The Parables of Jesus

“The Parable of the Prodigal Son”

John Calvin Roy

I. Introductory Remarks…
The Parable of the Prodigal Son – Luke 14:11-32 1

In this parable, Jesus emphasized the importance of a lost soul returning to the
Heavenly Father. Jesus dealt with several important areas:

1. Rebellion – We see the young son rebelling against his father.

2. Riotous living of the son – The son living in sin never satisfies him.
3. Repentance – In one stage of sinful living, the son saw his mistake and
repented.
4. Restoration – We see that the young son returned to his father and the
father restored the runaway son.
5. Finally we see the Rejection – the son who stayed home, who seemed to
be the obedient son of his father became angry at the love shown by the
father to the prodigal son.

Here in this parable, Jesus is not dealing here with the whole gospel message
but with the one great fact of the Father’s pardoning love. This is a message of
God’s forgiving love for sinners.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

As we look at this parable, let’s look at how God the Father relates to us
personally and also how He relates to the world in a general sense, because the
world itself is like a prodigal son unto the Father.

It chronicles the process in many of our lives of what we go through before we

really come to a comprehensive understanding of God’s great love.

II. The Spiritual Journey of the Prodigal Son.

What this parable really shows us is the spiritual journey many of us go through
or went through in finding ourselves in the hands of a loving Heavenly Father.
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1. In this parable Selfishness & Rebellion are Experience.

Luke 15:11-12 Then He said: "A certain man had two sons. 12 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.
13
And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a
far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.

In these two verses we find the root problem of what made this son turn away
from his father and all that he had to offer him. He was full of self-will and
selfishness with a desire to experience the sins of youth.

In the Old Testament we see that, by faith Moses chose to suffer affliction with
the people of God rather than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.

Hebrews 11:25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to
enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,

This is the story of people who foolishly follow the lusts and desires of the world
rather than following God.

2. In this parable The Son Forsakes the Love and Security of His Father for
a Fling with the World.

Luke 15:13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together,
journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.

1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves
the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world--the
lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but
is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who
does the will of God abides forever.

This passage speaks of the lusts of the world that everyone deals with at one
time or another. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life are
all areas of temptation that draw us away from the love of the Father.

This is exactly what the son did. He went out from the covering of his father and
wasted his life and his substance with riotous living.

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3. Now let’s see how the Disaster Strikes in younger son’s life…

Luke 15:14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land,
and he began to be in want.

What often happens in situations like this is that we end up reaping what we sow.
His money ran out and then to add to the problem the country was experiencing
a famine.

 This could be indicative of the world in the last days.

The world has been like the prodigal son following its lusts, living in
extravagance, spending its inheritance, but there is going to come a day of
reckoning when it all runs out and to top it off the world will begin to feel the
effects of the birth pangs mentioned in Matthew 24 and as a result will be in
tremendous want.

Revelation 6:5-6 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living
creature say, "Come and see." So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he
who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of
the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three
quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine."

Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

4. The Consequences of Living a Foolish Life.

1 Timothy 6:9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare,
and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and
perdition.

Psalms 107:17 Fools, because of their transgression, and because of their

iniquities, were afflicted.

Proverbs 13:15 Good understanding gains favor, But the way of the unfaithful is
hard.

5. Desperation Brings us to Our Senses. And this is what happened to the

younger son in the parable.

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Luke 15:17 But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's
hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

The Son came to himself. In other words, he came to his senses. As

disillusionment set in, he came to his senses. Hardship has a wonderful way of
bringing men to face facts. The prodigal reflected on the contrast between the
starvation he was experiencing and the full and plenty enjoyed not only by his
father and brother alone, but by his father’s hired servants. Even for them there
was bread enough to spare.

Psalms 107:18-20 Their soul abhorred all manner of food, And they drew near to
the gates of death. 19 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He
saved them out of their distresses. 20 He sent His word and healed them, and
delivered them from their destructions.

6. The Moment of Decision. Finally the moment came when the younger
son had to take the concrete decision in his life…

Luke 15:18-19 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I
have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be
called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants." '

The prodigal son makes an important decision as a result of coming to his

senses. He comes to a place of repentance, humility and confession and
realizes how unworthy he is.

7. When the son returned home, we see the Compassion and Forgiveness
of the Father.

This is the beautiful part of the story. Even though the prodigal son had wasted
his life, his father was waiting to receive him back with open arms.

Luke 15:20-21 And he arose and came to his father. 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. 21 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.'

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In the parable of the prodigal son, the father ran out of his house to meet
his ran away son. Similarly, Christ also invites us to come back home and
He wants to meet us.

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice
and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

 The son confesses his mistakes. We too, must confess to God all our
mistakes and sins.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

8. Let’s see The Robe of Righteousness.

Luke 15:22 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.

 The father has the servants bring out the best robe to put on him as well
as a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.

This speaks of how he was fully received back into the family.

 The best robe was a sign of position

 The ring conveyed authority.
 The sandals marked him out as a freeman.

When we come into the arms of our heavenly Father, He clothes us with a
robe of righteousness.

Job 29:14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe
and a turban.

Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with
the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And
as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

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Zechariah 3:3-4 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing
before the Angel. 4 Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him,
saying, "Take away the filthy garments from him." And to him He said, "See, I
have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes."

When the father clothed his prodigal son with the best robe, he was saying
to his son and to all those around him that his son was totally forgiven in
his sight and his sins would not be held against him.

Psalms 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our
transgressions from us.

9. At the end of the parable we find that the father Rejoicing Over a
Repentive Sinner.

Luke 15:23-24 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be
merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'
And they began to be merry.

The father further exemplifies the heart of God when he shows rejoicing over his
repentive son.

Luke 15:7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one
sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

10. Now let’s look at The Elder Son’s Reaction toward his father and
younger brother.

Luke 15:25-32 Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew
near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the
servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, 'Your brother
has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has
killed the fatted calf.' 28 But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his
father came out and pleaded with him. 29 So he answered and said to his father,
'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your

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commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I
might make merry with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who
has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.' 31 And
he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 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.' "

The lesson here is not to take on the attitude of the Pharisees. Let’s not let our
allow our carnal attitudes to cause us to be like this older brother who was
exhibiting a pharisitical attitude towards sinners.

 We must rejoice when a sinner repents.

Regardless of a person’s past life, God has forgiven and forgotten their sin. If a
person wastes his life, don’t be critical. Show God’s love and compassion toward
them.

LET THIS BE OUR RESULATION IN THE YEAR 2020

MAY GOD BLESS US ALL

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