A Father's Response to the Return of His Prodigal Son...

This week we are looking at an event from history that is recorded for us in a section of an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. In this section of the gospel of Luke, as Jesus was traveling toward the city of Jerusalem, large crowds were accompanying Him. And part of these large crowds consisted of tax collectors and sinners. These tax collectors and sinners were people who did not measure up to moral standards of the day in a way that resulted in them being viewed as outsiders who were far from God and who were viewed as outsiders by others.            

And as these tax collectors and sinners who were far from God and who were viewed as outsiders were listening to the message and teachings of Jesus, both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them". Another section of the crowd, composed of the self righteous religious people of the day, responded to Jesus welcoming and engaging with those who were outsiders that were far from God by grumbling and complaining out loud. Jesus responded to the grumbling and complaining of these self righteous religious people by telling a parable.

In this parable, Jesus explained that there was a father who had two sons. The younger son did not want a relationship with his father, he just wanted what he could get from his father. The father responded to his sons request for his half of the inheritance by dividing up his estate between his older and the younger sons.

After receiving his share of the inheritance, the youngest son gathered his inheritance and "went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.” The younger son went as far away from his father as he could and lived a life that was as far from his father's lifestyle as he could.

Jesus then explained that, if this parable was being told today, that "after the younger son spent all the money that he had received from his father's inheritance, there was a severe economic downturn. And as a result of the severe economic downturn, the younger son ended up broke and without a job. As a matter of fact, things became so bad that the only job that the younger son could get was to work for a local casino cleaning out their garbage dumpsters with a toothbrush. And while he was so hungry that he wanted to eat all of the food that had been thrown into the dumpster, his bosses would not allow him to eat the food that had been thrown into the dumpster. So every day the younger son spent his day cleaning out nasty casino dumpsters with a toothbrush, while desperately wanting to eat the food that others had thrown away as being no good to eat."

Now, here is a question to consider: Could it get any worse for the younger son? You have burned your relational bridges with your family. You are broke and without a job. You have no friends. You are lost and alone. You have hit rock bottom. If you were the younger brother, what would you do? What could you do? Maybe you can relate to the younger brother. Maybe you feel like you have hit rock bottom. We see what the younger brother did in verse 17-20a:

             "But when he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! 'I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men. ²⁰ So he got up and came to his father."'

Jesus explained that, at rock bottom, the younger son had an “a-ha” moment and came to his senses. And as he came to his senses, the younger son came to a conclusion and a decision. The younger son came to the conclusion that his father's servants had it much better off than he had it off. The younger son came to the conclusion that his father treated his servants in a way that was way better off than he was being treated.

And as a result of coming to that conclusion, the younger son made the decision to return to his father and ask to be hired on as one of his servants. The younger son made the decision to own his selfishness and rebellion against his father in hopes that his father would take him in as a servant instead of a son.

You see, the son came to the conclusion that he did not deserve to be in a relationship with his father as a result of how he had treated his father. So the son made the decision to confess his selfishness and rebellion to his father in hopes that that his father would hire him and provide for him as a slave. And with that the son prepared and practiced the speech that he would give to his father and headed off to meet his father. Jesus then tells us what happens next in the second half of verse 20b-21:

                “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

Jesus explained that while the younger brother was a long off, his father saw him and had compassion for him. Now the reason the father saw him was because the father was looking for him. Every day, the father spent a good part of the day looking and scanning the horizon in hopes that the younger son would return home. Can you imagine looking on as the father spent day after day looking and hoping that his son would return home?

Then one day, as the father looked over the horizon for his son, in the distance he saw the faint outline of a figure. And as the faint outline of that figure came closer and closer, soon the father recognized that the figure in the distance was his son. The father recognized the familiar way that his son carried himself as he walked. The father recognized the familiar frame of his son.

And as the father came to the realization that it was his son that was coming toward him, Jesus explained that the father felt compassion for him and ran and embraced him and kissed him. You see, as the father saw his son approaching in the distance, he had pity for what his son had been through. The wear and tear of a life lived in rebellion against him was evident. The life of a lack of sleep and a lack of food caused his figure to be gaunt and tired. The lifestyle of whiskey, wine, and women had resulted in his son looking worn and weak.

And in his compassion, the father ran to the son. In other words, the father would have had to pick up the robe that he was wearing up to his waist and hold it there as he ran to his son. Now in the Jewish culture of the first century, no self-respecting man would have done such a thing. After all, to act in such a way would be embarrassing. But the father did not care what others thought; the father just wanted to get to his son. And once he got to his son the father embraced him and kissed him. The father was so glad to have his son in his arms that he did not care about appearances.

And at that point, the son began to give the speech that he had been preparing and practicing throughout the journey from Vegas to his home. 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' However, the father would have none of it, as we see in verse 22-24:

             "But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.' And they began to celebrate.

Jesus explained to the crowds listening that instead of hiring his son as a servant, the father welcomed his son home as a son. And a part of that welcome home the father ordered his servants to make all the preparations necessary so that the father could throw a huge party to celebrate that the younger son had returned home.

The father ordered the servants to prepare to throw a huge party for his son because his son who was separated from him had returned back home to live in relationship with him. The father ordered the servants to prepare to throw a huge party for his son because his son who was an outsider that was lost and far from him had been found by the father who had been searching for him.

Friday, we will see Jesus reveal how the fathers oldest son responded to the return of his younger brother...