Jesus’ story of the Prodigal Son paints one of the most vivid pictures of the extraordinary riches of God’s grace. In Luke 15 we read:
Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16 He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.” 20 So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. 21 Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate (Luke 15:11-24).
MERCY AND HOPE
Our natural inclination is to want to enjoy the good things of life while keeping God at a distance. This is true of the younger son in the story Jesus told. By asking his father for his inheritance ‘now’ he was in fact saying to his father, ‘Dad, I wish you were dead. I want to get on and enjoy life while I’m young and without having to be answerable to you’.
As the story unfolds, this son squanders his inheritance on extravagant parties with good-time friends. Inevitably, he finds himself without money to live on and without friends. In desperation he takes a position feeding pigs.
Reflecting on his plight, he resolved to return home and admit his failure to his father:‘I have sinned before heaven and before you…Take me back as a ‘hired hand’’. He knew he was unworthy to be re-instated as a son.
Like most fathers, this father was aware of what his son was like, and no doubt of what he had done. But he still loved him. He had been watching for his son’s return. News came that he was coming home. Heedless of the scorn he would receive – for in running he was making a public spectacle of himself – the father ran down the road and embraced the black sheep of the family.
Totally overcome by this unexpected welcome, the son said, ‘Father, I’ve sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ Period. The son had planned to add, ‘Treat me as one of your hired servants’. But now he saw that this was not appropriate.
REPENTANCE
Repentance. He realized now that he’d never really known his father and that he had not understood what it was to have been his father’s son. His father loved him beyond measure. His father was prepared to do for him what he had not expected and certainly did not deserve. His father had given himself publicly, humiliatingly, for his sake.
Jesus wanted his hearers, and each of us, to understand that the father is like God. God has given most of us many good things to enjoy, but we, like the son, have become so preoccupied with the good things of life and our own lives in general, that we forget God.
With this parable, Jesus foreshadows another and far greater dimension and expression of God’s extraordinary love, for the shadow of his cross begins to fall across the scene. It is in and through the cross that we see more deeply into the character of God. His love triumphs over all. God loves each one of us far more than we can ever believe or deserve.
The story does not stop there. Before the younger son could catch his breath, his father was busy ordering new clothes, shoes and a ring – the best of everything. An elaborate and expensive feast was prepared and the father tells us why: “For this my son was dead, now he is alive, he was lost but now he has been found” (15:24). The wayward, rebellious boy who deserved nothing good from his father was to be reinstated as a son.
Luke 19:10 records Jesus’ words about himself and his mission: “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost”. The younger son did not just regret his folly, but in turning back to his father and admitting his failure, was truly repentant. Through his father’s extraordinary and undeserved love, he is reinstated as a ‘son’. He saw that to serve his father as a ‘hired slave’ was completely inappropriate.
You may like to consider:
the lessons to be learnt from the younger son;
2. the implications of the extraordinary grace of God in your life.
11 Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16 He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.” 20 So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. 21 Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.
HOPE AND GRACE
Jesus’ story of the two lost sons is amongst the greatest of all stories. It is one of the most vivid pictures of the extraordinary riches of God’s grace towards men and women.
One way or another all of us want to enjoy and benefit from the good things of life while keeping God at a distance. This is true of both of the sons in the story that Jesus told here.
By asking his father for his inheritance now, the younger son makes an outrageous request: it is as though he was saying to his father, ‘Dad, I wish you were dead’. His request and his later actions reveal that he has no interest in his father or any sense of responsibility towards him. Yet the father shows extraordinary generosity.
As the story unfolds, the younger son squanders his inheritance on extravagant parties with good-time friends. Inevitably, he finds himself without money to live and without friends to call upon. In desperation he takes a poorly paid position feeding pigs. This is a twist that emphasizes the extent of the young man’s poverty. He, a Jewish man, under the laws of kashrut, for whom pigs were not clean food, could only find work feeding pigs.
Resolving to return to his father he was willing to admit responsibility for having lost the money: “I have sinned before heaven and before you…” In asking his father take him back as a ‘hired servant’, he reveals his sense of unworthiness (15:22). He didn’t even feel worthy to be re-instated as a son.
However he had not understood the nature of his Father’s love.
GRACE
Grace. The father did the totally unexpected. Like most fathers, he was aware what his son’s character was, and had no doubt what he had done, but he still loved him. He had been watching for his son’s return. When word came that his son indeed was coming home, he ran down the road to greet him. He was heedless of the scorn he would receive, for in running he was making a public spectacle of himself. A man in his position would always walk with dignity. Not only that, he was running to embrace the black sheep of the family who had formerly rejected him.
When he reached his son he threw his arms around him and kissed him. Overcome by this totally unexpected welcome, he said, ‘Father, I’ve sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ Period.
REPENTANCE
Repentance. The son had planned to add, ‘Treat me as one of your hired servants’. But now he saw that this was not appropriate. He realized that he’d never really known his father and that he had not understood what it was to have been his father’s son. His father loved him beyond measure. He saw that now. His father was prepared to do for him what he had not expected and certainly did not deserve. His father had given himself publicly, humiliatingly, for his sake.
Jesus wanted his hearers, and each one of us, to understand that the father is like God. God has given most of us many good things to enjoy. But we, like the son, have become so preoccupied with the good things of life and our own lives in general, that we forget God. Jesus wants us to see clearly and without a shadow of doubt that God loves each one of us, far more than we can ever believe. Our problem is that we become too absorbed in our own affairs.
With this parable, Jesus foreshadows another and far greater dimension and expression of God’s extraordinary love. The shadow of his cross begins to emerge. It is in and through the cross we see the greatest act of public humiliation anyone has ever demonstrated in history, for there, God in Jesus Christ stepped into our shoes and died in our place.
But the story does not stop there. Before the younger son could catch his breath, his father was busy ordering new clothes, shoes and a ring – the best of everything. An elaborate and expensive feast was prepared and the father tells us why: “For this my son was dead, now he is alive, he was lost but now he has been found” (15:24). The wayward, rebellious boy who deserved nothing good from his father was to be reinstated as a son. In Luke 19:10 we Jesus’ words about himself and his mission: “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost”. The younger son had not just regretted his folly, but in turning back to his father and admitting his failure, he had been truly repentant. Through his father’s extraordinary and undeserved love, he is reinstated as a ‘son’. He sees that to serve as a ‘hired slave,’ to try to work his way back in to his father’s good graces, was both impossible and unnecessary.
You may want to consider:
the lessons to be learnt from the younger son;
the implications of the extraordinary grace of God in your life.
18 Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 They answered, “John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.” 20 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.” 21 He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, 22 saying, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
HOPE’S KEY
Who Is Jesus? We have a habit of making judgments about one another. This is especially true when someone begins to emerge as a celebrity, and Luke wants us to know that most people were very taken by Jesus. However, there had been impressive people before and we sense that people thought Jesus belonged to the special group of heroes in Israel’s history (9:18–19).
But, Jesus was not content with this, and so he asked a more focused question of his disciples: ‘Who do you (plural) say that I am?’ (9:20). He reckoned that they had been with him long enough to form an opinion about him. By that time they had seen him day-in and day-out for over two years. They had listened to him and come to know him. And, while they seemed dissatisfied with the views of others, such as the Pharisees, Herod and even the crowds, they themselves still seemed to be uncertain about him. Jesus now challenged them to clarify their thoughts.
In this context, the picture cleared, at least for Peter. No doubt he had thought about the question before, but the idea had seemed impossible: ‘You are the Christ of God,’ he said (9:20). His response is as mind-blowing as it is significant. He was saying that Jesus was God’s long-promised ‘anointed one’ (Messiah). These men who had been in close proximity to Jesus, who had enjoyed the privilege of observing his every move and every look, confirmed Luke’s record of the words and events surrounding the birth of Jesus: Jesus is the Christ of God (also, 4:18–21).
THE MESSIAH
This is the first human testimony to Jesus being the Messiah, the Christ of God. Until now this kind of public witness had come only from supernatural sources – angels (1:31–35, 2:11), God the Father (3:22), and demonic spirits (4:41).
Prayer. It is easy to overlook that Peter’s testimony also had a supernatural origin, for the flow of Luke’s narration implies that Peter’s insight occurred as an outcome of Jesus’ prayer (9:18). It suggests that we too need to pray that people around us will come to this same statement of faith.
The radical solution for our need (9:21–22). Having recognized him the Messiah, Jesus knew his disciples would need a re-education program. Clearly they thought of the Messiah as a warrior king, like king David, a supernatural leader who would purge the country of the Roman scourge. They thought of God’s Messiah as the leader who would establish the glory of the kingdom of David across the whole world. This was their dream, their desire and their hope. Indeed, we get the impression that they saw themselves as having a role as courtiers in the coming kingdom (for example, 9:46–48).
But Jesus commanded them to tell no-one about what they now understood (9:21). His command for silence echoes his words to the demons (4:40–41), but his reasons here are different: ‘The Son of man must suffer many things…,’ he said (9:22). He needed to teach them that his path to glory would involve suffering and a cross. He would be rejected and would be put to death, but on the third day he would rise to life. With Luke’s arrangement of these two verses we feel the force of Jesus’ injunction for silence and the reason for it. However, the full significance of these events would only become clear to the disciples once they had taken place.
It is most important that we understand what Jesus is saying here. Most people reckon that what is needed to make the world a better place, is a new government, better education, better law enforcement. But Jesus knew that power, wielded by legitimate governments in the cause of justice could, at best, only limit evil. He knew the greed, the hatred and the selfishness of our human hearts could not be rooted out by better laws, better education or still less, by warfare, though these things have their place.
There was only one weapon that could finally defeat the power of evil and that was the weapon of innocent suffering and voluntary sacrifice. It required him, innocent man before God that he is, to tread a path to a cross. If Jesus had said the world could be rescued through education, social action, better government, or even armed revolution, many would follow. But he had to hang and suffer on a tree. And we might be tempted to ask, ‘You can’t really change the world like that, can you?’ The extraordinary thing is that he did.
You may want to consider:
1. the significance of Jesus’ questions of the disciples; 2. the place of prayer in people’s response to Jesus; 3. the implications for us to Jesus’ resolution to our human need.
16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
PROMISE AND FULFILLMENT
Fulfillment. Beginning his public ministry in the region of Galilee, it was not long before the impact of Jesus’ presence carried well beyond the immediate region. News about him spread like a wildfire, in the towns and the villages, where he was well received. On one memorable occasion Jesus attended his home-town synagogue in Nazareth where a crowd was present. Following a reading from Isaiah 61:1–2, Jesus astonished everyone, saying: ‘This text of Isaiah is now fulfilled’. He was claiming to be God’s anointed one!
The profound implications of his words cannot be overstated. They summarize the substance of his teaching in a way that is not found elsewhere. They lay the foundation for his later teaching (7:21–22); further, they form a mission statement, detailing how Jesus would fulfill his calling. To whom was Jesus referring when he spoke about the poor, the oppressed, and the captives? Suggestions are numerous and the issues are hotly debated.
The poor? Of the many views that are held concerning the meaning of the poor in Luke 4 two especially stand out – the spiritually poor, and the economically (or even politically) poor – people who are disadvantaged for some reason. It may be lack of education, lack of power, position in the workplace, or social standing in general.
Others suggest that by saying that he had come to preach good news to the poor, Jesus was speaking primarily about spiritual poverty. The spiritually poor of the old covenant, the non-Jewish people, as well as Jewish people, could now be beneficiaries of God’s grace. But there is a deeper purpose – Jesus had come to rescue all people who had no status, honor or glory before God. The reference to the poor is a metaphor for those who lack honor or glory before God: it crosses the barriers of class, education, religious association, race and nation. ‘Now’, Jesus was saying, ‘there is good news for all. God’s grace has been opened to everyone’. The coming of God’s king makes it possible. He would use his position and power in the service of all men and women. People from all places would be able to hear and benefit from the good news.
Release to the captives? It is worth noting that Jesus did not literally release any prisoners, not even those who were incarcerated for religious or political reasons, such as John the Baptist (3:20). God had a bigger plan. The events of Jesus’ cross had yet to occur, and God’s final day of judgment has yet to occur before God’s lasting peace would reign. And yet, this announcement does, very clearly, inaugurate His kingdom. Today, said Jesus, these things are fulfilled in your hearing.
There were times when Jesus did directly intervene in individual lives – there were the times when he gave sight to the blind and released the demonically possessed. His miracles were also parables, revealing God’s compassion and his ultimate purpose – releasing men and women from their bondage of sin and restoring them to their true humanity. With Jesus’ words in your hearing, he was saying that his hearers needed to make a decision, for a day would come when God would ask everyone of us, ‘What did you do with my Son?’
Clearly many of Jesus’ first hearers welcomed him and his news of God’s grace. While they did not even begin to understand the real significance of what he was saying, we should understand their words, Is not this Joseph’s son? (4:22) in a positive, not a negative light. They were encouraged.
You may want to consider:
your own response to Jesus’ astonishing claim here;
the implications of Jesus’ preaching good news to the poor and releasing the captives;
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
ANOTHER PROMISE FULFILLED
Why did the angel announce Jesus birth to shepherds? Given the resources of heaven there could have been a spectacular announcement, a public event. To find an answer we need to go back to the history of ancient Israel. There we discover a prophet in Israel, Samuel, looking for a king and finding him, the boy David, keeping sheep. In Ezekiel 34 we read of the rise another David, a new and perfect king— a shepherd-king. The announcement of Jesus’ birth to shepherds symbolized this. Their poverty and lowly state illustrated the way God so often uses the lowly, instead of the powerful, to fulfill his purposes.
So it was that in the ordinary course of these shepherds’ nighttime duty, an angel, sensitive to their fear (2:9), announced good news of a great joy which will come to all the people. Good news was the ceremonial term usually associated with the announcement of the birth of a son to the Roman emperor. The good news here has its origin in God. Its purpose is to bring great joy (compare 1:14) for all the people.* Furthermore, the cause of the good news and the joy was the birth in the city of David of one who is Savior, Christ and Lord (2:11). The shepherds are not told the baby’s name, but they are introduced to his royal heritage and office.
Titles: Savior in the Old Testament generally refers to God’s work in rescuing his people in times of need (for example, Psalm 25:5; Isaiah 25:9). The title Christ means anointed one: the baby is anointed as kings were anointed. Mary’s son is of royal descent, being of David’s house and born in David’s town. The baby is born to be king, a king who saves or rescues his people and brings peace. This is a special kind of King, though, because the Greek word Christ is the translation of the Hebrew term Messiah. The Messiah was the expected ruler and rescuer of Israel, who would be the definitive, perfectly just and powerful King. We also hear the prophetic words of Isaiah 9:1–7 that announced: Unto us a child is born, a Son is given… Further, the title Lord, is striking. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint (LXX), which was the most commonly used version of the Hebrew scriptures in Jesus’ day the word Lord is most frequently used to translate the name of God, YHWH. The title Lord set the scene for what was to follow. Here was a baby full of exceptional promise. Would he realize his potential and actually fulfill all these expectations?
AUTHENTIC
The angel authenticated his words with a sign. The shepherds would find the baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger (2:12). New revelation from God is often accompanied by signs. But the sign here is a conundrum. The baby is of royal blood, born to be king and yet he would be found wrapped in simple clothing, lying in a cattle feeding-trough. What a sign it is. Humanity has always expected royalty to have the trappings of royal heritage from birth. This king is so different – he is born into a world of poverty.
Glory to God. With these words the angel, together with a large assembly of angels burst into the night sky, singing praises to God (2:13). It was the testimony of the supernatural world, and of the members of God’s court and army, to the birth of the baby. The contrast of the shepherds carrying out their work in the darkness of night and the angels doing their work in the brilliant light of God’s glory, could not be more vivid. Glory to God in the highest, they sang, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased (2:14). Three themes are set in parallel: Glory and peace, highest and earth, and God and men and women with whom he is pleased.The supernatural realm echoes with joy and honor at the outward manifestation of God’s love (glory). Now everyone to whom God comes can experience the reality of the peace they long for, the comfort of His love as their Father, and the glory of His rule as their King.
You may want to consider:
the context of the announcement to the shepherds;
the content of the announcement;
the significance of the titles, savior, messiah, lord.
Jesus wanted his hearers, and each one of us, to understand that the father is like God. God has given most of us many good things to enjoy. But we, like the son, have become so preoccupied with the good things of life and our own lives in general, that we forget God. Jesus wants us to see clearly and without a shadow of doubt that God loves each one of us, far more than we can ever believe. Our problem is that we become too absorbed in our own affairs.
Others suggest that by saying that he had come to preach good news to the poor, Jesus was speaking primarily about spiritual poverty. The spiritually poor of the old covenant, the non-Jewish people, as well as Jewish people, could now be beneficiaries of God’s grace. But there is a deeper purpose – Jesus had come to rescue all people who had no status, honor or glory before God. The reference to the poor is a metaphor for those who lack honor or glory before God: it crosses the barriers of class, education, religious association, race and nation. ‘Now’, Jesus was saying, ‘there is good news for all. God’s grace has been opened to everyone’. The coming of God’s king makes it possible. He would use his position and power in the service of all men and women. People from all places would be able to hear and benefit from the good news.
Titles: Savior in the Old Testament generally refers to God’s work in rescuing his people in times of need (for example, Psalm 25:5; Isaiah 25:9). The title Christ means anointed one: the baby is anointed as kings were anointed. Mary’s son is of royal descent, being of David’s house and born in David’s town. The baby is born to be king, a king who saves or rescues his people and brings peace. This is a special kind of King, though, because the Greek word Christ is the translation of the Hebrew term Messiah. The Messiah was the expected ruler and rescuer of Israel, who would be the definitive, perfectly just and powerful King. We also hear the prophetic words of Isaiah 9:1–7 that announced: Unto us a child is born, a Son is given… Further, the title Lord, is striking. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint (LXX), which was the most commonly used version of the Hebrew scriptures in Jesus’ day the word Lord is most frequently used to translate the name of God, YHWH. The title Lord set the scene for what was to follow. Here was a baby full of exceptional promise. Would he realize his potential and actually fulfill all these expectations?