Jump Start # 875

Luke 15:11-12 “A certain man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them.”

A good friend of mine preaches in Michigan. He grew up hearing me preach. He is currently doing a series of lessons on the prodigal son. He asked me recently, how many sermons I have on the prodigal son. He said, “growing up it seems like your were always preaching on the prodigal son.” It is my favorite parable. I have a collection of books just on the prodigal son. All of that got me to thinking about how many Jump Starts I have written on the prodigal son. To my amazement, not very many. So, this week, we will look at the Prodigal Son.

First, the big picture. This parable is the last of three parables in Luke 15 that are an answer to the Pharisee’s charge that Jesus ‘receives sinners and eats with them.’ He could have easily said, “Yes, I do.” Instead, he used the opportunity to explain the forgiving nature of God. Three parables: lost sheep, lost coin and lost sons. In many ways, this is not three separate parables but one lesson with three points.

Second, the parable of the prodigal son is about the father not the prodigal. Without the father, there is no story. The father is the hero. The father is who the emphasis is upon. Jesus is showing us what God looks like through words. He is nothing like most thought. God was not mean. God was not one to hide from like Adam and Eve did. He was not one to run away from the like Jonah, and in this account, the prodigal did. God is generous. God is forgiving. God accepts after we have made a mess of things. God is what this parable is all about. The Pharisees could not understand why Jesus was surrounding himself with what they considered the ‘losers in life.’ Their thinking revealed that they did not understand God. There is a powerful point right there. A person can be religious and worship often, but not understand God. They may even think that they have God all figured out and that God is on their side, when in fact, they show that they do not know God. The image Jesus drew is not the one that the Pharisees would have drawn. We must wonder if we are doing the same? Is the image we have of God the same as revealed in the Bible? Have we made God tolerant of sin? Have we made God lax with His own words? Have we made God one of the buddies? Or, on the other hand, do we view God with His spiritual radar gun pointed right at us?

Third, we love this parable. Whenever I teach a class on the parables and ask the students what is your favorite parable, this one is always the tops. Any more, I ask, what is your favorite parable AFTER the prodigal son? This parable, as it should, brings us into the story. We see ourselves there. We have walked out of the house and followed the temptations of sin and made a mess of things. We have stood outside, upset with others and refused to forgive. We are there in this parable. This is why the words are so alive when we read it.

Fourth, when Jesus first spoke this parable, most in the audience, especially the Pharisees, that He was answering, would not have liked this. This was not good words to them. You can almost see some in the audience shaking their hands in disgust or even booing Jesus. They must have thought, what a terrible story. No Jewish son would have been so bold as to demand his inheritance before his father’s death. No Jewish father would have given it. Then for that boy to go and waste the inheritance on loose living shows poor training and up bringing. Then for him to work for a Gentile pig farmer, an unclean animal under Jewish law, would violate all reason and faith. Most fathers would cut their sons off at that point. Then for the boy to desire pig food, the most vile of animals, would be beyond belief. Eat dirt before you eat pig food! Then this same boy comes home and the father rushes out to greet him, embraces him and shows him with gifts. The audience would have thought what a weak and spineless father.  They would have hoped to see the father beat the son or reject the son. The audience is hating this story. Then Jesus gets to the older brother. He is angry and refuses to go in and participate with his brother. He doesn’t even acknowledge a relationship. He tells the father that the prodigal is “your son,” not ‘my brother.’ The audience would have perked up. They would have expected that this is the hero of the story. The older brother is finally the only one who is doing things right. Then, as Jesus so often does, he closes the door on the Pharisees. He shows that that they are so unlike the Father in Heaven. He rushes to the sinner, and they avoid. He embraces and they shun. He loves and they hate. They are nothing like the God that they were trying to serve.

A masterpiece of a story. Brilliant! Full of emotion, with layers of lessons. We will continue more of these.

What image of God comes to your mind when you pray to Him? What does God look like? We often act like these Pharisees. Some of us, when we have made terrible choices in our lives, feel like God will have nothing to do with us, He won’t forgive us, so we remain in the pig pen of sin. God wants us home, but we won’t go because we fear Him. This story ought to help. It ought to open our eyes to the nature of God. He wants you home. He wants all his children home. Home is where we belong. What God offers is so much better than what the world offers.

What is God like? What does God look like? This story shows us.

Roger