Luke 15:11-32

This morning's text is Luke chapter 15, verses 11 through 32.

Luke 15:11–32

So please join us there as we turn our attention to the study of God's word, Luke chapter 15.

Luke 15 · chapter mention

Now this is most likely a familiar text to you.

If you've been following along with our church's Bible reading plan, it was part of Tuesday's reading.

I hope this morning you'll be enriched by a further study of it.

Now there is a lot to be said about these verses.

I have more notes than usual, so I'm going to move pretty quickly this morning,

and I'll structure our study around the three characters.

So we'll first look at the younger son, then at the father, and finally at the older son.

I'm going to present a number of points for each of these characters,

and we'll do my best to do so in a way that you can keep up with.

But if you do have a pen in your hand and are trying to take notes,

I just want to go ahead and prep you.

Stretch your fingers a little bit.

Get ready to move fast.

So let's read our text, but for a bit of context,

I want to begin the reading at the beginning of chapter 15.

So this is Luke chapter 15, beginning in verse 1.

Luke 15 · chapter mention

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to him,

and the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying,

This man receives sinners and eats with them.

So he told them this parable.

What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them,

does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?

And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

But when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them,

Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.

Just so I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents

than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin,

does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?

When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying,

Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.

Just so I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

And he said,

There was a man who had two sons.

And the younger of them said to his father,

Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.

And he divided his property between them.

Not many days later, the younger son gathered all that he had and took a journey into a far country.

And there he squandered his property in reckless living.

And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country.

And he began to be in need.

So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country,

who sent him into his field to feed pigs.

And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate.

And no one gave him anything.

But when he came to himself, he said,

How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger.

I will arise and go to my father.

And I will say to him,

Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.

I am no longer worthy to be called your son.

Treat me as one of your hired servants.

And he arose and came to his father.

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

And the son said to him,

Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.

I am no longer worthy to be called your son.

But the father said to his servants,

Bring quickly the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet and bring the fattened calf and kill it and let us eat and celebrate.

For this my son was dead and is alive again.

He was lost and is found.

And they began to celebrate.

Now his older son was in the field.

And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.

And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.

And he said to him,

Your brother has come and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.

But he was angry and refused to go in.

His father came out and entreated him.

But he answered his father,

Look, these many years I have served you and I never disobeyed your command.

Yet you never gave me a young goat that I might celebrate with my friends.

But when this son of yours came who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.

And he said to him,

Son, you are always with me and all that is mine is yours.

It was fitting to celebrate and be glad for this brother was dead and is alive.

He was lost and is found.

The contemporary pastor and commentator John MacArthur has called the story of the prodigal son,

the greatest short story ever told.

This story has been often cited and exists in the collective conscience of our culture,

but is most often misunderstood.

I pray this morning we will arrive at a clearer understanding of its meaning.

The story is primarily told by Jesus in order to address the attitudes of the religious elite,

who Luke tells us about at the beginning of chapter 15, verse 2,

and the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying,

This man receives sinners and eats with them.

So as Jesus is being compassionate for those who would come to him in repentance,

they're upset about it.

So in response, Luke tells us Jesus, verse 3, told them this parable.

And then Luke records the parable of the lost sheep.

And then verse 8, or what woman?

And then tells the parable of the lost coin.

And then, without skipping a beat, verse 11,

There's always a great temptation to allegorize Jesus' parables,

to make everything in the text take on some complex symbolic meaning.

People do this all the time.

But we must be really careful to see here that Jesus is driving a solitary point.

He is juxtaposing the attitudes of the Pharisees and the scribes

with the rejoicing of heaven over lost souls being found.

We need to keep this in mind as we consider the story of the prodigal son.

It sits within a chapter of parables with an even larger cultural reality.

And we need to do some faithful work to understand its meaning and bearing on us today.

I want to pose the question at the outset,

In what ways are we like the older son?

In what ways are we like the older son?

Once we identify any way that we are like the older son,

we have been given reason.

For repentance.

And I pray that we'll do so this morning.

But first, let's look at the character of the younger son.

So first, the younger son.

The younger son is the prodigal himself.

All of us, in some measure, find ourselves in him.

The word prodigal means licentious or lavish,

or as the ESV says in the text in verse 13, reckless.

The prodigal son is prodigal in his sin, in his rebellion against his father.

Now, there are various stages in the history of a sinner.

This is true of the prodigal and are worth noting for our benefit.

This is especially important for you this morning if you have not believed in Jesus Christ.

But if you have believed, do not think that a careful consideration of who you once were is a fruitless effort.

This could be of great benefit to us.

It's always good to remember the grace of God to us in Jesus Christ.

To be reminded of what we were saved from makes us revel,

and I think it should make us revel afresh each time,

in who we have been saved to.

So, some sub points for you for the son.

Number one, independence from God.

Number two, indulgence of self.

Number three, insanity of soul.

And for those of us who are in Christ, right,

this journey ends, number four, with repentance and faith.

So, first, let's look at the younger son's independence from God,

this history of sin, right?

Verse 12 says,

The younger said to his father,

Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.

And the father divides the property among them.

We first learn of a man with two sons.

Inheritance in Jesus' day was governed by the law of primogenitor.

I think I'm pronouncing that correctly.

Finally, the eldest son, under this law, received a double portion of the inheritance,

which means, in the case of two sons,

that the older son would receive two-thirds of the inheritance,

and the younger, one-third.

Upon the request of his inheritance,

the father not only grants the younger brother what he asked for,

but also the older.

Notice at the end of verse 12,

And he divided his property between them.

This fact bears a great deal of significance later on.

This morning, what we need to understand about the prodigal's request

is that it was absolutely audacious.

To ask this of a father was a huge ask.

Under the law of primogenitor,

inheritance was only granted upon the death of the father.

So the younger son, in requesting his inheritance,

was wishing his father dead.

This is the nature of sin.

This is the way that sin expresses, right?

A rejection of God's good, loving rule.

We are saying to God,

We wish you were dead.

Pastor John Piper wants to find sin like this.

You may have heard this before.

It's greater when he says it,

but he defined it this way.

The glory of God not honored.

The holiness of God not reverence.

The greatness of God not admired.

The power of God not praised.

The truth of God not sought.

The wisdom of God not esteemed.

The beauty of God not treasured.

The goodness of God not savored.

The faithfulness of God not trusted.

The promises of God not believed.

The commandments of God not obeyed.

The justice of God not respected.

The wrath of God not feared.

The grace of God not cherished.

The presence of God not prized.

The person of God not loved.

We can observe the prodigal's expression of sin

in the very first sin found in Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

and in every sin ever since.

Sin expresses a desire for God to be dead.

We once sought independence from God

just as the prodigal son desired independence

from his father.

And this should be an absolute shock to us.

The fact that this son would ask that his father be dead

that he would get his inheritance should shock us.

In a culture where honor was massively important

and the fifth commandment, honor your father and mother

was not only part of the moral law

but also the judicial,

this request was more than just a little scandalous

for Jesus' hearers.

Let me read to you quickly from Deuteronomy chapter 21.

Deuteronomy 21 · chapter mention

This is the judicial part of the fifth commandment.

If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son

who will not obey the voice of his father

or the voice of his mother

and though they discipline him,

will not listen to them,

then his father and his mother shall take hold of him

and bring him out to the elders of his city

at the gate of the place where he lives.

And they shall say to the elders of this city,

this our son is stubborn and rebellious.

He will not obey our voice.

He is a glutton and a drunkard.

Then all the men of the city

shall stone him to death with stones.

So you shall purge the evil from your midst

and all Israel shall hear and fear.

So they took this kind of rejection of fatherly care

very seriously.

Insolence was a serious infraction.

And while the instruction of Deuteronomy chapter 21

Deuteronomy 21 · chapter mention

was very rarely followed,

a son like the prodigal

would be publicly shamed and disowned.

The father may not have gone so far

as to stone his son,

but he would have publicly shamed him

and disowned him.

Here, however, the father divides his property

between his sons.

Now we've done this very thing

in our willful rebellion against God's good instruction,

whether found in the pages of scripture

or in the law written on our hearts,

we have all rebelled against God

and wished him dead.

We have all sought independence

from our good father.

We have all wanted ourselves

to be gods

and we all deserve to be shamed.

Secondly, for the son,

the younger son,

indulgence of self.

So verse 13 says,

not many days later,

the younger son gathered all he had

and took a journey into a far country

and there he squandered his property

in reckless living.

And so the son leaves,

which appears to have been his plan,

as Jesus states,

not many days later.

The son would have liquidated his inheritance

into transportable cash.

So he sold off land.

He sold off livestock.

Recall that Jesus is speaking

to a Jewish audience.

So the statement that the son took a journey

into a far country

would have been understood

to be a journey to Gentile lands.

To Jesus' listeners,

there's a compounding audacity of the son

going to live among unclean people

to carry out unclean motives.

In their minds,

this son is not a forgivable son.

He is doing something above and beyond

offensive to his father.

He takes the inheritance

that the father granted him

and he spends it on himself.

He spends it on his desires.

He does not seek to do good,

but rather indulges his every whim.

He spends it in reckless living.

The sinner indulges in self.

The sinner seeks their own pleasure,

not the glory of God

or the good of their fellow man.

And beloved,

we have all been selfish in this way.

Paul writes to Titus

in Titus chapter three and verse three,

for we ourselves were once foolish,

disobedient,

led astray,

slaves to various passions and pleasures,

passing our days in malice and envy,

hated by others

and hating one another.

The next stage in this history of sin

in the younger son's life

is number three,

insanity of soul.

We see beginning in verse 14

and down through 16

that after he'd spent everything,

spent all of his inheritance,

a famine arose

and he's in need.

So he hires himself out

to be a keeper of pigs

and he has nothing to eat.

He longs to eat the food

that the pigs are eating.

Jesus next tells his hearers

that the young man spent

all of his inheritance

and found himself

in a desperate spot

as the land entered

into a famine, right?

The pleasures of sin are real,

but they are temporal

and they are fleeting.

The prodigal experienced

the temporal pleasure of sin

in a very stark way.

He ventures rapidly

from reckless living

to abject poverty.

His sin placed him

in a dreadful spot.

If you have not believed in Christ,

I pray that you would repent

and believe

before you find yourself

in such a place.

The prodigal becomes

a keeper of pigs,

which would have been

additionally shocking

to Jesus' Jewish hearers

as the pig was an unclean animal.

The prodigal is further

forsaking his father

and his nationality

and he has become

so desperately hungry

that he desires

to eat something

that can never satisfy.

Jesus said he was longing

to be fed with the pods

that the pigs ate.

These pods would have been

carob pods,

which was a hardy plant

that produced tough,

leathery pod shells

with hard beads.

They're barely digestible

for pigs

and they're not digestible

for humans,

although I've been informed

that they can be ground

into something

that kind of replaces

cocoa powder,

so sort of,

but I don't think

he had a food processor

on hand with him.

This is the way of sin.

Seeking to be satisfied

with that

which will never satisfy.

This is insanity

of the soul

and this is people

before they're regenerate,

before they find

their joy and satisfaction.

In Christ,

seeking satisfaction

with things

that will never satisfy.

We are offered

abundant satisfaction

in relationship

with God,

but we turned

to worthless things.

Jeremiah chapter 2,

Jeremiah 2:12

verse 12 and 13,

Be appalled,

O heavens,

at this.

Be shocked,

be utterly desolate,

declares the Lord.

For my people

have committed

two evils.

They have forsaken me,

the fountain

of living waters,

and hewed out cisterns

for themselves,

broken cisterns

that can hold

no water.

Paul expresses the same

in Romans chapter 1,

Romans 1:21

verse 21 and 22.

For although they knew God,

they did not honor him

as God or give thanks

to him,

but they became futile

in their thinking

and their foolish hearts

were darkened.

Claiming to be wise,

they became fools.

Christian,

you have been delivered

from such utility

by the grace of God.

Rejoice in him

and remember

you have been delivered

and spared from.

If you have not placed

believing faith

in Jesus Christ

this morning,

take a moment

to consider the prodigal

and his desperate state.

He surely would have died

had he stayed

in that state.

Jesus concludes

this portion of the text

with a statement

and no one gave him anything.

He had left the goodness

of his father's house

to find himself

desperately lost

in a foreign land.

If you were not

in Christ this morning,

whether you recognize it

or not,

you find yourself

in the very same state.

Charles Spurgeon

once said,

if you must play the fool,

take some lighter things

to trifle with

than your souls

and your eternal destinies.

Shut yourselves up

alone for a while.

Go through the matter

steadily.

Lay it out in order.

Make a plan of it.

See where you are going.

Think over the way

of salvation,

the story of the cross,

the love of God,

the readiness,

of Christ to save.

So fourthly,

for the younger son,

we see repentance

and faith.

Verse 17

and following,

but when he came

to himself,

he said,

how many of my father's

hired servants

have more than enough bread,

but I perish here

with hunger.

I will arise

and go to my father

and I will say to him,

father,

I have sinned against heaven

and before you.

I am no longer worthy

to be called your son.

Treat me as one

of your hired servants.

Praise God

that the prodigal

of Jesus' story

does not stay

in this desperate state,

but Jesus says

he came to himself,

that he returned

to his right mind.

He recognized

the goodness

of his father.

He remembered

that even his father's

hired servants

had more than enough bread

and that he was

being foolish

to stay where he was

and perish

with hunger.

So he makes a plan.

He decides to go back

to his father,

humbly admitting

the error of his way,

saying,

I have sinned

against heaven

and before you

and being willing

to live once again

under his father

good instruction,

not as a son

this time,

but as a servant.

The prodigal

turns from his wickedness,

the foolish error

of his way.

This is called

repentance

and he turns

to his father,

believing that his father

will be good to him.

This is the prodigal's

faith.

We will see next

the loving kindness

of the father

toward the son

as he repents

and believes.

We will see that

as the son returns

in repentance and faith,

the father becomes

humble himself

in order to love his son

and to spare him

from his deserved punishment.

The father takes

on the son's shame

to restore him

to sonship

and there is

much rejoicing.

Dear listener,

if you have not

humbled yourself

before God,

recognize that you

have sought

independence from him,

that you have lived

in a state

of indulgence

of self,

that if you are

not already there,

you are at risk

of an insanity

of your soul.

My plea to you

this morning is

flee to Christ.

Let this day

be a day

of repentance

and faith,

that there will be

a great rejoicing

in heaven

over the salvation

of your soul.

So let's look now

at the father.

The sub points

for the father

are as follows.

First,

the compassion

of the father.

Second,

the son interrupted

and restored.

You could say

the interruption

of the father.

And third,

the celebration

of the father

and his servants.

So first,

the compassion

of the father.

The beginning

of verse 20 says,

and he arose,

the younger son,

arose and came

to his father.

But while he was

still a long way off,

his father saw him

and felt compassion

and ran

and embraced

and kissed him.

A father

with this kind

of wealth

would have had

both a home

in the country

and a home

in town.

Right?

Most likely,

the home in the country

would have been

the larger home

and the place

where they stayed

more often,

but would have

come into town

to deal with

matters of business

or attend a celebration

or would have

had a home there

also to stay in.

But here we find

the father

in the townhome.

He is expectant

and he is watching.

He is eagerly awaiting

the return of his son.

And when he sees him

from a long way off,

Jesus tells us

that he felt

compassion for him.

Customarily,

a son such as this

would have returned

and been forced

to sit outside

of the gate

to his father's house

and endure

the ridicule

of the town.

But Jesus says

that the father

felt compassion.

The Greek word

used in the original text

is stronger

than just a momentary

feeling of affection,

but speaks

of a deep love,

a visceral,

a guttural love.

This is a father

who would have done

anything

for this son.

Psalm 103,

Psalms 103:13

verse 13

speaks of our

heavenly father

as a father

shows compassion

to his children.

So the Lord

chose compassion

to those

who fear him.

And this father

in the parable

upon seeing him

and feeling compassion

runs to him.

Men of wealth

in this day

did not run.

Boys ran

to play.

Servants ran

because they were

told to.

Men of wealth

had people

who ran

for them.

In order for the father

to run,

he would have

had to

pull his robe

up to his knees,

gird up his loins

is a phrase

you may have

heard before.

And this was not

a dignified thing

for the father

to do.

So just imagine,

right,

again,

a parable,

but in this setting,

this wealthy man

in his town home

and the city

is seeing

what's going on,

right?

They're seeing

the son

coming from

a long way off.

They're anticipating

that this father

is going to shame

this son,

right,

who rejected him

as the father.

And what they see

instead,

right,

is a man

who shames himself,

right,

picks up his robe

to race

outside of the town

and to meet

the son.

Like the father

of Jesus' parable,

God humbled himself,

became a man,

and suffered

and died

in our stead.

Hebrews 12,

2 states

that Jesus

endured the cross,

despising

the shame.

In Philippians 2,

Philippians 2:6

verse 6

and following,

says Jesus,

who though he was

in the form of God,

did not count

equality with God

a thing to be grasped,

but emptied himself

by taking the form

of a servant,

being born in the likeness

of men

and being found

in human form,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient

to the point of death,

even death

on a cross.

And so,

I do believe

that we are meant

to see

the kindness

of the father

in the person

and work

of Jesus Christ.

So,

the parable,

certainly the father

could be considered

God the father,

but how did he accomplish

his humility?

Well,

through Jesus.

So,

I think Jesus

is the father

in the text,

showing this love

and compassion

for a wayward son.

So,

he runs to him

and then he embraces him

and he kisses him.

He fell on his neck

and kissed him

repeatedly.

John MacArthur

says of this

phrase,

the prodigal

came home

prepared to kiss

his father's feet.

Instead,

the father

was kissing

the prodigal's

pig-stinking head.

What a picture

of compassion,

loving kindness

towards this son.

But the father's

compassion

did not stop there.

We see,

secondly,

the son

interrupted

and restored.

And the son

said to him,

Father,

I have sinned

against heaven

and before you.

I am no longer

worthy to be called

your son.

And that's where

his speech stops.

And this is a variance

on his planned speech.

If you look at the

end of verse 18,

he says,

Father,

I have sinned

against heaven

and before you.

I am no longer

worthy to be called

your son.

And then he says,

treat me as one

of your hired servants.

So,

he's interrupted,

right?

He has rehearsed

this speech.

He has likely

said this over

and over

and over

in his head

as he has

journeyed home.

And he doesn't

get the last

sentence out

because the father

interrupts him

and says to his

servants,

bring quickly

the best robe

and put it on him

and put a ring

on his hand

and shoes

on his feet.

Now,

the best robe

was an extremely

significant article

of clothing.

Every wealthy man

would own

an ornate robe

made of the

finest fabric

that were reserved

for the most

special of events.

This was a robe

that the owner

wouldn't wear

to another child's

wedding.

So,

it wasn't even,

the other child's

wedding wasn't

worthy of it,

but only to the

weddings of their

own children.

It was reserved

for very,

very special

instances.

Giving him

this robe

granted him

more honor

than was ever

normally bestowed

upon a son.

The son didn't

get to wear

the robe,

it was the

father's

to wear

and only

in very

special

circumstances.

So,

this was a

massive way

for this

father to

say,

this is

my son,

to bring him

back into

town,

right,

under

everybody's

watch and

saying,

I'm taking

my very

best robe

and I'm

giving it

to him.

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 5:21

chapter 5

verse 21,

Paul writes,

for our sake

he made him

to be sin

who knew

no sin

so that

in him

we might

become

the

righteousness

of God.

Way more

honor

than we

deserve.

And he

gives a

ring to him

and this

ring would

have been

a

senient

ring

which had

been

carried

by the

family

crest

or seal

so that

it could

be pressed

into wax

on formal

letters

or documents

as verification

of legal

authority.

So in

placing a

ring on

the finger

of a son,

the father

is not

only showing

the son

has restored

honor,

but also

restored

authority.

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 5:20

chapter 5

verse 20

the first

path.

Therefore

we are

ambassadors

for Christ

God making

his appeal

through us.

Restored

honor,

restored

authority.

And he

puts shoes

on his

feet.

Hired

servants

and household

slaves

customarily

went

barefoot.

Masters

and their

sons

wore shoes.

So to

have shoes

placed on

the son's

feet was

yet

another

gesture

of

restoration

towards

this

son.

1 John

1 John 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3

beginning

of

verse 1

see what

kind of

love the

father has

given to

or lavished

on us

that we

should be

called

children

of God

and so

we are.

Jesus

tells us

even more

about the

father's

compassion.

Third

point,

the celebration

of the

father and

his servants.

He asked

the servants

to bring

the fattened

calf and

kill it.

This is

verse 23.

And let

us eat

and celebrate

for this

my son

was dead

and is

alive again.

He was

lost and

is found

and they

began

to celebrate.

To slaughter

the fattened

calf was

a big

deal.

It is

likely a

calf such

as this

one that

would have

been set

aside in

preparation

for the

wedding feast

of the

eldest son

reserved for

a special

occasion.

For this

my son

was dead

and is

alive again.

he was

lost and

is found.

There's

the special

occasion.

There's

the wonderful

reason for

rejoicing.

The son

was dead

and now

is alive.

He was

lost and

now is

found.

And if

you think

back into

chapter 15,

the beginning

of it,

what man of

you having

a hundred

sheep,

if he has

lost one

of them,

does not

leave the

ninety-nine

in the

open country

and go

after the

one that

is lost

until he

finds it?

Or what

woman having

ten silver

coins,

if she loses

one coin,

does not

light a

lamp and

sweep the

house and

seek diligently

until she

finds it?

And then

there's this

rejoicing,

right?

Verse five,

when he has

found it,

he lays it

on his

shoulders,

rejoicing.

When he

comes home,

he calls

together his

friends and

his neighbors,

saying to

them,

rejoice with

me,

for I have

found my

sheep that

was lost.

Just so I

tell you,

there will be

more joy in

heaven over

one sinner

who repents

than over

ninety-nine

righteous

persons who

need no

repentance.

And verse

nine,

when she

found it,

she calls

together her

friends and

neighbors,

saying,

rejoice with

me,

for I

found the

coin that

I had

lost.

Just so I

tell you,

there's joy

before the

angels of

God over

one sinner

who repents.

The rejoicing

in heaven is

and will be

great over

the salvation

of souls,

because it

displays the

goodness of

God the

Father.

It is this

goodness that

Jesus speaks

of as he

tells his

parables,

that his

hearers would

see the

compassion of

the Father,

the Son

interrupted and

restored in

the celebration

of the Father

and his

servants,

and be given

much reason to

join in the

rejoicing of

heaven.

Now, as Jesus

is about to

drive home the

point, the

whole point of

this parable,

recall that for

us this story is

so endearing,

right?

Up to this point,

we love to

consider a

wayward son

returning home

and being

embraced by

his Father,

but the

Pharisees and

the scribes

would have been

astonished that

the Father would

have treated

such a

disrespectful son

in this manner,

right?

They are still

angry at the

son, right?

We're so glad

for the

restoration and

the celebration.

They're indignant

at this point.

The younger son

in asking for his

inheritance was

wishing the

father dead,

and the Pharisees

and the scribes

could not fathom a

father that would

love his son in

this way, right?

At this point,

they would have

been furious,

right?

The scribes and

the Pharisees are

represented by the

older brother in

the story,

right?

They are having

the emotions,

as Jesus tells

us to his

original hearers,

that the brother

is about to

express in the

story.

They see Jesus

with tax collectors

and sinners

drawing near to

him, and they

as self-righteous

religious elites

want to preserve

their status as

such.

They would never

want the reputations

of those drawing

near to Jesus to

solely their

reputations, and

they, as we will

see, want nothing

to do with a

God that would

love the younger

brothers of the

world.

May we not be

those people.

So let's look at

the older son.

Sub points for the

older son.

I know this is a

lot.

I hope it will

serve you.

The failing love

of the eldest son

for his father,

the failing love

of the oldest son

for his younger

brother, and the

unfailing love of

the father for his

oldest son.

verse 28.

He was angry and

refused to go in.

His father came

out and entreated

with him, but he

answered his father,

look, these many

years I have served

you, and I never

disobeyed your

command, yet you

never gave me a

young goat that I

might celebrate with

my friends.

The oldest son is

furious, and he is

furious with the

father.

He stands outside

fuming.

Why?

Because his

perceived rights

have been trampled

upon.

Because he didn't

run about seeking

his pleasure like his

younger brother, but

stayed and shouldered

more than his fair

share of the work on

his father's estate.

He wants justice, not

mercy.

He wants his younger

brother to get what is

coming to him.

He wants him punished,

not celebrated.

And so he begins to

grumble.

Right?

Look, these many years

I have served.

I have never

disobeyed your

command.

Is it true that the

oldest son was never

disobedient?

Of course not.

No one is ever

perfectly obedient, but

his perception is that

he has been perfectly

obedient.

He is self-righteous.

He believes that he

has been perfectly

good, or at least

good enough to earn

his father's favor.

This was the state of

the Pharisees and the

scribes.

Luke chapter 5,

Luke 5:30–32

verse 30 through 32.

And the Pharisees and

their scribes grumbled

at his disciples,

saying,

Why do you eat and

drink with tax

collectors and sinners?

And Jesus answered

them,

Those who are well

have no need of a

physician, but those

who are sick.

I have not come to

call the righteous,

but sinners,

to repentance.

Is Jesus suggesting

that the Pharisees and

the scribes are well?

Absolutely not.

He is addressing their

perception of

themselves.

He is saying,

You do not see that

you are sick, so

therefore you do not

see your need of a

physician.

In Matthew chapter 23,

Matthew 23:27

verse 27 and

following, Jesus says,

Woe to you, scribes

and Pharisees,

hypocrites, for you

are like whitewashed

tombs, which outwardly

appear beautiful, but

within are full of dead

people's bones and all

uncleanliness.

So you also outwardly

appear righteous to

others, but within are

full of hypocrisy and

lawlessness.

righteousness.

The Pharisees and the

scribes should have

seen themselves in the

older brother and been

broken by their self-righteous

indignation toward the

younger sons who were

gathering around Jesus.

They should have humbled

themselves and turned to

the one who is telling

them this very story.

They should have done so in

the spirit of Matthew 5,

3.

Blessed are the poor in

spirit, for theirs is the

kingdom of heaven.

Mankind's issue before God

has never been one of

outward activity, but

rather one of inward

affection.

God wants our affections to

be set on him, which

yields obedience, but that

obedience is ultimately for

God.

It is aimed at him to

please him and glorify him.

The older son is not

obedient in order to

please his father, but to

get what he can from him.

Look what he goes on to

say.

I have been so perfectly

obedient, yet you have

never given me a young

goat that I might celebrate

with my friends.

He is angry at the father's

celebration over the return

of his younger brother, not

because he has not been

celebrated, but because he

has not been given something

material so that he might

celebrate with his friends.

He wants nothing to do with

the father, just like the

younger son wanted nothing

to do with his father.

They both want, in the case

of the younger brother, wanted

him dead, right?

The oldest brother failed to

love the father.

Remember verse 11 and 12.

And he said, there was a

man who had two sons, and

the younger of them said to

his father, Father, give me

the share of property that is

coming to me.

And he, the father, divided

his property between them, the

sons.

Note verse 31.

And the father said to him,

Son, you are always with me,

and all that is mine is yours.

He already had everything.

What the father wanted was his

affection, but he did not want

the father.

So this morning, you may have

never placed believing faith in

Jesus Christ.

You look really good on the

outside, but your obedience, your

imperfect obedience, I must add,

is not aimed at the pleasure and

glory of God, but at yourself.

You think that if you live just

so, you will earn God's favor, and

this is a damning thought.

Do not be like the older brother.

Turn to God in Christ.

Recognize that no amount of your

working will ever earn you a

place in his kingdom.

But the offer of the gospel is

that by faith in the perfect life,

the perfect death, and the

resurrection of Jesus Christ, you

can have your record of guilt

expunged, and you can have the

righteousness of Jesus.

You can be saved from God's wrath,

by God's mercy, to God's presence.

What a glorious truth.

Now, some of you have placed

believing faith in Christ, but we

are so quick to forget the great

love of the Father for us, and so

quick to either presume upon his

grace with licentious living, or

believe we can earn his grace with

legalism.

Beloved, you are saved by grace

alone, through faith alone.

Your faith will produce obedience

in you, but let it be from a

grateful heart that loves to

please and glorify God the

Father.

Secondly, let's look at the failing

love of the oldest son for his

younger brother.

He says, but when this son of

yours came, who has devoured your

property with prostitutes, you

killed the fattened calf for him.

Notice that he does not say, when

my younger brother came.

He says, when this son of yours

came, he disowns his brother.

But this had happened long before

in Jesus' story.

The oldest brother made no

attempt to reason with his

younger brother.

He did not try to stop him from

sinning against the Father so

egregiously, and he did not seek

his return and restoration.

It appears that the oldest brother

knew where his younger brother was

and what he was up to, but he did

not go to him.

He says, he has devoured your

property with prostitutes.

How would he know such a thing?

The oldest brother failed to love

the younger brother.

At this point, if you were in

Christ, I want you to long for the

younger brother to have a better

oldest brother.

A brother that would humble

himself by going on a long

journey for his younger brother's

return and restoration.

A brother who would gladly share his

inheritance with his younger

brother.

A brother who leads his younger

brother in a grateful obedience.

A brother who would rejoice to see

his father rejoice in the return

of his son.

Praise God that we have a perfect

older brother in Jesus Christ.

But that is not this brother.

That is not this brother.

He says, you killed the fattened calf

for him.

Do you hear the Pharisees and scribes

in the older brother's accusation?

He is saying, you have received a

sinner and are eating with him.

This is the very accusation they

were making at the beginning of Luke

Luke 15 · chapter mention

chapter 15.

If the oldest brother loved the

father, he would have also loved what

the father loves.

You may find yourself this morning in

Christ, but loving what the world

loves.

What does the father love?

The father loves the restoration of his

sons.

The parable of the lost sheep and the

parable of the lost coined are about

the rejoicing in heaven over sinners

who repent.

Jesus says in Luke 19 10, for the son

of man came to seek and to save the

lost.

Lastly, let's look at the unfailing love

of the father for his oldest son.

Verse 31.

And he said to him, son, you were always

with me and all that is mine is yours.

It was fitting to celebrate and be glad

for this your brother was dead and is

alive.

He was lost and is found.

The father extends the same love he has

for the younger brother to the oldest

brother.

The father's love is unfailing.

When he was angry and refused to go in,

the father came out and entreated him.

Right?

The host of the party left the party to

go out to the older son.

Right?

And he entreated him, which means he urged

or implored or encouraged him to come in

and to join the celebration.

The father could have justly been angry

with the oldest son for fuming outside.

He could have sent a message to him

via a servant, but he comes to him

personally and he entreats him.

Don't be this way.

You are my son.

Love what I love.

Love what I love because I love you.

And I hope to help you see the

connection, right?

He entreats him, join in the rejoicing

of heaven for it was fitting to celebrate

and be glad.

So you see God's sons love what he loves

and he loves to see sinners come to

repentance.

He loves to restore those who are poor in

spirit to love those who return to him

in humility.

The Pharisees and the scribes were showing

themselves to not be God's sons as they

grumbled saying, this man received

sinners and eats with them.

Jesus tells them three parables

as a mercy to them.

This is Jesus going out to them,

outside of the celebration,

and urging them to come in

and be part of the celebration.

Did they heed the warning?

They certainly did not heed his warning.

There's a real life epilogue to this

parable.

It's not an epilogue that Jesus

mentions.

It's an epilogue that Jesus lives.

And it would have been told something

like this.

You could insert this final sentence.

The oldest son, in his rage against the

father, beat him, spit on him, mocked him,

and crucified him.

This is the end of this story.

And we do not want to be counted amongst

the oldest brothers in the way we respond

to the loving kindness of God towards

sinners.

Praise be to God that he purposed that

Jesus should die, that by the hands of

wicked men our Savior was murdered,

but that three days later he declared victory

over sin and death when he was raised

from the dead, and that now we by faith

may have life in him.

What they meant for evil, God meant for good.

This morning, let us rejoice in the unfailing

love of the Father, and let that be a love that

turns us in compassion, the compassion of the

Father towards others.

We ought never be, as redeemed people,

ever be people who seek our own status,

want to fight for our rights.

We ought to be going out in love and compassion

for the younger brothers of the world.

I do pray that that will be true of us.

Let us pray that we need someikkers.