Loving Father and His Two Lost Sons

Luke 15, verses 11 to 32.

Luke 15:11–32

I will read out loud for us.

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 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 fields 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,

your brother was dead

and is alive.

He was lost

and is found.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

Because apart from Christ,

we are self-righteous,

selfish human beings.

We have all,

at different points of our lives,

held a grudge against someone.

Maybe it's against a lazy,

calculating co-worker

that only works hard

when the supervisor is looking.

And when you get put in the same team

for a project,

he dumps all his work on you,

and you finish it,

but then afterward,

he takes all the credit for it.

And of course,

lo and behold,

when the time for promotion comes,

he gets promoted,

and you don't.

You hold a grudge

against that co-worker.

You begrudge that person's success

because you don't think he deserves it.

Maybe you hold a grudge

against a housemate

that eats your food

from your fridge

and never does dishes

or never vacuums the house,

never takes out the garbage.

And then you find out

that this inconsiderate slob

has started dating the guy

that you had been fantasizing about.

So you say to yourself,

if only he knew

what kind of a person

this woman really is.

You begrudge that person's

now successful relationship.

Maybe it's your neighbor

that has three kids upstairs

and they're always rowdy.

It seems when you're trying to sleep

is when the kids

are most alert and awake.

They're jumping up and down

and running up and down.

It sounds like a war zone.

And then you find out

that they're pregnant

with a fourth.

And you think to yourself,

they don't deserve

to have another child.

They can't even manage

the ones they have.

So you begrudge their success.

Don't they already have enough?

These people may be

truly undeserving,

but what all of these scenarios reveal

is something that we hate to admit,

that the begrudging spirit in us

also reveals

a profound selfishness,

a self-righteousness

within ourselves.

This is the point

that Jesus is making

here in Luke chapter 15.

Luke 15 · chapter mention

To remind you of the backdrop

to this parable,

the Pharisees and the scribes

who are the Jewish religious leaders,

they are the moral cream

of the crop in society.

And they begrudged

the grace that Jesus

was extending to sinners

and tax collectors

who were the moral scum

of society.

And recognizing this grudge,

Jesus now addresses

the Pharisees and the scribes.

He teaches them

using these three illustrations

in chapter 15.

This is the third

and climactic parable

in illustration.

And his point is that

we should partake

in God's joy

of seeking and saving the lost

rather than begrudging

his grace.

That's his main point.

And this parable

is popularly called

the prodigal son

because it talks about

a wastefully extravagant son.

And that title goes back

all the way to the 4th century.

But the title itself

is not inspired

like the scripture.

In fact,

the focus of the parable

is really

on both sons,

not just the younger son,

the prodigal one,

but also the older son.

And really,

the main focus,

not even the sons,

but the father,

his heart,

his love.

So we'll examine

this parable

by looking at

the major characters

in the story.

First, we'll look at

the licentious son,

the lawless son.

And then the lavish father.

And then third,

the legalistic son.

So let's first look

at the licentious son.

He's the lawless one,

libertine,

spendthreat,

wasteful son.

And the parable begins

unassumingly in verse 11.

There was a man

who had two sons.

But it takes a sharp turn

in verse 12.

It says,

And the younger of them

said to his father,

Father,

give me the share

of property

that is coming to me.

The man had two sons.

That means Jewish law

stipulated that

the older son,

the firstborn,

gets a double portion.

Which means the younger son

is entitled to a third

of all of his father's property.

And so he's demanding

his share

of the inheritance,

which is in and of itself

is fine.

Son asking for,

a father for money,

of course,

is not an uncommon thing.

I mean,

I'm sure some of you

have asked your parents

for money.

It's not,

but there's something,

there's a little more sinister

going on here.

Because the younger son's request

was really quite rude

and impertinent.

And in order to see why,

we have to understand

ancient Jewish property law.

It was not uncommon

in the ancient Near East

for a father

to give his son's

legal right

to his inheritance

before his death.

The legal right

to possess it.

And it would belong to him.

It's signed away

to the son.

But even in that case,

the son would not have

the right to dispose

of the property.

He would have the right

to possess it legally,

but not the right

to dispose of it.

It doesn't come to him.

It's not disposable

until the father's death.

It's similar in a way,

maybe we think about

life insurance nowadays.

Imagine a father,

a loving father

who invests in life insurance

and pours money

into it every month.

So that after his death,

his two sons

have something to live on,

something that they can use.

That's legally,

they're the sons.

It belongs to them.

But it does not

become available to them

until the father has passed.

That's when it becomes

available for disposal.

Now, so it's similar

to that context.

And with that in mind,

look again at the son's request.

Father, give me the share

of property that is coming to me.

He's saying,

give me now

the share of property

that is coming to me later.

I know it's coming to me,

but I don't want to wait for it.

So give it to me now.

It's an unthinkable request

because it amounts

to telling the father,

I wish you were dead already.

I don't want you.

I want what is yours.

I want my inheritance.

You're living far too long.

The presumption of that request

is seen clearly

in the way the father responds

in verse 12.

It says that

he divided his property

between them.

He actually

grants this request.

It shows his graciousness.

And he says,

he divided his property

between the two sons.

And the word property here

literally means

life.

That's the word

that is used there.

The father divided

his life

between them.

He gave up

his livelihood,

the life earnings

away to his sons.

And the true intent

of the younger son's demand

is seen clearly

in verse 13.

Look with me.

Verse 13.

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.

His intention

wasn't to,

you know,

get the inheritance now

and then,

you know,

live and honor

his father

for the rest of his life

and take care of him.

No,

that's not his intention.

He doesn't lose

any time.

Not many days later,

then he's probably

selling off stuff

at less than

what he can get for it

because he's,

you know,

rushed to get out.

Not many days later,

the younger son

gathered all he had.

That's the technical term

used in a financial context

like this.

It means to convert

all of your assets

into cash.

He's liquidating

all his assets

so that he could

take it all with him

and go.

He's not trying

to take the flock

and herd with him

to start a new business,

a new life for himself.

He's getting rid of all of it

to leave

and get away

from his father

and his family.

He's sick of home.

He's sick of the family business.

Sick of living

on the family farm.

Sick of his brother.

Sick of his father.

So he goes,

journeys into a far country

away from the concerned

watching gaze

of his father

and he says that there

he squandered his property

in reckless living.

He takes his father's life,

his livelihood

and then he squanders.

It literally means

to scatter it,

throw it into the wind.

That's what he's doing.

In reckless living,

high living,

this young man

has expensive taste.

He's a high roller.

He goes on a spending spree.

He only thinks

about the pleasures

of life

without thinking

about their costs.

Swiping left and right

without checking his budget.

And later in verse 30,

the older son

says of him,

the younger brother,

that he devoured

his property

with prostitutes.

Probably something

he heard from

one of the servants.

So this younger son

is licentious.

He's lawless.

He's wasteful.

He's immoral.

The desire to get away

and his desire

to get away

from the father

is actually

at the heart

of every sin.

If you're not yet

a Christian,

then you're living

without reference

to this true God.

even if you live

a relatively moral life,

you have been living

in prideful unbelief

because you're living

without reference

to God.

You're living

as if God

didn't exist.

You're doing

exactly

what this younger son

wanted to do

to live

without the father.

In cruder terms,

your life

is an expression

of this younger son's

unspoken wish.

I wish you were

dead already

so I could have

what is yours.

You're enjoying

the gifts of God.

Every good thing

in your life,

your family,

love,

a charming pet,

delightful food,

pleasing sounds

and music,

a stable job,

your intellect,

your health,

the wonders of nature,

these are all

from God.

God.

They're his good gifts

and you're enjoying

them all

and yet

you're enjoying

the gifts

without acknowledging

the giver.

You want

what is God's

but you don't want

God himself.

That's the root

of unbelief.

And even for the Christian,

the desire to get away

from the father

is at the heart

of every sin.

When we indulge

our sinful desires,

when we buy something

we shouldn't buy

or say something

we shouldn't say

or do something

we shouldn't do,

we are to varying degrees

all saying this,

God,

living under your authority

in your household

is too restrictive.

I want to have

my own way.

I want to get away

from you.

Sex outside of marriage

is forbidden.

Marriage is only

between one man

and one woman.

I should give

my hard-earned money

to the ministry

of the church

and the service

of the poor.

I shouldn't get drunk

on alcohol.

I should consider

others more significant

than myself

and look out

for their interest

instead of mine.

I should forgive

the person

that gravely wronged me.

Oh, now you're

asking for

too much.

That's too constrained.

I'm out.

I can work under

your authority

in those other ways,

but this,

I gotta have

my own way.

Every act of sin

is an act

of rebellion

against God

and that's why

it's so damaging

to our relationship

with God

because it's actually

in essence

a vote of no confidence

in God's ability

to care for us

and do what's good

for us.

We're doubting

His goodness.

We are questioning

His fatherly care

for us

because we're believing

essentially the same lie

that Adam and Eve

believed in the Garden of Eden

because the serpent

asked them

in Genesis 3, 1.

Did God actually

say

you shall not eat

any

of the tree

in the garden?

You shall not eat

of any tree

in the garden?

Has God really

been that restrictive

with you?

Has God really

withheld that

good thing

from you?

But those things

are so good

and they're so desirable

God must not

love you

if He's withholding

that from you.

dear brothers and sisters

have you bought

into the lie

of the enemy?

In what ways

are you running

away from God

in pursuit

of sin?

Do you doubt

God's commands

that they are good?

That they are lovely?

That they are beautiful?

Do you think

that you can create

a better life

for yourself

apart from God?

A desire

to deviate

from God's

good plan

and good will

for us

always reveals

a defective view

of God Himself.

And it's because

the younger son

did not understand

his father's love

for him

that he left him.

He did not believe

that what the father

offered him

was his best

what was best for him

so he sought

to find his own

best life now

to find out

for himself

what he had

been missing out on.

And like all sinners

the younger son

soon realizes

how miserable

his life is

apart from God.

It says in verse 14

that when he had

spent everything

a severe famine

arose in that country

and he began

to be in need.

He lived like

there was no tomorrow

so when tomorrow

came with a severe famine

he began to be in need.

He has left

the safety net

of his family

his community

he has spent

all of his money

and now this young man

begins to taste

the bitter end

of his sweet

indulgence.

Did my mic

just go up?

I like it now.

Sorry about that guys.

I usually have help

for all these things

but summer

we're missing

a lot of people

and the man usually

who makes me

check the battery

is not here

and so

I forgot

to check the battery

and

so this young man

is now tasting

the bitter fruit

of his indulgence

and now

his poverty

forces him

to start

behaving like

an adult

kind of like

an adult

and he seeks

employment.

It says in verse 15

so he went

and hired himself

out to one of the

citizens of that country

who sent him

into his fields

to feed pigs.

So he used

to be

this esteemed

son of a wealthy

respected landlord

and now he is

a hireling

of one of

the citizens

of the far country.

He has been hired

by a Gentile master

and you can tell

that this is a Gentile

because he sent him

into his fields

to feed pigs.

Jews considered pigs

to be an unclean animal

and for that reason

you can see

that this is really

kind of a very

demeaning

dirty job

for this

Jewish

son.

This is a

it's kind of like

there used to be

a TV show

that I've never seen

but I've read about

on the Discovery Channel

called Dirty Jobs.

You guys remember that?

Yeah.

So it's like

I think the host

is Mike Rowe.

He performs

these difficult

and usually disgusting

jobs

alongside the

regular employees

and some of those

jobs included

being a zoo cleaner

or a roadkill

collector.

That might be

the closest

you can get

to what this

job would have been

like for this

younger son.

It's repulsive

to Jews

who consider

pigs unclean.

It's demeaning.

It's lowly.

Humiliating.

But the younger son

sinks even lower

than that.

It says in verse 16

that he was longing

to be fed

with the pods

that the pigs ate

and no one

gave him anything.

Not only was he

humiliated by the work

he went hungry

in spite of his work.

He was tasked

with feeding the pigs

but no one else

gave him something

to eat.

No one fed him.

He had sunk

lower than the pigs.

At least the pigs

get to have their fill

and so we don't know

exactly what kind of pods

that the pigs

were eating

but I imagine

it wasn't

very appetizing.

Yet as Proverbs 27

Proverbs 27:7

verse 7 says

one who is full

loathes honey

but to one who is hungry

everything bitter

is sweet.

We're picky eaters

because we're full.

Let's admit it.

If you're really starving

it all tastes good to us.

To this starving younger son

even pig slop

looks delicious.

And this is the sad condition

and the ultimate experience

of all sinners

who are alienated

from the Heavenly Father's care.

In our Father's house

we are cared for

we have the richest affairs

to enjoy.

We're treated as sons

but out in the far country

with a strange master

we are reduced

to slavery.

We're used

but not loved

not provided for.

We are valued

on the basis

of our utility

as servants

and not on the basis

of our identity

as sons.

When we leave

our Father's house

we are all reduced

to servitude

to another master

that the Bible calls

the ruler of this world

the prince of the power

of the air

Satan.

And this evil Lord

makes grand promises

but never delivers.

It's always a bait and switch.

The enticing pleasures

of sin

become less

and less satisfying

and we become

more and more enslaved

so that we long

to be fed

with the pods

that the pigs eat.

That's the reality

of all rebellious sinners

and that's the picture

of the licentious son.

In verse 17

the focus of the narrative

begins to shift

from the licentious son

to the lavish father.

It says,

but when he came

to himself

he said,

how many of my father's

higher servants

have more than enough bread

but I perish here

with hunger.

When the younger son

comes to his senses

he realizes

that even the higher servants

at his father's house

have more than enough bread

but he is here

perishing with hunger.

And the word

higher servant

is not a reference

to household servants

that live in the property

and have a permanent place

in the family.

These are references

to the day laborers

people that get hired

on a day-to-day basis

who have no job security

and they get hired

as needed.

Even these higher servants

have plenty to eat

in their father's house.

They occupy the lowest rung

of the social career ladder

yet they have plenty to eat.

So son is here

remembering the generosity

of the father.

Why am I slaving away here

for this strange master

in a far country

that won't even feed me?

My father is a better master

and if I'm going to be

a higher servant anyway

I might as well be one

under my father.

At least he will feed me.

So the son

who was once sick of home

and therefore moved away

from home

is now homesick.

So he resolves

to return home

in verses 18 to 19.

He says,

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.

The younger son realizes

how much shame

he has brought

to his father

and not only that

he acknowledges

that he has sinned

against God

as well.

And he is not

so shameless

as to expect his father

to take him back

as a son

into his family.

He resolves to beg

to him

to treat him

just as one of those

day laborers,

higher servants.

This is a helpful picture

of repentance

for us,

for Christians.

Because the younger son

here

realizes that he is

no longer worthy

to be called

a son.

He admits

that he has forfeited

all worthiness.

He does not deserve

to be received

back into the family.

The only thing

that he brings

back to his father

is his debt

and his shame.

The admission

that he has sinned

against God.

Normally,

a son that has

so dishonored

his father,

in order to have

any hope of being

reconciled to his dad,

would have to come

bearing gifts.

But here,

he has no gifts.

Nothing but sin

and shame.

His only hope

of acceptance

by the father

is the lavishness

of the father.

The generosity,

the grace

of the father.

This is a helpful

picture of our own

repentance before God.

William Temple,

who was the Archbishop

of Canterbury

from the 20th century,

puts it this way.

He says,

All is of God.

The only thing

of my very own

to which I can

contribute to my own

redemption

is the sin

from which I need

to be redeemed.

That's all we bring

to God.

But even this

younger son,

who seems to understand

something of the

father's generosity,

doesn't quite grasp

how lavish the father

really is.

It says in verse 20,

He rose 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.

The word

long in,

long way off,

is the same word

that was translated

as far

in verse 13,

into a far country.

The repetition

of the word

reveals the father's heart.

The younger son

left,

took a journey

to a far country

on his own,

disgracing the father

and yet,

his father

has not disowned him.

In fact,

it seems

that he has not

despaired of finding him.

He had been

looking out

on the horizon

for the sight

of his returning son

ever since.

And one day,

while the son

is still far off,

the father

spots him.

He wells up

with compassion

and he begins

to run

to embrace him

and kiss him.

And in doing so,

this lavish father

is breaking

all ancient

Near Eastern protocol.

Elderly Jewish men

in this culture

do not run.

It was considered

beneath their dignity

to do so.

Because men

in those days

wore long,

you know,

flowing robes

that limited

their mobility.

You can't squad,

you can't really run,

you can't kick anything.

In order to run

or do anything

that's mildly,

physically strenuous,

they would have to

roll up their

robes.

If you have

a girdle,

a belt,

you can gird up

your loins.

Especially the Bible

uses sometimes.

Otherwise,

you just have to

hold it like a skirt

and run like this.

It's embarrassing.

It's indecent exposure.

It was considered

beneath the dignity

of an elderly gentleman

to run.

But in this moment,

when he spots

his son far away,

his overflowing

compassion

overrules

all cultural conventions

and this father

runs

however clumsily

can you imagine

the sight

of this son

beholding

his elderly father

running to him

this way?

It must have been

quiet and moving

inside.

And then

when he arrives,

the father

embraces him

and kisses him.

The word embrace

literally means

to fall upon

someone's neck.

It's not a polite,

you know,

respectful

New England hug.

It's a bear hug.

You fall on

someone's neck,

you're chest to chest,

you're face rubbing

against their face

and he kisses him

affectionately,

tenderly.

The younger son

must have been filthy.

This penniless

pig feeder

returning from

a long journey

and the father

does not care

before the son

even says

a word.

notice the son

hasn't said anything.

But just to see him

start to return,

the father already

welcomes him

and loves him.

And then in verse 21,

the son finally

works up the courage

to say the lines

that he had been

rehearsing probably

all along his journey.

He says,

Father,

I have sinned

against heaven

and before you.

I am no longer

worthy to be called

your son.

But before the son

could finish his lines,

before he could

say the part

about being treated

as one of his

hired servants,

the father is already

motioning to his servants

in verses 22 to 23,

Bring quickly

the best robe,

put it on him,

put a ring on his hand,

shoes on his feet

and bring the fattened calf

and kill it.

Let us eat

and celebrate.

Taking his son

back as a hired laborer

is far from

the father's mind.

He doesn't berate

this son

about his wastefulness

and foolishness.

He doesn't consign him

to slavery

until he can pay

back the money.

He doesn't nag him

about all the things

that he's done wrong.

All that preoccupies

this father

in this moment

is the joy

of having

his lost son

back.

And so he reinstates

the youngest son

with all the privileges

of sonship,

putting on him

the best robe,

a symbol of status,

giving to him

a ring,

which is likely

a signet ring

with the family seal

representing his

re-inclusion

into the family membership

and shoes for his feet

to cover his dusty,

blistered feet.

The younger son

understands only then

that his father

will only take him back

as a son.

And as if that

weren't enough,

the father throws

a party to celebrate

the return of his son.

They slaughter

the fattened calf.

The fattened calf.

Meat was rare

in first century Palestine

and the fattened calf

was saved

for special occasions

like major religious holidays.

The meat of a young calf,

of course,

is more tender

than aged cow.

And the fattened calf

is one that has been

intentionally pampered

and fattened

for to be slaughtered

on special occasions

like this.

It'd be enough

to feed the entire village.

The father spares

no expenses.

He lavishes his son

with his love.

Some of you

in our church

have a hard time

relating to God

as your heavenly father

because you did not

grow up with

the loving earthly father.

But you have to rely

not on how

your earthly father

represented

our heavenly father.

But you need to rely

on how God's word

reveals

our heavenly father.

What scripture tells us

about our loving

heavenly father.

And this is one of the

most compelling pictures

of our own heavenly father.

When you feel like

you've been

a bad child of God

when you feel

burdened with guilt

do you feel like

you can't approach God?

Do you think

you need to cry

a certain amount

of tears

feel a certain

intensity

of remorse

before you can

approach God again?

Do you feel like

you need to spend

a certain number

of hours

or days

in self-ordained

exile

just moaning

grieving your sins

before you can

approach him again?

Do you think

that you need

to pay God back

with all of your

good works

before you can

be received back

into his family?

Our father

is not

looking you

up and down

in disgust

or disdain

or disappointment

our God

is a gracious

God

why do you

think of him

as such a hard

man?

He is a loving

father

he's a merciful

father

he's a gracious

father

he's not

asking you

to spend

days and

months and

years

doing penance

trying to pay

him back

before you

return to

him

the moment

you turn

to return

to him

he is

running

toward you

with compassion

in his eyes

there's no reason

to delay our

repentance

we should run

to him

he's the first

person we should

run to

when we feel

that we have

done wrong

that's the heart

of the lavish

father

and in this

last section

verses 25

to 30

we see a

portrait

of the second

son

the legalistic

son

it says in

verses 25

to 26

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 his

servants

and asked

what these

things meant

unlike the

younger son

who left

his father's

house

this older

son is

still

dutifully

at home

even though

he did

receive his

share of

the inheritance

he stayed

home to

take care

of his

father

but as

he approaches

the house

returning

home

he hears

music and

dancing

and he

begins to

wonder

there's a

party

going on

and I

hadn't

heard

anything

about it

what in

the world

is going

on

so he

calls out

one of

the servants

and asks

and his

servant

answers him

in verse

27

your brother

has come

and your

father has

killed the

fattened

calf

because he

has received

him back

safe

and sound

the older

son gets

livid

over this

he was

angry

he says

in verse

28

and refused

to go

in

the father

is joyful

for his

son's

return

the older

son is

angry about

this party

going on

for his

younger

brother

and interestingly

the younger

son that

was formerly

outside the

house

is now

inside the

house

celebrating

with his

father

and this

older son

that had

always been

inside the

house

now is

sulking

outside

the house

so that

his father

must come

out

to entreat

him

and the

oldest son

airs his

grievances

in verses

29 to

30

look

these many

ears

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

you

who

has

devoured

your

property

with

prostitutes

you

killed

a fattened

calf

for him

doesn't that

sound like a

fair complaint

haven't we all

said something

similar to

God

while this

son of yours

was squandering

your wealth

I was working

hard at home

building your

wealth dad

when this

son of yours

blatantly rebelled

against you

brought shame

to your

name

I've been

bringing

honor to

your name

and yet

you never

even grilled

hot dogs

for me to

celebrate

have a

barbecue

with my

friends

and this

son of yours

comes and

you're grilling

filet mignons

USDA prime

beef

what's going

on dad

where's

justice

where's

fairness

that's

that's

my

fattened

calf

remember

you gave

him all

of his

inheritance

it's all

mine

that you're

parting

with

the

relational

strain is

never more

obvious than

in the way

this son

addresses his

father

he doesn't

address him

as father

which is

a respectful

thing to me

he doesn't

call him

certain

he says

look

and look at

the way he

refers to his

younger brother

he doesn't

say my

brother

this son

of yours

he's

distancing

himself from

the family

disowning his

relationship with

this brother

and this

reaction of

the older

son shows

that he

was just

as lost

as the

younger

son

the younger

son said

I am no

longer worthy

to be called

your son

treat me

as one

of your

hired

servants

and because

he doesn't

deserve to

be called

a son

the younger

son thought

that his

father might

hire him

as a

servant

instead

the older

son says

look

these many

years

I have

served

you

and I

never

disobey

your

command

he

thinks

he

deserves

to be

called

a son

and only

because

he has

served

his father

for many

years

neither

of them

understands

the true

nature

of sonship

neither

of them

understands

the grace

of the

father

both

of them

though in

different

ways

have been

operating

like

they have

been

servants

the older

son

thinks

unless he

serves

like a

slave

he can

never

get

those

good

things

out

of

his

father

he

does

not

realize

that

he

gets

those

inheritance

those

blessings

simply

because

he

is

the

son

simply

because

he

is

the

child

of

the

father

instead

he

thinks

he

has

to

earn

it

he

thinks

of it

as a

wage

payment

not a

gift

an

inheritance

so

the

younger

son

was

licentious

but the

older

son

was

legalistic

the

younger

son

represents

the

tax

collectors

and

sinners

that

are

coming

to

Jesus

the

older

son

represents

the

Pharisees

and

the

scribes

that

are

resenting

and

begrudging

Jesus

receiving

these

sinners

and

tax

collectors

they

both

had

a

view

of

God

as

someone

who

is

stingy

and

strict

the

younger

son

type

of

people

the

tax

collectors

and

sinners

because

they

didn't

think

that

what

God

had

for

them

was

good

enough

that

to

leave

God

and

wanted

to