Luke 15: 11-32.
My sister Vicky was a bit of a rebel, my father would insist that was came home for 11pm and she always was later. She wouldn’t go to church with us and when she started to smoke cigarettes that didn’t go down well at all.
Jesus no doubt observed young people growing up with the constraints of Judaism. The law governed every aspect of their lives, dictating what they could eat, and they were not allowed to mix with none Jews.
Jesus portrait the youngest son dissatisfied and leaving his family home. His inheritance I see as being the Hebrew Scriptures that he was brought up with.
When he settled in another country, he met others of his own age and he got caught up in Gentile activities, pursuing pleasures that he was ashamed to even think of before.
God’s purpose – to show the people how the Pharisees and Lawyers were overburdening the people with their added laws to the law given to Moses by God.
The visual aid – the pig representing Gentile involvement in his life an unclean animal to the Jews. The pods I see as representing other religions: new age, witchcraft, occult,
There are many young people going to Universities who will find themselves being approached by students promoting eastern religions. For some they will expose themselves to practices and belief systems that they cannot get free from and spend years in their grip.
Other young people who are searching for God will explore the internet for religious faiths like Destiny Church, or Super Apostles, charismatic leaders who attract young people and lead them away from the truths of the Bible.
While some seeking the truth will return to their faith in Jesus.
Freedom of choice, free to invest our eternal life into what we believe is true.
Joshua 24: 14-18
Joshua asked the people to choose between the God of Israel and the Canaanite gods. 14 “Joshua said, “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. . . . But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. . . . . 16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”
They chose the God of Abraham.
The young man in the parable, when he found himself in a mess and struggling to cope with his situation, he suddenly realised that the true God had guided and upheld his family and so he turned back to the God of Israel and repented.
If we have taken any other religion on board when we were searching for God then we need to repent and renounce any involvement, even if it’s years ago.
Jesus in his parable was removing the constraints of the law, and bringing in the Gentiles.
The youngest son wasn’t punished by observing ritual cleansing, he was welcomed home. His father forgave him before they greeted one another on the road.
Sea Captain John Newton discovered God’s amazing grace and as a result wrote it down in his hymn.’” I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see . . and ‘How precious did that grace appear, when I first believed.”
The greatest celebration we can ever participate in is when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. Scripture tells us that the angels celebrate this great event, a party in heaven. Luke15: 7
The prodigal son received from his father a ring and festal garments, so we receive special garments.
Isaiah 61: 3. “To grant to those who mourn in Zion – to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.”
Isaiah prophesied. We receive a crown, ‘a garland instead of ashes,’ a garland of forgiveness instead of sackcloth and ashes, Jesus said that his disciples needn’t fast while the bridegroom was with them. Mark 2: 19. ‘The oil of gladness instead of mourning,’ oil that makes our faces shine, reflecting our new-found joy. ‘The mantel of praise,’ clothes of fine linen, bright and clean and instead of a faint spirit, ‘oaks of righteousness,’ we shall stand tall and secure displaying God’s splendour. Isaiah 61: 3
The elder brother was the son or daughter who did what their father asked them to do, he worked on the farm and kept the Law.
Today the elder brother or sister is the Christian that’s reliable, strong in faith, who maybe didn’t have a Damascus road experience when they accepted Jesus as their Saviour, but who simply experienced drawing near to God, James wrote “Draw near to God and He’ll draw near to you,” and when asked to share their hope, they give the message that God loves you and forgives you when you turn to him in faith.James 4: 8
Prodigal in the dictionary: spending money recklessly.
Prodigal also means the person that has turned away from the faith for some reason and later returns to faith in Jesus.
Jesus reveals in this parable that the lord our God understands all our situations and when we are at a loss why some things happen to us. The Holy Spirit searches our heart and will encourage us to repent and turn back to God. Let’s rejoice that we are blessed with a wonderful Father who is thrilled and welcomes us home.