The Prodigal Son is arguably the most touching and best remembered of all the parables. In our Bible class yesterday, a woman got choked up simply from reading the text. It resonates because we can typically relate to one of the characters:

You may feel like the lost, wayward son—either thinking about running/falling away or thinking about coming home. Maybe you find yourself in a pig pen, of sorts, even this very moment.

Some parents may identify with the father who longs for the son’s return; or perhaps you have forgiven someone and celebrated their return.

Some of you may at times feel like the jealous older brother. You feel like you’ve been wronged—treated unfairly. You’ve been the good, reliable sibling (or co-worker or student) and haven’t gotten credit for that. 

“Prodigal” means being wastefully extravagant or foolish. In this story the man’s son recklessly and wastefully spends his inheritance. In the context of this famous parable, the prodigal son has also come to mean someone who is spiritually lost and someone who has returned after an absence. The title is not inspired—it was added later. It could have been called “The Gracious Father” as the parable is really more about him.

A reminder of context: As discussed last week, the Pharisees and scribes didn’t like Jesus eating with sinners—the godly shouldn’t mix with the ungodly. Jesus responds with a series of parables about God’s love for those who have fallen away.

This parable is only found in Luke 15:11-32—please open your Bibles and take a moment to read that now. To recap, a young son is apparently unhappy. He takes his inheritance early and leaves his father. He blows it all in wild living—I’m sure it was fun while it lasted. A famine comes and he’s desperate. He gets a job feeding pigs which were considered unclean (See Leviticus 11:7). He’s starving. He eventually realizes his sin, repents, and goes home, longing just to be a hired hand for his father. The father sees him at a distance, runs toward him, shows compassion, and showers him with hugs and kisses. His father calls for a robe, a ring, sandals, and a fattened calf—He throws a party! The older brother is jealous and angry. He’s been good and yet has never gotten a party. The father tries to console and reassure him. He tells him that his dead/lost brother is now alive/found!

Let’s get right into 7 Lessons for us:

1. Don’t love the world. The young man was obviously drawn to the world. 1 John 2:15 states, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.” This also takes us back to the weed-infested soil of the Parable of the Sower. You’ll recall the weeds kept the plant from growing and thriving. They crowd out the plant, suck up all the nutrients, and eventually kill it. We can’t let that happen! Keep the faith! Don’t backslide. Don’t be enticed by the world.

What are some things in the world that can entice us? Drugs, alcohol, illicit sex, pornography, gambling, covetousness, etc., are all things that will lead to pain and heartache. Be smarter than that. Live counter-culturally. Learn from others’ mistakes.

Notice the young son pursued sinful things in a far country where there would be no accountability. It’s always best to have accountability in your life, whether you’re struggling with church attendance, some particular sin, or even exercising regularly. If I tell my friend Joe that I’m trying to run every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning, and I want him to touch base and make sure I’ve done that, I’m much more likely to stay on track. The same goes for not doing certain things. In the parable, there was no one in the faraway place to hold this young man accountable. 

By the way, avoiding “worldly living” doesn’t mean you can’t have nice things or enjoy nice things. They just can’t be a higher priority than spiritual things. 

2. Respect your elders. Strive to make your parents happy. This young man does not. Proverbs 10:1 states, “A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.” He also disrespects his older brother. He bypasses him to ask for his inheritance while his father is still alive—kind of uncool, rude. The inheritance was usually shared after the father’s death (See Hebrews 9:17). 

By taking the inheritance early, he also denied his father the opportunity of taking advantage of those assets while still alive. Proverbs 20:21 states, “An inheritance claimed too soon will not be blessed at the end.”

The young man walks out on his parents, runs away from home, and probably didn’t tell anyone where he was going. He caused heartache for his parents. Don’t do that. Proverbs 27:8 states, “Like a bird that flees its nest is anyone who flees from home.” As a parent of two sons, I can tell you these actions would have broken my heart.

3. Desire your Father’s will, not your own will. The prodigal son focused on his own will—not his father’s. The father didn’t want this but granted the request. Sometimes, God allows us to have our own way. He gives us freewill, even to do dangerous things. In discussing the Israelites, Psalm 106:15 states, “So he gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease among them.”

This father allowed the rebellion even though he knew it was a foolish and greedy request. It’s ALWAYS best to align with the will of God. John 4:34 states, “’My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.’” In Luke 22:42, Jesus states, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” In Matthew 6:10, He adds, “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

How can we know God’s will? By reading our Bibles, praying to God for guidance, and attending Bible classes and worship services, among other things. 

4. Don’t be wasteful, foolish, and reckless. Even after leaving home, the prodigal son still could have done good things with his inheritance. He could have gone to a far country and invested wisely. He could have proved his critics wrong. But he didn’t because his motive was wrong from the outset—wild living.

Don’t waste the investment of God in your life—the gifts and opportunities God has given you (See the Parable of the Talents). Be a prudent manager of the resources given you. The prodigal son is accused by his brother of spending money on prostitutes. If true, this is yet another way he squandered his money. Proverbs 29:3b states, “but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.”

Note that the son asks two things of his father in the parable: “give me” and later “make me” (or “treat me”). Underline those phrases. Only the latter—“make me”—humbly offered, brought joy.

5. God has a crazy love for us! Romans 8:37-39 states, “No in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This father’s love waited and never forgot. He completely forgave his son. He didn’t put him on probation—didn’t make him grovel on the front pew. It seems like he didn’t even let him finish his prepared repentance speech. As one commentator put it, “The depth of the son’s repentance is matched only by the depth of the father’s love.”

Our loving Father wants us in his house, under his care. He sent His only Son to fix the broken and the torn. He picks us up and puts us on his shoulder like the lost sheep. When we fall away, it breaks his heart. He longs for us to return, even when we’ve sinned against him.

In that culture, older men didn’t run. This was an unusual action, but he couldn’t contain himself. Like the shepherd finding that lost sheep, or the woman finding the lost coin, God is thrilled when we return. Heaven celebrates.

The father in the story gives his son the family ring. This signifies ownership, belonging, and legitimacy—he’s a part of the family. The ring means he’s a full partner in the family business and possesses the family credit card. Similarly, God showers us with blessings—why would we give up the ring and walk away from that?

In this week’s Bible class, a Sister shared something she had recently heard in a podcast. In that culture, a representative from a family or community would often throw a piece of pottery at the feet of someone who had dishonored the community. The broken pieces at their feet were a visible reminder of their shame and the harm they had caused. I can picture the older brother handing the pottery to his father and reminding him to throw it at his wayward son’s feet. Instead, the father in the story showers him with love and affection.

Bottom line: We should also have a crazy love for others and be willing to forgive them. For more on God’s crazy love for us, I recommend reading the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan.

6. God wants us to repent. Many people read right over the response God wants us to have to this parable. We love reading about Jesus forgiving the woman caught in adultery in John 8 but sometimes forget that he tells her, “Go and sin no more.” Throughout the Bible we see that God desires for us to repent and be reconciled to Him. He “commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30).

The Son humbles himself and is truly sorry; he’s hit rock bottom—“Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” Even though the son ends up in a pig pen through his own bad choices, we can still feel sympathy for him. 

Do you have anyone in your life in a “pig pen” like this? While witnessing their suffering is difficult, the benefit is that it can drive repentance. That’s what we need to pray for.

Verse 17 states, “when he came to himself”. What’s that mean? It seems he finally started to think clearly. Prior to his repentance, it was like he was a different man. Can you think back to some “pig pen” moments or seasons in your life, before you became a Christian? It’s like you are now an entirely different person now—a new creation. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul writes, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Repentance is a change of heart and a change of mind, along with a change in actions. The prodigal son didn’t try to improve conditions in the pig pen. He didn’t blame his father, brother, boss, friends, or the pigs. He owned it. His thinking led to believing which led to action. He didn’t get stuck on just thinking about making a change. 

When I talk to prisoners (and others) about repentance, I compare it to a car’s GPS system. You realize you’re lost and you type in “God” on your GPS. The voice comes on telling you to make a U-Turn because you’re headed in the wrong direction. Repentance occurs not when you think about going toward God but when you turn the car around. Even then, as you head toward God/faith, you’ll still get off track from time to time. We all do. We miss the mark. We sin. Thus, repentance is not a one-time thing but something we should do daily—always adjusting course to align ourselves with God’s Word.

Note that the prodigal son focused on his father—“I will arise and go to my father.” Jesus didn’t say that the man thought of his village or his home, but of his father. When the son returned to the father, he also came back to the village and to the house; but his focus was on returning to his father. That is how we need to come back to God—to come back to Him first and foremost. Coming back to church and our Christian friends is important, but coming back to God is the key. 

Without repentance, this story wouldn’t have a happy ending—and a happy ending it was! A celebration! It was a happy thing to find the lost sheep and the lost coin. It was much happier thing to find the lost son. They had a wonderful party with special clothing, jewelry, and food. It wasn’t just finding a lost son; it was as if he were back from the dead.

No matter how far you fall away from God, the door is always open to return.

7. Don’t be the petty, jealous older brother. The older brother felt like his father’s reaction was an insult to his own faithfulness and obedience. “I never transgressed… you never gave…” These exaggerations are common for those who hold on to bitterness. The older son finally showed this bitterness to the father, but only after it had done its damage in his heart over many years.

One commentator describes the older son as obedient, yet far from his father’s heart. In this sense he was a perfect illustration of the religious leaders who were angry that Jesus received tax collectors and sinners. Morgan states, “His story reveals the possibility of living in the father’s house and failing to understand the father’s heart.” 

Why should the older brother have been excited to see his brother’s return and reception? Because he should have loved his brother and been happy for him. He still had his ring—still had all the blessings of being in the family. He still had his inheritance—actually a double portion. Yet he was unappreciative of what he did have.

So don’t be petty and jealous. That attitude will only put a barrier between you and the Father. Besides, someday you may be the one that needs forgiving. 

With the lost sheep, coin, and son, we’ve seen how deeply our Father cares for the lost. When we repent, He runs toward us. He never gives up on us. And when we return, all of heaven celebrates!

Homework: The Wise & Foolish Virgins, read Matthew 25:1-13.