The Prodigal Son

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Luke 15:1) Then drew near to Him all the publicans and sinners to hear Him.

At the end of the last chapter, Jesus had been journeying toward Jerusalem and a multitude of people followed Him.  He had been telling them what they must do in order to be His disciples, forsake family and self, and accept all trials and tribulations that came with being His disciple.  At this time, whether from the ranks of the multitude or perhaps coming out of the town He was passing through, tax collectors who were detestable to the Jews and other sinners came near to Jesus to hear Him.

(2) And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."

When the scribes and Pharisees saw that the publicans and sinners had easy access to Jesus and He cordially accepted them into His audience and even sometimes ate with them, they found it disgraceful and began murmuring among themselves about it.

(3) And He spoke this parable to them, saying, (4) "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?"

Jesus, knowing what the scribes and Pharisees were thinking and saying, asked what one of them, if he had 100 sheep and lost one, would not leave his 99 sheep and go in search of the lost one.

(5) "And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing."

Still part of His question to them, would they not rejoice when they had found their lost sheep?

(6) "And when he comes home, he calls together friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.'"

Would they not be happy about finding their lost sheep and would rejoice with friends and family that they had found it?

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

Jesus said that was the way it was in heaven, great rejoicing over one sinner who repented, more than over 99 just people who had no need of repentance.  As Jesus had said in Luke 5:32, He had not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.  Therefore, it was necessary to be where the sinners were.

(8) "Or what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she loses one piece, does not light a candle and sweep the house and seeks diligently until she finds it?"

Jesus offered another example, asking what woman who had ten pieces of silver, if she lost one, would not search diligently for the one lost piece of silver until she found it.

(9) "And when she has found it, she calls friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me for I have found the piece which I had lost.'"

Wouldn't that woman be so happy about finding her one lost coin that she would rejoice with friends and neighbors telling them she had found it?

(10) "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Again Jesus told them there was great joy in heaven over one sinner who repented, and that is why Jesus was often among sinners.

(11) And He said, "A certain man had two sons."

To further illustrate His point, Jesus began a parable about a man who had two sons.

(12) "And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' And he divided to them his livelihood."

The younger of the man's two sons asked his father if he could have his portion of his inheritance at that time, and his father did indeed divide his property and give the younger son his share.

(13) "And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living."

Not many days after the younger son had received his inheritance, he packed up everything he owned and journeyed to a faraway land, and there wasted all his money on excessive riotous living.

(14) "And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land, and he began to be in need."

When that son had wasted his entire inheritance, there came upon the land a severe famine, and the son found himself in need.

(15) "And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine."

The son went into the service of a citizen of that country who sent him into his fields to feed the swine.  This is representative of one who attaches himself to the world and is employed in loathsome activity, contrary to Godly living, as the keeping of swine was unlawful and one of the lowest forms of degradation to a Jew.

(16) "And he would long to have filled his belly with the husks that the swine ate, and no man gave to him."

The son was so poor and hungry that he longed to eat the husks that the swine ate, but no one gave him anything.

(17) "And when he came to himself, he said, 'How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare and I perish with hunger.'"

When the son came to his right mind, he started thinking about his father and how even his father's servants had more than enough to eat and there he was starving to death.

(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 am no more worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired servants."'"

He thought about what he would do and what he would say to his father.  He would acknowledge that he had sinned against God and his father also in squandering all that he had given him with debauched living.  He would confess that he was no longer worthy to be called his son and would ask that he be allowed to be one of his father's servants.

(20) "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him."

So the son went back to his father.  When he was still a distance away from him, his father saw him coming and was moved with compassion and love for him.  He literally ran to his son and threw his arms around 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 more worthy to be called your son.'"

The son confessed to his father that he had sinned against God in heaven and against his father and considered himself no longer worthy to be called his son.

(22) "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring forth the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet.'"

However, the father told his servants to bring out the best robe and put it on his younger son, and also to put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet.  The son was surely in rags and must have been barefooted.  The father wanted his son clothed in the best and with a ring that denoted dignity and the favor of his father.  This is a beautiful picture of how God receives us when we repent; He showers us with His grace and love.

(23) "'And bring here the fatted calf and kill it and let us eat and be merry.'"

The father continued telling his servants to also bring forth a fatted calf and kill it so they might feast on it and be joyful.

(24) "'For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry."

The reason for the father's joyous feast was that his son had been as dead to him, seemingly gone forever; he had lost his way, lost in sin, but had now found his way back.  For this, they began a joyous feast.  Again this is a beautiful picture of Father God and the joy in heaven over a lost soul who repented.

(25) "Now his elder son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing."

The father's older son was apparently working in the field when all this occurred.  As he came near the house, he heard the music and dancing of the joyful feast.

(26) "And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant."

The older son called one of the servants and asked him the reason for the music and dancing.

(27) "And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has received him safe and sound.'"

The servant told the older son that his brother had returned and that his father was overjoyed that he had come back to him safe and sound, so he had killed the fatted calf and they were having a joyful celebratory feast.

(28) "And he was angry and would not go in; therefore his father came out and entreated him."

The older son was angry about it all and would not join the feast, so his father came out to him and begged him to join them.

(29) "And he, answering, said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have served you; I neither transgressed your commandment at any time and yet you never gave me a kid that I might make merry with my friends. (30) But as soon as this your son came, who had devoured your livelihood with harlots, you have killed for him the fatted calf.'"

The son told his father why he was so angry and would not go in to the feast.  He had served his father faithfully for many years and never failed to do what he asked, and yet his father had never offered so much as a goat kid so that he might celebrate with his friends.  However, when his sinful son returned, after squandering his inheritance that had been his father's livelihood, he killed a fatted calf and made a great celebration for him.

(31) "And he said to him, 'Son, you are ever with me and all that I have is yours. (32) It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead and is alive again and was lost and is found.'"

The father told his older son that he had been with him always and therefore enjoyed all that his father had.  However, they should be joyful that their lost family member was now found.  He had been literally dead in sin but was now alive!  That should be a happy event for the older son, too.  Of course, this was a perfect addendum to what Jesus had said at the beginning of this chapter.  In this case the Father would not leave the one and others to find the lost one but would seem to shower more blessings on the lost one when he returned.  Although it might seem unfair to some that they could be faithful Christians all their lives when a lost soul who lived a corrupt life can come to Jesus and Father God at the end of his life and be showered with blessings, we must remember that as faithful Christians, we have always had the blessings of the Father that come with following Him.  A lost soul has never really been happy, always searching for something to fill the emptiness.  And he was destined to live eternity in hell!  We must realize that "there but for the grace of God go I."  We could have so easily been lost as well if not for the love and mercy of God.  Perhaps we were for a time and are now saved.  Because God forgave us and saved us, we should also be willing to forgive others no matter how long they have lived wickedly, and to rejoice when they finally come to Jesus.  This is something Jesus taught in Matthew 6:14-15, that only when we forgave men's trespasses would our heavenly Father forgive us ours.  Matthew Henry said it beautifully in his Commentary on the Whole Bible:

"Therefore we ought not to envy others God's grace to them because we shall have never the less for their sharing in it. If we be true believers, all that God is, all that he has, is ours; and, if others come to be true believers, all that he is, and all that he has, is theirs too, and yet we have not the less, as they that walk in the light and warmth of the sun have all the benefit they can have by it, and yet not the less for others having as much."