The Son Is Back Home

The Son Is Back Home

By Apostle Felix

18  I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19  And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20  And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 

Luke 15: 18 – 20

The parable of the prodigal son is one of the most quoted parables from the Bible. In chapter fifteen of Luke, we find three parables about the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the prodigal son all told by Jesus. And the reason why Jesus had to tell the three parables was because of the Pharisees and the Scribes’ attitude toward sinners, whom Jesus had dined with. The religious sect did not take Jesus’ position of interacting with tax collectors very well.  For the Pharisees and Ascribes, any righteous and holy man should live a separated life from sinners. He should keep himself away from the unrighteous. Hence, Jesus spoke the three parables to them to explain God’s and His position, regarding the unrighteous.

Historical Background

The Jewish history is embedded in Abraham’s calling to be a nation. The calling was that the nation of Israel could be the light to other nations. It was called to reveal God’s truth and salvation to all people of the earth.

2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Genesis 12: 2

However, Israel closed its doors to other nations. They became separatists.

6  And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. 

Isaiah 49: 6

God’s idea for Israel is for the nation to be the light to the nations. But instead, Israel separated itself from the rest. In Jesus’ time, the Pharisees and the Ascribes, who were religious leaders even discriminated against their own people, such as tax collectors and prostitutes. These groups of people were regarded as sinners, and it was a shame to fellowship with them.

Ancient Context

The parable of the prodigal son in its ancient context, was a common thing for a son to ask for his inheritance from the father, while still alive. However, the son was expected to preserve the family wealth for posterity’s sake. The squandering of the family wealth was a shame to the family and the consequence would be to sever the son’s relationship with the family. God is a father and the prodigal son is the gentile world that had severed its relationship. The elder brother is Israel.

Lessons

The Family

The lesson in the parable of the prodigal son is that we all belong to one family. This family has lost sons and daughters who have strayed away from the family and their lives are devastated by their way of life. The church’s position should not be like the elder brother or the Pharisees who did not want the younger son to be received, but instead to be condemned. The church’s position is to be the light of the world, and not the light of the church. We have been called to shine in the world, and not the church.

14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Matthew 5: 14

He Is Looking Out For You

When the family members heard about the prodigal son’s condition, they gave up hope of him ever going to be forgiven. He had squandered his family wealth. He had put his family name to shame. No way he can be received by the father. The elder brother had even written off his young brother’s name from the family registry. He is not coming back home. But the father was looking out for the coming back of his son almost every day. He could not wait for that day when his son will come back home. The prodigal son was aware of his predicament. He knew that he was longer considered as part of the family. But little did he know that his father was looking out for him. It does not matter what you have done, what matters is the grace of God that is looking out for you.

One Decision that Changed His Life

17  And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
Luke 15: 17

One decision changed the prodigal son’s life. He remembered his father and decided to go back home. Not as a son, but as a servant. The son had gone through so much suffering and humiliation that he decided to go back as a servant so that he may have a plate of food. He was living in a pigsty and eating from the pigs’ food. A pig was an animal that was considered unclean in Israel. He was not only smelling like a pig but was also defiled. He made a decision to go back as a servant, but his father was waiting for him as a son.

From a Servant to a Son

24  For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. 

Luke 15: 24

The prodigal son’s journey back home was not easy as it might look. It was a tough decision to go back. This was because he was not going back as a son, but as a servant. When the father saw him from afar off coming, he ran towards him and received him as a son. He did not condemn but clothed him. He put his best robe on him, a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet. The robe symbolized the robe of righteousness and the ring symbolized authority, and shoes symbolized honor, no more shame.

Your Father is not there to condemn you but to justify you. Our Father is not a self-righteous freak, who is just waiting for whom to condemn. He is a forgiving God.

You Are A Son, Not A Servant

Luk 15:29  And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
Luke 15: 29

The elder brother lived in his father’s house like a servant. He lived to please the father by what he did for the father and the family. He was like a religious person, whose relationship with God is work based. It was the attitude of Israel that emphasized works above relationship. The elder brother was not interested in the lost brother but was more concerned about his works for the father. The church can be like that. It can be more concerned about what it is doing within the church than what it is doing in the world. We are called to serve the world through reaching out to the lost. We have elder brothers in church who can be offended with the new people that are been added to the church. As the church, we have to be accommodating of the people that come to the Lord and join your church.