Alright, so today we're going to dive into Luke 15:11-31. It's commonly referred to as the Parable of the Prodigal Son. I'm sure if you've been in church for even just a short time, you've heard a sermon or two preached on it. Most of the time, the entire sermon is focussed on how we shouldn't be like the prodigal son and all that jazz. Obviously that's a good teaching to follow but there's so much more in this passage that we can learn.
Instead of posting a whole twenty verses, I'll summarize it shortly. There was a man with two sons. One day the younger of the two goes to his dad and is like "Yo. Give me my half of the inheritance. I'm peacing out." - Okay quick history lesson here. In that time and culture, telling your father that you wanted your inheritance while he was still alive was the equivalent of saying "I wish you were dead." - So the dad gave him his half of the inheritance and homeboy was like "bye felicia" and went off to some foreign country and started living like a hooligan. He spent all of his money on partying and prostitutes and then as soon as his money runs out, a famine hits the country that he's living in. So homeboy is out of money, stuck in a foreign country, and there's no food. He goes off and gets a job feeding pigs for some random farmer and it got to the point where he was so hungry that he would look at the food that the pigs were eating (Which is absolutely disgusting. Like google pig slop to see how nasty it looks) and wanted to eat it. Finally he comes to his senses and is like "What the heck my dad's servants have more than enough to eat. I'll just go tell him to hire me as one of his servants because I don't deserve to be his son anymore." So he starts his journey back home. And even while he was still awhile from home, his dad saw him and picked up his robe and RAN to his son and embraced him. - Another history lesson here. In that time and culture, letting people see your ankles was a no no and men over the age of twenty-five didn't run. It was scandalous.- The son was all like "Dad, I've messed before God and you and I don't deserve to be your son anymore. " Before homeboy could finish, the dad told the servants to prepare a huge banquet in celebration of his son coming home. The dad got him new clothes and there was a crazy awesome party because homeboy was back home. You're probably wondering what happened with the older son. I haven't mentioned him in a bit. Well fear not, dear readers, I will enlighten you. The older son was out working in the fields (because apparently this family lived on a farm) and heard the party going on and was like "What on earth is going on?" So he asked a servant about all the commotion and the servant promptly informed him that it was a celebration in honor of his wayward brother coming home. So big brother got all frustrated and went to his dad and was like "I've worked hard for you all my life and have never rebelled. You've never celebrated me. Homeboy went off and wasted his inheritance and you kill the fattened calf (had a frickin' awesome barbecue) for him!" The dad gently reminded big brother "Son, you are always with me and everything that I have is yours. It's only right to celebrate because you're brother was dead and is alive again. He was lost and now is found."
Alright story time over. Let's dig into this. I think it's pretty obvious who the "prodigal son" represents, us. I also think it's obvious that the Father is a representation of God. Most of the time when we hear this passage being preached on, the pastor or whoever stops after the prodigal comes home and Daddy throws the party. BUT THEY LEAVE OUT HOMEBOY BIG BROTHER. Alright I'll try to dissect this some for ya.
We are the prodigal son. We have rebelled against God the Father. We squandered our lives away on sinful temporary things. We are the lost cause. And God is the Father that doesn't care about the scandal but about the scandalous (us.) God is the one who picked up the hem of His robes and ran to us in our brokenness. God did the unthinkable to bring us back into His glorious presence and family. We were the dead and now living. We were the lost that were found. I think that's obvious.
But so many times we allow ourselves to be the older brother, especially we who have been believers for awhile. For years I only read up to the celebration. I finished when Dad was like "Yo throw a party." But recently I read the end and was like "Oh my gosh. I am the older son" and I wasn't happy with that realization. So many times we become bitter with new believers because they are so on fire and everyone is celebrating them. I think we (not all of us, maybe just me) feel like God loves them more to us. Like all of the angels in heaven are celebrating this new member of the family who was some heathen and we who have been faithful and true for years aren't getting any recognition at all. I've found myself in that place so many times recently. I feel so unappreciated by God (obviously I don't need to be appreciated because anything good I do is through HIS strength, not my own.) We lose focus on the fact that it's not about us. It was never about us. It's about HIM and HIS grace and HIS gospel. Bitterness comes from focussing on ourselves and what we think we deserve. Don't allow bitterness take hold in your heart. Focus on the Father. Celebrate with the ones brought home. There is no room for bitterness and resentment in the Kingdom of God.
Instead of posting a whole twenty verses, I'll summarize it shortly. There was a man with two sons. One day the younger of the two goes to his dad and is like "Yo. Give me my half of the inheritance. I'm peacing out." - Okay quick history lesson here. In that time and culture, telling your father that you wanted your inheritance while he was still alive was the equivalent of saying "I wish you were dead." - So the dad gave him his half of the inheritance and homeboy was like "bye felicia" and went off to some foreign country and started living like a hooligan. He spent all of his money on partying and prostitutes and then as soon as his money runs out, a famine hits the country that he's living in. So homeboy is out of money, stuck in a foreign country, and there's no food. He goes off and gets a job feeding pigs for some random farmer and it got to the point where he was so hungry that he would look at the food that the pigs were eating (Which is absolutely disgusting. Like google pig slop to see how nasty it looks) and wanted to eat it. Finally he comes to his senses and is like "What the heck my dad's servants have more than enough to eat. I'll just go tell him to hire me as one of his servants because I don't deserve to be his son anymore." So he starts his journey back home. And even while he was still awhile from home, his dad saw him and picked up his robe and RAN to his son and embraced him. - Another history lesson here. In that time and culture, letting people see your ankles was a no no and men over the age of twenty-five didn't run. It was scandalous.- The son was all like "Dad, I've messed before God and you and I don't deserve to be your son anymore. " Before homeboy could finish, the dad told the servants to prepare a huge banquet in celebration of his son coming home. The dad got him new clothes and there was a crazy awesome party because homeboy was back home. You're probably wondering what happened with the older son. I haven't mentioned him in a bit. Well fear not, dear readers, I will enlighten you. The older son was out working in the fields (because apparently this family lived on a farm) and heard the party going on and was like "What on earth is going on?" So he asked a servant about all the commotion and the servant promptly informed him that it was a celebration in honor of his wayward brother coming home. So big brother got all frustrated and went to his dad and was like "I've worked hard for you all my life and have never rebelled. You've never celebrated me. Homeboy went off and wasted his inheritance and you kill the fattened calf (had a frickin' awesome barbecue) for him!" The dad gently reminded big brother "Son, you are always with me and everything that I have is yours. It's only right to celebrate because you're brother was dead and is alive again. He was lost and now is found."
Alright story time over. Let's dig into this. I think it's pretty obvious who the "prodigal son" represents, us. I also think it's obvious that the Father is a representation of God. Most of the time when we hear this passage being preached on, the pastor or whoever stops after the prodigal comes home and Daddy throws the party. BUT THEY LEAVE OUT HOMEBOY BIG BROTHER. Alright I'll try to dissect this some for ya.
We are the prodigal son. We have rebelled against God the Father. We squandered our lives away on sinful temporary things. We are the lost cause. And God is the Father that doesn't care about the scandal but about the scandalous (us.) God is the one who picked up the hem of His robes and ran to us in our brokenness. God did the unthinkable to bring us back into His glorious presence and family. We were the dead and now living. We were the lost that were found. I think that's obvious.
But so many times we allow ourselves to be the older brother, especially we who have been believers for awhile. For years I only read up to the celebration. I finished when Dad was like "Yo throw a party." But recently I read the end and was like "Oh my gosh. I am the older son" and I wasn't happy with that realization. So many times we become bitter with new believers because they are so on fire and everyone is celebrating them. I think we (not all of us, maybe just me) feel like God loves them more to us. Like all of the angels in heaven are celebrating this new member of the family who was some heathen and we who have been faithful and true for years aren't getting any recognition at all. I've found myself in that place so many times recently. I feel so unappreciated by God (obviously I don't need to be appreciated because anything good I do is through HIS strength, not my own.) We lose focus on the fact that it's not about us. It was never about us. It's about HIM and HIS grace and HIS gospel. Bitterness comes from focussing on ourselves and what we think we deserve. Don't allow bitterness take hold in your heart. Focus on the Father. Celebrate with the ones brought home. There is no room for bitterness and resentment in the Kingdom of God.
