Word of Salvation – Vol. 27 No. 03 – October 1981

 

A Father And His Sons

 

Sermon by Rev. W. Vander Kolk on Luke 15:11-32

Scripture Reading: Luke 15:11–32

Psalter Hymnal: 40; 100:1,2,3 (after Law); 227; 396; 332:3

 

Beloved Congregation in the Lord Jesus Christ,

Today we will preach on the longest and best known parable of the Lord Jesus, the parable of the prodigal son. I can well imagine that you think: “it is one thing to attend a reading service, but it is another thing to listen to a sermon on a text everybody knows. What is he going to tell us that we don’t know already? This parable is kid’s stuff. Good for children of a Saturday – or Sunday school.”

Well, today we won’t try to tell you something you don’t know already. The only reason that we will study this parable is that probably nowhere in the whole Bible the heart of the Gospel is laid bare in such a graphic and beautiful way as in this parable. In a most striking way this parable illustrates Jesus’ words, “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which is lost” (Luke 19:10).

These words of Jesus constitute a problem. We had better face it squarely before we go on. There have been people who said, “In this parable Jesus is not mentioned, and in this parable there is no place for Him. This parable teaches us that it is quite well possible to have a Christianity without Christ and an atonement without the blood of the cross. Jesus, as He is preached in the church, is not needed to get things straight between the father and his sons. This parable speaks of God’s universal love for His creatures, irrespective of the fact whether Christ died on the cross.”

Now we must admit that this parable speaks indeed of God’s fatherly and forgiving love. We must admit also that in this parable Jesus’ name is not mentioned. But what does this prove? Not much. Even Christ cannot say everything in one parable. In each of his parables Christ stresses a different point. This makes for exciting reading. Suppose Christ should try to say everything in every parable, His preaching would be just as monotonous as a Reformed minister who tried to cover the whole order of salvation every week anew. Fancy hearing twice every Sunday the cycle: misery, redemption, thanksgiving. I would pity the congregation of such a minister!

Jesus’ name is not mentioned in this parable. But who tells it: Jesus Himself. And why is it that you know that the father symbolises God? Because of what you read in the rest of the Bible. And who is the God of the rest of the Bible? The Father of our Lord Jesus. In other words: the only reason that I know that God is as good as the Father in the parable, is that Christ told me so. Yes, I know that the only reason that God is as good as the Father in the parable, is that Christ died on a cross! Really, there is no distance between the father in the parable and Jesus. What is Jesus’ great task? Read Matt.9:35,36 “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and all manner of sickness. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were distressed and scattered, as sheep not having a shepherd”. We read “He was moved with compassion”. What do we read about the Father in the parable? The same thing. When he saw his son “while he was yet afar off, he was moved with compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him”. By the way. I think this is the most beautiful text in the whole parable.

Still, when we put things this way the distance between Christ and the father in the parable is still too big. The connection is closer. Philip can tell you all about it. Philip believed that Christ was the Son of God. However, he never understood its implications. He would love to see God like Abraham once saw him. Jesus is surprised when He hears Philip’s request, “Have I been so long time with you, and dost thou not know me Philip? He that has seen Me, has seen the Father; how sayest thou, shew us the Father.” Many people want to create a distance between God and Christ.

As far as Jesus is concerned this is impossible. He and the Father are one. God is our Father only, because Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, came down to our level, became like unto us in all things, and carried God’s wrath over our sins. God can do for us, what the father did for the prodigal son, only because Christ died for us.

Let us now have another look at our parable. It is commonly known as the parable of the prodigal son. Once you come to think of it: this is not a very good title. Everyone knows that in this parable we are not dealing with one, but with two sons, though I must agree that the youngest steals the show. A better title would be: the parable of the two sons. But as we will quickly discover: this parable could be told only, because of the father’s moving, compassionate love. Were it not that the father had been so good, wise, and forgiving, the youngest son would never have gone back. So a still better title is “The father and his two sons”.

The parable begins: “A certain man had two sons”. I can see the scribes and Pharisees agree with an encouraging smile. They also teach that God’s people consists of two groups. There are the God fearing, righteous keepers of the Law and ancient traditions. The elder brother is their representative. There are also the ignorant multitudes. They don’t know the law so well. They don’t keep the law very well either. In this group you find harlots, publicans, sinners. Their desires are cheap vulgar, earthbound. They long for lust, passion, pleasure. The younger brother is their representative. The first group loathes the second just as much as the elder son despises his younger brother.

So far we are still agreed, I am sure. Now we will make things a little more personal. Jesus does not tell this story as a nice tale only. He wants to reach your heart. The question which He puts to you is: With which crowd do you feel at ease? Do you belong to the first or to the second group?

Let us begin with the younger brother. He is introduced to us as a young man who treats his father like a pig. No wonder that half way in the parable we find him in the midst of pigs, and that as far as his elder brother is concerned he can spend with them the rest of his natural life. This fellow could have lived today. Today you might see him with high boots, long manes, leather jacket, and a fast car. He wants to live fast, die young, and have a good looking corpse. He has no time to lose. He has not even time to wait for his father to die. He says, “Father, give me the portion of thy substance, that falleth to me”. Nice to have such a son! But the father starts no row. He speaks no bitter words. He does not show that his heart bleeds. We are told: “And he divided unto them his living”.

The younger son is still unsatisfied. He wants to break all contact with his father. He wants to be free and have a good time. Contrary to all Jewish traditions he sells his property. He journeys into a far country. Here things go from bad to worse. We are told that he wasted his substance with riotous living and his elder brother informs us that he spent his money on women of easy morals. Of course the fun is short lived. Soon the money is gone. To make matters worse famine strikes the country. The young man finds himself in a dreadful spot. No one cares for him not even the people who helped him waste his money. With much trouble the Jewish playboy becomes a keeper of swine. In all Palestine there is no more humiliating job. However, he still has not reached the lowest depth of misery. The owner gives him one extra push. Pig’s food is regarded as too good for him. Once he treated his father like a swine. Now he experiences what it means to live with them.

So far so good. The parable could have been the condensation of a modern novel. They end in the gutter also. We are told that this is stark realism. The Bible is of a different opinion. The Bible finds the life of every sinner, prostitute and publican exceedingly dull. The modern entertainment industry may try to blow up a story around them. As far as Christ is concerned they are not worth mentioning. The Bible is interested in one type of sinners only.

This makes this parable so interesting. The Bible is interested in converted sinners. The Bible is never interested in a prostitute because she is a prostitute. Gutter morality has no place in God’s Word. The Bible is interested, however, in the prostitute who goes the way back, who goes home to God. The Pharisees fail to see it as many decent living Christians fail to see it. But whether we understand it or not: the only reason that Christ preached the gospel is that sinners may go the way back, and all the emphasis should be on the word sinners. The Gospel is tailor-made for sinners who want to go back to the Lord.

I don’t know whether you can find yourself in the younger son. Perhaps you can not. One thing is sure though. However much you despise the fellow, you have more in common with him than you realise. What is sin according to the parable? To do evil against heaven and against your neighbour is sin. Do you dare say you are not doing this? You would be the first one I have met. And what is this man’s sin? He left his father in heaven. By nature you are living in a land of sin. As far as riotous living is concerned, the fact that you are so bestial that you even crucified your Lord, is sufficient proof that you are no saint either. Perhaps you think: At least I don’t waste my money on those women. This may be so, but my Bible tells me that you don’t always need a woman to commit adultery. Basically adultery is nothing else than trying to dodge the rights of love. In other words, if you don’t give your first love and loyalty to Christ, you commit spiritual adultery. Just read Hosea’s prophecy to understand how terrible this is.

Seeing that the younger brother is no stranger to us, we better read on. What is the use of staying with the swine if there is a way of escape The young man realises that something must happen. But what? His empty stomach hurts badly. He grows weaker all the time. He begins to think about home. Shall he go home? No, he cannot do that! Think of what dad will say! He can hear the sneering remarks of his brother already. And his father’s servants will get a good laugh because of his stupidity. However, they have food and shoes, and he has not. He begins to think about his father again. What is more: he begins to think about heaven.

With all the pigs around him and with his empty stomach, there comes a great change in the heart of the prodigal son. Don’t say: “No wonder. This fellow is always looking for an easy way out of his troubles. Again he follows the road of least resistance.” God can use an empty stomach also to bring a sinner to repentance. Conversion is a complicated business.

The young man hopes to have his stomach filled. But he also hopes to have his sins forgiven. Why should these two not go together?

In the meantime we do well to understand the lesson which we are taught. In everyone’s life there must come a point of no return. What did the father say to the elder son again? “This thy brother was dead and is alive again; and was lost and is found”.

The description fits you beautifully. You are also dead…. in trespasses and sin. You are also lost…. unless you are born again, unless Christ’s Spirit works in your heart, unless you are desirous to go the way back. Have you gone this way already? Actually you have no choice. If you don’t go back you will perish in your sin. Pray then the Lord for His grace, guidance, and Holy Spirit. God won’t leave you in your sin.

The son goes back home. It is a long, long journey. We read “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”. This is a beautiful text. Can you picture the scene? The old father had been travelling with his son.

While he was yet afar off, he saw him already. Do you know that what we read of this father holds true in a far more realistic way of our Father in heaven? This text explains the secret of conversion. For reasons sufficient unto Himself, God has elected in Christ His people. Really, they are no better than this son. But they are saved like him.. God sees you, while you are yet afar off. Seeing you, means that He begins to draw you with His love. He works the change in your heart. He shows you what misery you are in. He makes you confess your sin. No one begins to seek God unless God sought him first. We have wandered away very far. Yet God sees us. He draws. He saves. Once again, have you already gone the way of the younger son?

It is quite well possible that this sermon does not appeal to you a great deal. You cannot recognize yourself in this younger son. If this is so, the really important part of the parable is still to come for you. For now we will start talking about the elder brother.

His life story is not half as thrilling as the life story of his younger brother. Everything is very ordinary. No great heights or depths. I would not be surprised if you found it easier to recognize yourself in the elder son than in his younger brother. But this constitutes a great warning for you. The life story of the prodigal son has a happy end: fatted calf, music, and dancing. The life story of the elder brother is left unfinished. Everything is possible.

You can well understand how the Pharisees and scribes reacted when they heard the first half of the parable. Fancy God looking after such people! It made them feel secure. If God is willing to accept prodigal sons as his children, He must be very pleased to have children like the elder brother also.

In this parable Christ teaches them and us not to be so sure of ourselves. Let us have a closer look at this son. As we said his life story is not very exciting. He just stays home. A very good thing. I would say, “We also had better stay close to Christ.” But then we must make sure that home is home and not a house of bondage. Do you know that as far as the elder brother was concerned his father’s farm was exactly that? Till the very end of the parable the father calls him “son”, but he never acts that way. The elder son always acts like a slave, a servant. The situation is remarkable. Despite all that happened the younger son had remained a son. The elder brother, however, retains the soul of a slave. Listen to his own words “Lo, these many years do I serve thee and I never transgressed a commandment of thine; and yet thou never gavest me a kid that I might make merry with my friends”. How pathetic! The father is flabbergasted. He does not understand. If his son wants to, he can have ten kids instead of one. “Son, thou art ever with me and all that is mine is thine.”

But the elder son does not understand. He fears his father, but he does not love. He does not understand his father’s love. He knows of one love only: self love. He cannot understand that the father loves his brother, “That fellow, his brother? Never!”

Congregation, you find many elder brothers in the Church. True, these people live a decent life. Maybe they can even say “I have never transgressed a commandment of thine”. Yet, inwardly they are estranged from Christ. Because of God’s covenant, because they had believing parents, because they received the sign of baptism, they can claim the title “son of God”. Often they are hard-working members of the Church. Yet, Paul would say that they have received “the spirit of bondage unto fear” instead of “the Spirit of adoption whereby they cry “Abba, Father”. Usually these people are right. The escapade of the prodigal son was senseless and a waste of time and money. He should have stayed home. He caused a lot of hardship and heartbreak. Nevertheless the elder brother should have rejoiced with the father when he said, “because this thy brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found”.

The elder brother cannot see it. By the way, can you? Are you glad when a sinner comes to repentance? Does it bother you that in your environment also there are many prodigal sons and daughters?

It did not bother the elder brother. He only condemned his younger brother. What about you? In the Bible we read time and again that Christ was moved with compassion, and we know that He was moved with compassion……. even for us. Should that not fill our hearts with love for the other?

I could have told a far nicer parable than the Lord Jesus. When the younger brother was looking after the swine, I would have continued “When the elder brother saw the heartbreak of the father, he said, father, I shall go out and look for your son and my brother”. What a joy this would have caused in the father’s heart. But we don’t read this. The elder brother failed his father. His father’s love annoyed him.

You are not failing your Father in heaven, are you? You have compassion for the many prodigal sons and daughters, haven’t you? Look once again at Jesus. He is the elder brother par excellence. Our fall into sin moved God to the very depth of His being and Jesus went. The Word became flesh. The Father sent – and the Son wanted to go. He left the glories of heaven and became man, descending even into hell.

The Bible tells the triumphant story that Jesus did not stay there. He arose. He ascended into heaven. The risen Lord tells from God’s right hand, “Prodigal son or daughter, don’t lose heart, be of good cheer, I have overcome sin. Everyone who believes in Me shall not perish, but have the life everlasting.” It is time that all children of God behaved like our great Elder Brother. Let us live a life of obedience, holiness, love, and compassion. If we cannot do that, we will miss out on the feast, the great marriage feast of the Lamb.

In whose company do you feel at home? Are you a prodigal son, who returned to his father’s house, or are you an elder son, who fails his Father?

Amen.