A Story of Two Sons

A Story of Two Sons

Also called the “The Parable of the Prodigal Son” or “The Parable of the Lost Boy”, Luke 15:11-32 NKJV.

I’ve heard many teachings on the prodigal son, his repentance, and his father’s love and acceptance of his return. Their comparison to us the sinner and GOD the Father, I’ve also heard a few on the older brother’s reaction to the return of his brother. The following is my understanding of this parable.

“Then He said, ‘A certain man had two sons, and the younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.” So he divided to them his livelihood.” This shows that both sons were of an age that if they wanted they could go out on their own and the younger son wanted to. Now the father was under no obligation to support his younger son if he left the family home and business, but he had to know that if he gave the younger son his inheritance he would leave home. Jesus’ introduction tells us two things; the family business was doing well and the younger son did not want to work when he could be living the “good life”. He might not have been lazy but he did not care about the family business and did not want to work it, he doesn’t seem to be influenced by friends because he left home and community. “And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.” We are not told how long that took.

We understand prodigal living as self indulgent or wasteful living, filled with sinful behavior.  Whatever he was doing he wasted his possessions and was soon broke. Then followed his second real life test, the one that would prove if he was his father’s son or a reprobate son. He had failed his first real life test by wanting and wasting his inheritance without earning it by supporting his family and working the family business. “But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.”

“But when he came to himself,…” we do not know how long that took, days ,weeks, months, but at some point good reasoning returned. “…he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!’” This is the critical point in this young man’s life, he could go home and expect his father to take him in and provide for him and he had no reason to think his father wouldn’t. Or, he could go home in humility and repentance which those who know this parable know he did. So he failed his first life test but passed the second. “’I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father.”

I do not remember hearing this section taught this way but I believe the important part is his recognition of the fact that he had sinned against GOD! He did not sin against his father because his father had freely given him the inheritance, how he used it was now his business. The man’s sin was against GOD because he did not live his life and steward his possessions as he knew GOD expected him to.  Remember this is a Jewish parable therefore the Jews hearing it would understand this point. As Christians we should also understand this critical point. I have heard many teaching of this parable relating the father of the sons to Father GOD, while the father reflects the love and desire of our Heavenly Father I do not believe Jesus was making that inference.  The young man’s father is just that, remember the first commandment with a promise is Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your GOD is giving you.” Also remember Jesus chastised the religious leaders for perverting it; study Mark 7:9-13 and Matthew 15:1-9. While the son owed honor to his father he did not have to go and repent to his father, but he did want to show his father that he had learned and was repentant before GOD. Part of his repentance to GOD was to show humility and to start earning his way. He knew his father would not be harsh since he knew how he treated his servants and that it would be easier than if he stayed the course where he was, so he made his decision to return home to family.

The other reason I do not believe that the father in the parable represents our Heavenly Father is that our Heavenly Father will never give us our inheritance at the beginning. When we first become a Christian we receive many things, salvation is a complete package of healing, deliverance, sanctification, righteousness, sonship; we are made a new creation, the temple of Holy Spirit, a member of the Body of Christ, but He does not give us our inheritance, He does not sent us in His calling for us, we sets us in His Church where we will learn and grow into the fullness of Christ He has called us to; study Ephesians 4:11-16. Another misunderstanding in the Church is what our inheritance is, it is not anything in this world! We do not receive our inheritance until we leave this world and enter into His Heavenly Eternal Kingdom, this earth and everything in and of it are temporary and will be destroyed. We cannot have or enter into our Heavenly eternal inheritance until we pass from this physical, mortal life.

“But when he was still a great way off his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against Heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” Wow! I have heard many testimonies of salvation that reflect this type of experience. But, that is not everybody’s experience, my wife had that type of salvation experience but many including myself did not have that kind of salvation experience. What is common in our salvation experiences is that we can all look back over our life and see where GOD was at work in our life and how He pursued us and allowed us to get to the same place that the young son got to, so that we could see our desperate situation and that we had sinned against GOD and that only He could save us and give us a life worth living if we repented and yielded our will to His.

*“And they began to be merry. Now his older son was in the field and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come and because he is safe and sound your father has killed the fatted calf.’ But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.” Our Heavenly Father has never pleaded with any of us to rejoice that a lost brother has come home! The father started a party for his returning son and did not send a servant to the field to tell and invite the older brother? Sorry not Heavenly Father like. “So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I have never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’” The older son obviously has self-righteous issues. He judges his brother without any evidence or talking to him at all. Yet he is also feeling the rejection of his father who seems to favor his younger brother. There are many in the Church who are jealous of others who resent them and speak against them. It is a misunderstanding of GOD and how His Kingdom works on earth and in heaven. I have been both the prodigal son and the jealous son, neither is good and GOD does not want us to be either. Our Heavenly Father loves us all the same, the price Jesus paid for everyone of us is the same. GOD has gifted us all differently and called us to different ministries and purposes but He does not love us differently. Our mortal and eternal rewards are not based on what we do but how yielded and obedient we are.

Remember this parable was being told to those who knew the Law and the covenant GOD made with Abraham, they understood that the father does not represent GOD, but that all three represent them. In the two previous parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin Jesus ended them with these statements, “…there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents…”, “there is joy in the presence of the angels of GOD over one sinner who repents.”, study Luke 15:1-10, but He does not say that at the end of this parable. “And he said to him, ‘Son you are always with me and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’” All three people have weaknesses found in us, believers, but not in GOD! Yes, we should rejoice every time a sinner repents and is saved, yes we should rejoice every time a back slidden believer repents and is restored. But when we have a personal, intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father we cannot be jealous of other believers, we can only rejoice in what GOD is doing in their life.

*As I was writing this section I stopped to talk with my wife Charlene, as I was explaining what I felt the LORD was telling me this morning as I read this parable she told me we had watched a TV minister talking about this parable and saying the same things I was saying a couple of nights before. She does not remember who and I do not remember it at all, I may have fallen asleep as we sometimes watch Christian TV as we are in bed. But I know that over the last several months I have thought about the common teachings around this parable and felt they were lacking in what Christ was saying. We were reminded of our personal experiences 20 years ago and brought to a place of repentance to GOD and forgiveness of others. That is the point of reading, studying, and meditating on the scriptures, so our Heavenly Father can bring repentance, forgiveness, and healing to us.