The Parable of the Lost Son

Luke 15:11-32

• This is a story mainly of repentance and of God’s joy over a repentant sinner.

• Three Characters:

• Father – God
• Prodigal Son – Repentant Sinner
• Oldest Son – Self-righteous, Unrepentant Sinner (specifically in context a Pharisee)

• Context:

• Speaker – Jesus
• Audience – Tax Collectors, Sinners, Scribes, Pharisees
• Specifically Jesus was responding to the Pharisees’ accusation of Jesus hanging out with “sinners.”

1. Youngest son asks for his inheritance, essentially saying he wishes his father were dead. His only concern is himself, picturing the heart of the sinner before conversion.
2. He travels far off and spends his money on “Prodigal living” (Gr. dissolute, utterly debauched lifestyle). His heart is manifest in his depraved life of sinfulness.
3. When his squanders his entire inheritance, he gets a job feeding pigs (this is incredibly insulting to the Pharisees who know that the Law states swine are unclean animals. This is the bottom of the barrel for a Jew). He would gladly have eaten the pigs food (but couldn’t because it was not digestible by his system), and since nobody would help him out, Jesus is describing him in helpless despair; the place we must come to before God’s grace is poured out on us.
4. The youngest son decided to beg for mercy from his father, but his father instead ran to him joyfully, giving him the best robe, a ring, sandals, and killing the fatted calf for a celebration (See Luke 15:7 “more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents”).
1. Robe – reserved for guests of honor
2. Ring – symbol of authority
3. Sandals – restoration to sonship (slaves went barefoot)
4. Calf – saved for most special of occasions
5. Older son was angry and jealous of his father’s joy over his lost brother. This is a rebuke by Jesus of the Pharisees’ proud, self-righteous (as opposed to Christ’s righteousness) unrepentant hearts.
6. The father rebukes his older son telling him he has always had the blessings of his household but still cannot find joy in his repentant brother. Jesus was explaining to the Pharisees here that they were raised in the Old Covenant, under the blessings of God’s chosen people, but simply being in the household doesn’t make them children of God. If they were truly sons, they would be joyful over the restoration of repenting sinners.

Before I was truly converted, I always sympathized with the older son. I didn’t understand why he was rebuked for being faithful to his father the entire time and asking for a little recognition. When I finally understood my own helplessness and truly repented, I understood that the older son was just as sinful (proud, hateful, jealous, self-righteous, selfish) and I was just like him. I had grown up in church my entire life, having all the blessings of being in the family of God (like the older son), without actually being a child of God. What a beautiful story this has become to me, because of my previous confusion and how the Spirit has brilliantly illuminated the depth of meaning in this parable to me.

This is a great picture of what a conversion looks like; recognition of your utter helplessness, understanding the wealth of God available to you anyway, and turning your back on the old lifestyle coming to the Father for mercy. We must be careful adding interpretations to every detail of parables to try and prove a point. Jesus purpose in telling parables was simply to make a point within the context of the conversation with his audience at the time. Here the younger son simply portrays a sinner before and after conversion and the overwhelming joy of God in welcoming sinners to His home.

Consider your conversion story; does it parallel with Prodigal at all? Did you recognize how lost you were and ask God for mercy or have you always felt you were a pretty good person who deserves a few blessings from God? If your conversion was genuine and you truly repented, can you imagine the celebration going on in heaven when you called out to him and the party you will be welcomed to when you finally arrive in your eternal home? Oh, how I can’t wait to see everyone there and thank God for blessing me beyond belief when I don’t even deserve pig slop.

“’For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.” Luke 15:24