The Prodigal's Son - Part 1

 Parables, designed to be wrestled with, turned sideways, upside down, etc.

Mark 

Luk 15:1-3 

1 Now all the publicans and sinners were drawing near unto him to hear him. 2 And both the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 3 And he spake unto them this parable, saying,

Read vs 4-7

Luk 15:7 I say unto you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine righteous persons, who need no repentance.

Read vs 8-10

Luk 15:10 Even so, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

Luk 15:11 

11 And he said, A certain man had two sons: 

1. Think of any OT important character that had 2 sons? Abraham 

2. Names? Isaac and Ishmael

3. Who was older? Ishmael

4. Gen 21:9-11 

9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne unto Abraham, mocking. 10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this handmaid and her son: for the son of this handmaid shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. 11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight on account of his son.

5. Gen 22:2 

And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

Why does God call Isaac "thine only son"? Isaac was the child of promise.

6. Heb 11:17 

By faith Abraham, being tried, offered up Isaac: yea, he that had gladly received the promises was offering up his only begotten son;

Who else offered up his only begotten son? God offered up Jesus

So we are going to look at this parable as if the younger son represents Jesus, 

"THE WORD". But not only THE WORD (Jesus) in His earthly ministry but also the continuation of THE WORD (Jesus' ministry) via the church.

Remember:

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God…

So Jesus in some form would be the younger brother. Who is the older?

1Co 15:44-46 

44 it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So also it is written, The first man Adam became a living soul. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 Howbeit that is not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; then that which is spiritual.

Luke 3:38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

1. Natural - older - Adam

2. Spiritual - younger - Jesus

Luk 15:12-13

12 and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of thy substance 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 he wasted his substance with riotous living. 

1. Jesus, "Father, give me the portion of yours that falls to me".

2.  God gives it to him.

3. Jesus gathers together and makes his trip to a "far country''?

In Luke 19:12 Jesus uses a parable about himself as…

"A certain nobleman went into a far country, to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return."

4. there he wasted his substance with riotous living. 

1. Wasted - g1287

to scatter abroad, disperse, to winnow

to throw the grain a considerable distance, or up into the air, that it may be separated from the chaff

to gather the wheat, freed from the chaff into the granary, to winnow grain

2. Substance - the possessions that the father gave to Him

3. Riotous - G811 

-excess

-implied profligacy which means 

'reckless extravagance or wastefulness'

5. So, Jesus comes to earth, scatters or spreads His Father's substance extravagantly or excessively.

Jesus would say:

1. "My teaching is not mine, but his that sent me."

2. "I do nothing of myself, but as the Father taught me"

3. "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing"

***Everything that is done ultimately comes from the substance of the Father***

6. And remember why Jesus originally spoke this parable?

"both the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them"

7. Pro 25:25 

As cold waters to a thirsty soul,  So is good news from a far country.

Luk 15:14

14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that country; and he began to be in want. 

1. When He had spent all? Jesus at the end of His earthy ministry, and the church appears. 

2. A mighty famine arises in the country? A famine arrives in the church for the for the word of God

Famine - scarcity of harvest

Luke 15:15-16

15 And he went and joined himself to one of the citizens 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. 

1. Vs15 He joins himself to one of the citizens of that country. Citizens? Country?

In another parable, Jesus uses the phrase 'citizen' & 'far country'.

Luk 19:12-13 

12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country, to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13  And he called ten servants of his, and gave them ten pounds, and said unto them, Trade ye herewith till I come.

Who is the nobleman? Jesus

Luk 19:14 

 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent an ambassage after him, saying, We will not that this man reign over us.

Who are the citizens? Those who live in His kingdom - Also known as "the church"

2. Vs15 and he sent him into his fields to feed swine?

Lev 11:7 

And the swine, because he parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, but cheweth not the cud, he is unclean unto you.

Lev 11:8 

Of their flesh ye shall not eat, and their carcasses ye shall not touch; they are unclean unto you.

**So Jesus (the spiritual man) is relegated to w being in the "fields" to feed the unclean.**

3. Vs16  And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

1. The spiritual man (Jesus) isn't being fed. Yes it is busy in the fields feeding swine but as a whole, He (the spiritual man) is starving and longs for some solid food, even desiring the husks that the swine eat.

2. But it doesn't seem that He eats it, even though He is actually doling out the food for the swine.

3. Regarding the belly..

Phi 3:18-19 

18 For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 whose end is perdition, whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.

4. The spirital man minds spiritual things. What does the natural man mind? 

Natural things

Rom 16:18 

For they that are such serve not our Lord Christ, but their own belly; and by their smooth and fair speech they beguile the hearts of the innocent.

***Share carob husks.jpg"***

5. Husks - "a little horn" , a pod of the carob pods, given to swine.

Dan 8:9-12 

9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the glorious land. 10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and some of the host and of the stars it cast down to the ground, and trampled upon them. 11 Yea, it magnified itself, even to the prince of the host; and it took away from him the continual burnt-offering, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. 12 And the host was given over to it together with the continual burnt-offering through transgression; and it cast down truth to the ground, and it did its pleasure and prospered.

Metaphor for the natural, full bellied natural man? Yes

Luke 15:17-19

17 But when he came to himself he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: 19 I am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 

1. When He came to Himself…

When he realized the condition that He was in (as the spiritual man), the scarcity of harvest and all the good of His Father had been expended…

2. How many hired servants of my Father (God) have bread enough to spare and I perish here with hunger…

1. Hired servants of His Father? Employed for hire. Can be good or bad.

Jesus (the spiritual man) is working the spiritual fields of his Father. The "hired" servants (natural man servants) have plenty to eat.

Jas 5:4 

Behold, the hire of the laborers who mowed your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth out: and the cries of them that reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

Jas 5:5 

Ye have lived delicately on the earth, and taken your pleasure; ye have nourished your hearts in a day of slaughter.

2. Meanwhile Jesus (the spiritual man) is perishing. Very little harvest.

Perish  -destroy, end in ruin, die

-render useless, to declare that one must be put to death

3. I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight.

1. So Jesus dies in vs 17 and then arises(or the body of Christ) to go to my Father…

Maybe the point here is that the spiritual man that is on the earth has to die, just like Jesus (the physical man) had to die.

Said another way

Does the body of Christ(us) that is left on the earth also have to "perish" just like Jesus did? 

2. The younger son gets to his Father's house with sin? He says "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight"

Sinned - g264

-to be without a share in

-to miss the mark

-to err, be mistaken

-to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honour, to do or go wrong

-to wander from the law of God, violate God's law, sin

3. 2Co 5:21 

Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Jesus was made sin? He didn't sin but was made sin. Hard to understand..

1Pe 3:18  

 Because Christ also died for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he bring us to: God; put to death in the flesh, but made alive in spirit.

4. But Jesus remains true despite being made sin. 

1Pe 1:19 

but with precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, even the blood of Christ.

4. I am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. Did Jesus struggle with feeling worthless?

Psa 22:1-3, 6-7, 11-12

1 For the Chief Musician; set to Aijeleth hash-Shahar. A Psalm of David.  My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?  Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou answerest not;  And in the night season, and am not silent. 3 But thou art holy,  O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. 

6 But I am a worm, and no man;  A reproach of men, and despised of the people. 7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn:  They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 

11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near;  For there is none to help. 12 Many bulls have compassed me;  Strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

***Despite being the Son of God, Jesus struggled at times during his earthly period.***

5. Here is another example. Isaiah 53

1. Vs2b …he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

2. Vs3 He was despised, and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we esteemed him not.

3. Vs5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

4. Vs7a He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth;

5. Vs8a By oppression and judgment he was taken away; 

6. Vs11a He (God) shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied:

***Jesus must have wondered if He was worthy. If He genuinely felt the emotion and pain, he must have really experienced the grief if He had to pour out His soul unto death.***

What was God the Fathers reaction?

Luke 15:20

20 And he arose, and came to his father. But while he was yet afar off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him. 

Is this the reaction of the God?

Isa 53:10 

Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand.