must allow others to change. Sometimes we are the very ones who are declaring, “He’ll never change,” or, “It won’t last.” You don’t find the Father saying that. Not in Jesus’ story. Instead of standing on the sidelines of life, booing, believe in people and help them to change. It’s a journey. It’s hard. There may even be a step or two backward as they are trying to make progress.

Can the unfaithful husband change? Yes. Can the addict change? Yes. Can the habitual liar change? Yes. Have you changed?

What brought the change, wasn’t counseling, programs, but coming to the Father. Those other things may need to be used, but without the Father, there won’t be any change. The prodigal came home to his Father. It wasn’t his brother that he missed. It wasn’t the family dog that he missed. It was the way he knew that his Father would treat him. The servants, who were serving, were living better than he was. He was a son, yet he longed to have a life as good as the servants did. The servants lived well because of his Father. The generous, kind Father was responsible for the good life the servants lived. If he could only have that, it would be better than looking at pigs.

Trickling through all of this is the thread that reminds us that we too can change. Our attitudes can get better. We don’t have to be so bleak, negative and complaining. Even at work, our outlook can improve. The way we talk to others can improve. We don’t have to interrupt so much, nor correct every mistake someone says. We can take off the “Grammar police” hat. What we are doing in the church can get better. We can worship better. We can be more engaged and more involved. Our marriages do not have to stay the way they are. They can get better.

Underlining this great parable is the story of someone who changed. It is possible. You and I can change. Our relationship with the Lord can get better. We can know the Bible better than we do. We can pray better and more. We can walk with more joy in our hearts. Change is possible, not just for the far country people, but even for us at home. The elder brother didn’t get that. He didn’t think that he needed to change. He didn’t think that he was lost. He was just as lost at home as the prodigal was in the far country.

Both boys needed to change. One did.

I saw a survey that indicated overwhelmingly most people do not like the way that they look. We don’t like our ears, our nose. We have put on too many pounds. We are too short. We don’t like our hair. Some will spend a lot trying to change their appearance, even to the point of having surgery. But what really can be changed is the way we are on the inside. Do you like that? Do you like how you treat others? Do you like your attitude? Do you like your walk with the Lord? Do you like your home life? Do you like yourself? That can be changed. You can be a different person, a better person. Sometimes it takes a “pig moment” before we realize this. We ruin a friendship, a marriage, a relationship with our family, and then it comes out. Our attitude. Our arrogance. Our tongue. Our judgmental tone. Change. Change those things. Make things right and better.

You can change. Will you?

Roger