Today we examine the layers of the Prodigal Son parable; while correcting our previous notions of the story.
Fixing Christianity one dose at a time.
Today we examine the layers of the Prodigal Son parable; while correcting our previous notions of the story.
Fixing Christianity one dose at a time.
Fixing Christianity one dose at a time. Cue the intro
Welcome to Christian Capsules season two capsule number 10 finale Here we are fixing Christianity one dose at a time All scripture is read from the new American standard bible 95 edition Please subscribe to Christian Capsules via your favorite podcast. We're on everything, Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon, iHeart, you name it, we're on it.
Today, we're going to talk about something that I've always wanted to talk about, and now we finally get to. It is the parable of the radical son. But before we get started, I just want to talk about, um, being that this episode is the season 2 finale. And I just want to reflect for a second on what we covered, um, in this season.
And we covered topics, if you go back and listen, we've covered topics like, uh, demonic possession. And that will be an ongoing thing. Um, even into, uh, season three. We talked about no excuse for denying God. We talked about, um, nuns. The people who have left God or, or have gone on to another religion or don't even have religion.
We talked about, uh, the Jesus commercials he gets us. We talked about judging others, being Bible illiterate, carrying burdens and weight, witchcraft, the popularity of witchcraft, um, and, uh, and the last episode, which was the Good Samaritan, the misuse of the Good Samaritan parable. Also, then, sprinkling in there, uh, three hot mics.
Uh, those are no scripts. And, just go back and listen to them. You'll see what I'm talking about. So it was a very productive season two. I'm very happy how things turned out and I want to thank everybody who's been listening to the capsules. Thank you so much for being a constant listener or if you're new, thank you for participating and listening and be rest assured there will be many more.
Season three will only be a month away. I have to finish up the nonfiction book of Christian capsules and then sometime in June, season three will kick off. Alright, so let's get back into what I was talking about earlier. We've, I've always wanted to do, uh, the prodigal son and now let's get, let's get into it.
So the prodigal son, uh, parable or story, uh, it is a story because there are no names in this. So when Jesus, uh, doesn't use names, like I said, in the Good Samaritan, it's a made up story. When he uses names, then it's a, it's a true story. So this story is, has many. Levels to it and like any parable that Jesus tells but we often time only focus on one or two I was I would say of the four levels to the story There's this you can draw many things from this but I would say at the minimum.
There's three to four and Like I said, oftentimes we only choose one or two things to talk about But before we get into the story, we got to go back to our What kicked off this parable? Why did Jesus launch himself into this story? And you got to go all the way back to the beginning of Luke chapter 15 because the parable Begins Luke chapter 15 verse 11 But we have to go all the way back to the beginning of 15 to get context to find out what's really going on Why did he launch into this now?
chapter 15 Says now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus you But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, This man welcomes sinners and eats with them. Now after this, Jesus launches into three parables, all having to do with something lost. The first one is the parable of the lost sheep, the second one is the parable of the lost coin, and the third one is the parable of the lost son.
Now there is something that all three of these have in common. Um, but before I go back and compare them all, I'm going to go into the parable of the lost son, which we all know is the lost son. Prodigal son parable. Now the prodigal son parable is the longest of the three and instead of reading all of these verses There's like almost 20 some verses.
We're just gonna break it down real quick, right? A man had two sons the younger them told his father give me my share of the estate So the father divided basically the wealth between him the younger and older son, right? and then Now many days later the youngest son gathers everything he has and he takes off to a distant country, right?
The Bible says he went on a journey to a distant country. When he got there, he's so probably to a place where I imagine that, um, that had things that he wanted to go do there, right? Uh, that he had to go far away probably to get to this particular place. It's not known where this place is, just know he had to go to this distant country.
When he gets there, Uh, he squandered his, uh, his half of the money with loose living, right? He just basically, uh, I think the Bible says, it does, the Bible says he had prostitutes and all kinds of stuff, right? Lavish living, basically. He squandered all the money. And then when he spent everything, as he got done spending all he has, a famine, a severe famine occurs in that same country.
So he, he, he's at that point, just down and out and poor and everything. And then he goes and hires himself out to one of the citizens who lives there. And then they have him feeding swine. Now, he's so impoverished at this point, that he, that the, the food that they're giving the swine, he's even looking like, I need to eat this.
Right? Because no one was giving anything. This is a severe, the Bible uses the word severe, for the famine that took place. So, he's thinking to himself, I can eat this food. Now, what am I, what am I thinking? He comes to his senses and he says, I need to go back to my father. So, he says, well, wait a minute.
I'm going to go back to my father because, um, my father has enough food and he can hire me on. He may not take me back, welcome me back as a son, but at least he can welcome me back as a hired hand. At least I get paid and I eat good. It's better than out here dealing with these swine. In a severe poverty in this country.
I can go back home where there is no poverty So he he says he makes up his mind and says, okay, i'm gonna go back home I'm gonna repent and i'm gonna come home and then see if my my father would take me on as a hired hand Maybe not as a son because I disrespected him. So then he goes home And the father sees them and the father, uh, welcomes him back.
They throw a party for him. The other son is mad Um, and then the father tells him it was it's good to celebrate Uh, your son came home, that's the bottom line, that's basically the story, in a nutshell. Now, I'm gonna tell you, for a long time, I was not on board with this story. And I know what you're thinking, like, why do you, like, how can you not be on board with the scriptures?
I was on board with the story, but I was taking the side of the older son. And here's why. Because this happened in my family, basically, kind of to a little bit of a degree. I'm the older brother in my family in real life. And my brother under me. We're three brothers, one sister, I'm the oldest. That's the second one in line.
Did the, he didn't do the exact same thing, but he basically got money from my, our parents and then took off, spent all his money, and then comes back and tries to be like, oh, I spent all money. And he tries to be all like, oh, whoops. I'm sorry. I spent all the money. Um, and then the dad, my, our dad invites him back in and it is act like he's the golden child or something.
Yeah. And this, and in this story, it's not much different. This, this younger goofball. Goes and asks his father for the share of the estate, right? and back then that meant like giving my inheritance and that would assume back then like When you ask when you get an inheritance, that means the father is already dead It passes on to the son after the death of the father.
So it's it's almost as if the son Assumed the death of the father said you know what? You're as good as dead to me Just give me my money now and the father does he splits it up actually You So he doesn't just give it to the younger brother. He gives it to the older brother as well. They split it up. It says in the Bible, it says, so he in verse 12, so he divided his wealth between them.
So he splits it up and gives it to him. Then, not even days later, it says in verse 13, not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and left. Basically, packed his stuff in a couple of days after getting the money and took off and went as far away as he could. It says, the way the Bible says.
A journey into a distant country. This guy assumed the death of his father by saying, Give me my money, you're as good as dead to me. Goes to as far away as he can go, Like a young goofball would do, Grey Matter. Then, he squanders all the money because, You know, as a young goofball, You don't know the value of money.
So he spent it all, everything out, Squandered it, loose living, Um, and then, when the famine came, He got caught with his pants down, basically. Now he's like, Aw, crap. Famine in the land. What the freak do I do? So as far as the younger the younger brother's concerned, he's a screw up Then he comes back and tries to make nice with the family and they throw him a party And the older brother's like what the freak i've been here all the time doing the right thing I didn't do that.
I didn't ask for that. I didn't take off. I didn't Squander all the fathers, but I didn't assume him dead. I stayed here. I did my chores. I I served the father You And I didn't even get a party. Nothing like that. I got nothing like that. And we, he comes back screwing up and he gets everything. So, I was, I was taking the side of the older brother for quite some time.
For many, many years. Until my understanding through the Holy Spirit got better. Then I went back and I re, I re studied the parables. All of them. And now it's more glaring. What's going on? Yes, the son did that. He goes and does many things, right? And I've highlighted the things that he's done in in the verses.
The first thing he says, Give me my estate that falls to me. Then he goes on and says, he went into a distant country, he squandered his money, a famine occurred, and then he was caught with his pants down, basically. Now, then, but then it says in verse 17, but he came to his senses. And then he goes to verse 18 and says, I will get up, go to my father and I will say to him, father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, I am no longer worthy to be called your son.
Make me as one of the higher men. So basically the son, the younger son knew that he was a screw up. He knew he messed up and he repented. He basically did. He humbled himself, took his pride away. He was humbled by the, The conditions and he further humbled himself by saying, I'm going to go to my father and this is what I'm going to say to him.
And he's going to admit guilt and he's going to confess and he's going to repent. And he's going to say, you know what, I'm going to repent, but still don't ever call me your son. I'm still want to be treated as if I was a average work hand, like I'm a stranger, not a family member. I'm just a worker, a hired hand.
So then he goes home and the father sees him far off. So this is the part I want to get to. It says, while he, verse 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. Isn't that just like God? Isn't that just like the Father? While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him.
His father felt compassion for him. This is what's notable. Before the son got a chance to even repent or to confess or anything. Before he got to say anything. Before he was even at the house, the father already felt compassion for him. Now, as far as the father knew in this story, the boy went off and he squandered money.
Right? And a famine occurred. I'm sure the father heard there was a famine in the land and all this stuff. Um, but he didn't talk to his son. Right? The son is on his way back and the dad felt, he felt basically love for him. And he ran and embraced him and kissed him. Just like how God would do us, just how God does do us.
So anyway, the son, um, gets to the father and says, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father told his slaves, quickly bring out the best robe, put it on him, put a ring on his hand, and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.
Now look at that. The father doesn't even question him about what he's been, what he's been doing. Why did you ask me for the, he didn't grill him for the, for why he asked for the money. He didn't grill him about where he's been. He didn't grill him about the, all the things that he's done. He didn't keep a list and say, I heard you did this, this, this.
Give me an itemized list of everything that you've done. Where did the money go? And who you spent it? Nothing. There was none of that. The father asked him no questions. The son repented. To the father the father immediately says okay to his hired to his hired hands Go get the best stuff. Let's put it on without Asking any questions the love of the father for his son.
So then in the story he Well before I go there The next verse is the father says let's let us eat celebrate for this son of mine was dead and he has come to life Again, he was lost and has been found And they began to celebrate now they jumped to the story jumps to the older son Um and verse 25 says now his older son was in the field when he came and approached the house He heard music and dancing and he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be And he said to him your brother has come and your father has killed the fatted calf Because he has received them back safe and sound now verse 28 says the older son became angry It was not willing to go in Due to the part of the reasons that I said earlier and his father came out and began pleading with him now This is this is the important part.
The father came out pleading with the oldest son. Let's celebrate together your brother your family that has come back from the brink of death because Literally, that's what he was. Anytime he says go get some sandals and put them on your feet This guy didn't even have no freaking sandals on. He had no shoes on He had nothing to eat, he probably was skinny, he was all outdoors, and he had no sandals on, he had no shoes on, right, eating nothing, on a party, on the brink of death.
And the father says, let's get him robed, let's get him sandaled up, let's put some jewelry on this guy, let's get him cleaned up, right? And so, but the son, but the older son, didn't even want to go celebrate as a family for his brother. So that shows you where the love of the The older son was. I mean, come on.
He wasn't even willing to put his own pride behind him. Because that's what it amounts to. The older son had pride issues. He wouldn't humble himself and say, Yeah, you're right. He's my brother. What am I thinking? I love this guy. Like, nothing. Nothing like that. He was just thinking about himself. I didn't get, and he tells the father that.
He says, you didn't kill a goat for me. You didn't do this for me. You didn't do that for me. Now he forgets earlier in the story That when the younger brother asked for the wealth he split it with the older brother He's not now he funny how he doesn't remember that part And then how he's eating good by living with the father and everything's going good He doesn't he forgets all of that and says this is not fair You give up a party and you do none of these for me, right?
pride pride issues envy Jealousy, you name whatever you want to say. It's all part of it, right? So You The father says look from verse 29 for so many years I'm sorry. This is what the older brother said to the father for so many years. I have been serving you I have never neglected a command of yours and and yet you have never given me a young goat So that I might celebrate with my friends But with this son of yours came who has devoured your wealth prostitutes.
You kill the fatted calf for him funny How he says This son of yours now now he's detached himself from the family. Well this son of yours, you know, that's what we say That's what we say as parents when a kid does something wrong and we want to blame it on The other parent this son of yours. Look what he did So that's funny how the younger brother takes the parental tone and starts saying this son of yours um And he listens he starts funny how he's the one that lists the things that the younger brother did The father doesn't list them.
The father is the one that's been wronged. The son comes to him. The father doesn't question him, but it's the older brother that starts categorizing the things that the, that the younger brother did. He's the one that was not wronged and he actually benefited from the younger brother again, like I said from earlier, he's the one that got some, got half of the wealth along with the younger brother.
Yoder brother got money. He got paid right. But he's going to sit there and itemize the things that he did prostitutes. He's just dead And he's not even the one that was wrong so then The father comes back at him and says this son You've always been with me and all that is mine is yours Ouch, right 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.
We know it's how he said we had to celebrate and rejoice for this brother. So for this brother of yours, so he reversed it on him. He says this son of yours. So he goes, okay, we got to celebrate goofball. This son, this brother of yours, he's your brother. You want to toss that to me? Toss it right back to you.
This brother of yours, right? Was dead to all of us. He was gone. He was lost. Not just dead, but beyond that, he was lost. He, he didn't know his own way. It was, we have to celebrate that he's returned back to us. He's admitted his wrong. He's, uh, repented. He's come back. And he's, because he admitted, he confessed and repented, it is only right to celebrate that.
How can you not see that? He was dead and now he's begun to live. It's kind of a thing where we do mess up like that as kids. And we come back to it, but we, we take the car out, we get in the accident, right? It reminds me of that, that scenario. Like you saw, we've all seen it in movies or heard about it.
When a kid takes the car without the parent's permission, gets in a car accident, um, the parent gets to the scene or gets to the hospital. The kid's got a little banged up or a little broken arm or something And the parent rushes to the bedside in the hospital of the kid and the kid's like crying. He's dead I'm, sorry, I did it but the but the parent does not care about none of that All the parent cares about is the kid is safe and sound right and the kid knows he messed up The kid's not gonna do that again, right?
Hopefully Um, so at that point he's begun to live again He had lost his way earlier, but he's beginning to live again. And that's what the father's talking about. This is the example of the father. And this is what I basically want to get to about these layers, uh, of this parable. It's many lessons wrapped into one.
First lesson, the younger brother did not value what the father had already been providing for him. So he goes out and acts a fool, right? Taking for granted, disrespecting, and blows everything, right? Comes back. And then when the repercussions of his actions hit, then he's down and out. So so I would just equate this to this was sin.
The father provides everything that we need, but we think we know better. So we go, we do our own way. We go our own, we, we, um, we detach ourselves from the father and go our own way. And then when sin happens, the repercussions of sin or the consequences of sin happens, we are left with our own consequences.
We're left standing in our own feces. Each and every one of us treats the father this way. Before we became Christian each year, each year, we were all product of the father, but yet we thought we knew better and we went our own way and sin happened again and again and again, and the consequences crept up and we were as good as dead.
Uh, we were so far from the father that we needed a savior to bring us back. Right. And part of that salvation gift is to repent the confessor said Realize the dearest savior repent and accept the gift. So the boy here Repents confesses and is going to accept the gift of being just a laborer. That's layer number one Layer number two is the older brother how much of his pride so much so blinded it blinded him.
I remember Jesus said one time to the Pharisees I think this, I don't, I don't remember, I think this is John something. Um, he, he, he says, I've come to give sight to the blind, but because you say we see, your sin remains. And that is what the older brother has gone through. He's supposed to have known better.
He's supposed to be a loving heart. He's been under the care of the father. Um, he's not close to death. He should be thankful and and yeah, he should be thankful and he should be loving and compassion. He should be taking cues from the father. Instead, he's caught up in his own pride and his own envy and therefore he's become distant and removed from the situation.
That's us. We do that. Christians do that. Christians do that to people who are struggling and they come back. They try to find their way back to the father. But still struggle with some sin even though they feel fascinated. They want to repent and Christians are like, yeah No, we judge them. We list their sins.
We prevent we stand in the way of them trying to receive Salvation and then we get mad when the church swoons over them. That's us. There were no different layer Number three is what's in the previous two parables in the same chapter is at the end of them both You And it says, like in verse 7 of the first parable of Luke chapter 15, it says, I tell you, in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
And in the parable of the lost coin, it says the same thing in verse 10. In the same way I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. And again, so now we're in the story of the prodigal son. And it's the same thing. Uh, in fact, the father says this. He says, 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. That, that, that's facts. Right? You're lost. There is, and you come back. The father wants nothing more than his child, his children under them. He wants nothing but the wayward, the lost, the blind to come back to him.
So he could be, so he could continue to be the nurturer, the provider, the father. That's all the father wants. The final there is the fact that the father's arms are open wide. It's a song that we sing in church. The father, it says in verse 20, uh, While he was still, he being a younger brother, was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
That that tells me that the fact that the father saw him a long ways off means he was looking for him He was looking For his son to return to him. He had open arms. No accusations No accusing no, uh pointing the finger. No judging Welcoming with open arms and that's how the father is with us. He welcomes us with open arms Anybody willing to repent confess your sin?
You As a non-believer to accept the, the grace gift of salvation, the father's arms are open wide. Even as a Christian, when we sin, 'cause as a, lets face it, as a Christian, we still sin on a daily. So when we sin and we confess and we repent, I'm not talking about for to get saved. I'm talking about the daily repenting of sin.
When we repent and confess, the father's arms are open. Why to forgive us? He's faithful to forgive us and to continue with our sanctification to make. Uh, I'm maturing of our, of our, of our faith for us to spiritually mature. The father is faithful. He has open arms. He, and the fact that the father, like I said, he saw him, he felt compassion for him.
He loved, he loved him. He felt for his son. And then says, let's, he goes, give me everything. The ring, the robe, the sandals, let's celebrate. The father's arms are always open wide. I'm going to read you something from 1 Corinthians chapter 13. We all know it. Verses 4 through 5. And this comes from the NIV.
Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It does not dishonor others. It is not self seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no records of wrongs. Isn't that the father in the story? He was patient for his son to return. That's the father. He was kind when he did return.
He did not end with the older brushing. I did was not envy to how he was. The younger brother was treated. It does not boast, right? It is not proud. Although the younger, the older brother was proud. Love does not dishonor others, even though the older brother was pointing fingers at the younger brother. It is not so seeking, even though the older brother was like, I didn't get this.
I didn't get that. And it's not easily angered, although the older brother was, and the father wasn't. And it keeps no record of wrongs. The father was full of forgiveness, did not point the finger, did not ask where he's been, did not ask anything. Did not keep the record of wrongs, even though the older brother did.
He had prostitutes and everything! These three parables, the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the prodigal son, or the parable of the lost son, These show you what the father is all about Especially the prodigal son. It shows you the love of god And what he's willing to do How patient and loving he is and how forgiveness works It's a picture of how we're supposed to be with each other The older brother is supposed how he should have been to the younger brother all our christian brothers We're supposed to be like that with each other The brother came back to repent.
We're supposed to not keep records of wrongs. We're supposed to be quick to forgive, not have pride stand in heaven's way. The older brother's pride stood in heaven's way. Heaven's way is to forgive, not keep a list of it, and celebrate and rejoice when a sinner comes to his senses and repents. I know this is a season finale, but I want to leave you with this thought.
When you read the Bible, Examine the scriptures. Get context. Read the chapter before and the chapter after to put yourself in the right mindset of what's going on. And don't just read quickly read through a chapter or read through a paragraph. Take your time and massage it, examine it. Like the Berean Christians did when the apostles were preaching.
The Bereans Went home and searched their scriptures the bible uses the word examine the Bereans examine their scriptures To see if the apostles what they were saying was true do that with the scriptures get into it examine it Pray on it Pray on it pray before you read pray after you read Chew on it all day long.
Think about it. Do like psalm one says meditate on it all day long. Think about it Think about what it means And then you're going to get the proper the proper meaning Of what the what the scriptures is trying to say there is a context for them Right because the first is the goofballs back then all stupid trying to test Jesus right Talking about he's with sinners and stuff And Jesus it is over.
There's the underlying context for now For how we live as Christians today So I leave you with that That little bit of nugget to just be careful with the scriptures and take your time with them and examine them pray Read pray in the spirit. So this concludes season 2 season 3 comes out in mid to late June and The book the nonfiction Christian capsule I think that the release is in the end of July of this year.
Season three, we'll see things coming up. Like I'm going to do a four part series on religions. We're going to talk about angels, more angels and demons, more, um, just a litany of things. We're going to talk about the disrespect of God. We're going to go into some high bed issues. There's a lot of things we're going to talk about how to fight temptation.
Just a ton of stuff. Season three is going to be even better than season two was. Again, thank you everybody for listening to Christian Capsules. My name is Jermaine Ferrell and I'll talk to you next time.