One Good Father and Two Lost Sons

I. Preparing our hearts to hear and understand the word.

a. Give me good soil in my heart that I may bear your fruit (Matthew 13:23).

b. Give me the gift of faith to believe in Lord Jesus as a true disciple (Romans 10:17).

c. Give me a changed renewed mind that can think Jesus’ thoughts after HIM and reject the thoughts of the

unbelieving culture in which I was raised (Romans 12:1-3)

d. Let not my will but YOUR will be done in my life. (Luke 22:42)

e. Fill me with the Holy Spirit that I may be controlled by the Holy Spirit and filled with divine love through

HIM (Romans 5:1-5; Ephesians 5:17-21)

f. Let me abide in the Vine Jesus as a branch and bear much fruit. (John 15:1-8)

g. Deliver me from the evil one, the world, and my own unbelief. Defeat the purpose of the devil in my life.

(Matthew 6:13)

II. Hearing the Word of God chosen for today by the Holy Spirit

1 Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. 2 Both the Pharisees and

the scribes [began] to grumble, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." 3 So He told them

this parable, saying, 4 "What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not

leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 "When he has

found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 "And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and

his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' 7 "I tell you that

in the same way, there will be [more] joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine

righteous persons who need no repentance. 8 "Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one

coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 "When she has

found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin

which I had lost!' 10 "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one

sinner who repents." 11 And He said, "A man had two sons. 12 "The younger of them said to his father,

'Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' So he divided his wealth between them. 13 "And not

many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country,

and there he squandered his estate with loose living. 14 "Now when he had spent everything, a severe

famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. 15 "So he went and hired himself out to

one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 "And he would have

gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving [anything] to him.

17 "But when he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more than enough

bread, but I am dying here with hunger! 18 'I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I

have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as

one of your hired men."' 20 "So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his

father saw him and felt compassion [for him,] and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 "And the son

said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your

son.' 22 "But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring

on his hand and sandals on his feet; 23 and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for

this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.' And they began to

celebrate.

25 "Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and

dancing. 26 "And he summoned one of the servants and [began] inquiring what these things could be. 27

"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.' 28 "But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father

came out and [began] pleading with him. 29 "But he answered and said to his father, 'Look! For so many

years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and [yet] you have never

given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; 30 but when this son of yours came, who

has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.' 31 "And he said to him, 'Son,

you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 'But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this

brother of yours was dead and [has begun] to live, and [was] lost and has been found.'"

[Luk 15:1-32 NASB95]1

Where are we going?

The Younger Son – Rebellion, Grace, and Repentance - Lawless

The Father – Wild Unconditional love of God – Transforming grace

The Older Son – Self-righteousness, Condemnation, and Grace - Legalism

Meditation on the Word – Who are you in the story?

A. The Younger Son – Wished his father to be dead, ended up in what would be a social “hell” for any Jew

feeding pigs, and had only a limited view of the father’s mercy, grace, and love.

B. The Father – Running was humbling, undignified, and showed wild, passionate love for the lost son. It is

possible that such a son would normally be publicly disgraced in a something like the Kezazah ceremony 2

in which the offender's relationship with the community and family was severed and they were permanently

banished. The giving of the “best robe” was the father’s robe of honor, the ring was most likely the signet

ring and shows the father granting him ultimate trust, and slaves were barefooted but sandals were affirming

the son was accepted as a free person and not a slave. 3 Fattened calf – grain fed – about. 500 pounds of

meat. (symbol of Christ’s sacrifice? and the feast representing the marriage feast of the lamb?)

C. The Older Son – Refusing to come in was an insult to the father, felt that the father had failed to reward

him justly and failed to provide justice to his lawless brother. His focus is on what he has done for the

father, not what the father has done for him, and he has no love or grace for his brother who was dead but

now is alive.

1 Outline of the passage - http://www.bible.literarystructure.info/bible/42_Luke_pericope_e.html#94

2 https://crossexamined.org/ever-heard-of-the-kezazah-ceremony/

3 https://eitan.bar/articles/parable-prodigal-son-robe-ring-sandals/