RTWW 6: The Prodigal Sons (Part 1)

Scripture: Luke 15:1-2, 12-32

1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

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11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

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13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

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17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.

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“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

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21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

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22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

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25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

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28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 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. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

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31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Reflection

The parable of the prodigal son(s) is one of the most well known parables, for good reason. I remember the first few times I read this parable, I only focused on the younger son. “What a bad son he was”, I thought to myself, “that could never be me.” When I got older, and learned about the issues with the elder son, I saw myself in his shoes. Even still, I still couldn’t really relate with the younger son, until now that is. Today will be a bit of a longer read, I’ll be really diving deep into this parable.

In order to fully understand the parable, we must first understand the audience - in verse 1-2, we can already begin to understand a little of Jesus’ intention with this teaching. He’s speaking to two groups, the tax collectors & sinners, and the Pharisees & teachers of the law. I wonder who the younger and older brothers are supposed to represent….

It’s helpful to take out your own bible and read verses 3-10, as it sets the tone for this parable, featuring two shorter parables about redemption as well. This parable gets right into the action, with the younger son telling the father to divide his estate. In ancient middle eastern times, this was an offence so great even disowning your son wouldn’t be enough. Can you imagine how your parents would feel if you asked them to provide you with your inheritance now? The younger son asking for his portion of the inheritance was the same as wishing his father was dead. Yet the father was so loving that he listened to his son, and heeded his request. One thing that I think we can actually relate with is how the inheritance is split. Most of us are either 1.5 or 2nd generation immigrants - with your parents largest asset most likely being their home. Now in AME culture, the oldest son would receive a double portion of the inheritance, so he would receive two parts while the youngest would receive one. Think about how your parents home would be divided - there would be no way except to sell it. It was the same for this parable, the father had to sell off all he had, the original greek translation was βίον, meaning life, or livelihood. He would have to sell of his land, his businesses, all that he had in order to fulfill the wish of the youngest.

This didn’t affect the younger in the slightest - only a few days later he took all of his wealth and left to go blow it all. While I used to be unable to truly relate with the younger son, I now have began to understand his perspective. The younger son, most likely not a child but a young adult, had spent all his years living in his fathers house, experiencing the fathers love, being taken care of by his fathers servants. Yet it was not enough for him and thus, he went out into the world to find fulfillment. Now when I was younger, I had always expected God to provide for me. Although I might not have gotten exactly what I wanted, I had a belief that God would eventually and ultimately give me what I desired. When that belief was recently challenged (refer to RTWW: Bitterness), I began to take my happiness and fulfillment into my own hands. Like the younger son, I turned away from the love of the father and decided to go my own way. I no longer trusted that his plan for me was good.

One thing that will always be certain about this path is that it’ll eventually come to an end. You see, unlike the father, the wealth of the son produces no dividends. Like sin, the pleasure is fleeting, leads to an unsustainable lifestyle, which ultimately results in self-destruction. Moreover, it will never fulfill you. This is the beginning of the most important revelation of this parable - it’s never about the gift, it’s about the giver. Without the father, the wealth will be and always was meaningless.

We then see an attitude all too familiar - having nothing, we turn not back to the father, but within ourselves to solve the problem. I relate far too well with the son in this scenario. After my rejection, within my ensuing season of sorrow, I tried to pull myself out of my sadness and discontent. I told myself I would just start working harder, I would lock in and never let this happen to myself again. Yet in my struggle for independence and freedom, just like the son, I failed to see how I was only enslaving myself to sin more and more. You see, the son was of Jewish descent. Working animals (shepherding) was already seen as a lowly job only fit for the outcasts of society. Now imagine working in the dirty pen of pigs, animals which were seen as unclean and weren’t even found in Jewish communities. The son was probably thinking about how stuffy he felt living under his father, how he never could do what he wanted to. How ironic that he had to work the dirtiest job he possibly could just to remain alive. This is the trap of sin - we think that by choosing to walk our own path we are living our lives to the fullest; however, we are bound to forever wallow in the mud, with no hope of escaping.

We then finally see the beginning of the son's repentance process. I find it interesting how the son doesn’t even recall the life he had, instead, he imagined the life the servants must be having. How great is the love and life under the father that even the life of the lowliest servants was greater than the life of the son. Too often we forget just how good God is and just how much he has to offer us, no, that he wants to offer us. No matter what I eat or buy or who I'm with or what I do, nothing has ever compared to the moments where I was in the presence of the father and spending time with him. Let us not be like the son and forget the lives we have as children adopted into God’s family.

Now, the son has finally come to his senses and begins to see the depth of the sin he’s in. He recognizes the sin he committed, and resolves himself to leave the life he has. Spoilers for next week, but I can really resonate with how the son is feeling at the moment. He’s not looking to restore his life, just to escape the sinful life he has. Thankfully, we know the end of the story and that the father wants nothing more to be with us. Just look at how great the cost he paid that Jesus died on the cross for us! Too often when I repent, I fear that I’ve gone one step too far, I’ve sinned one sin too many and I’ve lost my status with God. While we’ll be going over the fathers response next week, may this parable remind us of just how deep God’s love is for us.

(to be continued)

Discussion questions:

1. Apart from God, what things do we turn to for fulfillment?

2. How have you experienced the love of the father? How does it compare to when we go our way?

3. How do you repent?

4. Do you feel like a child of God?