Luke 15

Luke 15:1

“Those who have ears to hear, listen up,” Jesus saidand the publicans and sinners did just that. The Pharisees and the guests of honor didn’t gather quite as closely. It was the sinners who responded to Him.

Luke 15:2

Even though they didn’t know what they were saying, the enemies of Jesus often shared profound insights about Him… “He saved others, but Himself He cannot save,” they said as Jesus hung on the Cross (Mat_27:42). How true. If He had saved Himself, He could not have saved me. “It is expedient that one man die for the nation” (Joh_18:14). Although Caiaphas meant it was better that a “rabble-rouser” die than that the whole nation be bludgeoned into submission by the Romans, he unknowingly spoke propheticallyfor Jesus did indeed die not for a nation, but for the whole world. “He receives sinners,” scoffed the scribes and Pharisees in an attempt to put Jesus down. But what a marvelous truth. He does indeed receive sinners. The religious community might reject me, high society might refuse mebut Jesus Christ will always receive me. In Eastern culture, it was believed that a mystical union took place between those who broke bread or shared a meal together. Seen in this light, Communion takes on an entirely new significance.

Luke 15:3

It is in response to the charge that He received sinners that Jesus gives the following parable. Oftentimes, we view this parable as being threethe first dealing with a lost sheep, the second with a lost coin, and the third with a lost son. But notice that the word “parable” is singular. It is one parable with three aspects, one symphony with three movements, one song with three stanzas… The shepherd of the first stanza speaks of the Son. The woman in the second stanza speaks of the work of the Spirit. The father in the final stanza speaks of the Father heart of God. Perhaps no debate has been more central to our faith than that of divine sovereignty vs. human responsibility. In the mid 1500s, John Calvin came on the scene as a strong proponent of the exclusive role of divine sovereignty in salvation. That is, that man is depraved and hopelessly lost. Therefore, the Lord chooses him apart from anything he can do. Jacobus Arminius disagreed. A contemporary of Calvin, he believed man’s responsibility was definitely a factor in his salvation. After all, hadn’t Jesus said, “Come unto Me”? Therefore, Arminius maintained, each person must make his own decision whether to be part of the kingdom. An extreme Calvinist would never feel a need to witness. An extreme Armenian would be vulnerable to pride. So what is the answer? In this single parable, both positions are taught. Hopelessly and helplessly lost, the sheep and the coin are sought by the shepherd and the woman. But in the story of the prodigal, it is the son who decides to turn toward his father. Consequently, when people ask where I stand on the issue of God’s sovereignty versus man’s responsibility, I usually say, “Where do you stand?” And when they tell me, I say, “I’m with you, brother.” You see, because there are convincing scriptural arguments for both sides, I spent a lot of time trying to reconcile these two positions. But then the Lord reminded me that, because He’s bigger than me, He never asks me to reconcile seemingly contradictory positions. He never asks me to figure them out. He just asks me to take them into marvel that He chose me as well as to be eternally grateful that He provided a way for me to choose Him.

Luke 15:4

The shepherd didn’t leave the ninety-nine sheep helpless and defenseless, for in those days, when night fell, shepherds would bring their flocks together into one area wherein all of the shepherds would watch the combined flock. The next day, they would take their individual flocks into separate feeding areas. How did they separate the sheep? Each had a different song, chant, or call that their own sheep recognizedeven as Jesus alluded in Joh_10:4.

Luke 15:5

What was on the shoulders of our Shepherd? A wooden Crossfor not only did He go out and find us, but He Himself became a Lamb to be sacrificed for us.

Luke 15:6

“Celebrate with me,” says the shepherd. “I’ve found the sheep which was lost.” Sheep are so dumb they can’t even find their own food or get to water nearby. They wander aimlessly and get mixed up so easily. How right the Lord was in likening us to them (Mat_9:36).

Luke 15:7

When someone gets saved, there is great celebration. If that be the case, you may wonder, Why not give more reason to celebrate by wandering off every so often? To answer this, consider the prayer of another shepherd: “Make me to hear joy and gladness that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice” (Psa_51:8). You see, if a lamb wandered away habitually into areas that could be potentially destructive, the shepherd would break its legs. Then, after carefully setting the bones, he would carry the lamb on his shoulders while the bones mended. When the lamb was healed, so close did it grow toward the shepherd that from that time on, it would never leave his side.

And therein lies the reason for not wandering away. Every time you think a particular sin isn’t so bad, think “crack, snap, pop” because that’s what will happennot because the Lord is vindictive or angry, but because He wants to save us from danger and damnation. If, like me, you’ve had a few broken bones on your journey, you too are learning to say, “Lord, I want to stay right next to You every step of the way.”

Luke 15:8

To explain the seeming panic over the loss of a single coin, it must be understood that in Hebrew households of the time, when a woman was first married, she would string ten coins together and wear them across her forehead as a public announcement of her marriage. Because it sometimes took years to save these coins, losing one would be similar to losing the diamond out of one’s wedding ringa loss not only because of the monetary value, but because of the sentimental value. A lost coin is worthless. It’s only in someone’s hand that it becomes valuable. The same is true of people. “Give Me a coin,” Jesus said when asked about taxes. “Whose image is on this coin?” “Caesar’s,” came back the reply. “Then give it to Caesar,” Jesus said. “Whose image are you made in?” Obviously, the answer is God’s. But if a person is lost, if they’re not saved, if they don’t know the Lord, although they still have valuegifts, personality, all kinds of possibilitiesthey are worthless outside of His hand. Therefore, the work of the Spirit is to sweep frantically in search of them. How? First by lighting the light of the Word (Psa_119:105). Then by searching through inward conviction. And when the coin is found, great is the rejoicing indeed.

Luke 15:11

The word “prodigal” meaning “wasteful,” it is a prodigal son indeed who says to his father, “I want goods from you but not a relationship with you.” And such were we before we opened our hearts to the Lord. Pig slop never satisfies. Be it through career, money, goods, toys, or trinkets, you’re trying to find fulfillment or satisfaction, you’ll thirst again. The Lord is the only One who will truly satisfy you deeply (Joh_6:35).

Luke 15:17

“I have sinned.” This phrase appears eight times in Scripture… “I have sinned,” said Pharaoh (Exo_9:27). “I have sinned,” said Balaam (Num_22:34). “I have sinned,” said Saul (1Sa_15:24). “I have sinned,” said Judas (Mat_27:4). Each of these men acknowledged their sin, but none repented from it. But there are four more… “I have sinned,” said Job (Job_7:20). “I have sinned,” said Achan (Jos_7:20). “I have sinned,” said David (2Sa_12:13). “I have sinned,” said the prodigal. And each repented. It’s not enough just to say, “I have sinned.” True repentance takes place at the point the sinner, like the prodigal, changes direction and heads toward the Father.

Luke 15:20

I’m sure as the prodigal headed home, he thought, I’ve sowed my wild oats and now my father is going to bring out the threshing machine. But what did the father do? He gave his son a robe for his back, a ring for his hand, shoes for his feet, and a meal for his growling stomach. Even to this day in Semitic cultures, a “sacrifice of the threshold” is made whenever someone returns from a journeyto atone for the sins he committed while he was away. So, too, the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, was slain for our sin in order that we can be welcomed home again.

Luke 15:25

Imagine what would have happened had the prodigal been welcomed by his self-righteous elder brother rather than by his merciful father. Because a lot of prodigal people are greeted by elder brothers, by self-righteous Christians, they think they cannot go home to the Father, that forgiveness and mercy is too much to hope for, that their only choice is to return to the pig slop of the far country. What a tragedy. We are all prodigalselder brother and younger brother alike. Each of the three portions of the parable presented here in Luke 15 speaks of a different aspect of sin: The sheep was lost due to foolishness. The coin was lost due to the carelessness of another. The son was lost due to rebelliousness. I have observed that virtually any sin can be categorized by one of those three characteristics: Sometimes we make foolish mistakes. Other times, as in the case of child abuse, the sins of others leave their marks upon us. And oftentimes we are intentionally, willfully rebellious. I have also observed that most people can be very understanding toward any two of those three reasons for sin, but become an elder brother regarding a third. And it’s a different third for each person. Some people see a brother caught in a foolish sin, and their heart goes out to him. Or they’ll see someone hurt by an unloving spouse and will offer help and healing to them. But when it comes to rebelliousness, all they can say is, “You should have known better.” Others say, “I can relate to the rebel. I know what it feels like to hear the call of the far country. And I can relate to the one who makes foolish mistakes. But why can’t those who are abused just get over it and move on?” Still others can relate to the one who’s lost because of another’s carelessness or to the one who stubbornly chooses to walk in rebelliousness. But they can’t figure out how someone could be so dumb as to wander off in foolishness. But here’s the Good News: The Father feels compassion for all three. Our God does not say to the foolish, “You idiot,” to the one who is abused, “Grow up,” or to the rebellious, “You’re getting what you deserve.” No, He runs to meet all three equally the moment they turn toward Him. That’s the kind of God we serve. My Three Sons A Topical Study of Luk_15:11-32 Several years ago a survey was taken of literary scholars to determine the greatest short story every written. When the results of the survey came in, 70 percent said the single greatest short story ever recorded is the story of the Prodigal Sonfor to qualify as “great,” a story must be able to be read time and time again, each time making an impact, leaving an impression. And the story of the Prodigal Son met those requirements perfectly. I have found this to be true personally, for each time I read the story before us, I see something new in it. The Prodigal Son The first time I studied this story, I related to the younger son because he showed an immaturity and an impetuousness I see so often in myself. “Give me the goods,” he said to his father. And the fatherso generous, so gracious, so wiseallowed his son his desire. So off the son went to a far country. He had lots of friends initially, but when his money was gone, so were his friends because the old adage is true: A friend cannot be known in prosperity, and an enemy will not be hid in adversity. When he tired of eating pig slop, Scripture says the prodigal “came to himself” (verse Luk_15:17). Paul said essentially the same thing when he said it was the sin within him that caused him to do that which he didn’t want to do (Rom_7:16-17). Truly, we all have experienced this, for when we are caught up in sin, we find ourselves doing and saying things we never thought we would do or say. But eventually, like the prodigal, we “come to ourselves” and we say, “This isn’t me,” as we head home to the Father. The father knew this would happen. That is why he didn’t send a check in a letter to his son, saying, “I know you’re hurting. Here’s fifty bucks to see you through a week or two.” No, the father let his son hit bottom, knowing this was necessary to draw his son back to the place of blessing and protection. Although this brings me great comfort, it also carries a real warning, for Jesus told us that we are in the Father’s handnever to be let go (Joh_10:27-29). Now, if the Lord will never let us go, why did the Prodigal Son’s fathera picture of the heavenly Fatherlet the prodigala picture of ustravel to the far country? I believe it was to illustrate “bungee theology.” That is, I believe there is a bungee cord wrapped around us, the end of which our Father holds in His hand. We can indeed walk away from Himall the way to the far country. The problem, however, is that when the bungee cord is stretched as far as it can go, it will snap backcarrying us with it. The question is not whether or not we will come back.

The question is, how hard will we hit when we do? Maybe like me, you’re learning to say, “Lord, don’t let me stretch the bungee cord. I’m tired of getting banged up.” The prodigal son hit hard. We don’t know what the repercussions were due to his journey into the far country. We don’t know what diseases and scars and pains he might have picked up. But at a certain point, he realized he had to go home.

And as he did, he began rehearsing what he would say to his father. “Give me the goods,” he demanded before leaving home. “Make me a servant,” he cried upon his return. What is your prayer? “Give me the goods"or “Make me a servant”? At first sight of him, the father did something Aristotle declared no man of dignity would ever do publicly: He ran. It’s the only time in the entire Bible where God the Father is seen as being in a hurry. And when his son drew near, the father smothered him with hugs and kissesnot only out of affection, but for protection. You see, Deuteronomy 21 makes it clear that if a son was stubborn and rebellious, a glutton and a drunkardas was the prodigalhe was to be stoned (Deu_21:18-21). Thus, I suggest that in hugging his son, the father was essentially saying, “No one is going to lay a hand on him.” “Put the best robe on him,” the father said. Whose would the best robe be? The father’s. That is how Isaiah could say we are robed in the righteousness of God (Isa_61:10) and how Paul could declare that we are the righteousness of God because we are robed in Christ Jesus (2Co_5:21). “Put a ring on his finger,” the father saidwhich speaks of authority. “Put shoes on his feet,” said the father. Servants never wore shoes. But this prodigal was more than a servant. He was a son. On his way home, the Prodigal Son no doubt thought he would get what he deserved: a beating. Instead, he got what he never dreamed possible: blessing. The Plodding Son The first time I read this story, I was amazed by the kindness of the Father to the prodigal. But then my attention shifted to the one plodding away in the fieldthe elder son. “What is the noise I hear coming from the house?” he asked. “Your dad is throwing a party because your brother is back,” answered one of the servants. “What?!” said the elder son. “I have been working faithfully and diligently, but a fatted calf was never killed for me, a party never thrown for me.” And he was angry. “All that I have is yours,” the father said to him. In other words, “You’ve been so busy trying to earn favor and merit blessing that you never had time to party. It was here for you all the while, but you were too busy working to enjoy it. Yes, your brother was caught up in looseness. But you’ve been caught up in legalismand it’s robbed you of your joy.” Gang, if you are working to receive blessing, the Father will meet you in that place and give you what you deservewhich won’t be much. But what the younger son experienced and what the older son had to learn was that the Father’s righteousness and blessing, His merriment and parties, are given not according to works or energy, but simply because of His grace and mercy. This is a hard concept for us to understand because from very early on, the fact that “there’s no free lunch” is ingrained into each of us. The fact that if we want to get ahead, we must pull ourselves up by our own boot straps is very much a part of who we are culturally. Spiritually, however, nothing could be further from the truth. “By grace are ye saved, not of works lest any man should boast,” Paul declared (Eph_2:8-9). That is why the Father is looking for people the world calls wasted and foolish upon whom He can pour out blessing and receive all of the glory. You’ll know you’re an elder brother if you find yourself angry when people are blessed whom you don’t think deserve to be. When I find myself feeling this way, I hear the Father whisper to me, “You’re relating to Me on the basis of your works, and you’ll never enjoy the party until you realize it’s all based on grace.” Who do you think became the better workerthe elder son who was resentful and bitter, or the younger son who marveled at the goodness of his father? I suggest that the son who realizes how good the Father has been to him is the son who will begin to be a servant diligently and joyfully, all the while experiencing God’s blessings on the merit of grace exclusively. The Perfect Son Are you an elder son, still trying to work to prove that God should bless your marriage or your job, your children or your ministry? Are you a prodigal son still in the pigpen? Both of their stories challenge and convict me. But this week in reading the story one more time, I saw a third Sonthe One telling the story… “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased,” the Father declared at the outset of His earthly ministry (Mat_3:17). Why was the Father well-pleased in His Son? Because His Son never sinned. He was tempted indeed (Matthew 4). But He never once sinned. Unlike the younger son, He never wandered off into the pigpen. Yet He was also unlike the older brother, for the second time He heard His Father say, “This is My beloved Son,” was on the Mount of Transfiguration at the end of His earthly ministry (Mat_17:5). At that point, having demonstrated that it was possible to live a sinless life, I believe Jesus could have launched into heaven, saying, “I worked hard. I made it through. Tough luck for you prodigals.” But he didn’t. He descended from the Mount of Transfiguration to climb the Mount of Calvary to die for you and me that we might be forgiven of our sin and carnality. Take heart, fellow prodigal; Good News, fellow plodder: Positionally, you are in Christ (2Co_5:17) and prophetically, you will one day be like Christ (1Jn_3:2). Therefore, if you’re a prodigal son, return; and if you’re a plodding son, rejoice for the Perfect Son has made a way for you to run into the embrace of your Father.