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Luke 15:11-32<\/h3>\n
11\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus continued:\u00a0\u201cThere was a man who had two sons.<\/span><\/span>\u00a012\u00a0<\/sup>The younger one said to his father, \u2018Father, give me my share of the estate.\u2019\u00a0So he divided his property between them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n 13\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cNot long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth\u00a0in wild living.<\/span><\/span>\u00a014\u00a0<\/sup>After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.<\/span><\/span>\u00a015\u00a0<\/sup>So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.<\/span><\/span>\u00a016\u00a0<\/sup>He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n 17\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cWhen he came to his senses, he said, \u2018How many of my father\u2019s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!<\/span><\/span>\u00a018\u00a0<\/sup>I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned\u00a0against heaven and against you.<\/span><\/span>19\u00a0<\/sup>I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.\u2019<\/span><\/span>\u00a020\u00a0<\/sup>So he got up and went to his father.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut 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.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n 21\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cThe son said to him, \u2018Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.\u00a0I am no longer worthy to be called your son.\u2019<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n 22\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cBut the father said to his servants, \u2018Quick! Bring the best robe\u00a0and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger\u00a0and sandals on his feet.<\/span><\/span>\u00a023\u00a0<\/sup>Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let\u2019s have a feast and celebrate.<\/span><\/span>\u00a024\u00a0<\/sup>For this son of mine was dead and is alive again;\u00a0he was lost and is found.\u2019 So they began to celebrate.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n 25\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cMeanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.<\/span><\/span>\u00a026\u00a0<\/sup>So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.<\/span><\/span>\u00a027\u00a0<\/sup>\u2018Your brother has come,\u2019 he replied, \u2018and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.\u2019<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n 28\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cThe older brother became angry\u00a0and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.<\/span><\/span>\u00a029\u00a0<\/sup>But he answered his father, \u2018Look! All these years I\u2019ve 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.<\/span><\/span>\u00a030\u00a0<\/sup>But when this son of yours who has squandered your property\u00a0with prostitutes\u00a0comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!\u2019<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n 31\u00a0<\/sup>\u201c\u2018My son,\u2019 the father said, \u2018you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.<\/span><\/span>\u00a032\u00a0<\/sup>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.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n What is striking to most readers is that the prodigal son received his inheritance while the father was still healthy. In many cases in the ANE the younger son might not get an inheritance at all. A form of this is seen in the story of Jacob and Esau. However, there was another tradition in the ANE whereby the eldest son would receive the majority portion of the inheritance and the younger sons (or sons by way of concubines) would receive much smaller inheritances or gifts, while the father was still alive. It would appear that this was the case since the father admits in the end of the parable that it is the eldest brother who will inherit the whole of what the father has.<\/p>\n My son,\u2019 the father said, \u2018you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. (Luke 15:31)<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n This was also done by Abraham in Genesis 25:5-6.<\/p>\n Now Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac;\u00a0but to the sons of\u00a01<\/a>his concubines, Abraham gave gifts while he was still living, and\u00a0sent them away from his son Isaac eastward, to the land of the east. (Genesis 25:5-6)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n It would appear that the son, although being ignorant and rude towards his father, was making a request that was not as far out of line as modern readers were taught to believe. However, the request is still an insult to the father and to the whole family. Moreover, it demonstrates the younger son’s immaturity and selfish way of thinking.<\/p>\n Never-the-less, the son finds himself in trouble once he is on his own. He comes to his senses and returns to his father. Some have wondered why the father threw the party because it was possible that the boy had not yet changed his ways but returned in selfish motives. I believe that the story might demonstrate that the party and the reaction by the father was in line with the boy’s repentance. Before the father gives a single command, the son says to him,<\/p>\n The son said to him, \u2018Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.\u00a0I am no longer worthy to be called your son. (Luke 15:21)<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n It was after this statement that the father begins the feast, knowing that his son is not just returned physically but mentally and spiritually. Although, there is a possibility that the father would have done the same even if the son was not fully repentant because the love of the father is always there even if it’s not fully understood or respected by the son.<\/p>\n Likewise, our heavenly father is waiting for His lost children to return. We have the distinct privilege, as Christians, to assist in this process. We must not be as the Pharisees were and complain like the older son. Rather we must carry the mercy and grace of the father to all that we meet. It is easier said than done, but this is our calling.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Parable of the Lost Son (Prodigal Son) Luke 15:11-32 11\u00a0Jesus continued:\u00a0\u201cThere was a man who had two sons.\u00a012\u00a0The younger one said to his father, \u2018Father, give me my share of the estate.\u2019\u00a0So he divided his property between them. 13\u00a0\u201cNot long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12227,"featured_media":14698,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2280],"tags":[1900,7265,2344,7268,7266,7507,7505,7506,7267],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14697"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12227"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14697"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14697\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nObservations & Reflections<\/h3>\n
\n![\"Justin-Holmes1.jpg\"](\"http:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Justin-Holmes1-150x150.jpg\")
In line with the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin, Jesus tells an extended parable with the same lesson in mind. However, the parable of the lost son packs more of an emotional punch. I would dare say that most Christians already know this parable well, even new Christians. It’s one of the hallmarks of our faith; that our father loves us unconditionally, even if we have sinned.<\/p>\n\n
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