Introduction –
I would imagine you’ve read and heard this story several times. During church, on your own, in a small group Bible study–I’m assuming you’re quite familiar with this parable–but don’t let its familiarity tune you out.
I’ve read and heard this story several times too, but I’m not even scratching the surface.
God is helping me see new things every time I read it. I trust He’s doing the same thing in your life.
After All–Scripture is God’s Living Word–accomplishing His Living Promises in us–through His Holy Spirit.
Like the warm sun on your skin following a long, frigid winter–let this familiar story provide fresh warmth to your walk with Christ.
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Personally, it’s one of my favorite stories that Jesus preached–because regardless of the challenges we are facing–Jesus knows where you have been, He meets you where you are, and He calls you–home.
Let that practical, life-long lesson in the familiar story refresh your heart, soul, and mind in a whole new way.
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First, it’s one of God’s incredible mysteries that our kids–cut from the same cloth–can be vastly different from each other, isn’t that true?
The first one is a Type-A–responsible–detail-oriented person.
He/she knows exactly where everything is in the house because everything has its right place.
When you go somewhere, the others in the family come to this person for something they need because they’re responsible enough to bring it.
Besides his/her Type-A, responsible, detail-oriented characteristics–he/she might be more of a “homebody”.
They don’t necessarily enjoy venturing very far from home.
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On the other hand, the next child is a Type-B, free-spirited person who goes wherever the breeze leads them.
While he/she may not be the most organized person in the world (he/she may not know what day it is and they don’t care) they are fun to be around.
They’re not thinking about, “Will the sky fall if I venture here or over there?”
No, they go, and they learn along the way.
They laugh when things don’t go according to plan.
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Now…for you Type-A people–the “free-spirited” folks might drive you crazy because they seem so scatter-brained, which they probably are, but without their passion to dream, to ask questions that haven’t been asked, to go to that mysterious place that you don’t want to go to, etc., you might not go anywhere in this world.
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On our flight home from San Antonio (the last leg from Denver to Bozeman) I was finishing a little complimentary snack and soda. (*We flew Southwest…they still don’t charge for the snack and soft drink…yet!)
But I happened to look carefully at the napkin of all things.
Do you know how SW got off the ground–no pun intended?
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Scribbled out on a napkin–a triangle–from San Antonio to Dallas to Houston–it’s about a 3 hr drive to each of those huge cities by car–but probably only a half-hour commute by plane.
Well…the rest is history!
What’s my point?
You need Type B visionaries who “see it” and jot the plan down on a napkin; you need Type A disciplinarian-like people to organize it.
God created both in his image to reflect His image in His creation. No other creatures are like this. You are unique in God’s image to reflect and worship Him.
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Moms/dads/grandmas/grandpas–this is still true in your home with your kids and grandkids too.
It’s an incredible mystery that God would bring a husband and wife together in holy matrimony.
Men and women are very different from each other, and yet their God-given differences–in God’s grace–make the other better in Christ, isn’t that true?
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Likewise, the differences in our kids (by the way parents…God didn’t give you kids to make you look good)…their unique characteristics in Christ will make you/your kids more Christ-like.
It’s incredible!
It’s beyond any words that this simple-minded preacher originally from Gardiner could convey.
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It’s one of God’s incredible mysteries that points us to the most amazing, mysterious relationship of all–God the Father coming to us in the flesh–in Jesus Christ–to make us His sons and daughters reborn for His heavenly country that has no end.
We will get to that soon, but we need to be reminded that–because we have sinful natures–nobody is immune from the real mysterious nature of sin–when even our greatest strengths can be turned into our greatest problems.
Isn’t that true?
We definitely see that with these boys.
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Starting with the eldest son–he is the responsible, detail-oriented, type-A person.
He knows the family ranch, cattle, and business inside and out.
When his father dies, he’ll resume the duties, the ranch, the cattle…all of it…and would do very well. He’s a brilliant, rule-abiding, responsible homebody who will probably make his father’s land even more prosperous.
Being the eldest son–he will receive (2/3)–i.e., the majority–of the father’s estate. The eldest knows this too…perhaps too well…but nonetheless…he could explain the process in his sleep.
Fast-forward to today–he would make a good wills/estate planning attorney or CPA.
Do you need the numbers in order for your family? He’d be the guy to call.
What about his younger brother? The free-spirited adventurist?
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He knows the ranch life too, but he’s over it.
He’d rather travel to a distant country, meet the people, learn the language, explore the landscape, etc.
If you were to fast-forward this guy into today’s world, I could see him being an excellent travel photographer and writer for a popular outdoor magazine.
His YouTube following would be huge with the places he’s been, encouraging his followers to explore Patagonia, the Outback, the Amazon, the Fjords of Norway, and so on.
His creativity is off the charts!
If you’ve never seen the Fjords of Norway and always wanted to go–he would be the guy to call.
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Let me ask you, which person describes you?
What about your spouse, brother/sister, son or daughter?
How do their different, Christ-like characteristics lead you closer to Jesus?
But that’s the messy part, right?
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Turning from our selfish ways and wanting to look more like Jesus–oh what an inheritance that is!
Again–we’ll get to that soon–but first–taking a close look at Jesus’ sermon–it’s not a bad thing that the youngest son wants to shake things up and explore a new country.
And as we know–it takes wise planning, time, and money to do that.
So, by law, the youngest son could receive 1/3 of the value of the father’s estate.
Foolish?
Naive?
Premature investment?
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Look…the Father is no fool. While he knows the youngest son isn’t experienced enough to travel and spend time in foreign country on his own–he also knows that he’s over the ranch life.
That father can’t make his son enjoy the ranch/work life.
We do the same thing today, don’t we?
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Whether it’s a music, art, or sports camp, a science fair, a group traveling to an international location where they’ll work on a particular service project, go to a trade school vs. a 4 yr college–weighing the options–how do you know unless you consider the costs and then let them go? They gotta try it!
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Easier said than done, but that’s what the father does here. He gives his youngest his share.
They say their goodbyes…(emotional I’m sure)…while the older brother remains skeptical, “What is he thinking?!”…”He’s way in over his head,”…the father knows it’s time for his youngest to go.
The father isn’t naive either. Whether the oldest stays on the ranch and the youngest ventures to another country, the father knows they’ll make mistakes, but how do they learn from them?
Don’t we help our kids learn from their/our mistakes? Sometimes that’s one of the best tools!
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So the father hits his knees…hard!…for both boys, especially for his youngest.
I know this is a shocker but, we have to keep in mind that they didn’t have I-phones back then.
They couldn’t FaceTime each other.
The father can’t download an app that allows him to keep track of where he is either.
Okay…what happens?
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You know the story, but I want you to hear it in a fresh way. Another pastor shared this, and it stuck with me. It’s called the Prodigal son from the key of f. Stay with me on the alliterations.
By the way…this isn’t just about the obvious lost son…it’s about the older, more responsible “lost” one, too.
The Prodigal son from the key of f goes like this:
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Feeling footloose and frisky, a foolish fellow forced his father to fork over his fourth of the family farthings and flew far to a foreign field where he fast frittered his father’s fortune feasting foolishly with faithless friends.
Fleeced by his fellows and folly, and facing famine he found himself a feed flinger in a filthy farm.
Flushed and fairly famished he fain would have filled his fram with foraged food from farm fodder.
“My father’s flunkies fair far finer.”
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The frazzled fugitive forlornly fumbled.
Frustrated and filled with foreboding, he fled forthwith to his father.
Falling to his father’s he forlornly fumbled, “Father, I have flunked and frugalessly forfeited family favor.”
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The fugitive’s, fault-finding brother frowned on fickle forgiveness, but the faithful father figure, filled with fidelity, cried, “The fugitive is found. What forbids further festivities? Let the flags unfurl and the fanfares flare.”
Father forgive a flunky, fletched a fatling from the flock and fetched a feast
(Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton, The Prodigal Son in the Key of F, www.sermoncentral.com).”
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Truth is–both sons (one at home, the other away) drifted from the most important thing–the Father–and the extravagant Feast He already prepared for both–even though neither one looked for it–even though neither one deserved it.
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Isn’t that still true in our lives?
The eldest is irate and feels like he’s above it; the youngest is insecure and doesn’t feel worthy of it, but the prodigal Father–Jesus Christ–who knew no sin–became sin for them–for you and me–putting on his own back what we couldn’t redeem–that through His sacrificial death on the cross for our sins and glorious resurrection from the dead–the eldest, the youngest–receive the same promise:
New clothes, signet rings that say, “you’re mine,”…a feast of the best calf “slaughtered” for them…is that not a picture of the same rich promises we receive through the same Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ?!
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To the eldest, the Father says, “Son all I have is yours,” his entire identity was wrapped up in the temporary inheritance that he’d one day receive…is that all there is to the meaning of life?
Some of the worst family battles are disputes over who gets what when grandma and grandpa die.
For what gain?
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On the other hand, to feast and party hard today and feel miserable the next few days…trying to appease your friends but getting dumped on in the process…is that all there is to the meaning of life?
For what gain?
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For this reason–Jesus Christ is the Prodigal God–meeting both–meeting you–right where we are.
The Father/Jesus takes both sons’ “wastefulness”–the eldest’s was wasting his most important relationships based on how his works are so much better than everyone else’s; the younger flushed his inheritance down the toilet–but the Prodigal God–restores both saying:
“All I have is yours; We have to celebrate! Your brother was lost and is found; he was dead and is alive.”
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From squanderer (the one who’s wasteful)–to genuine surrender that leads to receiving every spiritual promise that is ours through the Prodigal God–in Jesus Christ–where one day he will wipe away every tear from our eyes, where He’s preparing a room for you, where He’s getting a long table with your place there to partake in a heavenly feast that is beyond anything we could ever imagine–Yes–it’s the inheritance that has no ending.
Let’s pray.