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March 21, 2004
4th Sunday in Lent
Luke 15:1-3,11-32
Pastor Robert Raasch

A Father and His Two Sons

1. The Son Who Ran Away
2. The Son Who Stayed at Home

The portion of God's Word that we want to reflect upon today is probably familiar to most of you. It's been called "the Parable of the Prodigal Son, or the Parable of the Lost Son." It's the story of this son who runs away from home, squanders his inheritance, and then after hitting rock bottom, he returns home to be reconciled to his father. You know the basic storyline. What you may not realize is why Jesus told this story. Jesus told this parable for the direct benefit of two very specific groups of people in his audience. One group was the tax collectors and sinners. And the other group was the Pharisees and teachers of the law.

In our study of God's Word this morning, we want to consider the message which this parable contains for those two groups in Jesus' day-and the message it still offers to you and me today. As we do that, we will discover that this parable is more than a story about one lost son. It's really the account of:

A Father and His Two Sons

1. The Son Who Ran Away
2. The Son Who Stayed at Home

First, let's consider the son who ran away. Jesus begins the parable with the words, "There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them." Tell me, was there anything wrong with the son's request for his share of his father's estate? Well, yes and no. On the one hand, it was customary in Jesus' day for a father to divide up his property among his sons. This son could expect to get an inheritance from his father. What was wrong about his request was the timing of it. The father is not even dead yet and the son already wants his money. Obviously this young man is not asking for his inheritance so he can provide for his father in his old age. He wants to spend it-on himself. And that's exactly what he does. Jesus says that "he squandered his wealth in wild living." The Greek word used there for wild living refers to a life of immorality and debauchery. He lived a life that was out of control. A life that was unrestrained. A life without shackles. A life to do what he wanted to do-what felt good. A life devoted to pleasure.

My friends, can you relate? Has there ever been a time in your life when you told your parents, for example, "Don't tell me what to do. This is my life. I'm going to lead it the way I want to lead it. I'm going to make the decisions I want to make. I'm going my own way and you can't stop me"? Or maybe it wasn't your parents you were talking to. It was your spouse. "Hey, you can't tell me what to do. Don't be questioning how I spent my money. Don't be quizzing me on how or where I spend my time. It's my life, to do with it as I please. And you can't stop me."

In fact, when we display that kind of "me first" attitude, is our rebellion strictly against our parents or a spouse? Aren't we ultimately rebelling against God? How often don't we take the love and the forgiveness he gives us and then just squander it? I go off and do what I want to do. Even though God says, "Don't," I do it anyway. In so doing, I abuse the freedom that God has given to me. I destroy the trust that God has placed in me.

Or, how about the material blessings God has placed into our hands? How often don't we do exactly what this younger son did? We say, "Okay, now this is my money. So I'm going to spend it on the things I want. Fast cars, fast women, good times. My pleasure. My fun. My prestige. I don't care about what my father needs, or what he wants. I only care about me."

Well, here in our text, what did that attitude achieve for this young man? Nothing but trouble, right? Jesus tells us that after the son had spent all he had, then a famine hit. And the young man began to "be in need." Boy, there's an understatement. He was starving to death. He was looking at the pig's food and thinking, "What I wouldn't give to have a bowl full of that!"

My friends, do you see the parallel in your life? Sometimes, when we are determined to go our own way, when we waste what God has given us, then God allows a "famine" to strike. Maybe we're fired from our job, or we end up in divorce court, or we get kicked out of the house. Suddenly, we're hurting. Maybe financially. Certainly, hurting emotionally. We're feeling empty. We're feeling lost. We begin to realize that the good things we once had, be it peace, contentment, joy, fulfillment-they're all gone. We've lost them. And what's worse, we're afraid that we have no one to blame but ourselves.

When we find ourselves in that situation, we have one of two choices. We can deny our guilt and stubbornly stick to the path that got us where we are. Or we can do what the young man in our text did. He acknowledged his guilt. He said to himself, "I will go back to my father and say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.'"

Brothers and sisters, isn't that the course of action that God calls us to take? God invites us to come clean, to say, "God, I blew it. That "attitude" I displayed about my freedom, my possessions, my pleasure-that was sin. I was rebelling against you. I was thumbing my nose at your love for me. I'm not worthy to be called your child. Make me like one of your slaves."

When we come to that sincere recognition of our sins, then how does God deal with us? In effect, the same way the father here in our text dealt with his son. Notice that even while the son is still a long way off, the father sees him, and is filled with compassion for him. He runs to meet his son and throws his arms around him. There is no talk of making the son pay for all the grief he had caused his father. The father is not about to turn the prodigal into a slave. Instead, the father immediately reinstates him as a son, dresses him in the finest robe, puts a ring on his finger, and prepares a banquet in his honor.

Remarkably, isn't that what our heavenly father has done for prodigals like you and me? No matter how far we've wandered, no matter how self-centered we've shown ourselves to be, still our Father stands waiting, waiting to throw his arms around us. Waiting to dress us in the robe of Christ's righteousness, waiting to put a ring on our finger to show that we are truly his children. That's the kind of God you have-a God who will forgive you as many times as it takes, no questions asked, no strings attached, no payment required. That's the love which God has for you in Jesus Christ.

Certainly, that kind of unconditional love for the lost and wandering sinners is of great comfort to us. It's what allows us to come clean and confess our sins to God. And yet, amazingly the Devil can turn that same unconditional love for sinners from a source of comfort to a reason for resentment. I mean, isn't that what happened here in our text? Let's turn our attention from the first lost son to the one we might call the second lost son, namely, II. The Son Who Stayed at Home.

You heard what happened. When the father welcomes home his wayward son and throws a party for him, how does the older brother react? "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'

Can you relate to what this fellow is saying? He's saying, "Wait a minute, Dad. This isn't fair. I've been working my tail off for you all these years and you never rewarded me. And now, this good-for-nothing brother of mine finally wanders in the door-and you're treating him like royalty. Man, that's just not right. I'm the one who deserves to the attention, not him."

My friends, do you realize who this older brother is? When Jesus originally told this parable, this older brother represented the Pharisees, the ones who figured that they had been faithful to God all their lives, the ones who resented the fact that Jesus was openly welcoming "sinners and tax-collectors" into the church.

And yet, Jesus' words have application for more than just the Jewish leaders of his day. Don't they also have application in our day as well? I think there are at least two ways that we can find ourselves standing in the older brother's shoes. One is when we begrudge God's grace to others. That is, we look around and see someone whose past leaves a lot to be desired, maybe someone who has a grimy reputation, and we think to ourselves, "Man, what is she doing here? Or, who does he think he is-acting like he belongs here? Isn't that "older-brotherism?"

Or, let's bring it a little closer to home. Maybe somebody hurts you with something they said or did. And then they realize what they have done and ask for forgiveness from God and receive it. And then they come to you and ask for your forgiveness. But you say, "Oh, no, it's not that easy. You've hurt me too many times. I'm not just going to treat you like nothing happened. You have to do something to make up for what you've done."

But what are we doing? Aren't we playing the older brother? We're resenting the forgiveness our father has extended to the repentant son. We're saying, "God may have forgiven you-but I won't. Ooh, look out! That unforgiving attitude will separate you from God as fast as it separated this son from his father!

But there is another way that we are tempted to be the older brother. And that's in the attitude this son had about himself. Did you hear what he said to his father? "Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your order. You never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends." In other words, "Dad, you owe me-for my obedience."

Hmmm. Who of us has never thought, "C'mon, God. I've been working my whole life to be a good, God-fearing Christian. I go to church, I say my prayers, I put my money in the offering plate. I think you owe me something. I should receive some kind of reward for being faithful to you. I think you should do this for me, after all I've done for you."

Wait a minute. That's Pharisaism. That's saying, "God, I've earned your favor by my obedience." But that attitude is just as damning as the unforgiving heart. My friends, let's remember, a just God doesn't owe us anything for our obedience except condemnation. But instead of condemning us for our less-than-perfect obedience, he has forgiven us. He has made us his children. He has given us the keys to the kingdom. He has said to us what the father said to his son, "my son…everything I have is yours." God wants us to see all that he has given us as a free gift-so that we neither take it for granted, nor resent when it's also given to others.

My friends, as you look back on this parable, you maybe see yourself being a little like one brother or the other. Or, if you're like me, you see yourself being a little of both. Each son leads you to see and confess something ugly about yourself. And yet, I pray that you see far more than the sins of the sons. I pray that you see the incredible, the unshakable love of a father. Yes, the love of your Father. Your heavenly Father. The Father who sought you and found you and now has made you his own, in Jesus Christ. Amen.