Rev. David Holwick
First Baptist Church
West Lafayette, Ohio
February 5, 1984
The Prodigal Son
Luke 15:11-24, KJV
This parable has been called the greatest short story in the world and for good reason. It describes truths that every Christian should be able to relate to because it deals with salvation.
The story itself is easy to understand. A man had two sons. The youngest one apparently had a mind of his own. One day he came up to his father and said, "Give me my slice of the inheritance!" My mom has told me that right after she married my dad they visited his parents in Chicago. Mom was innocently admiring some porcelain there when Grandma came up and said; "Someday this will all be yours." She lived another 30 years. My mom said that's why grandmothers live forever - just to spite you.
In Jesus' day it was different. If a kid was obnoxious enough, he could demand the inheritance as soon as he wanted - he didn't have to wait for them to die. Normally you would let your parents keep control over your share but this young man had other ideas. In verse 13 he liquidated his assets and took off for the Big City. When he got there he blew all his money on wine, women and song. Then the fun stops. He had no money, then a famine hit the land. Jesus says he began to be in want. He was so bad off he was reduced to getting a job feeding pigs. As a Jew he was forbidden to have anything to do with swine because in the Old Testament they are labeled as unclean animals. Expecting a Jew to feed a pig was like expecting an American to clean a toilet. Verse 16 shows the younger son hitting rock bottom: even the pig food looked good to him. These husks were carob pods, which we make chocolate substitute out of today. So what you pay a premium price for, they didn't even think was fit for human consumption.
Verse 17 is the turning point. It says he came to himself, or as the NIV puts it, he came to his senses. Why should he starve when his Father is so generous even the servants are well-fed? So he made a resolution. His short speech is humble, honest and to the point:
"Father I have sinned against heaven (that's God) and before you, and am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants."
With this in mind, he trudged home. Things didn't quite go the way he planned. The Father saw him off in the distance and his heart went out to his son. It is significant that the Father ran to him. Running is totally undignified for older men in Palestine but his love overcame any concern for decorum.
In verse 21 the son begins his prepared speech. You should notice that he never gets to finish it - he never gets to say, "make me as one of your hired servants," because the Father has already accepted him back as a son. That is the significance of the robe, ring and shoes. These are symbols of authority and full acceptance. Slaves went barefoot - only sons had shoes. This is all rounded out with the feast and rejoicing because the son is restored. {Parable goes beyond human relationship - "Just about killed Prodigal Son."}
The spiritual lesson here is not hard to find. By nature, people belong in God's family. He made us to have fellowship with him. But there's also another truth - all of us have broken this relationship by running away from God. The prodigal's steps away from God are a vivid description of the effects of sin. He begins with rebellion and a desire for independence. Once he's on his own, things go sour. He ends up humiliated and in slavery. The Biblical view of sin is just this - it always makes you its slave.
But just as there are steps away from God, there are also steps back. First, you have to come to your senses and understand your true condition before God. One of the tragedies of sin is that it blinds us to our condition so that we think we are happy when in reality we are miserable. The prodigal had to starve before he realized the illusion he was living.
The second step in conversion is the honest confession of sin. In his mind, the prodigal outlined his sins and was prepared to face up to their consequences. What is more, he knew his sin was "against heaven" - against God - as well as against his father. If you can't face up to your sin, you are not truly repenting.
Finally, the third step in his conversion was the actual return to his father. Thinking alone did not save him. Even confession did not save him. He needed to turn around and seek God.
When we are willing to make these three steps, we find that God is waiting with open arms. The prodigal didn't try to become perfect. All he could do was entrust himself to his father's love. Life the Father, God wants to accept us as his children and give us his blessings. No matter how much you have failed in life, God is ready to take you back now, if you want to return to him.
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Typed on September 25, 2005, by Sharon Lesko of Ledgewood Baptist Church, New Jersey
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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