I saw a post in social media about the Prodigal son parable in Luke 15:11-24.
A deep dive into this story really opened my heart to another incredible level of mercy and kindness displayed in this story. I can’t take credit for this deep dive, but I had to share it as it has really brought me to a deeper understanding of how much God loves us. Will we ever fully fathom his love? What a privilege when He gives us yet another tiny glimpse into the mystery of His unfailing love.
Clarification: Scriptures will be Red. Deep dive of others, not me, will be purple. And my little 2 cents worth will be Green.
Luke 15:11 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.’
Early Inheritance Demand
Equated to a death wish: When the younger son asks for his share of the property early, he essentially tells his father, "I wish you were dead". In Jewish society, inheritance was only given after a father's death; demanding it on the spot was an unforgivably selfish and scandalous act.
12b So he divided his property between them.
Shaming the family
Selling the family land to take cash into a Gentile region meant breaking ties with the family, the community, and the covenant.
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.
Wallowing with Pigs
The ultimate uncleanness: Feeding pigs places the son in the deepest state of ritual and cultural defilement under Jewish law (Leviticus 11:7), symbolizing a complete descent into heathen degradation.
At this point, this young man has deeply wounded his father, shamed his family, turned against his religion and upbringing and completely defiled and debased himself.
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.’
The young man finally realized what he had done. How low he had sunk. The abounding sin in his life. How unworthy he was for any forgiveness. He completely surrendered his pride. And in humility he repented and could only bring himself to hope for the scrapes of his father’s hired servants.
I can identify with him.
He did not identify as a son. He felt like he lost that title, lost that privilege to be called “son.” And based on the law, he had lost the title. He was undeserving of any forgiveness. He had hurt his father so deeply. Shamed the family. And had irreparably (impossibly repair) aggrieved (wrongful act) the community so deeply.
I can identify with him.
20 So he got up and went to his father. “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.
Mind you, he was just in the filth with pigs. He had no shoes. He was in bare threads.
But his father was filled with compassion.
This. Right. Here…Wow.
In his father’s mind, did he really lose his title, his place?
This young man in his filth and sin was still this man’s son.
This youngest son. Any actions, before, now and in the future, would never take away his position as a son. In his father’s heart, he was still and would always be his beloved, treasured child.
Romans 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
He did not lose his position. His father recognized him from a long way off. His father looked at that horizon every day. His father knew he would one day return. His father never lost hope.
Luke 15:3-7 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
Once he realized that the young man he saw from far off was his son, he started to run toward him. Can you imagine how confused the son must have been to see his father running toward him? Was he going to yell at him? Throw something at him? Smack him?
The Father’s Taboo Sprint
In the ancient Middle East, respectable older men of high standing did not run because tucking up one's tunic exposed bare legs, which was considered shameful and humiliating.
When you look back at your testimony, have you felt Jesus run after you? Were there times in your life where you felt Jesus fervently pursue you?
I can identify with this.
The Kezazah Ceremony
Public rejection: According to the traditional Jewish custom of Kezazah (meaning "cutting off"), if a Jewish youth lost his inheritance living among Gentiles, the local village had the right to meet him at the edge of town, break a clay pot in front of him, and publicly disown and banish him forever. The son would have returned home knowing he faced total community ostracization.
Intercepting the shunning
Instead of waiting for the village to execute the Kezazah ceremony, the father sprinted down the road himself.
What sins has Jesus personally absorbed for me? For you?
By reaching his son first, he publicly absorbed the village's disgrace.
The father got to him before the village could. The village wasn't expecting him to come back. Had forgotten about this low life. Had written him off and was glad to be rid of him. Good riddance to bad rubbish! The world does this to prodigal children. The father never does.
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.’
The compassionate father didn't even affirm or address what the son confessed. He didn't hesitate. Didn't even take a moment to scold him. He was so filled with joy that his son was alive and returned. He was lost but now found. All he wanted to do was kiss, embrace him and celebrate.
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.
He covered his son in his own robe, ring, and sandals (signs of restored status), and shielded him from exile.
There are consequences to the choices we make. There are good consequences and bad consequences.
Consequences are the result, effect, or outcome of a previous action, decision, or event.
If I put my hand on a stove, it's going to get burned.
If I suffer the pain of the burn, does that mean Jesus doesn't love me? Or has he stopped loving me for intentionally being dumb or accidentally touching the stove?
Absolutely not. When we do foolish things, or we make accidental mistakes... When we sin, we suffer the consequences. Sometimes he is so merciful, he softens the blow of our consequences. He is there comforting us through the consequences. He has a divine design to teach us important lessons that will result in growing us up because of these consequences.
How in the world did we jump to the conclusion that Jesus doesn’t love us because we suffer the consequences of our sin?
Yet, how many times do I do this? Jump to this ridiculous conclusion.
Was it God's will that you burned yourself? Of course not. Things happen. We make wrong choices.
Our bad choices; our full throttle rebellion will never result in God turning away from us.
Lamentations 3:22-23 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Psalm 13:5 But I trust in your unfailing love (merciful kindness) ; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
God will never forsake you and me. He takes that error, the rebellion, the moments we are running away from Him and makes all things, and I mean all things, work out for our good.
Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
What about when we do the right thing? The results of good consequences? If I sow in the spirit, walk in the spirit, I receive the fruits of the spirit.
Galatians 5:16-17 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Galatians 5:22-25 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit
Following Jesus has the best benefits package for us. There is a benefit to serving Christ that goes beyond getting into heaven. There are 7,487 promises in the bible. It is of great benefit to serve God. Benefits meant for us on this earth.
There will be sorrow, grief and loss. It is inevitable.
Pause and remember- we go through, not sit-down in the sorrow, grief and loss.
Psalms 23:4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley…
Every time- the benefits out way the cost. Sometimes we're going to hurt ourselves. Sometimes we didn't even mean to hurt ourselves. Sometimes in life we suffer. We're going to get hurt. That doesn't change the fact that God loves us. He loves us dearly. He loves us through the highs and the lows. God is our comforter.
2 Corinthians 1:3-7 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
Israel was in disobedience and rebellion almost the entire existence of this nation and yet God never stopped loving them. Israel is still in disobedience and rebellion and God is still waiting for them to turn back to him. He will never stop loving them.
Zechariah 12:10 “Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the house of David and the residents of Jerusalem, and they will look at me whom they pierced. They will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child and weep bitterly for him as one weeps for a firstborn.
Did the prodigal son stop being the son when he left on his escapades of debauchery?
He may have thought he was no longer the son while acting a fool.
But when he came to the wicked end, he had no other choice but to come home.
He left no room in his heart to come back as a son. But being a servant was better than the pain and suffering he was enduring out in the world.
Can you and I put to rest the idea that we somehow can lose the love he has for us?
Can we have faith enough to know that we are not saved by works but he loves us despite ourselves?
Can you and I decide to quickly repent when we screw up and quickly receive God’s grace and try and walk in the spirit?
I want to identify with this daily.
I choose to identify with this daily.
I pray you join me in identifying ourselves with this daily.
Ephesians 2: 1-10 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
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