Sunday, August 9, 2020

The writings of Luke the physician starting with his version of the gospel - Luke 15:11-32 comments: The Prodigal Son, an important point for Christian parents




Luke 15:11 ¶  And he said, A certain man had two sons: 12  And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 13  And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 14  And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 15  And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16  And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 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! 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. 21  And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22  But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23  And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24  For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. 25  Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. 26  And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. 27  And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. 28  And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. 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: 30  But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. 31  And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. 32  It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

Proverbs 22:6  Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 29:3 ¶  Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father: but he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance.

The assurance in the verse in Proverbs is that children will often stray from the lessons and habits they learned in their childhood but will return to what they remember as being a stable and comforting part of their early life when live has dealt them the hand they so richly deserved for their apostasy. Many young adults who have strayed, when they have their own children, want a little of what they were given spiritually that they walked away from for their own. It is tragic when that does not happen because a parent was hateful, implacable, or just plain mean-spirited in the way they lived in front of their child. Sometimes there is no going back because if the person who abused them emotionally or otherwise is in heaven they certainly don’t want to be there. What they don’t understand is the choice they are making if they are not saved is a terrible one and if they would just put aside the sorrowful memory of the idiot parent or parents they would understand something God has recorded for us.

Psalm 27:10  When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.

Here, in this parable, one way of viewing it is with the father as a type of Christ as God, the elder son is like Israel, and the younger son who went away is like the bulk of mankind who left the first worship of the Creator and wallowed in idolatry and self-worship for four-thousand years. God rejoices that they have chosen to cease swimming in filth and have returned to Him in repentance and humility but Israel resented the father’s embrace of the wayward, the so-called prodigal son.

It can also be viewed with the father as a type of God the Father embracing the repentant Jew who returns to the fold, even with those who stayed true to the Law given to Moses angry at His reception of them. There are several other ways to view it I’ve read with the far country being pagan religion and the swine being false teachers and prophets as in 2Peter 2:22. Read the entire chapter.

2Peter 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Remember how Jesus warned against casting your pearls, new converts, before swine, false preachers and teachers who would corrupt them?

Matthew 7:6  Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

The point is, though, no matter how you color it to make your point in preaching or teaching, is that this parable underscores what was said just before it, that there is great rejoicing over one returning to the faith. It can be used to be about new converts but it is most literally applicable for the backsliding Jew who has wondered away from the flock and how God and His angels rejoiced when that one returned. You apply it to our own dispensation of Christianity but be careful with the limitations of that application.  Simply put, God is ecstatic when a believer stops wallowing in the muck and the mire and realizes His need for God’s truth and mercy. No matter how far a Christian strays he or she is never not God’s own child and God will never reject them.

Hebrews 13:5b  for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

I would say one more thing about this parable and applying it to our modern times. When you have a child who persists in a sin that you know will wreck their lives it is not good to go to war with them. Even if you have to not be a part of their lives for a time, always leave the door unlocked, give them a way to return, and embrace them when they do. “You are no longer my child,” is not a Christian sentiment and woe be it to us if our Lord felt that way with our apostasy.

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